10 Video Games That Almost Had The Perfect Ending (But Ruined It)

BioShock is a terrific game, no question, and one most fondly remembered for its exceptionally well-executed third-act plot twist.

The big reveal is that protagonist Jack has actually been manipulated throughout the game by the trigger phrase, "Would you kindly?", leading apparent villain Andrew Ryan to use the phrase to force Jack to bash his brains in with a golf club.

It's an incredible moment which completely flips everything the player thought they knew, with Ryan allowing himself to die in order to illustrate Jack's own lack of control, and in turn revealing that the game's real antagonist is Frank "Atlas" Fontaine.

The problem, however, is that Ryan dies roughly two-thirds of the way through the game, forcing the player to slog their way through another four-ish hours that consists of several frustrating levels (including an escort mission) ahead of a wildly deflating final battle against Fontaine.

Clearly, the game should've ended with Ryan's death. Above all else, it would've provided a fantastic lead into BioShock 2, and hopefully given the devs time to figure out something interesting to do with Fontaine.

Instead, the remainder of the game struggled (and failed) to escape the shadow of that ingenious plot twist.