2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The end: After Link accidentally stumbles into the parallel world of Termina, a giant, leering moon headbutts civilization in slow motion, wiping Link and everything else out of existence in the process.
But it's awesome, because: Plenty of games feature plots where you'll need to avert some catastrophe and save the world, but Majora's Mask is one of the few that lets you actually watch it happen if you fail. And when it does happen, you'll watch as the moon's face slowly crushes Clock Town, Termina's center of civilization, before unleashing a shockwave that'll kill you wherever you are.
You've got just three days, game time, to stop the moon from destroying the world. The upside is that you're able to jump back in time to day one, over and over again, until you've got everything you need to set the celestial body back on its usual orbit. In the meantime, it'll slowly edge closer like a bad dream, its creepy grin promising doom and adding a very real sense of urgency to the game.
Is it really the end? Yes. Sit on your thumbs and let the moon do its thing, and it'll hit Link so hard that all the subsequent Zelda games will retroactively have never happened.
OK, not really. But you're still doomed.
1. Final Fantasy VI
(Warning: spoilers ahead)
The end: Of all the villains to ever appear in a Final Fantasy game, we've never wanted to kill any as badly as Kefka the clown. He poisoned children, betrayed his allies and dug up a massive floating fortress just so he could wreck the world with its onboard superweapon. And just as we were about to plunge a sword into his ribs and save the world from destruction… we failed. Kefka was wounded, but it didn't stop him from unleashing the laser, tearing entire continents apart and turning the world to ash. And he laughed at us while he did it.
But it's awesome, because: Later Final Fantasy games would feature more elaborate and personal tragedies, but for many gamers, this was the first time they'd worked for hours to stop a villain, only to have watch him destroy everything they'd tried to protect. And you got to see it all - as Kefka's laser tore across the landscape, you were treated to shots of familiar characters flailing around in a panic before being swallowed up by the buckling terrain.
It happened about halfway through the 40-hour game, too, meaning that you'd had plenty of time to get attached to the world and its inhabitants before watching them die. Add in the sad aftermath - which involves one of the heroines attempting suicide if you fail to save a former enemy's life - and Final Fantasy VI's transition from the World of Balance to the World of Ruin is easily the most heart-wrenching moment of the 16-bit era.
Is it really the end? Not by a long shot. Kefka's seeming triumph scatters the heroes, rips your cool airship in half and leaves world in ruins, but most (if not all) of the main characters survive to mount another attack. And after what you've just witnessed, revenge alone will be enough motivation to see things through to the end. FFVI never got a sequel, but signs are strong that the world bounces back after its ending, as blooming flowers signal fresh hope for the ruined wasteland, and other such nonsense.
