Epic games that end on a whimper

So that's it, then. After six years the epic Lost comes to an end in pretty disappointing style. If you've yet to see the finale, just take comfort that it doesn't end up all being a dream of the dog. Still, the fairly crushing finale got us thinking about equally epic games that ended on a disappointing whimper. And all the titles below are either guilty of rubbish, anti climactic endings or deeply underwhelming last levels/ bosses.

Grand Theft Auto IV

We love GTA IV. Like love it to the extent that the person writing these words has at last count clocked the story four times. But after the highs of the Three Leaf Clover mission and hours of gloriously daft banter in cutscenes, the final mission is not only a bit of a pain, it also ends on a damp squib of a downer. Sure, you could say its understated, downbeat ending is in keeping with the whole theme of the game. But screw that. We wanted explosions, bombastic car chases set to Goodbye Horses and a celebratory post mission teeeeeeeeeettttttiiiiiiieeeeeesssss party.

Shenmue II

Ah, what could have been. No doubt Shenmue creator and all-round former Sega don Yu Suzuki had a bloody stonking ending planned for Shenmue 17 or however many games he’d originally thought he make before he starting the series. Hell, he probably had a fitting finale penned, where Lan Di got his evil ass handed to him by a rocket launcher-wielding, stogie-smoking Ryo. Alas, so confident was Suzuki that he’d get to make loads more Shenmues, the second game barely even features the arch evil doer. Instead, players have to make to with some nonsense about magic swords and mirrors. Guess we’ll just have to make do with murdering that ponytailed dick in our dreams.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

"Holy half baked final cutscene, Batman!" We really wish Rocksteady had shown one tenth of the enthusiasm for creating a 'not totally shit ending' as they did for delivering a game worthy of Bats. C'mon, he gets the job down, then just flies into the night? It might be in keeping with the Dark Knight's superhero stoicism. But would it have killed them to maybe stick in a couple of gags or even show the Bat breaking down in a quiet moment to reflect on the horrendous night of physiological torture he's had to endure? Oh, it is? Dang.

Splinter Cell: Double Agent

Gah. This must be the most anti climactic way to take down a Big Bad ever. And the clip above makes Sam's scrap with arch evil doer Emile look epic. When we played through Double Agent, we shot the terrorist no gooder in the head without even realising it, as he ran into a room with a couple of bodyguards. Fisher might be in the big leagues when it comes to sporting fancy goggles. But when it comes to sending his games out with a compelling bang, he's strictly amateur next to Snake and Metal Gear.