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00:00 To Be Continued has been used in books, TV and films, but games, it appears far less.
00:05 Rare is the game that knows it can tease a player base and confidently maintain interest.
00:10 Because of this, or any number of reasons a developer goes a different direction with
00:14 the story, I'm Scott from WhatCulture.com, and these are 9 Huge Video Game Cliffhangers
00:18 That Meant Nothing.
00:20 Number 9 - John's Identity Assassin's Creed IV - Black Flag
00:24 In 2013's Black Flag, you again relive moments of a past life.
00:28 Visiting uncharted Caribbean waters and hunting for treasure as a pirate.
00:32 Over time, you'll come into conflict with another captain called Bartholomew Roberts.
00:36 Every now and again, your missions in the past are also interrupted by an unseen IT
00:40 worker called John, who orders you to perform illegal activities in the Abstergo facility
00:45 without the higher-ups' knowledge.
00:47 Even though Edward defeats Bartholomew in the climax of the past, the wicked captain
00:51 has one last trick up his sleeve.
00:53 In the final sequence in the present, John poisons you so he can prepare your body for
00:57 his diabolical plan.
00:59 However, when you come to, you immediately see John is the reincarnation of Bartholomew.
01:04 He then explains how he belongs to an alien race and has been reincarnating in human form
01:08 for centuries to reunite with his lover.
01:11 Although this is a lot of information to swallow, John is shot dead 90 seconds later by a security
01:16 guard, saturating that big reveal.
01:18 The character has only been mentioned fleetingly in follow-ups, making us wonder if Ubisoft
01:22 have just forgotten about it altogether.
01:25 #8 - Lara Croft Dies - Tomb Raider The Last Revelation
01:29 Even though Tomb Raider was a huge draw for the PlayStation, the studio, Core Design,
01:33 worried gamers would grow tired of it.
01:35 As a result, they decided to kill off Lara Croft in the franchise's supposed swan song,
01:39 "Tomb Raider - The Last Revelation".
01:41 When Sony's successor, the PlayStation 2, became a monster hit, though, Core Design
01:45 thought it was time to resurrect Lara in a follow-up called Tomb Raider - Angel of Darkness.
01:49 Although fans were excited, they were confused as to how the iconic archaeologist would return,
01:54 since The Last Revelation concluded with our heroine falling down a chasm, she was as dead
01:59 as a doornail.
02:00 How could they possibly explain how she survived?
02:02 Simple, the game just doesn't.
02:04 Angel of Darkness begins with Lara alive and well, with no explanation as to how she recovered.
02:09 According to a deleted scene, though, Lara was revived by a shaman.
02:12 Now, explaining Lara's resurrection with the "a wizard did it" trope isn't original, but
02:17 at least it's an explanation.
02:19 Because this sequence was cut, though, fans didn't understand how Lara was alive, making
02:22 her death in The Last Revelation lose all impact.
02:26 Darth Vader is imprisoned.
02:28 Star Wars The Force Unleashed 2.
02:30 In the sequel to The Force Unleashed, you play as Starkiller, a clone who serves as
02:34 Darth Vader's secret apprentice.
02:35 As Starkiller realises Vader is manipulating him, he turns against his master, culminating
02:40 in an epic battle against the Sith Lord.
02:42 When Vader is defeated, Starkiller has the choice to spare him.
02:45 If you embrace the dark side and try to kill him, you'll be slain by another Starkiller
02:49 clone, who Vader reveals was his true apprentice all along.
02:53 If you choose the light side, though, Darth Vader gets imprisoned on Starkiller's vessel.
02:57 In the closing shot, we see Boba Fett's Slave One sneaking up on Starkiller's ship, hinting
03:02 that Vader is about to be rescued.
03:03 Now, the Endor DLC continues the saga of Vader's true apprentice, so players were happy that
03:08 this plot had a resolution.
03:10 However, based on the light side ending, fans were hoping to see Boba Fett busting Vader
03:14 out of prison in The Force Unleashed 3.
