Once upon a time, Guinness, the organisation behind world records and mucky black booze of life used to be a reputable organisation that produced books full of completely objective, distinct and wholly verifiable world records. Now that they’re branched out in to video games, their “records” have become decidedly more subjective.
They’ve now fingered Call of Duty: Black Ops as having the best ending in a video game ever – a conclusion they’ve come to by polling 13,519 gamers and tallying up the votes, making it completely official.
“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 what are their favourites and why,” Guinness World Records 2012 Gamer’s Edition editor Gaz Deaves said of the choice.
Before your head fills up with unbridled rage, here’s the list of 50 best endings, according to the poll.
Guinness World Records: Top 50 Best 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 Two
- 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
Somehow, I think the result may be a little skewed – considering just how many copies of the game was sold, making this more of a popularity contest than any sort of definitive list. What game do you think had the best ending? The Guinness World Records: Gamer’s Edition 2012 is available in book stores right now, if you happen have a short-legged table that needs propping up, a leaf-pressing hobby or a door that just won’t stay closed.
Last Updated: February 13, 2012
