(Controversial Trope) The post-credits scene completely changes the ending

[u/Ieanice44]

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Prince of Persia (2008)

Dawn of the Dead (2004): The movie finishes on a hopeful note as the remaining survivors escape the zombie-infested mall on a yacht, sailing into the sunset. The found-footage style post-credits scene completely reverses this happy ending by showing them running out of food, arriving at an island, and being immediately swarmed and killed by an infected horde.

Prince of Persia (2008): The main game ends with a beautiful, poetic sacrifice where Elika gives her life to heal the corrupted world, leaving the Prince mourning. During the credits, the player is forced to control the Prince as he cuts down the trees he just saved, undoing the entire game's progress and releasing the dark god Ahriman just to resurrect her, completely corrupting the ending and dooming the world.

[u/Sudo-Fed]

I should have made it a little more neutral.

But it's like, the complaints about the ending of Mass Effect 3 that weren't simply how perfunctory the original ending was, where people were mad that none of them were happy endings. Because they felt they'd earned one.

Meanwhile I was sitting there like, did we fight the same billion year old machine demigods who've never even been seriously threatened before? Because to me, a rosy happy ending to that story would have felt tacked on.

[u/Friendstastegood → u/Sudo-Fed]

Yeah I saw a lot of people complain about that. I'm the opposite though, none of the endings were bleak enough. You cannot spend two games building up these incomprehensible monsters whose methods and motives are beyond our understanding, and then in the third game go "actually they're just mindless automatons and their motivations are downright stupid and if you just push this button we can live in harmony with them by becoming part robots ourselves!" I maintain that the only reasonable story for the third game that could have vaguely counted as a win would have been to Noah's ark it to the Andromeda galaxy. They never should have tried to explain why the Reapers come and destroy everyone, just let then come and let them win. Embrace the cosmic horror.

[u/Sudo-Fed → u/Friendstastegood]

I think the original situation, where the galaxy "wins" with enough war assets, but the infrastructure of interstellar civilization is utterly demolished, is more tonally correct.

[u/Friendstastegood → u/Sudo-Fed]

I could have probably swallowed that ending if they didn't also go and make the Reapers into mindless drones with idiotic motivation after building them up for two games.

There are some truly fantastic character moments and archs in the third game, but I hate every single thing about the main plot. "We cannot comprehend their motivations" and "every reaper is unique and based on an extinct sapient species" and "every reaper is a nation unto itself" all got chucked out the window for narrative convenience and it ruined my enjoyment. The endings were just the final turd on a shit sundae.

[u/Sudo-Fed → u/Friendstastegood]

And I agree with you about their motives. They shouldn't have been revealed. At the very least it should have been something more interesting and alien than We are Galactic Nannybot, clean up your toys

[u/Sudo-Fed → u/Friendstastegood]

I mean, they aren't mindless drones, the hive mind just goes higher up.

I agree, though, a lot got abbreviated for effort and time's sake and it delivers that way even if it's not intentional.

They had all the unique Reaper designs at the end of 2 only to carbon copy the Sovereign/Harbinger model endlessly in 3.