10VideoGameEndingsWith

DisturbingImplicationsYou
TotallyMissed
http://www.gamebasin.com/news/10-video-game-endings-with-disturbing-
implications-you-totally-missed
Therewasonceatimewhenallvideogameswerehappygoluckyaffairs,wheregoodtriumphed
over evil, a hero vanquished a villain and everyone lived happily ever after. Those days are now
gone,withedgy(readdarker)writingreplacinghappyresolutionsandeveryoneendingupeither
deadoronthewaythere.Butthen,happyendingsarentalwaysalltheyrecrackeduptobe.Just
lastweekwepostedarundownofthe10movieendingswithhugelydisturbingimplicationsthat
you totally missed first time out, and it isnt just the silver screen that sees that sort of short
sightedness. A lot of the classic happy endings weve been fed over the years probably havent
actuallyturnedoutaspeachyaswemighthavethought.JustasHollywoodtendstopullthewool
overoureyeswhenitcomestoglossingoverwhatreallyhappenedaroundtheedgesoftheseso
called happy endings, game developers have proved themselves committed to the same cause,
hopingwewontseethegianticebergupaheadforlookingattheprettysea.Theseexamplesare
tenofthemostextremedisturbingimplicationsfromvideogames,thatdeveloperswantedusto
miss. But were saying no more, the true must find a way! Needless to say, there are SPOILERS
WITHIN,soproceedwithcaution
10. HeavyRain:TheNeglectfulFather
HeavyRainisntexactlyacutanddriedhappyending,thankstothepresenceofsevenalternates,
threeofwhichincludethesuicideofthemainprotagonist,andsomewhichinvolvetheOrigami
killergettingawaywithitall,andpresumablygoingontoterrorisemorefamilies,butthereisone
ideal ending. In it we see Ethan, his new squeeze Madison and rescued son Shaun setting up
hometogetherinahappilyeverafterscenariothatcompletelyignoresthefactthatcuddlescant
fix severe PTSD and other related mental trauma, with Scott the killer dead, and Norman
miraculouslyhealedofhisdrugaddiction(musthavebeenthecuddlesagain.)Lifeispresumably
all good. But wait Aside from the fact that Ethan still has some severe underlying mental
problems,relatingtothedeathofhisfirstchild,howarewesupposedtobelievethatsocialservices
wouldallowhimtocontinuelivingwithhissonhavingalmostcausedhisdeath?Okay,soablackout
isntaconsciousthing,butcarelesslytakingyoursontotheparkalonewhenyouhaveahistoryof
episodes is not exactly going to win you any parenting awards. Im pretty sure someone in the
judicialsystemwouldhavesomethingtosayaboutthat,notleastbecauseitwasEthansneglect
thatleadtothedeathofhisfirstsonbylosinghiminamall.Carefree,nonrestrictiveparentingis
onething,butwhenitleadstoactualdeathofonechild,andthenalmostdeathofasecond,its
probablytimeyourprivilegeswererevoked.IftheresanyjusticeintheworldofHeavyRain,Ethan
isnowinacycleofdepression,havinghadShauntakenoffhimforhisowngood.Somuchforthe
happyending.
9.MetalGearSolid2:TheHangover
AfterthegiantArsenalGearcrashesintoNewYorkcityandRaidenandSolidusSnakeareforcedto
fightoneanother(afteramyriadofnarrativerevelationsinvolvingpregnancies,doubleagentsand
adoption,)RaidenemergesvictoriousandisreunitedwithhisgirlfriendRose,whoisnowwithchild.
Aside from a few loose ends, the narrative ends on a nice positive note, with man and his love
reunitedandabrightnewdawnratherinsistentlyrepresentedbythegrowinglifeinherbelly.But
waitHalfofNewYorkisnowsquashed.Peoplearenodoubtdead,thankstotheArsenalGear
stompingabigholeinManhattan,andthosewhosurvivedarelikelytotakeamassivebeatingfrom
thetaxmaninthecomingyearstofixthedamagecausedtotheBigApple.Itsrathershortsighted
tocallthisavictory,simplybecausetheherogetshisgirl.Whataboutthelegacyofdestruction,
nottomentionthegiantrobotlyinginthemiddleofthecity?Nooneeverthinksabouttheclean
upjob.
