Thou hast been slain most awesomely: Greatest Game Overs Ever

[KaiRai]

Well, it's not "awesome," but I do like the "Critical Mission Failure" screen in Mass Effect.
It always makes me think, "Yeah, I guess getting blown up might be cause to say 'mission failed.'"

Yeah, Mass Effect has a good one, along with the music "DUN dun DUN DUNNNNN"

Thrill Kill had some good ones, although it was never released, and I also like the Resi 5 one where the zombie things are giving you a true beatdown.

 

[BuckminsterF]

There's a weird browser game (don't reacall the name) that, if you lose all you lives, has your character get eaten by a large dissaproving aardvark

 

[hardter]

The fear effects games. Pretty every way to die in the games came with a unique cut scene. And some of them where pretty grusome

 

[walls of cetepedes]

When you kill your Brother in Red Faction:Geurilla.

"WTF YOU KILLED YOUR BROTHER!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

That was freakin' hilarious. I thought: "I what if I hit HIM..."

 

[Wildrow12]

[HEADING=2]The winners have been announced:[/HEADING]


(the last one isn't technically a game over screen, but an honourable mention as a 'death' scene )

Hey, any love for Discworld is welcome here.

 

[Wildrow12]

I don't get the question.
do you mean the 'you have failed' screens?
In that case any resident evil with the ultimate understatement - You Are Dead
Continue? Y/N
Which kind of defies the fact you are dead.

To answer the OP, I would say losing the FINAL final boss battle in Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is the greatest game over. You become Dracula (complete with the wineglass of blood).

That is pretty awesome (even if they didn't have your character saying "What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets!").

 

[Insanum]

Dead Space has, without a doubt, the best death scenes I've ever seen! Not only has his arm been removed, but while he was still in a dazed shock, he is slashed through the torso. This doesn't seem to do much, until he takes a few steps forward, his torso slides off, and he trips over it. That's when you know you've been owned, you trip over your own torso.

Which enemy was that?

 

[not a zaar]

RE4 has so many good ones it's not even fair to include them. The Metroid Prime game over screen was pretty shocking the first time it happened (and it's pretty rare too, since the game is not that hard)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTNGZaRVS3A (skip to 60 seconds in, the twat who uploaded this couldn't be bothered to cut out the boring parts of him trying to die in this easy-ass game)

 

[Gaderael]

One of the game over cinematics in World in Conflict. Where the Russians are on Staten Island, and you fail to clear them out before the airstrike hits, and you get to see Lady Liberty go down in flames. The look on the characters' faces is good. Great moment. Makes you try all the harder afterwards, though they should of have the story continue on, an alternate story path based on decisions or something.

 

[Floodclaw]

Best death scene storywise? I'm going to have to say the normal ending of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly: Director's Cut (Xbox). Damn, that was an emotional ending.

Best death scene in-game? I always cringed at the one in Heart of Darkness where the boy is grabbed by the worm coming out of the wall. He gets pulled halfway in, struggling, and then you hear a large (very organic) cracking noise, and he goes limp. Is then pulled into the wall by the worm.

Best gameover screen? Katamari Damacy, by far. Being scolded by a giant crotch was never so amusing. Wait, scratch that. We <3 Katamari's is better: Being scolded by a giant crotch WHILE DODGING LIGHTNING.

 

[Lady K]

In Tales of Vesperia, when you die, one of the character's voices says "And they were never heard from again..." and then you gte to reload from the last save point. But in the final battle, when you die, the Big Bad's voice says it instead. What augments this moment is that the Big Bad's VA is the deepest voice in the game, and I first heard his voice after being royally trounced, but barely alive by his second form, only for him to be risen again for a third time, and then brutally slaughtered. I literally fell to my knees in front of TV with a resounding, "Yeeeeeesssssssssss!!" My fail was just that epic.

 

[Cairo]

I like the death animation from Batman for the NES, which has the Dark Knight exploding into a bat-shaped fireball. As far as game over screens, I'd say the Super Star Wars series, with Yoda being all, "Do or do not, there is no try."

 

[Guitar Gamer]

Well for dead screens god of war has a lovely "YOU ARE DEAD!!!" which they might as well add "MOTHA F*CKA" after but thats purely optional.

 

[JoeKickAzz]

when u die in a Resident Evil game.

"You are Dead" <---------- no shit

 

[HT_Black]

I've always been a fan of The Prince's hastey denials in SoT when he dies.

"Wait wait wait-- that's not how it happened."

 

[Wildrow12]

I like the death animation from Batman for the NES, which has the Dark Knight exploding into a bat-shaped fireball. As far as game over screens, I'd say the Super Star Wars series, with Yoda being all, "Do or do not, there is no try."

Hey, if Bruce has to go out, he might as well go out awesomely, no?

 

[T-Bone24]

Dead Space has, without a doubt, the best death scenes I've ever seen! Not only has his arm been removed, but while he was still in a dazed shock, he is slashed through the torso. This doesn't seem to do much, until he takes a few steps forward, his torso slides off, and he trips over it. That's when you know you've been owned, you trip over your own torso.

Which enemy was that?

The Twitcher, if you aim your weapon while on low health, that's the scene that follows.

 

[-=Spy=-]

You are Dead.
*Skull*
You will be rescued soon.