Complete vs. Incomplete Endings

[Pa3PyX]

The good news is that the events are unfolding just as Lam Esen foretold. The bad news is that the story ends in utter ruin! --Alkor, a popular video game NPC

 

Is it just me and my lack of choice, or do there seem to be more cliffhanger, compromised, or just plain unfinished endings in today's action/adventure video games than there were, say, 8 years ago? (See the last paragraph on how I did the math.) I hope it's not just me who thinks that video games, like fiction movies and books and anything else that has a storyline, should have a set-up, a climax, and a resolution -- resolution being the most important of the three because in the end of it (after the game is beaten), it's not as much the process that matters as the net result (i.e. "How did it all turn out?"). The ending is what leaves the final impression about the title and makes a fiction book worth reading, a fiction movie worth watching, and a video game -- guess what -- worth playing.

 

To that end, below you will find a list of some video games I've played, classified according to their endings into 4 categories in the order of preference. I'd like to see how much agreement or disagreement I can elicit on these; I will probably be posting this in some other game related message boards out there. Note that this breakdown is by the quality of the ending only, not by the overall quality of the game (to which, of course, there are other important aspects).

 

 

Category I

This category is comprised of games that have a well-defined, uncompromised (or nearly so) conclusions that leave little or no loose ends in the storyline. You will notice that these are mostly older games. These titles do not suggest a sequel, even though a sequel may have actually been released (which should prove the point that one does not need a cliffhanger ending in order to have a sequel).

 

- Cyberia 2: Resurrection (1995)

- Dark Forces (1995)

- Full Throttle (1995)

- Heretic II (1998)

- Jedi Knight (1997) / Mysteries of the Sith (1998) / Jedi Outcast (2002) / Jedi Academy (2003)

- Knights of the Old Republic (2003)

- Prince of Persia (1989) / The Shadow and the Flame (1993) / The Two Thrones (2005)

- Tomb Raider III (1998)

 

 

Category II

These games have generally distinct endings, but they leave a number of unresolved problems and unanswered questions, suggestive of a sequel. As such, these endings may fall short of the player's expectations (or, if you prefer, leave room for the player's interpretation), but at least we can claim that the endings are definitely there.

 

- Baldur's Gate (1998)

- Cyberia (1994)

- Half-life 2 (2004)

- Hexen: Beyond Heretic (1995) / Hexen II (1997) / Portal of Praevus (1998)

- Monkey Island 3: The Curse of Monkey Island (1997)

- Oni (2000)

- Prey (2006)

- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003) / Warrior Within (2004)

- Quake II (1997) / Quake 4 (2005)

- SiN (1998)

- Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (1999)

- Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (1998)

- Unreal (1998) / Return to Na Pali (1999)

 

 

Category III

These titles do not have any well-defined endings; the endings are either rushed/unfinished, cliffhanger, or plain missing. Typically these titles end at the climax (if the story even reaches the climax), leaving the player with more questions than answers. As such, these endings imply a mandatory sequel. The good news is, the sequels for these titles have either been released, or are under development.

 

- Half-life (1998)

- Half-life 2 Episode One: Aftermath (2006)

- Tomb Raider: Chronicles (2000)

- SiN Episode One: Emergence (2006)

 

 

Category IV

The same as Category III above, except, despite the need for sequels, the sequels have either never been planned, or cancelled (but in either case never released). The storylines have a great potential, but never realize it, leaving the frustrated player asking, "And?" The producers have definitely dropped the ball on these ones.

 

- Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (2004)

- Pariah (2005)

 

Feel free to post if you agree or disagree, along with your arguments. Also, feel free to add games to the list. Ideally, In the end of it, I'd like a somewhat comprehensive list of PC action/adventure/RPG games classified by their endings; or if you could point me to an existing site/thread containing such a list, it would be best. Most sites I've seen in this category seem to focus primarily on console (rather than PC) titles.

 

(About how we do the math here. We'd like a test to determine if the mean age of a game that falls in Category I or II is significantly different from one that falls in Category III or IV, based on the sample we are given. The mean age of a I/II game estimates to 8.3 years with a standard deviation of 4.0, and for a game in III/IV we have 3.8 years with a standard deviation of 3.4. Since the standard deviations are about the same, a simple AOV F-test would do. Plugging in the numbers, we get a p-value of 0.016. That is to say, if games in I/II have the same mean age as those in III/IV, the probability of seeing the difference we see in the sample above (or more extreme) is 1.6%. To me, this is quite strong evidence that the mean ages are in fact different. Of course, you could argue that my sample is biased and not representative. To that, I answer that today I tend to play games quite selectively, whereas 10 years ago I would play just about anything bearing 3D action/adventure tag. So if my sample is biased, it's probably biased the other way!)

