10 Video Games That Ignored PERFECT Endings

Prince of Persia 2008 is a decent, yet mostly mediocre, affair that's about as likely to stay in your memory as you are to perform a wall run in real life. That said, the game does do one thing that's brave, impressive, and bold - namely, the ending. 

This Prince of Persia game concludes with the protagonist choosing to undo all the work he's done up until that point to save his love interest, princess Elika. While the whole game has been spent attempting to lock away a dark, evil force known as Ahriman, the story finishes with you willingly freeing him to bring Elika back to life. The final image of the game is the protagonist carrying her across the desert as the world crumbles to darkness around them.

While this ending is dark and seemingly anticlimactic, it's also brilliant. It makes profound points about free will vs. destiny, highlights the power of the character's relationship, and ends the game on a powerful, unexpected note. 

Of course, if you decide to play on, downloading the "Epilogue" expansion pack, you'll see this perfect ending butchered, as Elika, furious with the Prince, leaves him to find her people. The perfect "our love against the world" feeling of the original climax is killed, and you're left feeling hollow.