Beginnings, endings, and opinions

What makes a satisfying end or a ball-grabbing beginning? Any games stand out for you?

Dead Space 2 does it as well as anyone can. You're thrown right back in, not sure if you can trust yourself and I've never been so afraid and insecure in a tutorial before- you're in a fucking straight jacket! Both Darkness games and both Batman Arkham games threw you in there too, did a great job setting tone and setting and making you feel there.

I've got some theories on endings I'll be sharing on the podcast coming the last week of March, but I'd like to hear what you guys think. Endings that stand out to me, Psychonauts, Dragon Age 2, Uncharted, and Bayonetta. No one is surprised I am sure.

Personally, I need a feeling of closure. I need to know that I made an impact on this world. I'm also a sucker for that final shot of the protaganist giving a relieved smile at the end so games like Jade Empire and Beyond Good and Evil stand out to me.

I loved both of them. I agree; there needs to be a feeling that you've accomplished something. I think good endings have a reunion and a reward. Even if every problem hasn't been solved a player needs to feel like that have done something noteworhty and that their actions made a difference. Skyrim is a great game and there is not ending really, but it would've been nice if folks would notice that you saved the realm and didn't treat you like some schmo off the street. The Bioshock games did a good job of reunifying your family and effecting Rapture, Dragon Age gives you a big ceremony, Bayonetta gives you a dance number with everyone in it. Good stuff.

Oh how could I forget the Bioshock endings! There was some serious closure and they gave serious weight to the decisions made throughout the game. They gave you impressions of the future in that world without hammering out every detail. They could be summed up with the cliched "This is the first day of the rest of your life." For good or for evil it's a great note to end a game on.