Edited February 18, 2007 by Pa3PyX

[Tale]

How can you claim that Half-Life's ending was rushed/unfinished, cliffhanger, or plain missing compared to Half-Life 2's? Half-Life 2's was drastically more of a cliffhanger than Half-Life's.

[Calax]

How can you claim that Half-Life's ending was rushed/unfinished, cliffhanger, or plain missing compared to Half-Life 2's? Half-Life 2's was drastically more of a cliffhanger than Half-Life's.

I think half life falls under "more questions than answers" portion of that catagory.

[Diamond]

I think all of Half-Life, Half-Life 2 and HL2:Episode 1 had equally ambiguous endings.

Edited February 18, 2007 by Diamond

[LadyCrimson]

A story can have an ambigous or unclear ending and still be satisfying on it's own, imo. That said...hmm...in my opinion, I think Might & Magic 7 and 8 might fall into what you're calling Category 2. Most games I've played fall into that category.

[Pop]

SiN: Emergence should be under Category IV, not Category III.

[Kaftan Barlast]

I agree completely with the poster. Having a satisfying ending is Storytelling 101, yet most games fail miserably at this.When you think about it, most doesnt actually have a decent beginning/setup either but rather consist of just the middle part. Here's an interesting read:

 

 

 

Adapting the Tools of Drama to Interactive Storytelling

The Three Act Structure

In a dramatic presentation the pattern of human conduct is developed within the framework of a particular structure or dramatic form, which, despite passing innovations, has persisted over thousands of years. The study of this structure is the next step in understanding the principles of drama.

 

Dramatic structure is the destruction and restoration of the balance of forces. Simply, it is the process of getting into, and then back out of, trouble. Examine any compelling story and you will find that at the outset an equilibrium exists; the potentials of struggle may be present and even boiling under the surface, but the trigger has not been pulled. During the presentation or interaction the balance is destroyed. At the conclusion of the drama balance has been regained. It may be a balance of forces completely different from that found in the beginning, but a balance is present.

 

This balance-imbalance-balance structure is divided into five parts. The parts are:

 

* Exposition

* Complication

* Climax

* Resolution

* Conclusion

 

These five parts fall into three acts in the following way:

 

Act One

Act One is composed of exposition: the initial situation is described. Time, place, and the social and psychological aspects of the situation are set forth for the information of the audience or participant. The characters are introduced and the audience is given everything necessary to understanding their reasons for being. The theme is introduced, perhaps as foreshadowing, so that the spectator is aware of all the forces that will lead to conflict. Above all, the exposition must catch the interest of the audience. First you have to get their attention.

 

The exposition leads to the inciting action. The inciting action is the moment of destruction of the balance of forces

[Girias_Solo]

What is a good ending though? Who defines it?

 

One person might say the ending of X is ****, while another sobs, and calls "Encore! Encore!!2##!!"

[Kaftan Barlast]

What constitutes a good ending is a matter of personal opinion(even if some common factors do apply for 99,9% of mankind), but what constitues an ending can be clearly defined. If there is no detectable climax and no resolution, there is no ending, the game simply stops.

[thepixiesrock]

Since KOTOR2 was the only game I've played out of the last two catagories, what should the ending have been like? What specifically was the problem with the ending.

[Kaftan Barlast]

K2 should have included a part after you beat Kreiah where you returned to your crew and explained to them why you had to go into deep space to hunt the true sith, there should have been a mushy goodbye, a big fat film of you "riding into the sunset" and maybe a "5 years later" showing what became of your party members

 

 

..or something like that. A game like K2 needs a hollywood ending

Edited February 18, 2007 by Kaftan Barlast

[Volourn]

KOTOR2 had an ending. 99.9% of games had suitable endings.

[Guard Dog]

I would add NWN1 the OC to Category II.

 

NWN2 had an ending, we just have not seen it yet. Once Team Gizka finishes we'll know what it was.

 

But you are correct. I'm finding I have less and less interest in RP games because the stories are so poor in writing, organization and excecution. I think that is why so many of us are still playing BG I & II, Torment, FO, and otheres almost 10 years and hundreds of replays later.

