... Is That It? (Anti-Climactic Games)

[Blue Blood]

Ever been playing a game that's had you so engrossed, so thrilled and anxious to reach the end? The whole way through you're really excited and then... there's nothing but a huge let down? Either the boss battle/last level was easy, the story just came to an abrupt end or something else happened that didn't warrant all the hype at all. It's really sad when you get an anti-climax at the end of a game. It makes the whole experience feel somewhat pointless and can even ruin the story entirely.

Back at Christmas-ish time, I played and completed Fable III for the first time.I borrowed it from a friend cause he was so surprised I'd never played any game in the series before. The game was great. Absolutely loved it... mostly. The first chapter (pre-revolution)was really well executed, especially landing in Aurora and the Shadelight Dungeon. That was absolute nightmare fuel. But then the second chapter happened. It was over in a heart beat and all the quests you went on felt like a chore. The absolute end of the game was really good, fighting The Crawler in Bowerstone, but everything preceding it totally killed my interest. Some very boring decision making which ultimately made little difference whether you went good or evil and just retreading old ground. The story practically stopped progressing at all during that time. Great ending on it's own, but kind of muted by the lacklustre gameplay and stunted story that lead up to it all.

More recently, I've gone and borrowed Fable II from the same friend. It's bit strange to play the games in reverse order, but hey, big deal. This game was much harder than the third one the entire way through, except until the end. I kind of hated (read: thought they were brilliant fun) Wraithmarsh and the Brightwall Tower because of how difficult those Shards and Banshees were. So naturally I was expecting an final level and boss fight against Lucien in the Spire. No such thing happened when I beat the game today. Instead I simply pressed a button in a cutscene to kill him. I was confused. Was that really it? Pathetic. After doing some reading, it turns out the Great Shard was supposed to be the final boss. But that was so easy. You're in a huge open space which negates the difficulty of all the Shard fights before, and just hack 'n' slash for a little bit. An easy final boss that you don't even realise was supposed to be the end of the game. It's really bad from both a gameplay and story point of view.

Last one for now is Super Paper Mario. The game was inferior to PM and TTYD in every way, but the story was still pretty damn awesome. Dimentio becoming the true Big Bad at the end of the game was a nice twist and the last level was fun, but the boss was absolute shite. He looked ridiculous and couldn't even damage you if you defended as Peach. So you attack him a few times and the game is over in a flash. My friend (same one who's lent me the Fable games) played this together, and simply couldn't believe it was such a let down. Who designs such terrible final bosses?

So, what've you guys got to share?

Edited August 10, 2011 by Blue Blood

[Swiss]

Limbo is the single most anti-climactic game I've ever played. It actually annoyed me the way it ended. Things were just getting really good, with some really though-provoking level design and bam. Finished.

[Koopalmier]

Mario Galaxy and its sequel.

I mean, the final boss battles.

The final stage is epicness x1337, and then... you beat Bowser within a minute.

[Indigo Rush]

I can't think of anything at the moment, but I heard that Halo 2 was a bit of a letdown.

Oh, now that I think about it, Super Mario Galaxy 2's final boss battle. Actually... the first Galaxy too. The build-up from the music and tedious final level has you geared for an explosive final battle, but Bowser always ends up being a pushover that dishes out just as much as he can take: nearly nothing.

I mean... listen to this:

I mean, come on! That is possibly the most incredible track I've heard for a final boss theme ever.

And you're telling me I can take down Bowser with a measly four hits?

*ahem*

Can't say the same for Ocarina of Time's final battle and ending. Nnnggggggggggggggg so awesomeeeee.

[Diogenes]

Not an anticlimax in a game, but Unleashed as a whole...I got a 360 recently and Unleashed was, obviously, among the first games I got. I've stated my opinions of it being a fairly mediocre game, boost hallways and pseudo-QTEs and all that, but it still looked ok, and I figured I'd give it an honest shot, because who knows, maybe I was wrong judging it from the videos, maybe it was actually a really good game, 'cause some people really like it.

Nope. My opinions literally did not change one iota. It's just ok, everything I thought was a problem, was a problem. Underwhelming.

[Blue Blood]

Can't say the same for Ocarina of Time's final battle and ending. Nnnggggggggggggggg so awesomeeeee.

4srs? I thought the ending was lame and predictable. The battle wasn't bad, but it wasn't particuarly good either.

And yeah, both the Mario Galaxy games had really disappointing final battles.

[Indigo Rush]

4srs? I thought the ending was lame and predictable. The battle wasn't bad, but it wasn't particuarly good either.

Agree to disagree. Seeing a giant pig demon rise out of what's supposed to be Ganondorf's carcass with a heavenly and dramatic quoir in the background sounding off to the true battle between the hero and the villain never fails to give me chills. And then sealing him in limbo. Soooo satisfying.

