Guinness World Records Announces Top 50 Video Game Endings

50. Resident Evil 4
49. Star Wars: Knights of the old Republic
48. Ratchet & Clank: a Crack in Time
47. Crysis 2
46. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
45. Call of Duty: World at War
44. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
43. Half-Life 2: Episode Tow
42. Super Metroid
41. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
40. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
39. inFamous
38. Fallout 3
37. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
36. Gears of War 2
35. Bioshock
34. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
33. Sonic Adventures 2
32. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
31. Kingdom Hearts II
30. Mass Effect
29. Super Mario Galaxy
28. Sonic the Hedgehog
27. Metal Gear Solid
26. Assassin’s Creed II
25. Assassin’s Creed
24. Shadow of the Colossus
23. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
22. Kingdom Hearts
21. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
20. Super Mario Galaxy 2
19. Mass Effect 2
18. Grand Theft Auto IV
17. Portal 2
16. Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
15. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
14. Halo: Combat Evolved
13. Halo 3
12. Pokemon Black and White
11. Super Mario Bros
10. Heavy Rain
9. Final Fantasy VII
8. Metal Gear Solid 4
7. Portal
6. Red Dead Redemption
5. God of War
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Halo: Reach
1. Call of Duty: Black Ops

February 10, 2012 – Spoiler alert! Today, Guinness World Records, the global authority on record-breaking, announced the Top 50 Videogame Endings of All Time as voted for by 13,519 online fans. Conducted for the new Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer’s Edition book, the list is sure to cause heated debate among passionate gamers.

From the bestselling series, Call of Duty: Black Ops, developed by Treyarch, tops the list. The dramatic finale features a frantic shoot-out inside a submarine and provides our hero Mason the chance to take vengeance for a murdered friend. The closing sequence offers a new twist on the classic JFK conspiracy theory.

Runner up in the list is 2010’s Halo: Reach developed by Bungie. Another First-Person Shooter, Halo: Reach takes place in the year 2552, with humanity locked in a war with the alien Covenant. During the post credits sequence your character, Nobile Six, makes a final stand against impossible odds. Although he is eventually overwhelmed, his sacrifice ensures that the ‘Master Chief’ survives.

More than 13 year’s old, Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time takes third place in the list. One of the best loved games of all time ends in classic fashion with our iconic character defeating Ganondorf and rescuing Princess Zelda.

The rest of the 50 offers a definitive list of the greatest video game endings of all time. Notable entries include Red Dead Redemption (2010) which comes in at number 6. Rockstar’s mega-hit finishes like all good Western films — with retribution, revenge and bloodshed.

At number 7 is Portal (Valve, 2007). The highly memorable ending breaks from tradition, with the final boss, GLaDOS, appearing to be defeated but then going on to perform a musical number titled ‘Still Alive’. The song, written by nerd-folk artist Jonathan Coulton, has become a cult hit and been immortalised in several online tributes.

Quantic Dream’s highly innovative Heavy Rain (2010) makes up the 10. The game features 22 possible endings which add to the excitement of the thriller. Will your in-game choices result in the ‘all round happy-ending’ or will they instead lead to an ending so dark that you’ll witness the deaths of most the game’s major characters?

Gaz Deaves, Gaming Editor for Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer’s Edition said: “Everyone has an opinion on how to end a game whether it’s an epic boss fight, a clever plot twist or a 90-minute movie. This list recognises some of the greatest endings and hopefully will get gamers talking about their favorites and why.”

The full list is featured in the new Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer’s Edition book out now, and can also be found below. The book is also available in a fully illustrated, full color eBook format at B&N.com, Kobo and Apple’s ibooks. For more information please visit www.guinnessworldrecords.com/gamers