8.MedalOfHonor:WarfighterAWOL
Warfightercausedsomeseriouscontroversynotleastwhenitwasrevealedthatsevenmembers
of Naval Special Warfare Development Group who worked as consultants for EA had been
disciplined for releasing classified information and the ending was another of those modern
Horrors Of War endings that sought to make the player think. EA decided to have Preacher
weighingupwhethertoreportbackforduty,ordeserttofixhisfamilylife,despitetheformerly
gleefulembraceofthemythologyofthesoldier(theideaofthemassupermen.)Theideamight
be halfbaked, and slightly odd considering the trajectory of the rest of the narrative (and the
presentationofcharactersspecifically)butitwasaninterestingwaytoleavethegame.Butwait?
Doesntdesertionstillcarryafairlyheftypunishment?Honouranddedicationtohisfamilyisone
thing,butwindinguplockedupinprisonforignoringamission(whichispresumablywhatawaits
if he were to answer his mobile) is a fairly counterproductive solution. The key thing is that
Preachersdesertionwouldweakentheunit,especiallyindeployment,andhispunishmentwould
presumablybegreaterthananynormalsoldier.Theresalsoafurtherimplication.Thoughhes
seen some serious action, and untold horrors of war by the end of the game, and the ending
suggestshehashadhisfillofduty,Warfighteriskeentostressthatthesoldiersinvolvedareaction
herolike thrill seekers, as opposed to particularly patriotic men. And if Preacher cannot get his
thrillsfromhisownarmy,whichhemayormaynotdesert(theimplicationishedoes,)hemayfind
himselftemptedtogomercenary,whichwouldpresumablybedeemedjoininganotherforcewhile
AWOL.Thatsoftencalledtreason(dependingontheclient,)andthepenaltyforthattendstobe
fairlysevere
7.Uncharted2:ShambhalaDestroyed
As the events of Uncharteds excellent sequel come to a head, Nathan Drake is thrust onto a
journeyofvengeancewhenElena(hisnewladyfriend,obviously)isalmostkilledbyagrenadejust
afterthepairdiscovertheinvulnerabilityapplicationsoftheblueresinfoundattheTreeOfLife.
Drakegetstothetreejustafterthenickoftime,andwatcheshislatestmortalenemydrinkfrom
thetreessapandbecomealmostinvincible,beforedecidingthebestwaytokillhimistoexplode
the sap and then leave Lazarevic to be killed by the Guardians of the secret, sacred city of
Shambhala.Hedies,NathanandElenakiss,andsunsetsareriddenoffinto.ButwaitMuchlike
IndianaJonesthesinglemostcarelessarchaeologistinthehistoryofthesubject,thankstohis
tendencytodestroypreviouslyperfectlypreservedartefactsNathanDrakeisawfulathisjob.He
is supposed to be committed to discovering and preserving articles and locations of historical
significance, and yet his destruction of the Tree Of Life pretty carelessly destroys the wonderful
kingdom of Shambhala. Ratherthan sharing the spiritual significance of the place, or helping its
inhabitants(suchasthoseGuardians)escape,Drakeblowstheentireplaceup,andenjoysasexy
kisstosealthedeal.Quitehowhedeserveshisreputationintheindustryisbeyondme.
6.StreetsOfRageTheKingIsDead,Long
LiveTheKing?
StreetsofRagehadtwoendingsthefirstwasachievableinsingleplayer,andinvolvednothing
morethancompletingthegame,beatingsevenbellsoutofeveryoneandovercomingthebigboss.
ThiswasproclaimedtheGoodEnding.Thesecondendingwasonlyunlockablewhileplayingtwo
player. When you encountered the boss at the end, he gave you and your fellow player the
opportunitytojoinhim.Ifoneplayersaysyes,andtheotherno,thebossthenfiendishlyturnsthe
playersagainsteachother,chargingthemwithfightingtothedeathsothathisnewcohortmay
provehisallegiance.Formerfriendbrushedaside,theturncoatplayeristhenabletofightthebig
boss(havingturneddownhisfinaloffer)andtakeoverhisevilempire,laughingmaniacallyasthe
credits roll from atop his new throne. The motif BAD END might appear at this stage, but it is
precededbythewonderfullyegostrokingmantraYouBecametheBoss!YouareGreat!Finally,
somerecognition.ButwaitHowlongexactlywouldanewbosslastattheheadofanempirethat
he had just decimated almost singlehandedly with violence? There can be only two likely
outcomes:firstofftheranksaresodepletedthattheformerheroislefttodefendhisentireempire
onhisown,andwillinevitablybeovercomeindoublequicktime,makinghiseffortsandbetrayal
entirely pointless. Or alternatively, the remaining footsoldiers (mostly ginger, for some reason)
wouldriseupandpulltheirnewbossoffhisloftyperchandkillhimforthecrazedandmisguided
despotthatheis.Eitherway,notmuchofalegacytoenjoy.
