8 Awesome Twists That Saved Terrible Video Games

We were ready to bail until these games dropped a bombshell.

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Konami

If well executed, a plot twist can be the defining moment in a video game. As masterful as Bioshock is, it's the revelation about the phrase, "Will you kindly?" that sticks with players the most. Knights of the Republic may be superb from start to finish but it's the Darth Revan twist that has fans still talking decades later. You get the idea.

But not only can a truly mind-blowing twist elevate a great game, it can also save a bad one. There are some titles that were let down by shoddy graphics, relentless glitches, and terrible controls. Qualities like this can be so annoying, you may be tempted to hand the controller up, long before you reach the end.

But if you power through, the last-minute epiphany might redeem everything. Even though Ghostbusters: The Video Game has its problems, the villain's unveiling makes it all worth it. Mafia is far from perfect but we would be lying if we didn't get choked up by the final shocker.

Even though the games on this list are less than stellar, they deserve more credit due to their phenomenal twists.

8. Ivo Shandor Is The Villain - Ghostbusters: The Video Game

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Atari Interactive

Because Ghostbusters: The Video Game was written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, and brought back the old cast, this was the closest thing we had to a Ghostbusters sequel in decades.

Even though it's wonderful to see Venkman, Egon, Ray, and Winston back together, this phantasmagorical adventurer is let down by inexact mechanics, repetitive gameplay, stiff animations, and Bill Murray phoning it in.

But one thing that works in this adaptation's favour is the mystery. Even though you face off against familiar faces, including Slimer, the Terror Dogs, and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, our titular heroes haven't the foggiest who's responsible for the most recent paranormal resurgence.

In the third act, it's revealed the mastermind behind it all is Ivo Shandor. Although Shandor was the one responsible for summoning Gozer in the original film, at this point he had never appeared canonically in the franchise (until Ghostbusters: Afterlife, of course).

As a result, it's easy to forget the character exists, even though he's tormented the Ghostbusters since their inception. Because he was the team's first foe, it made sense the Ghostbusters would face him sooner or later, and his incorporation into this game was a nice way to tie the plot directly to the original film.

Contributor
Contributor

James Egan has written 80 books including 1000 Facts about Superheroes Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about TV Shows Vol. 1-3 Twitter - @jameswzegan85