Most Memorable Game Over Screens/Bad Endings

[Keveh Kins]

We have a best opening scenes thread, and a quick search has turned up nothing on a best ending sequences thread. So for the sake of balance and because I'm from Donegal and thus am predisposed to focus on the absolute worst possibilities in any situation, here's a thread on the most memorable, terrifying, heart wrenchin'/soul destroying game over/bad ending screens.

Y'know, those game overs that really laid it on thick that you fucked up or brought about the demise of the beloved protagonists or world or what have you.

Koudelka's bad ending happens when you plough through the game without taking the time to complete some all important tasks. It's Raider's of the Lost Ark 2.0 and it's pretty damn terrifying. Wee teenage me was utterly horrified by it and it still kinda makes me feel all panicked and dismal today.

Spoiler

Also, the FFVIII game over screen with the Revolver broken in half. Jaysus.

(By the by, if such a thread as this does exist and I missed it, merge away)

 

[Jason Tandro]

CHRONO TRIGGER.

The normal GAME OVER was bad enough with you just staring at the corpses of your fallen for a few moments as the music kicks in. But if you die fighting Lavos... Watch the video. That last bit of text mixed with Lavos's roar is absolutely chilling.

 

[Ⓐaron]

Came in here to post that Chrono Trigger thing

 

[Lex]

It's absolutely this, no contest:

Plays when Lulu is the last to die prior to leaving Besaid at the start of the game. I had doubts that this was real, but then I did it in the HD remaster. Brilliant.

 

[Strangelove]

now i want to try out various game over scenarios for ffx

 

[Flintlock]

Does this count?

Jokes aside, the Game Over screen from the original Metal Gear Solid is memorable for the music and voice acting alone:

 

[null]

Yeah this one laid it on thick, no question. Ah, warm memories... of me and my friends losing our shit trying to get more tokens...

 

[Hisako]

Horror games often have classics.

 

[Masamune]

 

[Joe]

These are great and all, but let me point you to the Arkham series of Batman games. When you die in one of these games (Arkham Asylum, Arkham City, Arkham Origins...) you're taunted by the villain you're currently fighting/pursuing. Each villain has multiple lines of dialogue so, even if you fail multiple times in the same area, it never gets stale.

Arkham Origins

Spoiler: Arkham City

Spoiler: Arkham Asylum

 

[JBedford]

As someone who sucks at games, I see Game Over screens a lot. The amount of times I set off that alarm clock in Rayman.

One memorable to me for other reasons is the Net Yaroze game Psychon. I just thought the face was freaky.

My final pick will be TimeSplitters 2. This time for the music, kicking off with that blaring noise as soon as you bite the bullet. If you sit around long enough you also start hearing some weird edited dialogue and other easter eggs they put in it. TimeSplitters 2 gets hard on the hardest difficulty so I heard this a lot. Never did beat AtomSmasher.

The most memorable in video games is probably MGS1 though. I barely even played MGS1, but "Snake? Answer me! Snake!? SNAAAAAKE!" isn't something I'm ever gonna forget. MGS1 has the most memorable sound design of any game.

 

[Octo]

Yeah it looks crappy now, but this scared the shit out of me as a kid. I think it was the first 3D game I ever played. Bear in mind I was playing it at a friends (fairly big, creepy house - the computer was in the attic) Also I don't remember that naff music - I think they must have had it turned off? - because it detracts from the horror imo.

 

[Strangelove]

that reminds me of the valtiel game overs from silent hill 3