Best Video Game Endings of 2017

Development is complete, the game becomes available to the public, and now you're finally playing. Getting through each level, completing challenges, and reaching the end hoping it'll be a fulfilling ending. Some games provide a shallow ending while others providing a sense of completion. Here are the best video game endings of 2017.

If you already haven't realized this article contains spoilers, proceed at your own risk.

NieR: Automata

NieR: Automata's story is one full of grief, anxiety, and constant twist. By the end, you've learned that the entire purpose of 2B and 9S' journey was a sham and everything you fought for meant nothing. Crippled and betrayed 9S grows increasingly more unstable and the only salvation can come from the player. You decide whether 9S can be saved either as choosing to 2A and honoring 2B's final wish or attempting to give him and 2B new life by fighting against the Pods' programming. 

In its entirety, NieR: Automata questions the idea of purpose, life, and death throughout the game. With sacrifices constantly being made for a lie and defying one's purpose to save someone you care about. If the player decides to pick 9S they're given another option to help another player, in exchange for the complete erasure of their save file. I did it, did you?

Dishonored: Death of the Outsider

Dishonored 2 helped reinforce the power and influence of the Outsider but Death of the Outsider gave more content about the god than ever before. As Bille Lurk you team up with your former boss Daud to kill the Outsider, but you learn that this god was forced into his position. A cult turned him into a god and was imprisoned into the void, and it's up to you to choose whether to save him. Either way, those labeled by his mark will be free but how Billie will see herself afterward. A killer with no hope of redemption or someone free from her past.

What Death of the Outsider truly excelled at was bringing context to the Outsider. Before this expansion, he was seen as an omnipotent deity with little care about the world or how he influenced it. Here, we learned that the Outsider was a victim.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Why Talion was heavily criticized by many for being bland, he was nevertheless a selfless person. In the beginning, Talion desired revenge and the death of Sauron above everything else. Because of this drive, he was blinded by Celebrimbor's true purpose until Shelob's vision brought through to him. Eventually, the Wraith showed his true plan and Talion refused but instead of accepting death the Ranger took hold of Isildur's Ring and became a Necromancer, fighting against Sauron's forces for decades to prevent the advancement before succumbing to the ring's corruption. 

The ending showed Talion finally dying at the end of Fordo's adventure and finding peace. Discarding his armor and walking to the light the ending was made all the more profound thanks to the incredible Fires of War song that played. From Shadow of Mordor to Shadow of War Talion faced inhumane challenges and was denied death multiple times. Even when it was granted he decided to sacrifice the last of his humanity to give Gondor time to prepare for war. This may not be canon, even anger Lord of the Rings fans, but Shadow of War's ending was both poetic and satisfying. 

What video game endings were your favorite this year? Let us know in the comments below!

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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