20 Video Game Twists That Were Completely Pointless

In 2009, Capcom attempted to revitalise one of their earliest IPs, Bionic Commando. In this loose sequel, government operative, Nathan Spencer, is tasked with eliminating the terrorist faction, Ascension, using his weaponised robotic arm. Spencer rejects the mission at first, but changes his tune when his employers promise to find his missing wife.

Even though Bionic Commando is pretty rough around the edges, nothing received more criticism than the big reveal at the end. After Spencer's mission is complete, he's informed that his cybernetics could only function if it had an emotional connection with the host. As such, this inspired Spencer's superiors to place his wife's soul into his mechanical arm. 

Despite being intended as a hard-hitting moment, hearing the words "Your wife is in your arm" makes you realise how ludicrous the whole scenario is.

Weirder still, it doesn't match the tone at all. Bionic Commando spends hours cultivating a gritty drama, then pivots to metaphysical soap opera with no preparation. Instead of deepening Spencer’s trauma, the twist juveniles it and makes the hero's grief come across as unintentionally comedic.