5 Alternate Video Game Endings That Would Be Great Sequels

If you’ve ever had an alternate ending to a video game you wished its developers had capitalized on, you’re not alone. We’ve thought it over and these are five alternate video game endings that could have led to great sequels.

Alternate Game Endings That Could Have Made for Great Sequels

Splicers Come to the Surface (BioShock)

While it’s never outright stated in the second game, Bioshock‘s canon can be inferred to follow the first game’s good ending.

However, a different version of the series where Jack successfully harvested all the little sisters and took control of Rapture could have been just as interesting.

For those who haven’t seen it, the bad ending shows Jack return to the surface with Splicers in tow, using his newfound abilities and surplus of Adam to take control of a nuclear sub.

It isn’t clear whether he launches it, or how he plans to use his newfound resources, but the world is most certainly about to be introduced to the horrors of Rapture and its mistakes.

As a result, players could have seen a follow-up where they have to fight Splicers in a post-apocalyptic surface world, ravaged not only by a nuclear blast but by the Adam Jack no doubt released to the survivors to keep them under his control.

They could fight their way towards a confrontation with Jack, blasting away at enemies with pseudo-futuristic guns and enhancing themselves with the plasmids and Adam for good measure.

It would definitely be a big shift in setting and tone, but considering the success the series found with a similar shift for Bioshock Infinite, the possibility for it to succeed could have been there.

Alternate Game Endings That Could Have Made for Great Sequels

The Rise of a New Sith Lord (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed)

Being a story set in the Star Wars universe and a prequel to the original three movies, it’s no surprise the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed series follows the good ending’s canon where Starkiller disappears after his confrontations with Darth Vader.

However, there was potential for a promising series following the first game’s bad ending. Instead of sparing Darth Vader and holding off the Emperor to save his friends, Star Killer can kill Vader and take his place as a new Sith Lord.

It’s a dark turn that places players firmly in the role of a villain outside of the Star Wars canon, but it also provides plenty of material for an alternate universe where a new Sith Lord takes control of everything, and crushes anyone who opposes him.

Plus, thanks to the game’s Ultimate Sith DLC, players were treated to a brief glimpse of what a series with this ending could have looked like, with Star Killer forcing Luke Skywalker under his control after decimating the rebel forces on Hoth.

It’s a dark take on the series and one that would be a drastic change from the series’ canon, but it’s hard not to think of the fun that could be had with it.

Alternate Game Endings That Could Have Made for Great Sequels

A New Tyrant is Born (Dishonored)

It’s not stated outright which ending from the original Dishonored was canon. That said, considering the city of Dunwall isn’t in tatters by the start of the second game, it’s highly likely the developers moved forward with the good ending in mind.

And yet, the bad ending had plenty of potential for a great sequel. Its version of Corvo – a ruthless killer who revels in chaos – and the version of Emily he would raise could have led to a malevolent tyrant ruling over the city with an iron fist.

As such, players could have been tasked with taking the two down, either as Dishonored 2 and Death of the Outsider‘s Billie Lurk or a new assassin entirely.

The potential for sneaking through military bases and compounds would still be there, as would the room for using powers granted by the Outsider.

Not only that, but confronting Corvo, Emily, or both in a battle of supernatural stealth could have been exhilarating with every strategy you used to get through the first game turned back on you.

Alternate Game Endings That Could Have Made for Great Sequels

Giving Up the Ghost (Mass Effect 2)

There were a number of different outcomes players could see after Mass Effect 2’s final suicide mission.

Almost every one of Shepards comrades can end up being killed on their way towards the mission’s conclusion. The most dire of them, though, sees even Commander Shepard fail to get out alive, dying just before reaching the deck of the Normandy.

The developers opted not to use this worst possible outcome for obvious reasons, but if they had, there would have been plenty of room for an interesting narrative.

Players could have taken up the challenge of fending off the Reapers as a new protagonist, piecing together a new team after Shepard’s disbands.

Likewise, the series could have gone the way of Dragon Age, pursuing a new storyline entirely with a new party for players to come to love.

There would have been plenty of challenges the developers would have had to overcome, not least of which being to win fans over with a new iconic character.

All the same, it’s still interesting to wonder if they could have pulled it off, and if they had, what could have awaited players in that brave new frontier.

Alternate Game Endings That Could Have Made for Great Sequels

A New Age of Conduits (Infamous 2’s Bad Ending)

While the Infamous series gives players the choice of whether to use their super powers for good or evil, the series definitely leaned toward its good endings to advance the overall narrative.

Infamous: Second Son finds the world irrevocably altered by the existence of Conduits, but considering humans aren’t ruled over by a legion of super powered baddies, it’s easy to see Infamous 2’s good ending was chosen over its bad one.

It’s a bit of a shame, because playing in a game world set after Cole rises to power as an evil super villain could have been amazing.

Players could have taken the role of a budding conduit, Delsin Rowe or otherwise. Using their powers, they could have taken down Cole’s subordinates one after the other, leading to a final, climactic confrontation with the lightning wielding menace.

It would be a drastic departure from the series’ established canon to be sure. At the same time though, it would be an amazing culmination of the story’s themes of overcoming past mistakes, and working towards a better wold with one’s newfound powers.

Know of some other alternate video game endings that would have led to great sequels? Mention them in the comments section below.