5.FreedomFighters:TheRussiansAreComing
(Back)
Hurray, we killed the Russians and stopped them from invading Good Old America! Just like
Hollywood always promised us we could. Weve saved democracy, and hot dogs, and Mountain
Dew.Itstimetoparty,sincetheredefinitelywontbeanycomebackfromdefyinganationofthe
mightandmalevolentwilltoinvadetheGreatestCountryInTheWorldEVER!ButwaitItsnot
over.Liketermitestemporarilypushedawayfromtheirquarry,theRussianswillinevitablyreturn,
andingreaternumberswithgreaterforce.Theyarenottobedenied,andthoughtheywereonce
defeated,theywontbeagain,withthemorbidrealisationthenbeingthatAmericaisnotlongfor
thisEarth.ItmightbeavictorypartybytheendofFreedomFighters,buttheresnochanceitlasted
long,asChrishimselfpointsoutintheclipbelowAndhesnotjustsettingupasequel(well,okay,
maybe he actually was) because it never came, probably due tothe impendingRussian attack
thatwipedoutChrisandallofhispartyingbuddieswhocelebratedalittlebittoohardafterthe
endofthebattle.
4.MarioGleefullyKilledAllOfKoopas
Kids
Itsbeensaidbeforethatsomevideogameheroesarentactuallyalltheyseemtobe,andthelittle
Italianplumberwhofindshimselflockedinaperpetualloopofrescuinghispromiscuousprincess
girlfriend from the evil clutches of Bowser/King Koopa is usually top of that list. He smashes
innocent(andmostlyharmless)creaturesonhiswaytostormingKoopasvariouscastles,stealing
coinsandconqueringlandsundertheruseofrescueandvengeance,butwestilllovehim.Itsthe
moustache. So when he triumphs over King Koopa and his horde of maniacal offspring in Super
Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World we can briefly suspend our thoughts on why Koopa is so
committedtostealingprincessesifhehas(orhad)awifetogivehimkids,toindulgeintriumph.
ButwaitItsnosurprisethatMarioanunskilledwarrior,whoseonlyapparentskillswerehoned
byfixingtoiletsisabletovanquishtheKoopaherdwithsuchease,andsolittleremorse,given
that all of them, apart from the Big Daddy himself, are children. Whether they have been
indoctrinated, or forced to fight out of some misguided dedication to their father, Iggy, Ludwig,
Wendyandcoarefatallyunsuitedtoopenwarfare,andyetfindthemselvesdispatchedwithglee
byalittleportlymanwhocantkeepatightenoughreinonhisgirlfriend.Marioshouldhaveset
thechildsoldiersfree,oratleastgavethemabitofaspankandsentthempacking,butinstead,
hekillsthem,andthenneedlesslyexplodestheircastles,crushingtheirinfantcorpsesfordouble
theeffect.Hesneverdonethatbefore,andevenKingKoopawasabletoescapehisattemptsto
kill,sowhytheoverzealousovercompensationnowwhentheopponentsarekids?
3.Tekken5:LeeChaolansEnding
Verylittlebeatsbeatingafightinggameforpureunadulteratedmachojoy.Asthebuttonbashing
gotquickerandopponentsharder,itbecameathingofthedistantpastformetogetanywhere
nearbattlingthefinalboss,butwithTekken5Isomehowmanageditthroughhardwork(cheating)
and dedication (more cheating.) My chosen warrior was Lee Chaolan, a fine specimen of a man
who offed opponents with consummate ease, even under the control of my dangerously inept
podgyfingers.Andfinally,whenthefinalbossfell,andmyfistsinvoluntarilywentskywardsilently,
Isettleddowntowatchthecharactersendingsequence,hopingIdhitonagoodchoice.Soyou
canimaginemydismaywhenIwastreatedtothesightoftoomuchnakedmanflesh,withwith
victorious Lee Chaolan goading his manservant (revealed to be Heihachi Mishimo, his adoptive
father), while threatening him with the explosive bowtie around his neck. All of this strange
Oedipalmeshplaysoutasbothmenarewearingnothingmorethanspeedos(asidefromsaidbow
tie,)andweareencouragedtolaughatthemisfortuneofthefallenvillain(aswellasmarvelathis
firm,ancientbody)whileheispowerlesstorunorfightback.ButwaitSeriously,howcouldthis
ever turn out positively? If you can ignore the strangely homoerotic fascination Lee clearly has
withhisfathersbody(andhisbacksidepredominantlywhichisremarkableforanoldergent,I
havetosay)youhavetoconsiderthecontextofthesituation.Heihachiisanevilgenius,capable
ofgreatfeatsofvillainy,whowouldntstopatswattingfellowhumansofftheEarthlikebugsona
picnicblanket,andheisalsoburdenedwiththeusualmegavillaintraitsofprideandvanity.There
isnowayhewouldsuffertheindignityofservitude,andwouldinevitablyeitherescape(thebow
tiehardlylookssecure)ordecidetokillhimselfandhistormenterintheprocess.Andwhenthat
happens,thecollateraldamagewouldbefairlyhuge,giventhesizeoftheexplosioninHeihachis
mindseyeinthevideoabove.