[Kuzu]

The Egg Dragoon. I mean for a boss that's supposed to be the climax boss of the game, its piss easy.

[YoshiUnity]

I hate it when that happens. It's moments like this that make me wonder why do the minions put up with their bosses crap.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood - I love the story in this game. I love the battle system in this game. I... *cough cough* most of the music and presentation in this game... It had me interested until the end... literally. The fight between IX and Team Knuckles/Sonic wasn't half bad. But that Super IX/Super Sonic fight... Are you serious, Bioware?! That boss fight was a load of piss! It was only two EBA style QTE segments. You perfect Super Sonic's attack segment, you win. That's it! That's not a final boss! That's a screen collaboration, man!

Did I mention was able to beat this guy with a dim warped DS Phat screen? As much as I want a sequel, Bioware or whoever in charge of it better have their ducks in a row with it.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Epic music... Challenging levels... beautiful presentation. I love this game! Love it to death! But the second segment of the final boss fi-- *Beats Bowser.* Too easy, even for a Super Mario boss. The execution is just so straight forward. In fact, it was so easy, I was able to beat him while having a conversation with my parents while my back was turned! The boss fights with Bowser Jr. felt more superior to me in every way than any of the Bowser fights. Heck, I had to drag the fight out just so I could listen to the music, since it only takes like ten to twenty seconds to beat him.

Resident Evil 4 - Honestly, I thought it was a fun game. Not really as awesome as almost everyone and their grandma claimed it to be, but still a fun game. Can't really say that it scare me all that much either, except when there were Regenerators about... ._. But yeah, that last fight with Saddler... they didn't really take account to the possibility of someone bringing a rocket launcher with them to the boss fight, did they? Because that's all you need once to open his weak spot. One shot, KO. done. Saddler dies, escape the island, Ashley wants overtime... I shrug.

Edited August 10, 2011 by The Gentlemen YoshiUnity

[Robogaman]

Halo 2.

Master Cheif is going to finish this fight.......later.

[Vec]

I don't know if it's only me, but the battle against Knuckles in S3&K was a bit anti-climatic

[Balding Spider]

Well shit, I was going to mention the Mario Galaxy final bosses but they've already been mentioned. I was going to mention the Egg Dragoon, but that was already mentioned as was the Knuckles boss fight.

Okay how about CD's final boss fight. I love the game. I love the music, the stages, and the overall atmosphere, but the final showdown with Robotnik was all kinds of lame. He's piloting what looks to be a giant ceiling fan machine. The fight's a literal bore.

Oh and I'd like to toss in the New Super Mario Bros Wii final Bowser fight. I mean you don't actually even get to fight him, you knock out the bridge and he falls below into a pit only to (once again) grow big. He chases you, and chases you, and chases you some more until you reach (what I like to call) the giant "pwn me" switch. Which sends Bowsers scaly Turtle-Dragon hybrid ass spiraling down off screen. Seriously the Magikoopa or Bowser Jr. fights would've made more satisfying final battles.

Edited August 10, 2011 by Balding Spider

[Indigo Rush]

The Egg Dragoon. I mean for a boss that's supposed to be the climax boss of the game, its piss easy.

It's not the climax: Dark Gaia is the final boss.

[Sami]

Agree to disagree. Seeing a giant pig demon rise out of what's supposed to be Ganondorf's carcass with a heavenly and dramatic quoir in the background sounding off to the true battle between the hero and the villain never fails to give me chills. And then sealing him in limbo. Soooo satisfying.

I far prefer the Wind Waker battle, to be honest. Jumping up into the air, doing two backflips, and stabbing him square in the forehead was absolutely incredible.

[Diogenes]

Oh and I'd like to toss in the New Super Mario Bros Wii final Bowser fight. I mean you don't actually even get to fight him, you knock out the bridge and he falls below into a pit only to (once again) grow big. He chases you, and chases you, and chases you some more until you reach (what I like to call) the giant "pwn me" switch. Which sends Bowsers scaly Turtle-Dragon hybrid ass spiraling down off screen. Seriously the Magikoopa or Bowser Jr. fights would've made more satisfying final battles.

Well the first half is 100% SMB Bowser fight (and I'm pretty sure you can fireball him to death), and I think it's pretty reasonable for the final boss of a platformer to be more about platforming than combat. I'll admit ending with a switch is a bit anticlimactic, but otherwise it's pretty great.

I far prefer the Wind Waker battle, to be honest. Jumping up into the air, doing two backflips, and stabbing him square in the forehead was absolutely incredible.

Seconding this. In terms of mechanics it was a bit rough, but in dramatic effect it's unmatched by any other Zelda I've seen.

[Spooky Mulder]

The Joker battle at the end of Arkham Asylum was a terrible letdown. I like final bosses that test all of the skills you've learned throughout the game, and this was just a standard beat-em-up battle. I kept waiting for something to happen on the battle, expecting Joker to do something to take things to the next level and then it was just...over.

