Top 5 Best and Worst NES Game Endings

Warning: This blog will contain about 13 Youtube videos embedded. Be aware!

Ah, the NES. You're just a small grey box, but you saved the video game industry and made Nintendo a name recognisable by almost anyone. Nevertheless, as the time, you obviously couldn't have graphically beautiful endings, and lots of your games skipped out effort on a storyline too. These are the 5 best and worst games in each case.

Just to clarify, any game which ended with a blank screen, or just some text, will automatically not be included, because otherwise, this list would be really boring and repetitive. So Bomberman, you won't be on this list, even though you're a god-awful ending.

Now, two honourable mentions that are strange enough to deserve a part of this blog, although they aren't good or bad.

Mike Tyson's Punch Out

After going through the sheer torture of beating Mike Tyson, I was actually relieved by the ending of him thanking you, and then seeing the other fighters to the tune of the title screen. However, I understand that people could still want more from an ending from a game that was so hard.

This next one is definitely one of the stranger endings...

Bionic Commando

This is notable for a few reasons. First off, you shoot a helicopter. Then, the bad guy's head explodes. Wait a minute, that bad guy looks familiar. What the... IT'S HITLER???

I'm not joking, when Bionic Commando was released in Japan, it's story involved fighting Hitler. Strange, yes, but I don't want to diss the ending too much, despite it's many spelling errors. After all, I wouldn't want my base to 'explod'.

Now, onto the main features. These are the 5 worst endings. I would count the original Donkey Kong, but that doesn't really have an ending...

5) Super Mario Bros 2/Super Mario Bros

After going through a game, the best thing you can get as an ending is a 'Link to the Past'-esque feature showing you all the people you interacted with, and how they're better off now/back to normal now/not as screwed up as they used to be. What do you not want to see? Anything showing your entire efforts as useless. Especially if...

It was a friggin' dream? I did all that, and it was a dream? Screw you Mario!!! The entire game could have been skipped if he'd just woken up!

Anyway, I had to tie this spot, because I didn't want Mario taking up two spaces. Super Mario Bros 1 also had a pretty dull ending. After all the effort you go to saving Peach, sorry, 'Princess Toadstool' you get told that you can now do another quest. In other words, play the game through again with slightly more enemies. Apart from that, no ending whatsoever. Great.

I can't even find a video of the ending, but to be fair, I'm not sure it can be considered an ending. It doesn't really tie up all the loose ends. As far as I know, the goombas and koopas are still out there.

4) Battletoads

Ah, Battletoads. You're ending wasn't exactly bad. The good guys rescued the captives, beat up the bad chick, and flew away in a spaceship. Considering that some games ended just with the words "THE END", that's not too bad.

But there's one problem. Battletoads is widely regarded as the hardest game ever. Not 'One of the hardest games' this game often comes top in any countdown of hard games. Therefore, by the end, you want so much more. I mean, having the main villain escape without much harm? Hell no! This is the bitch who taunted you at the beginning of every single level, which you had to replay over and over. She can't escape! D'oh!

In all honesty, the ending wasn't bad, but the game made you expect more from it.

3) Ghosts'n goblins

If Battletoads is the hardest game ever, this is a close follower. A game in which you die in 2 hits, Ghosts'n Goblins was ridiculously tough. Once you beat the entire game, it actually made you play through it all over again to get the ending, because the first time you played it through, it was just a trap, or as the game puts it 'A room devised by Satan'.

Still, I remember saying that although the Battletoads ending was here, it wasn't that bad. Well, this game was almost as difficult as Battletoads, and it's ending IS bad. With legendarily bad spellchecking such as 'Congraturation, this story is happy end' and the big prize in the being that it's letting you play it again.

Even after all that, it still feels the need to anger you by giving you the 'Game Over' scene.

2) Gradius

I loved 'Gradius' and there were some things that made it brilliant, mainly the music. From the opening jingle, the level song... even the jingle that plays when you die is incredibly awesome! However, the same cannot be said for the ending.

