Multiple Endings

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Multiple Endings

Postby Thoul » Wed Jan 28, '09, 1:41 pm

One thing that has become very common in games now is the idea of having different endings depending on the player's actions in the game. The earliest game like this I can think of is actually the first Phantasy Star, though Phantasy Star III is a better example. Of course, Chrono Trigger is probably responsible for really making the trend popular, though most games don't go to the extreme of having over ten different endings.

Do you like for games to have more than one possible ending? When you play one of these games, do you always try to get all of the endings?
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Postby Darkil » Wed Jan 28, '09, 5:55 pm

I do, however there's a limit to how often I'll play to get those endings. For example Star Ocean 2 is one of the best RPG's I played on the Playstation[amongst others] and it boasts 82 different endings! I love that game a lot but I have no desire to play it through 82 different times to see a slightly altered version of an ending I already saw. But having different endings is nice as it adds a twist upon the story, yet with the Star Ocean 2 reference, it can be quite overwhelming also.
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Postby Thoul » Wed Jan 28, '09, 10:34 pm

82?! What were they thinking?!? Very few people are going to go for that...
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Postby Darkil » Wed Jan 28, '09, 10:36 pm

I know! It's a great game and worth a couple of playthroughs but there's some many different things that affect the story that it can change what happens later on. It's not a bad idea but I think it was a bit overboard.
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Postby LordShibas » Thu Jan 29, '09, 6:38 pm

I usually don't care about multiple endings in games, unless they offer something really rewarding, which is not very common. I bit on the whole multiple endings of Chrono Trigger crap too, but I quickly tired of it and didn't find the endings were worth the effort and extra playthroughs.

I did finish Phantasy Star III with every character, but I had much more time on my hands back in those days.

Instead of having a game with multiple endings, I'd find it more beneficial for a game to have multiple was to play through the game. I'm talking about different aspects of the game that allow for separate playthroughs of games to differ. The game that immediately comes to mind for me is Summon Night Swordcraft Story for GBA. You can play through the entire game as either a male of female lead, and the game's dialogue and NPC interaction differ based on who you are.

SNSS also allows you to have 1 of 4 summon beast with you the entire game. Meaning that subsequent playthroughs of the game allows you to have a different Summon Beast and an entirely different set of spells throughout the game.

I find little things like this make a game more enjoyable in the long run, and not campy endings that one must thrive for.
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Postby Thoul » Fri Jan 30, '09, 2:16 am

That does sound like a better approach. Making it essentially a different game each time you play adds a lot of value.

Some of Chrono Trigger's extra endings were quite good, I thought. Several definitely were not worth the effort, though.
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Postby Lemina » Fri Jan 30, '09, 2:56 am

I like multiple endings; I feel like it gives me a little more say in what happens. A lot of the modern RPGs these days have a really strict storyline; it's like you're watching a movie and not playing a game, you know what I mean?

Ironically, I really don't go for getting all of the endings; I usually just for for about two or three. 30+ hour games are way too long to be playing eleven times over.
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Postby Lucas » Fri Jan 30, '09, 10:12 am

I'd have to go with Lemina on this I enjoy multiple endings too, as I believe it raises the value of the game. But if the games takes over say 40 or 50 hours to beat to see a different ending each time. I doubt I would want to see them all. :yes:
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Postby Schala Zeal » Mon Feb 2, '09, 12:18 am

Like Lemina, I like multiple endings. It makes me feel like I, the gamer, had an impact on the story. However, there are some endings in the games with multiple endings that are so similar to endings I've already seen in that same game. Y'know what I mean? :rofl: Even though I like games with multiple endings, I'm usually too ADD to get all the endings.
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Re: Multiple Endings

Postby Zeoinx » Mon Jan 10, '11, 12:36 am

Personally there should only be a minimal of 3 endings, the bad ending, where you fail in your quest, bla bla bla, the normal ending, where you generally did everything you needed to to save the say, and then the GOOD ending, where you did 100% of the things you had to. I know there were two endings in Chrono Trigger that stand out for me, one is where Chrono and company travel back in time using the ship, and then the one where Chrono and Marle start floating up in the sky via Balloons., while the time travel ending was nice, I felt the ending with the Balloons and fireworks was the far better ending in my eyes.
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