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As a lifelong gamer, many titles have fallen short of their full potential for me because they rush too much or take too long, offering experiences that are less than they could have been with a good distribution of events.
As a result, multiple titles end abruptly,leaving us in a position where the conclusion isn’t as satisfyingdue to how the circumstances that led us to that point unfolded.
Whether it’s due to not taking full advantage of the gameplay or wrapping up the plot before it should have,these ten games that end just as they get interesting left me wanting more.
10Elden Ring Nightreign
Tarnishing FromSoftware’s Record
Elden Ring Nightreign
Fextralife Wiki
As a loyal FromSoftware fan, I must admitElden Ring Nightreigndisappointed me for many reasons, but particularly for its lack of new content.
The game reuses most of the elements present inElden Ring, whilethe truly unique content is limited to the Nightlords encountered at the end of each expedition.
They are incredible, but when I defeated the last one, the credits rolled, and I was hit with the realization that there was nothing new to do…My surprise wasn’t gratifying.
I understand this is a game meant to be updated over time, but considering the final bosses are the ones that actually live up to the developer’s legacy,having it all end just when the fights were feeling their best was devastating to my experience.
Just When You Get the Hang of It
Cocoonis a marvel from start to finish, and there isn’t a second where the game doesn’t surprise you with its creative puzzles and magnificent atmosphere.
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The title is very immersive thanks to the natural way it integrates its challenges into the main mechanics, althoughits innovative approach takes a bit of getting used to.
Unfortunately, by the time you’ve got everything figured out, and you’re starting to get the hang of the puzzles,the final boss fight takes place,and you run out of new problems to solve.
It almost sounds like complaining just because, but forCocoonto endjust when its gameplay becomes intuitive and even more compellingis a loss that hurts deeply.
8Call of Duty: Ghosts
Many Unanswered Questions
Call of Duty Ghosts
Although the game has been partially vindicated over time, I think we still don’t give enough credit to how interestingCall of Duty: Ghostswas by the end.
With a distinct setting and a story with an unusual perspective for the series' typical modern warfare, the game felt different. The underlying focus was the same again, butthe post-apocalyptic context and the missions' scale and execution gave it a distinct texture.
However,the intention becomes irrelevant when you consider the campaign can be completed in approximately five hours, leaving a huge number of unanswered questions to the point that everyone assumed a sequel was inevitable.
More than a decade later, the second game in the subseries never arrived, sowe’re all left with unresolved doubts, especially after an ending that comes just as things are starting to get serious.
A Spectacular Campaign Without Sense
Vanquishis riddled with so many clichés that it’s impossible to take the story seriously, butthere are hints of something interesting in its final moments.
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Very entertaining gameplay, but excessively inconsequential stories.
With a few twists in the plot, the title takes on a different vibe,making much better use of the wonderful setting and premise whilefully exploiting the unparalleled gameplay.
Just to continue enjoying its glorious, adrenaline-pumping mechanics,Vanquishshould last twice as long, but the campaign ends before you can even properly savor its combat’s magnificence.
Had it had a longer story, exploring more of the approaches to its final act, and giving us more boss fights, we’d easily be calling it a masterpiece.
6Fallout 3
It’s Hard to Believe That’s All
After playingThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, I was left with unprecedented feelings of wonder, the same kind I carried with me when I playedFallout 3for the first time.
While I loved the game throughout, I was completely stunned when the unimpressive end-of-campaign decision we all know was presented to me, asI genuinely thought there was no way that was it.
If it weren’t because the side content and overall immersion were on point,I’d risk sayingFallout 3would be a good game at best, primarily because its main quest ends suddenly and with little fanfare.
I was perhaps expecting something similar in scale toThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but even without said expectation,the game’s story provided enough room for its actual ending to be an important part of the plot rather than a conclusion.
5Dragon’s Dogma 2
An Ending That Doesn’t Feel Like One
Dragon’s Dogma 2
The thing I loved most about the firstDragon’s Dogmawas its unique ending, about which I can still say I’ve never experienced anything like it again.