03:16 Even though the creators did intend to make a follow-up, Disney's acquisition of Lucasarts
03:20 terminated any chance of this story receiving its actual conclusion.
03:30 Sonic Chronicles was the first RPG centred around Sega's prized mascot.
03:34 Opening with Knuckles getting kidnapped, the Master Emerald being stolen, and Dr. Robotnik
03:38 supposedly dead, BioWare's take on the character really started off with a bang.
03:42 When you discover that Robotnik is actually alive, though, he agrees to join your ranks,
03:46 believing that Fuzzy Hedgehog will need his resources to defeat their common enemy, Ix.
03:51 As shocking as all that sounds, the ending is all the more mind-blowing.
03:54 See, most of Sonic's adventure in this game takes place in another universe called the
03:58 Twilight Cage.
03:59 Once you defeat Ix and return to Earth, you discover a shocking truth.
04:03 Despite being in the other dimension for a small amount of time, months have actually
04:07 passed in your universe, allowing Robotnik plenty of time to seize control over the world.
04:12 He suitably blasts Sonic's ship with a laser, blowing it to pieces.
04:16 The game then cuts to an image of Robotnik's triumphant grin with the words "The End?"
04:20 written at the bottom of the screen.
04:22 Even though this was an amazing cliffhanger and BioWare had planned to continue the story
04:26 in a sequel, their project was abandoned after the team were acquired by EA.
04:32 Who is Reiko?
04:33 Mortal Kombat 4.
04:34 MK4 expanded on the franchise's mythos and introduced several new characters to the series,
04:39 including Quan Chi and Shinnok.
04:40 However, one character that players were curious about was Shinnok's general, Reiko, because
04:45 there were few details about his backstory, some speculated there must be more to this
04:49 character than it seemed.
04:50 When characters completed Mortal Kombat 4 as Reiko, they were shocked to see this outwilled
04:54 soldier pass through a portal that led to Emperor Shao Kahn's throne room.
04:58 After sitting on the throne himself, the former Emperor's mask lowers down onto Reiko's
05:03 face before his eyes start glowing.
05:05 As Kahn was supposedly dead at this point, Mortal Kombat fans debated endlessly the meaning
05:09 of this scene.
05:10 Is Reiko the reincarnation of Shao Kahn?
05:13 Is he actually his son?
05:14 Did Shao Kahn even die?
05:16 Even though Ed Boon and co. created this ending as a joke, fans obsessed about it for years.
05:21 The issue was finally put to rest in Mortal Kombat Deception, when Reiko reveals to the
05:25 player that the reason why he wore Kahn's helmet is just because he liked wearing it.
05:29 That is literally the entire reason, giving Mortal Kombat Deception one hell of a meaning.
05:35 Number 4, Mantarok Lives.
05:37 Eternal Darkness.
05:38 In Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem, Alexandra discovers her grandfather's tome, which details
05:43 a group of cosmic entities called the Ancients.
05:46 By taking control of 12 characters over the span of 2000 years, you must stop the dark
05:50 vessel Pius Augustus from unleashing these Ancients on the world.
05:54 The Ancient of Earth Mantarok also assists you by teaching you how to wield magic.
05:58 Depending on what decisions you make, Pius will summon one of three Ancients in the showdown,
06:03 Keterga, Uliath and Xelotath.
06:05 If you play the game three times on the same save file and vanquish all three Ancients,
06:09 you'll be rewarded with a secret ending.
06:11 In this scene, we learn that Mantarok manipulated you and many others to eliminate his competitors.
06:17 With no more Ancients to stand in his way, this Lovecraftian creature plots its next
06:21 move.
06:22 Although this implies Mantarok will serve as an antagonist in a future instalment, Eternal
06:26 Darkness 2 then suffered development hell for two decades, meaning this intriguing teaser
06:31 received zero payoff.
06:33 Number 3, The Apocalypse - Mother 3.
