Which cRPG has your favourite endgame?

[Dhruin]

Which cRPG has your favourite endgame? The endgame includes the actual ending as well as the gameplay immediately leading up to it, so please consider both elements when voting.

[Asbjoern]

Bloodlines received my vote. The game doesn't actually have a particularly good endgame in any way, but the taxi, car sequences in the last bit of the game is enough for me to give it my vote. They are some of the best and most atmospheric moments I've had with video games.

[Zaleukos]

Of the options I've only finished Gothic and BG2:ToB, and the latter has an ending that is too tedious in terms of gameplay. My Gothic ending was very satisfying though, and it felt good to not actually have to hack everyone into pieces.

[Remus]

The first choice would be the ending in Planescape:Torment. It had very satisfactory climax resolution from the deep stories and characters build up prior to that. Fallout's ending also one of my favorite - it captured the dark mood and uncertain future in a post-apocalypse world.

[r3dshift]

Way too easy to choose. ;) Even though I liked the ending for The Witcher, it was nowhere near as perfect and emotionally moving as that of Planescape: Torment. I remember shedding a teardrop or two upon completing the game - something that had never happened before or has transpired since then.

[POLYGON]

I never played PS:T, so I'l have to choose between TW and Gothic. Gothic was pretty rushed at the ending, in the last chapter everything was expected while in TW everything in the end was well plotted. I'll go for TW.

[magerette]

Had to go with Planescape:Torment for just being the best writing and story in an endgame I've experienced. There were faults, but the opportunity for failure there was very high--think how the end could have been screwed up in a variety of ways if it had been rushed or poorly conceived. Instead, the end for me exceeded my expectations instead of as in so many games, falling short.

Second place is The Witcher for another complex and interesting resolution, with Gothic in close contention.

[titus]

I only finished Gothic, KOtOR, and Vampire so I will restrict a real vote. Kotor was a letdown, once you find out you were revan, it was all downhill. Gothic becomes great from the moment you meet xardas(if it wasn't great before :p) and Vtm: bloodlines was so great with the story and the NPCs but the endgame was a shooter and nothing more. But the surprises at the end were great so I would vote VTM: bloodlines

[Guhndahb]

I haven't played NWN2:MtB yet (I haven't had time, darn it!), but of all the rest PS:T won my vote, hands down. What an emotionally impacting experience.

[Jaz]

I haven't played NWN2; other than that, my favorite endgame out of this list was the one from Jade Empire.
My favorite endgame of all the cRPGs I played would be that of LoL 3, however. The end boss fight may not be the most brilliant in history, but I really love the *complete* endgame (with the stuff that will happen if you sit through the credits). Probably because it tied up some loose ends from the other games and gave me the chance to settle some minor affairs concerning NPCs that had bothered me since LoL 1...

[Maylander]

KotOR and MotB both had great endings, but let's face it, this is hardly even a competition - Planescape: Torment simply had the best writing (ending included) in any game so far.

[fatBastard()]

While many of the games listed have great endings, they just can't touch Planescape: Torment in my book.

However, if a reverse poll with the worst endings was to hit this site then Mask of the Betrayer would get my vote in a heart beat. A great game with the biggest let down of an ending I've ever seen in all my years of gaming. >:O

[Benedict]

KotOR and MotB both had great endings, but let's face it, this is hardly even a competition - Planescape: Torment simply had the best writing (ending included) in any game so far.

Agreed, probably the only game to ever manage an emotional impact on a par with cinema or literature.

Did anyone read the round table thing on the iron tower studios linked to recently? Chris Avellone (planescape writer) was talking about settings I think, and said that he tried to think about what moment in the game would be the unbelievably cool moment and then work back from there, and cited the planescape ending. Certainly worked brilliantly in this case, the whole of the rest of the game had built up to it perfectly.

Shame nobody's proposed a rewrite of it with a new engine and some extra / deleted content, given the writing was already so perfect and engines these days are so cheap I'd have thought it would be a winner, there's enough guaranteed sales on nostalgia / young people who've heard so much from older players about how great it was who can't bring themselves to play such an old interface & graphics.

[Prime Junta]

While many of the games listed have great endings, they just can't touch Planescape: Torment in my book.

However, if a reverse poll with the worst endings was to hit this site then Mask of the Betrayer would get my vote in a heart beat. A great game with the biggest let down of an ending I've ever seen in all my years of gaming. >:O

Which ending did you get? I was a bit let down by the one I got the first time, but the one I got the second time was much better.

If you're referring to

not being able to tear down the Wall

I sorta understand where you're coming from... but it does make a pretty refreshing change from most games, which tend to end up with you succeeding in everything you try.

[fatBastard()]

Which ending did you get? I was a bit let down by the one I got the first time, but the one I got the second time was much better.

If you're referring to

not being able to tear down the Wall

I sorta understand where you're coming from... but it does make a pretty refreshing change from most games, which tend to end up with you succeeding in everything you try.

That is exactly what I'm talking about. I got the "best" ending and as such it was a nice ending and all but the aforementioned "sorry you can't do that ... Alrighty then, moving along" handling of one the major themes/threads throughout the game was such a slap in the face for me that I was still staring at nothing in shock when the credits were over.

And just to rub salt in the bleeding wound I was forced to watch Kaelyn the Dove make her stand and fall on her own while I was supposedly frolicking around the countryside pretending to be a farmer even though I KNEW without a shadow of a doubt that my character would have been standing right there beside her come what may.