While I probably wouldn't be able to make a better ending myself, my big problem with it is the music. As I said, the music in this game was outstanding constantly, so why, at the ending of the entire thing for crying out loud, do we get a weak jingle and the word 'Congratulations'.

Although they do get bonus marks for showing The Vic Viper blowing up a space station. And spelling 'Congratulations' correctly.

1) The Legend of Zelda

What? How can a franchise like Zelda have a bad ending? After all, it's my favourite franchise... well, that's why it's here. After seeing amazing endings to ALTTP, Twilight Princess, and especially Ocarina of Time, I was hoping that the original Zelda would have a good ending. Instead, it's a completely 'meh' ending. On any other game, it would have been perfectly acceptable, but Zelda?

The big insult is that, even though the original Zelda had some good music, they hardly have any different pieces! The music you hear in the credits? It's the same you hear after Link dies! If they give you the same music for succeeding and failing, they have to be cutting corners. Music can make an ending great.

That last sentence is a good starter for the best NES game endings. Ranting over, onwards to greatness!

5) Kirby's Adventure

Everything about Kirby's Adventure was great, and it was my favourite NES game. The gameplay, music, controls, etc... were all awesome, and although the ending would never come number one on a list of awesome endings, it's still fun to watch. First, the story gets wrapped up, then you get to see a montage of Kirby fighting bosses, like Super Castlevania IV.

And if that's not good enough, it's all set to the tune of 'Green Greens' from Kirby's Dream Land. Ah, Kirby... you're awesome.

4) Mother/Earthbound Zero

The prequel to Earthbound, only released in Japan, was pretty snazzy. Over there, it was named the 3rd best NES game ever, and the 37th overall best game ever in a recent countdown. The credits are a good reason why. Seeing all of your characters, and how they ended up, set to the relaxing tune of the eight melodies you collect in the game. If that's not enough, it even leaves the door open for a direct sequel, detailing Ninten's adventures even further and inspiring page upon page of fanfiction.

To summarise, good music, good story-finishing, and a good ending. Having past characters run across the screen is fun to watch too.

3) Super Mario Bros 3

Widely regarded as one of the best NES games, and one of the best Mario games, it also had one of the best endings. Some nice music, and an overview on the previous worlds and levels Mario had to explore. If I could have saved the game and made it this far, it would be one of the favourite gaming moments of my childhood, but unfortunately, I never saw it until I gained use of the internet.

Still, this set the standard for how good ending should be made, although that doesn't mean that the endings beforehand were bad either... hence...

2) Metroid

This ending shows exactly how important music can be in a game. This ending tune is without a doubt to me, one of the best ending themes in video games. If I could get this on my iPod, I would, although I'd need to get an iPod first. A downright amazing tune, it's no wonder Gunpei Yokoi was behind this masterpiece.

This also goes down as an amazing twist, story-wise. You go through the whole game never seeing your identity, and then you find out it's a chick! Cue the dramatic music! No, cue the great ending theme music instead...

And at number one...

It's a tie!

1) Final Fantasy + Megaman 2

Showing once more how important it is to have great music in a game, Final Fantasy lands on this list for also having great storyline throughout the game, and therefore having a great ending because it wraps the whole story up. And you know what else???

No spelling mistakes! Even though I've never succeeded in getting a copy of Final Fantasy, I'd be willing to if it means I can see this on my old TV when I beat it.

And of course, Megaman 2.

It would be tough for a Megaman game to tie up the story, because the games usually don't have any. Still, this game worked around that fact by having the ending as a mixture of a few things. First, a slightly sad, reminiscent song plays, whilst Megaman is walking, and changing powers in his suit to go with the background. Then, just as the song ends, you see an empty helmet on a hill outside a village. Awwww...

Then, in case you wanted something more happy, an extended version of the title screen music plays over the credits. Yay!!!

Well, even though I don't play my NES as much as I should, this should prove that I still love it, and it shaped my gaming preferences forever. Nintendo Entertainment System, I salute you.

Thanks for reading!

-Elmo 3000