I didn’t anticipateDragon’s Dogma 2taking the same path because it might have been predictable, butI also didn’t expect it to end so anticlimactically, as if the credits rolled right before the actual final battle.
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When I refused the first ending and realized the game continues in the Unmoored World, I felt like I still had so much more to see of thisgreat RPG, and I went into it with a fair amount of hype.
Unfortunately, the pacing misled me, andwhat I thought would be a vast area of endgame content was a brief moment that ended before I could digest it all, especially given the area’s time constraint.
And that’s a shame, because everything up to that juncture is well-paced, but it feels likeDragon’s Dogma 2doesn’t tie up all the loose ends and leaves us hanging for a real ending.
Intense But Fleeting Hours
Whilegames where you’re huntedoften overwhelm me,INSIDEwas a particularly exceptional case.
This gem is among the past decade’sgreatest indie games, with an unparalleled atmosphere and praiseworthy spontaneity, especially for the natural way its puzzles and chases unfold.
It has very creative challenges and overly chilling sequences, and perhaps that’s why its plot always feels so intense. Butits climax caught me off guard.
Not only because of what happens during it, but because I feelthe setting offered enough content for a longer adventure that would explore greater depth in both narrative and gameplay.
I’m not complaining per se; I still think it’s a masterpiece, but I find it difficult to forgetINSIDEended when it had me most hooked on its world.
3Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
A Half-Baked Experience
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Coming fromDeus Ex: Human RevolutiontoDeus Ex: Mankind Dividedis a traumatic experience, as I can recall few downgrades of such magnitude.
Adam Jensen going from starring in one of the most thought-provoking titles toone of the most incomplete and shameless sequels wasn’t in my bingo of the century, but here we are.
The second installment refines mechanically what its predecessor pleasantly offers, butthe campaign finishes at a point where the true seams of the plot start to show.
It ends at such a climactic pointand in such an unexpected way thatit’s impossible to describe it as deliberate. Instead, it’s a blatant cutback that needs a new installment to make sense overall.
And it’s terrible, becauseDeus Ex: Mankind Dividedhad the potential to be an extraordinary title, but it ended up as a forgettable successor that can’t stand on its own.
2Asura’s Wrath
The True Ending Comes in a DLC
Asura’s Wrath
WhileAsura’s Wrathis among thestoriesI’ve been most captivated by, with unforgettable characters and cinematics that never cease to raise goosebumps,its original ending is worthy of a class-action lawsuit.
Imagine being at the climax of an excellent plot, just after having endured a couple of cosmic-scale battles that have you on the edge of your seat,only to discover that the true ending of the story lies behind a paid DLC.
I couldn’t afford the expansion at the time, so I had to stick with an incomplete experience that slams the door in your face just as you’re about to experience what would probably be the campaign’s only great fight gameplay-wise.
I’ll continue to loveAsura’s Wrathuntil the end of time, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgiveCapcomfor closing the base game’s story at that specific moment.
1Half-Life 2: Episode 2
The Most Painful Cliffhanger Ever
Half-Life 2: Episode 2
My relationship withHalf-Life 2is curious because, despite the original title being among myall-time favorites,I’m not as big a fan of its additional episodes.
Of course, I value them for everything they contribute in terms of plot and gameplay, but I believe they’re a step backward from the basic campaign, at least until the last quarter ofEpisode 2.
As the story approaches its end, and just as I’m finally beginning to regain the same feelings of wonder and anticipation I felt withHalf-Life 2,I come across credits that roll at the most inappropriate moment in video game history.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable to describeHalf-Life 2: Episode 2asthe most devastating cliffhanger to ever hit the interactive industry, because it’s practically criminal that the story ended there.
By this point, I’d given up hope of ever getting any answers as to what happened on Gordon Freeman’s journey, but that closure ripped out a part of me that has never been whole again.
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