06:36 After being in development for 12 years, the sequel to Earthbound, Mother 3, was finally
06:40 released in 2006.
06:42 But when players completed this new instalment, they were still desperate for more.
06:46 Why?
06:47 Because it ended on a massive cliffhanger, with character Lucas awakening the Dark Dragon
06:51 destined to recreate the world.
06:53 Before the world can be reborn, though, the old one must be destroyed.
06:56 So when the Dragon is released, it unleashes an apocalyptic attack on Lucas' home island,
07:01 obliterating everything.
07:02 As the world lies in ruin, the screen abruptly cuts to black.
07:05 If you wait long enough, Lucas will eventually assure the player that he and his friends
07:09 survived the Dragon's assault.
07:11 But since society is left resembling something from Mad Max, that's far from assuring.
07:15 Because of this ending, though, many assumed the story would continue in a sequel.
07:18 However, the same year Mother 3 was released, Earthbound creator Shigesato Itoi stated there
07:23 were actually no plans for another instalment, leaving Lucas' fate uncertain and incredibly
07:28 depressing.
07:29 Number 2, The Synergy Vortexes - Golden Sun, Dark Dawn.
07:33 Golden Sun follows a quartet of magically attuned beings called Adepts who travel the
07:37 world to stop the spread of a dangerous magic called Alchemy.
07:41 In the end, our heroes learn to use Alchemy to restore the land and thus bring peace to
07:45 society.
07:46 In the sequel, Dark Dawn, the world is endangered by a new threat called Synergy Vortexes.
07:51 These energy fields appear randomly across the globe and begin feeding off magic.
07:55 Believing this calamity can be reversed by stopping an upcoming eclipse, our heroes once
07:58 again embark on a new adventure.
08:01 After defeating the bad guys and celebrating, all seems well as the credits roll.
08:05 In the final 30 seconds, the characters return home only to see they've failed in their
08:09 mission since a gigantic Synergy Vortex is now looming over their heads.
08:14 Since Dark Dawn never got a follow-up, this plot point has been left unresolved.
08:18 What makes it more frustrating is that the game never explains what the Vortexes are
08:22 or where they even came from.
08:24 And because there's no word about a future instalment, we're likely never going to
08:27 find out.
08:28 And number 1, Joker Dies - Batman, Arkham City.
08:32 As Batman is defined by his relationship to Joker, it was a ballsy move to kill off the
08:37 Clown Prince of Crime in Batman, Arkham City.
08:39 With the character finally put to rest, we were all dying to know if or how a follow-up
08:44 could even work without it.
08:45 So when the teaser for prequel Arkham Origins showed Bats going head to head with Black
08:49 Mask, fans of this particularly underrated supervillain were very excited.
08:54 After getting the game though, it was a bluff.
08:56 Halfway through, it's revealed that Black Mask is the Joker in disguise, and he serves
09:00 as the central antagonist for the rest of the story.
09:03 Next up was proper sequel Batman Arkham Knight, and there was no way Joker could come back
09:08 this time, since it was a direct continuation of Arkham City.
09:12 Once again though, we were proven wrong, with Rocksteady allowing the demented Jester another
09:16 starring role.
09:17 Even Mark Hamill returned to play him, despite saying along with the devs that the character
09:21 was definitely dead.
09:22 Yes, we can play semantics if need be, but after Batman gets infected with Scarecrow's
09:26 fear gas, he's haunted by hallucinations of Joker everywhere.
09:30 This mined version of the Clown Prince now placing the character all around the city,
09:34 inside ventilation shafts, inside cutscenes, and everywhere else.
09:38 There's more Joker screen time in Arkham Knight than the previous three titles combined, making
09:42 you wonder why they even bothered killing him off in the first place.
09:46 And those are our picks for the biggest video game cliffhangers that meant nothing.
09:50 Let me know your favourites down in the comments below, and which ones you're still waiting
09:53 for some resolution on all these years later.
09:55 For now, I've been Scott from WokHolter.com and I'll catch you soon.