I'm not allowed to tear down the wall. Fair enough, but at least give me a chance to go out in a blaze of glory while trying to do what I spent the entire game convincing others was the right thing to do.

[zakhal]

I havent seen even half of those endings yet so its hard to say. For what I know Id vote for gothic but som of those games might have better endings i.e planescape: Torment so who knows.

[Mana Garmr]

Just finished Gothic for the first time yesterday in fact, which leaves only Ultima V on that list I haven't finished. I liked the ending, although the talking part seemed a little short on detail, but I still give my vote to PS:T

[Lucky Day]

I liked BG:2's ending although it was predictable.

I preferred Arcanum's and Wiz8's ending much better though.

The best was Questron though. The game was cheesy but the whole pomp and circumstance it gave you was pretty entertaining. It made it a real treat to play with a reward like that.

[blatantninja]

I went with BG ToB. I haven't played Ps:T (Yet!) so I had to wave off from that one. I'm glad to see some props given to an old school game in U5, for the time, it had a great ending!

[Bartacus]

I went for gothic. I'm a fanboy!

[Patrick]

My endgame characters usually vary, but my favorite lead is Oboro-maru. I also found that Masaru makes for a pretty good character once he gets his Super Bandage - high HP, and Tsuda can pretty much rock the world of anything.

[DArtagnan]

Of the ones listed, I'd have to go with KotOR - as I clearly recall thinking the end-level and fight was just like I want them to be. Unique environment which exceeds the ones before, and a boss fight that's pretty easy because you're a bad ass by the time you get there. The storyline was also very satisfying and everything about the reveal worked wonders for me, at the time.

[DeepO]

Nothing touches PS:T when it comes to game endings in my book.
When I played the game for the first time I was quite worried about the conclusion because everything that came after the ridiculously awesome dialogue with Ravel was obviously rather rushed, but thankfully the last part delivered in spades.
Story-wise and emotionally satisfying, made perfect sense, left me quite speechless for a few hours and still produces a bit of tingling sensation when I recall it :).

Strictly combat-wise, I think my favorite of the listed would be Throne of Bhaal, however with mods, most notably Ascension. It´s rather frustrating and unfair, but ultimately makes for a fitting and very memorable combat conclusion of the whole saga.

[LuckyCarbon]

Fallout, without question.

The build up of returning a hero then being ejected by the overseer was so true to the setting and mood.

The first time I beat Fallout I got the bonus of the VD shooting the overseer before walking away. I loved that, there was so much justice in it. Where the working man doesn't just accept the authoritarian pronouncement of the Overseer but shows him with his gun the reality of the wasteland, the new world, and by doing so declares the start of a new beginning where the world isn't blindly ruled by the bureaucrats that destroyed the world the first time. A world where people will be held accountable to their actions, no longer able to hide behind their title and status.

I don't even remember the end to PS:T, I guess it didn't have the same impact on me it did for lots of you.

[Starwars]

Hard question. As far as the actual endings go, I have my favorites. But endgame? Difficult to answer because I think RPGs are often horrendous in this area, often providing absolutely awful "end levels", often with the grand old "a million enemies that you have to beat down" design that I hate so much.

That said, Fallout is probably the clear winner here because there was a nice amount of choice on *how* I wanted to handle things. Plus the ending itself is a classic.

I also liked the MotB end-game because while there was a lot of fighting, there was good variety in the actual levels and it didn't feel as if you were stuck, treading the same mill for ages. The pace is kept fairly quick.

The actual ending of PS:T is wonderful but the parts of combat before it (which is even more soured considering how the post-leaving-Sigil game is kinda bad) were just a chore.

[stealth]

Ultima V is the only game on the list I don't own. I agree that all the other listed games are great but I've actually only finished KotOR, Planescape, Fallout and TW. NWN2 and BG2 as well, but not the listed expansions. Of these I think I'll pick Fallout as this was the first time I've played a game which included an end sequence with the consequences of your actions. That was cool and satisfying.
Btw: didn't David Gaiders Ascension mod rewrite the ending of BG2:ToB for the better ? (I know it may be a matter of opinion but you know what I mean ;))

[GhanBuriGhan]

It is embarassing how few of these I actually played. Too little time to play games, although its my only real hobby.
Anyway, of the ones I played, I think I would pick the Witcher here. I though the ending, including the dream-like ascent to the temple and the revelation at the end were particularly memorable, and a fitting end to a cool game.
Fallout was cool, but as I said before, I came to FO late, and it didn't wow me as much as many others who played it at the time it came out.
The ending of Gothic (as opposed to the rest of the game) I remember actually as a bit of a dissapointment. And yes I know, I really have to play Ps:T ... one of these days.

[stamar]

I really liked the end game of kotor

And planescape torment. Whats really weird about it is actually the unique graphics and explosions they added for it.
Actually if you want to say end GAME you have to say planescape torment theres a final maze and stuff. The pst develoopers wanted to win this award someday i think.

Im not sure I liked the endgame to fallout although it was great it didnt seem over.
Fallout is perfect in most ways but its just too short.

I did actually play jade empire all the way through and it deserves no such accolades as to even be on a list.

It just sort of ends and lets you start the game all over from the beginning using a different class.

All in all I didnt like that game at all.