Best bad ending in a game? (Spoilers for game endings)

[Gethsemani_v1legacy]

I would love to see a bad ending that is canon.

As Kman123 said above this post, the "bad" (or rather, regular) ending for Metro2033 is canon according to the developers and is the ending that the story in Last Light contines from.

Spoiler: Spoiler about the novel and its' ending ahead

It should be noted though that the canon ending in the game mimics the ending in the novel Metro 2033, in which Artyom also nukes the dark ones.

 

[Freaky Lou]

I would love to see a bad ending that is canon.

I'm pretty sure the worst ending for Silent Hill 2 counts as the canon one.

I thought we were talking about bad endings as in stupid, unsatisfying or ridiculous endings, though. For that, I'd go with the utter failure of a horror game "D". It also happens to be the "evil" ending! Your father, a vampire, kills and eats you and then presumably takes over the world or whatever he was trying to do.

Here it is! I think the graphics hold up really well:

Spoiler

Another possibility would be the PC classic "Harvester". Another game which has aged superbly, but I'll let it speak for itself:

Spoiler

As far as the other kind of "bad" endings go...pretty hard to beat Silent Hill 2's. It's poignant and horrific, and is probably the most fitting ending for the game (which is why it's the canon ending.)

 

[WildFire15]

I would love to see a bad ending that is canon.

The 'bad ending' of Blood Omen is canon for the Legacy of Kain series (*SPOILER* Kain refuses to sacrifice himself and condems the world to an eternaty of decay)

 

[Siegfried Raybrandt]

The Force Unleashed. Okay not really to me but its the only one I can think of. I misread the topic and was really hoping to post about the ending of RAGE.

 

[ExileNZ]

I would love to see a bad ending that is canon.

Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen.

Kain basically says "Screw saving the world, I want to rule it".
So he does. The pillars of fate collapse and he uses their ruins as the base for his new empire, conquering and ruling over a damned world as it falls into ruin.

Then, 1000 years later, you get to play as Raziel in Soul Reaver...

EDIT: Shit, ninja'd

 

[ExileNZ]

The Force Unleashed II's evil ending was much better than the good one, IMO.

Same for Jedi Academy - I much preferred the dark side ending. Would've made a great expansion, too: The Search for Jaden.

 

[Silverhide]

I rather liked the bad ending in Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising
You save the sector but at the cost of your own souls
You are corrupted completely by Chaos, you flee from your vengeful brothers into the Eye of Chaos. Never to be seen again.

It is non canon though, it disappoints me that there is no way to achieve the canon ending as far as I know in that game

 

[cgaWolf]

Do they have to be "bad" endings as opposed to existent good ones?

If not, and since Mafia was already mentioned, i'm nominating the cell-shaded-style Prince of Persia (minus the optional Epilogue DLC, though that didn't exactly end on a happy note either)

 

[sextus the crazy]

IF you don't feel at least a little sad when you see 9 hours, 9 persons, 9 doors' "submarine" ending, I pity you.

 

[Emergent System]

The ending to Planescape:Torment is almost mandatory. Even the best possible ending is basically just "and then he went to hell"; the worst possible ending additionally leaves all your companions dead, in slavery, as withering husks, or otherwise completely mindraped. What you can do to Morte with The Pillar of Skulls...

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Since it hasn't been mentioned - the bad endings in School Days.

Spoiler: Spoilers for School Days game

Bad End 1) Your Ex-Girlfriend cuts the throat of your true love in front of you - she dies in your arms.

Bad End 2) Your Ex-Girlfriend stabs you in the guts. You die a slow, painful death while trying to find help.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I rather liked the bad ending in Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising
You save the sector but at the cost of your own souls
You are corrupted completely by Chaos, you flee from your vengeful brothers into the Eye of Chaos. Never to be seen again.

It is non canon though, it disappoints me that there is no way to achieve the canon ending as far as I know in that game

It is partially canon. The correct ending is the one where Avitus turns to Chaos, as hinted at by Tarkus in Retribution. To do this, you need to be at the middle ground between pure and chaotic in the campaign. In doing so, the Force Commander is punished by being sent on a century long penance crusade in the Eye of Terror, where you will gain your redemption through combat, or die fighting Chaos.

 

[seraphy]

Planescape Torment have few nonstandard game overs which I liked.

If you attack certain character you get "You've tested your immortality against the wrong person and been destroyed". I can't see it as being bad ending as such however since this is more or less your point of playing.

 

[XMark]

The old Friday the 13th game for the NES had a pretty brutal game over screen when you lost the game. Just white text on a black background:

YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD
GAME OVER

 

[putowtin]

inFamous 2 (it makes me cry but that what makes it so damned good)

 

[boag]

But the Future refused to change, has always hit a high note with me, that and Nice Boat.

 

[Tuesday Night Fever]

If you start the suicide mission half-cocked, everyone on your team (including yourself) dies. The only ones left are Joker and EDI.

It's too bad you can't continue Mass Effect 3 from that ending. As much as I'd like to see a continuation of the Shepard story... I admit I'd also love to see Joker and EDI team up to save the galaxy with badass flying and snarky sarcastic comments.

 

[CM156_v1legacy]

What is your favorite bad ending for a game and why? This can also include extended game overs. Chrono Trigger's "but in the end, the future refused to change" depressed the hell out of me when I was younger, and few bad endings have stuck with me as much.

The "Evil" ending of Neverwinter Nights 2, Mask of the Betrayer

Spoiler

It was better then the one for Neverwinter Nights 2, which was just plain silly. This one? Makes sense. You have godlike powers. Why wouldn't an evil person abuse them to get what they want?

Also, the sub-optimal "Sacrifice" ending for Mask of the Betrayer was also saddening to me.

 

[Vegosiux]

Hmmm.

Bad ending? Well not a game over per se, but Morrowind comes to mind.

"With this character's death, the thread of prophecy is severed. Restore a saved game to restore the weave of fate, or persist in the doomed world you have created."

(Though in hindsight, that way Morrowind would have been way better off by the time Skyrim comes around!)