Edited February 18, 2007 by Guard Dog

[Walsingham]

I regarded merely not having to play the game any more as ample ending for NWN1 OC.

[Guard Dog]

I would add NWN1 the OC to Category II.

 

NWN2 had an ending, we just have not seen it yet. Once Team Gizka finishes we'll know what it was.

 

But you are correct. I'm finding I have less and less interest in RP games because the stories are so poor in writing, organization and execution. I think that is why so many of us are still playing BG I & II, Torment, FO, and other es almost 10 years and hundreds of replays later.

Grrr, 2nd sentence should read KOTOR2.

[Pa3PyX]

Gripe, can't edit my first post -- will have to post updates to the list as replies.

 

EDIT: Green will denote additions suggested in the responses, and yellow will denote personal additions.

 

Category I

This category is comprised of games that have a well-defined, uncompromised (or nearly so) conclusions that leave little or no loose ends in the storyline. You will notice that these are mostly older games. These titles do not suggest a sequel, even though a sequel may have actually been released (which should prove the point that one does not need a cliffhanger ending in order to have a sequel).

 

- Cyberia 2: Resurrection (1995)

- Dark Forces (1995)

- Full Throttle (1995)

- Heretic II (1998)

- Jedi Knight (1997) / Mysteries of the Sith (1998) / Jedi Outcast (2002) / Jedi Academy (2003)

- Knights of the Old Republic (2003)

- Prince of Persia (1989) / The Shadow and the Flame (1993) / The Two Thrones (2005)

- The White Chamber (2005)

- Tomb Raider III (1998)

 

 

Category II

These games have generally distinct endings, but they leave a number of unresolved problems and unanswered questions, suggestive of a sequel. As such, these endings may fall short of the player's expectations (or, if you prefer, leave room for the player's interpretation), but at least we can claim that the endings are definitely there.

 

- Baldur's Gate (1998)

- Cyberia (1994)

- Half-life 2 (2004)

- Hexen: Beyond Heretic (1995) / Hexen II (1997) / Portal of Praevus (1998)

- Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (1999) / Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer (2000)

- Monkey Island 3: The Curse of Monkey Island (1997)

- Neverwinter Nights (the official campaign) (2002)

- Oni (2000)

- Prey (2006)

- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003) / Warrior Within (2004)

- Quake II (1997) / Quake 4 (2005)

- SiN (1998)

- Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (1999)

- Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (1998)

- Unreal (1998) / Return to Na Pali (1999)

 

 

Category III

These titles do not have any well-defined endings; the endings are either rushed/unfinished, cliffhanger, or plain missing. Typically these titles end at the climax (if the story even reaches the climax), leaving the player with more questions than answers. As such, these endings imply a mandatory sequel. The good news is, the sequels for these titles have either been released, or are under development.

 

- Half-life (1998) / Half-life 2 (2004) / Episode One: Aftermath (2006)

- Tomb Raider: Chronicles (2000)

- SiN Episode One: Emergence (2006)

 

 

Category IV

The same as Category III above, except, despite the need for sequels, the sequels have either never been planned, or cancelled (but in either case never released). The storylines have a great potential, but never realize it, leaving the frustrated player asking, "And?" The producers have definitely dropped the ball on these ones.

 

- Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (2004)

- Pariah (2005)

- SiN Episode One: Emergence (2006)

 

SiN: Emergence should be under Category IV, not Category III.

Unfortunately, you are right. Upon looking in the news, now that Ritual sold out (literally), it should be safe to say that SiN Episodes project is mothballed. Ever more reason to make complete and self contained games, even if the sequel is planned -- you never know what will happen to your company next and when the team will be forced to stop development.

 

Kaftan Barlast: Thanks for the reading, I easily agree with most of what you said there. I understand what you are referring to is the classical narration style; there do exist alternatives ("Memento" movie style backward narration for instance, and a similar style utilized in detective stories -- you will see a half-baked attempt at it in Pariah and a much more successful attempt in The White Chamber), but AFAIK they do not preclude the Resolution part, unless the author wants to disappoint the audience on purpose that is.

 

NWN2 had an ending, we just have not seen it yet. Once Team Gizka finishes we'll know what it was.

You mean KOTOR2 here? Yes, and they are already out of the alpha and well into the beta stages. So hopefully we'll be able to move that one up the list in some near future.