First impressions are incredibly important, but the last few minutes of a game—whether right before the credits roll or sometimes after—often make or break an entire experience for the player. How does the story end? Are we left with some incredibly cruel cliffhanger? Does everyone live happily ever after? To pay tribute to some excellent storytelling, we've decided to highlight the eleven games that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression.
Obviously there are way too many games to possibly include all that are worthy of recognition and some just have too many different endings that properly discussing them would be a headache and a half (I'm looking at you Chrono Trigger) so please bear that in mind before you decide to chew me out. Okay? Thanks.
Oh yeah… SPOILERS are obviously bound to follow. If you weren't astute enough to figure that out for yourself, perhaps you deserve to have eleven of the best endings spoiled for you. Alright, that may be a bit harsh.
For a game that at first glance appears to be nothing more than a shallow third-person shooter set in Dubai, Spec Ops: The Line is incredibly deep, and it's all thanks to the ending. To come to the end of the journey and realize everything you've been doing isn't quite what you thought it was is not only shocking, but completely horrifying, commenting on the tragedy of war like no other game has. If it weren't for the game's stellar ending, there would be little reason to give this game a second glance, which speaks volumes to its final moments.
10. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII is heralded by many as the greatest role-playing game of all time. Gamers love Cloud and Aerith, going so far as to dress up like them at gaming conventions. Crisis Core is special in that it serves as a prequel to the legendary RPG, providing the epic and emotional lead up to the events of FFVII. As such, the very final moments of this PSP classic not only tug on your emotional heartstrings but fill you with a warm sense of nostalgia as you are lead to the opening moments of Square's PSone masterpiece.
9. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
5. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
