next »

[Bablefish]

The talk of Maniac Mansion in the trivia section reminded me, that is something we don't see these days. Maniac Mansion NES has 9 different endings, including one that you actually blow up the mansion. Try getting that on any PS3 or XBOX 360 game these days, maybe it is because the cost of production is so high these day that we don't see it. But back in the day, it was a fun thing to find. I say this because I discovered more than 1 ending myself on Contra Hard Corps Genesis. Which is a both a hard and very fun game, and some of those ending simply blew me away. Here is a list I made of them as a reminder.

Level 3
instead of shoot door once past ramp heading down instead go up to Battle Mode (alt end) funny for Ray or Fang

Level 5
option to surrender in transport room if surrender you get Fang (wolf) train level Fangs Best Ending
Ray, Sheena Space Station Level Best Ending Browny (robot) ship, alien base don't surrender and fight to end with Sheena on next to last level you will be given an option to join Game Over type ending world in choas message but you will be given a cahnce to try again but anyway continue on to Rocket Level 2nd best ending in game

With Fang or Ray you fight Alien Demon as final Boss and get an incomplete message

Browny Train Battle different from Fang's next level after 2 faced Mother Alien, Alien Heart, see castle destoryed

Browny will also get an option to join do and get Darkness and gloom message don't and get best ending for Browny 

Take that XBOX!!

Even Revenge of Shinobi Genesis has 2 different endings depending on if you saved the girl or not in the final boss battle.
 

[Arcturius]

Actually thinking about it I think that the percentage of games with multiple endings is probably about the same now as it was then in all honesty. It's more down to if your playing a game which has a story that allows for there to be multiple endings, like Jade Empire, Mass Effect or Dragonage for example all have multiple endings but your standard platformer nowadays normally doesn't.

I think it's more down to how memorable the games were to how long it took to complete them multiple times. Like when I was a kid, yeah I'd play a game through a fair few times (and most 8-bit home computer games had one ending a LOT just had a text 'congratulations' and that was if you were lucky enough to get anything at all) whereas nowadays I don't have as much time or play anywhere near as many games as I used too so often I don't even see one ending let alone find the alternate ones.

[Nreive]

I like games with multiple endings...  Ones that spring to mind are Streets of Rage 1 & 2, Resident Evil series and Deus Ex.  The one that surprised me was Blade Runner, which I thought had 9 endings, but according to Louis Castle (exec-producer on the game and interviewed in issue 4 of Retroaction - plug, plug), it has near enough 50 variations on three different endings, including a mythical bug ending.

[meppi]

While not exactly the same thing, I loved what Burning Rangers did in randomizing certain sections and locations of the levels every time you played.

Blew my mind back in the day. Such a great game.