2.LinksNeedlessKillingSprees
Link is a hero right? He vanquishes giant monsters and basically makes sure that good and light
triumphinhisworld,bysendingevilpacking.Throughouthislongandillustriouscareer,thelittle
elvenwarriorhasdefiedexpectationsofhissizeandprowesstodispatchamultitudeofevil,big
and small, and stopping them marauding through villages and casually eating everyone in sight,
because,like,thatswhatmonstersdointheworldofZelda.Andthenthefinalcreditsrollonany
Zeldagame,andlittleLinktakesalltheplauditsheisahero,andworthyofthespoils.Butwait
Except they dont. For a significant number of Links quests, he goes looking for trouble, and
effectivelykillssomecreaturesforthesimplecrimeofbeingallbigandscarylooking.Despitehis
slightlygirlylooks,Linkisonanegotrip,intentonshowingoffhismachoskillsbykillinglargethings
toimpresseveryone.ThereisnowayKingDodongocandoanyharmtoanyonewhodoesntinvade
his personal space, and neither couldThe Wind Wakers Helmaroc King or his
predecessorHelmasaurKingfromALinktothePast.Thesecreaturesliveawayfromthegeneral
populus,usuallywithverylittlewayofeverinteractingwithanyonewhodoesntcometothem,
andyettheyareviewedinthesamelightasthemegalomaniacsupervillainswhoterroriseother
games.Theyremerelyexistingbytherulesofnature,eatingasbesttheycan,anddefendingtheir
territory, or in the case of the enemies from The Twilight Princess, theyve been captured and
manipulatedintobeingevil.Theyarenotcold,calculatingkillers,andtheresprettymuchnoneed
tokillthem.
1. Conduit2:Non-DeadPresidents
Conduit2hasthemostludicrousendingyoureeverlikelytosee.Seriously,watchitNow,you
probablywerentexpectingthosevaguelyfamiliarfacestopopoutoftheportalattheend,were
you?Incredible,isntit?Notonlythatpeoplewouldactuallywritethissortofextremetrash,but
the very idea of Conduit 3 featuring badass undead presidents, sporting heavy artillery and
armourtakingonagiantAlienthreatinthespacewhereNationalTreasureandHalocrossover.
But wait Will someone please consider the timeline?! If theres one thing Back To The Future
taughtus(attimes,)itsthatmessingwiththetimecontinuumwillspelluntolddisasters,beyond
makingyourfamilyrichandfamous,andinspiringyourownname.Conduit2neverexploredthe
complexitiesofincestuousrelationshipswithourownmothers,butitdidpresentagiantquandry
whenitcametotheimpactthattwosupposedlylongdeadpresidentswalkingaroundinHalolike
armourwouldhave.Apparentlyitsokaytoglossovertheimpactonthetimecontinuum,aslong
as your ending is ridiculous enough and badass enough to go down in history. But there would
surely be widereaching implications of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln suddenly
revealing themselves to be (presumably) immortal in order to help save the world from the
imminent threat of Tiamat, the giant alien ship. At some point the two would realise that their
unveilingwouldleadtoendlessawfulchatshowcircuits,andthesamekindofobsessivecelebrity
objectification that blights Amanda Bynes. They might be equipped with super space suits, but
theresnowaytheyrereadytotakeonthatimminentthreat,andforesightwouldleadtothem
eitherrunningawayandleavingTiamattobasicallyeatEarth,orkillingMichaelFordtocovertheir
tracks.Eitherway,notsomuchofahappyending.Didwemissanysupposedlyhappyendingsthat
ignoreddisturbingimplications?Shareyourownpicksbelow.
PCGameCDKeys:
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