10 Video Game Deaths You Knew Were Coming (That Still Broke You)
8. Cortana - Halo 4
Although Halo 5 decided to ruin the single most meaningful moments the franchise had ever known by bringing Cortana back to life as an antagonist, Halo 4 did exceptionally well in giving her character a worthy send-off.
Cortana had long been the witty, lovable sidekick of Master Chief, with the duo displaying incredible chemistry and developing an incredibly close bond with each other.
Cortana begins to malfunction and explains that she is experiencing 'rampancy': a feature in her design that means she will slowly lose her virtual mind after seven years. In a more human sense, she is dying.
As the game progresses Cortana shows growing signs that she is not in complete control of herself, and it becomes a race to defeat the Didact so we can turn our attention to saving our beloved AI companion.
Master Chief and Cortana resort to using a nuclear warhead to blow up the Composer, which is an ancient piece of technology that the Didact plans to use to force humans into becoming Prometheans.
Before the bomb can detonate, however, Cortana saves Master Chief by sacrificing herself.
The two share a beautifully touching moment, and that is the legacy that Cortana should have left behind.