Videogames Need to Finish on a High Note
Films have a simple rule: finish strong. Videogames are becoming increasingly cinematic, and yet while many games open with a bang, the number of recent high profile games that have concluded with their weakest segment is troubling.
This has a lot to do with development pressures, but if games are ever going to take on the epic feel of the biggest summer blockbusters, they’re going to have to change the way they’re made. Publishers should realize that a couple extra months of development time to make a compelling conclusion can go a long way towards generating good will for a franchise.
Recent failures
I can think of more than a handful of high profile games from this year alone that finished on a disappointing note, at least relative to the quality of the game as a whole (spoilers ahead as endings are discussed).
Infamous was impressive throughout until its jarring conclusion where you discover the main antagonist is an emo version of you from the future. The conclusion of both games in the Uncharted series thus far were relatively disappointing as the stunning set pieces from earlier in the game are abandoned for a weak and repetitive pattern recognition boss. Dragon Age’s entire conclusion felt rushed and threadbare. Finally, Assassins Creed II finishes with you bludgeoning the pope into submission with your fists (ok I take it back, this is actually the best ending of all time).
These are all games that were compelling enough for most of their duration that the ending can’t derail the experience, but it can leave something of a bitter aftertaste. Even some of the greatest games of all time, such as Half-Life, finished with their poorest segments. For perspective on how the ending can define an experience, you need look no further than the film industry.
Gordon Freeman: Killing giant alien babies since 1998
Films defined by their ending
Consider films like Se7en, The Usual Suspects, The Game, Pulp Fiction and Fargo. These are just off the top of my head, but if the ending of any of these was a disappointment can you imagine them having the same impact they had?
This has a lot to do with the way films are made compared to games. Films are created out of order so there is high likelihood that the ending wasn’t the last thing that was filmed. In addition, rushed schedules generally occur in post production as filming concludes months or even years before the release date. When scenes are cut down in the editing room it’s far more likely that pieces of the middle are cut to save time rather than the ending.
Games, on the other hand, are generally made in a progressive manner where you first build the foundation and then create content from the start of the game through the finish. When publishers need to hit earnings expectations and get a game shipped in a certain fiscal quarter, they can limit the development time available to a team. This means that wherever the game is in production, it has to be rapidly moved towards a shippable state. Inevitably, this means drastically cutting back the conclusion.
The Usual Suspects: Committing fashion faux-pas since 1995
What can be done?
It’s unrealistic to expect publishers to be sympathetic towards developer time frames and give them time to polish the conclusion to a game. Developers have to adjust within that framework and finish the ending to their game right after they flesh out the first couple hours. It’s not as if they don’t know where they’re going; game storyboards are finished before content development begins.
Gamers would be much more willing to forgive a rushed middle chapter than a poor conclusion. I’m not saying that Dragon Age or Uncharted 2 weren’t good games; in fact they’re some of my favorite games of all time. That being said, its only because the epidemic of poor endings are so widespread in videogames that it’s forgivable and if developers were better at making sure they finished on a high note, games like these wouldn’t look as good relative to their competition.
Clearly what the videogame industry needs is more Michael Bay running the show. Barring that, the industry could use a few developers who understand that if you’re pressed for time, it’s better to skimp on the middle than the end: finish strong.
