I love shit endings, personally.

Then again, I'm a sadist so it's probably best to ignore my idea of "good". A happy ending for me is the movie Magnolia or Children of Men.

Cute and cuddly makes me want to wretch. Which is probably why I hate most video game endings.

That's because the end of the movie was related to the moral theme of the picture, and not the actual storyline. Tommy Lee figures out that this world isn't the same as it used to be, that the good guy doens't always win anymore, that almost everyone is evil now, and there's nothing he can do to change it, like the old marshalls that once roamed the American west.

He see's his father calling him, waiting for him, because his place isn't here on earth anymore.

That's why he retired.

If "the bad guy got shot" ending had panned out, the whole moral theme of the movie, right down to the title of the film would have been compromised. Just like another Coen brothers film, Barton Fink, it has an ending relative to the theme of the picture, with little closure on the actual storyline.

That's why most casual movie goers wouldn't enjoy either of those films. The ending. However, that movies unwillingness to relent to the casual movie mantra of cliche endings is one reason its the best picture of the year.

imo, that is.

Do I like them?

Find out next post!

Both of those films have conclusions, just not outright "get the bad guy/win the battle" endings that may appeal to you personally. Both are perfect conclusions for the individual characters in the movie. Hell, even the titles of both films play directly into the ending and where each character's trials and tribulations during the film have ultimately lead them (Jones retiring, Lewis killing his nemesis).

Personally, I'll take the endings of There Will Be Blood or No Country For Old Men over a Pirates of the Caribbean or Transformers any day of the week because they make you think not about the ending, but the course the characters took to reach that point and why they ended up in the situations they were in at the end of the movie. Not everything needs to be tied up into a neat little bow and too many directors give the audience far too little credit for having fully functional brains.

If Cloverfield had a happy ending, it would have been weird. It was a sad ending and rightly so. Happy endings are okay, but sad endings are appropriate in certain cases.

 EDIT: So I like both happy endings and unhappy ones.

Sure, happy endings are easier to appeal the masses, and it can be great if they are well done, but that also applies to bad/sad endings. Imo, what's the most important is for the ending to be consistent with the rest of the game, nothing more, nothing less. And needless to say, I believe it's much harder to pull off a bad/sad ending that would still please the player.

Some amazingly consistent non-happy endings:

- Fallout
- Deus Ex
- Half-Life
- Kotor 2
- Planescape: Torment (I don't remember it well, but I know it was one of the best endings ever)

Depends on the type of game. With games like R&C, yes, I do like happy endings (why the last one's ending kinda irritated me), but with games like Resistance, I think that a happy ending can kindof ruin the effect of the game. and yes, I used 2 Insomniac games as examples ^_^

A happy ending  is an experience just like a sad or horrific ending. Happy people like good endings people who think life sucks want that confirmed in thier gaming experience kinda like the glass is half empty pisimist ,optimist kinda of.

I don't care what kind of ending a game/movie/whatever has, I just want it to fit the story. I also like endings that make you think about them, or make good questions come to your head.

I'm still waiting for Dtewi's next post. It's going to be great!