Multiple endings not necessary to replay games
A major part of today’s criteria for a good video game is its replayability. In other words, is the game worth playing again after finishing it for the first time, and if so, will the game offer a different ending? This has been an element of gaming since the beginning, and numerous titles have multiple endings, some as many as hundreds. However, there is a fine balance between making multiple endings for games for the sake of playing the game again and making multiple endings to make the story more interesting.
On Monday, Game Informer’s Phil Kollar wrote a feature article on some games that had multiple endings. From "Chrono Trigger" to "Fallout 3," multiple endings have become a staple in games. The last game in the article was "Fallout: New Vegas," which, like its predecessor "Fallout 3," had more than 200 different endings. This is because every action in the game raised or lowered the character’s standing with certain groups in addition to choosing between multiple factions to support at the end of the game. Each ending spawned from an integral part of the game’s characteristics. In this case, having multiple endings was a good thing because the developers put the idea of changing statuses with groups before placing multiple endings.
However, a game like "Metal Gear Solid" has multiple endings that are just plain confusing. In a particular part of the game, the player has to either endure or submit a torture of electricity. If the player endures the torture, a main character, Meryl Silverburgh, survives. However, if the player submits, Meryl dies and another main character, Hal Emmerich, survives and gives Solid Snake, the protagonist, a stealth camouflage device. Both endings are confusing because in the later games, Snake rescues Emmerich and receives the stealth camouflage, and Meryl appears in the last game of the series. As much as I love the game, these endings confused me, because one carries the story with some errors while the other one goes in a different direction entirely.
There are games out there, such as "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves," that have the same ending every time yet still give me an enjoyable playthrough each time. The gameplay and story interest me, and developers know how to bring that out in a game despite its linear storyline. In retrospect, a game does not necessarily require multiple endings to increase replayability. It just needs to be enjoyable in every step of the way so that gamers can relive their favorite moments again.