Its also worth mentioning that fighting a giant steroid-upped Joker was probably the worst idea to come out of the game.

[Kuzu]

Seconding this. In terms of mechanics it was a bit rough, but in dramatic effect it's unmatched by any other Zelda I've seen.

[Diogenes]

Dude had a crazy ass mech with a bunch of weapons fighting you on a platform falling into the center of the planet. That's pretty damn solid, I'd say.

[azoo]

Sonic CD is my favorite Sonic game ever, and it had the most disappointing end of all the classics. Not because the ending wasn't epic, no; it was easily second best with the epic ending (only to S3K's ending), but the final boss was piss easy and took little to no challenge to take down. They could've seriously made an extra twist to it, but they never did. Why do I get the feeling that the Final Fever music may have been for a different stage/boss altogether? It feels unfinished in that respect, since the battle felt little to nothing like the atmosphere the music gave off.

I also love Majora's Mask, but geez is all 3 of Majora's forms at the end mindnumbingly easy. It's kind of like a reward for putting up with how bloody tedious and difficult the rest of the game was, which is a good way to think of it, but then again it's still underwhelming.

[Kuzu]

Dude had a crazy ass mech with a bunch of weapons fighting you on a platform falling into the center of the planet. That's pretty damn solid, I'd say.

[Legendary Emerald]

In general, if the final boss of the game is piss-easy, I'm willing to give it a pass so long as every other aspect of the climax is handled well. After all, I've had to come to terms with the fact that I'm just BETTER at video games than I used to be, and I'm not always going to be challenged, even for the length of an entire game sometimes. But anyways, here are some anti-climaxes for you.

The Conduit: This game doesn't have an anti-climax. It simply lacks a climax at all. You beat a level, just like every other level, with no big boss or anything. And then, after taking care of 4 mid-size enemies that you've been fighting in the previous levels, you walk through a portal and the game cuts to Media Player Visualizer while some disembodied voices talk. And that's it. Game over. Fucking worst shooter I've ever played.

inFamous: I loved this game. Loved it and its sequel to death. But the cutscenes in the first really lacked any sort of impact due to being motion comics that were simply narrated over. As such, the big reveal at the end of the game was just blurted out in a completely unfitting manner. Didn't help that the fight against the boss itself was so unremarkable that I cannot even remember even what the hell it was like.

That's all I can think of right now, but there are plenty more. Oh, and just to even things out...

Best Climax Award: Devil May Cry (PS2)

Holy crap everything about the climax of this game is amazing. I... I can't say anything. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who has yet to experience this spectacular game. They really don't make 'em like this anymore.

[Old dead account]

Red Dead Redemption's ending was somewhat anti-climactic. On one hand I totally didn't see it coming when...

Edgar Ross sent the army to attack John Marston's ranch and then John choosing to sacrifice himself(but not before getting a few more kills in

) so they'll stop hunting his family.

but on the other hand, to the game with on little duel like that? Come on, they had a good opportunity to let him torture that guy sort of like John did to DeSanta before killing him. -.- but no, it ended on a duel.

[Saint Nathan]

Red Dead Redemption's ending was somewhat anti-climactic. On one hand I totally didn't see it coming when...

Edgar Ross sent the army to attack John Marston's ranch and then John choosing to sacrifice himself(but not before getting a few more kills in

) so they'll stop hunting his family.

but on the other hand, to the game with on little duel like that? Come on, they had a good opportunity to let him torture that guy sort of like John did to DeSanta before killing him. -.- but no, it ended on a duel.

What did you expect with a western game?

Besides, could you think of another way to properly end the game? That was it. It tied up the last thing the story had to do, and it did it in a way that perfected the experience. There's no need for a long drawn out fight, these are just two men, and one has to die, because neither will show mercy.

Anything else wouldn't have worked.

Also, the final boss of Dead Space. Not that it wasn't amazing, but it just felt weird. You're about to escape, running for your life and then BAM giant necromorph better fight it

Dead Space 2 had a super kickass final boss, but DS1 was just "nerp guess we gotta do SOMETHING for the end"

[Remy]

Red Dead Redemption's ending was somewhat anti-climactic. On one hand I totally didn't see it coming when...

Edgar Ross sent the army to attack John Marston's ranch and then John choosing to sacrifice himself(but not before getting a few more kills in

) so they'll stop hunting his family.

but on the other hand, to the game with on little duel like that? Come on, they had a good opportunity to let him torture that guy sort of like John did to DeSanta before killing him. -.- but no, it ended on a duel.

That's not the ending. >.>

[Old dead account]

@Nathan: I had an idea but the more I think about it, the stupider it sounds...

That's not the ending. >.>

??? The credits rolled after that. Am I missing something? I've 100%ed the game according to the stats and the achievement ._.