Endings are hard to pull off in any medium. Since they're what viewers will be thinking about long after the story's concluded, they're undoubtedly the most important part. The PlayStation console heralded the arrival of more cinematic games in consoles with titles that boasted full polygonal graphics and pre-rendered cinematics.
With this increase in technology, developers relished the opportunity to create more narrative-heavy titles. However, not all of them were lucky enough to stick the landing. Whether they're due to budget cuts, lack of resources, or just the product of bad execution, these PS1 finales take the shine out of what are otherwise beloved classics.
10 Gex Mocks Completionists
The first Gex may not have been one of the most revolutionary titles, but it was a decent enough side-scrolling action game. Certain design choices made the game more frustrating than necessary, such as the Remote level structure and the PlayStation port's lack of a save feature.
The ending sees the gecko being flung back into his couch, catching his remote, and proclaiming, "Hey. Cool. I wonder what's on HBO," before resuming the bad habit that got him into this whole mess to begin with. The secret ending is even worse: consisting of a bunch of screens with text congratulating players before mocking them for wasting their time.
9 Twisted Metal Just Ends With Text
The first Twisted Metal may have set the stage for the vehicular combat genre, but it certainly shows its age in many aspects. Each game in the franchise has a selection of outlandish contestants who aim to get their wish granted by the host of the tournament. Ending cinematics generally have a darkly comedic twist where the combatants get a suitably karmic comeuppance.
Unfortunately, the first game in the series depicts these scenarios entirely through text accompanied by a still image of Calypso. Originally, these endings would have sported live-action cinematics. However, these cutscenes were allegedly excised from the final product for being generally tasteless and corny.
8 Incredible Crisis Doesn't Stick The Landing
Incredible Crisis is a quirky title from Polygon Magic that was a collection of mini-games glued together by an offbeat story revolving around a seemingly mundane Japanese family. The game starts with a rhythm section where players control the father, Taneo, as he dances with his co-workers. The second level sees them trying to survive a rampaging wrecking ball, and it only gets weirder from there.
The game's outlandish scenarios, ska-infused soundtrack, and distinct art direction helped it stand out among other titles. Unfortunately, the game doesn't quite stick the landing with a final cutscene that sees the family seemingly destroyed by a comet before ending with a "to be continued."
7 Rayman's Final Cutscene Is An Insult
The original Rayman is already a frustratingly difficult platformer to beat normally, but meeting the requirements for the game's proper ending is a Herculean task. Hidden throughout each of the stages are creatures known as electoons. Their rescue is especially hard because many won't appear until players have arbitrarily touched a specific part of the level.
Add a hefty amount of trial and error level design, floaty controls, and relentless difficulty, and players have themselves a game that's bound to irritate them to no end. The reward for their valor is a congratulatory cinematic that's less than 20 seconds.
6 Chrono Cross' Aesop Totally Falls Apart
Chrono Cross, a spiritual successor to the acclaimed Chrono Trigger, was met with a polarizing reception among fans. Defenders regard the game as one of the finest games on the original PlayStation. At the same time, detractors took issue with its tone, art direction, and its needlessly cruel treatment toward the heroes from the prior game.
The game attempts to make the case that it's immoral to try to change the future by tampering with the past. What undermines this message is that tampering with the past is exactly how players rescue Schala. It's really hard to make sense of the ultimate fate of Kid, Schala, Lavos, and everyone else in the game's confusing finale.
5 Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee's Good Ending Isn't Worth The Torture
Abe's Oddysee's good ending is hardly worth the grueling tests of patience and memorization that are saving the required number of mudokins. The puzzles are so cruelly designed; one hit is all it takes to put players back to square one. Worse, all the enslaved people and workers that the players liberated could be undone if Abe died before reaching a savepoint.
The reward for this feat is just a short cutscene where Abe gets rescued and receives a hero's welcome before breaking wind. The game then asks players if they'd be willing to torture themselves further by rescuing the enslaved people they missed.
4 Final Fantasy VII Ends On A Frustratingly Ambiguous Note
Years before The Sopranos' controversial finale, Final Fantasy VII's ambiguous ending polarized critics and fans. The pre-rendered cinematic that followed the defeat of Sephiroth refused to give a definitive answer as to the fate of the heroes and Midgar. Just as all seems lost, lifestream that's heavily implied to come from Aerith springs forth to save the city and its inhabitants.
The scene looks as if it's building to some sort of climax, then cuts to Aerith looking at the camera before fading to black. The following scene shows Red XIII and what looks like his kin gazing at like the ruins of Midgar from a cliff.
3 Parasite Eve II's Meandering Story Ends With A Whimper
The sequel to Square's cult classic RPG/survival horror was originally going to be a side story starring a brand-new protagonist named Kyle Madigan. However, it was decided during development to re-work it into an official sequel to Parasite Eve. Knowing this, it's no surprise that the game feels heavily divorced from the original despite seeing the return of Aya Brea and the mitochondria monsters.
In contrast to the original, Parasite Eve II features a meandering and hackneyed story that eventually sputters into a disappointing climax with a half-hearted attempt at a twist. Apparently, Square felt that a poor ending would be excusable if it were multiple-choice.
2 Budget Cuts Saved Kain From His Fate In Soul Reaver
Soul Reaver shifted the development team of The Legacy of Kain series from Silicon Knights to Crystal Dynamics and the narrative focus from Kain to his former lieutenant Raziel. Players controlled the wraith in a quest to get revenge against his undead master. Unfortunately, a costly lawsuit with Silicon Knights forced the developers to trim the game's content severely.
The casualties of this period were several bosses, fully voiced cutscenes, and even the game's intended conclusion. While the game was originally meant to end with Raziel slaying Kain, the latter manages to make an escape in the game's cliffhanger ending.
1 Xenogears' Finale Was Cobbled Together
Xenogears' second disc is one of the most bizarre shifts in JRPG history. While the first disc blended an ambitious narrative defined by heavy religious themes with cathartic mecha combat, the subsequent part is a text-heavy exposition dump accompanied by still images. For years, fans had attributed this considerable dip in production value and gameplay to budgetary limitations.
It wasn't until 2017 that Jason Schreier of Kotaku was able to get a definitive answer from director Tetsuya Takahashi. According to Takahashi, deadlines forced the team to compromise. He stated, "Things like 3D were extremely new, which led to some delays in the schedule."