At first, I was fairly content with the story’s conclusion. Despite a few unresolved subplots, the main plotline had been straightforward enough that I didn't need much in the way of closure. On top of that, once I’d beaten the game I received a little message saying that If I scored an “S” rank on five or more of the episodes, I’d be treated to a special, secret ending. I normally don’t bother replaying levels just to improve my score, but I liked the plot enough to spend the extra couple of hours that it took to get the necessary rating and unlock the ending.
And what did I get? An exact duplicate of the original ending’s episode, with the only difference coming after all the actual gameplay was over as one of the minor characters took off his mask in true Scooby-Doo fashion to reveal that he had been the main villain all along. Gasp. Still, I’d played plenty of other games with a hidden final boss, so I was still fairly content until the scene ended and instead of a boss fight, I was given a single screen with perhaps the most detested message for any fan of a game, movie, tv show, or book… “to be continued.”
Even then, my own wrath was somewhat contained. While I didn't see much potential for an entire sequel based on the game’s flimsy cliffhanger, I still went online to see if the second game in the series had been released yet. Imagine my surprise and anger when I found out that the game’s real ending along with the final four episodes were DLC costing $6.99. Not only that, but the trailer for the DLC made it look like the developers had simply cut the game off at that point with the intention of stringing the player along and then pumping them for extra money just when the player would be most desperate to find out what really happens.
This was the point that I finally lost my temper. I find this sort of bait-and-switch game design to be both cheap and manipulative, and I am frankly surprised that gamers put up with it. Could you imagine a movie studio trying to do the same thing, releasing a movie in theaters and then ending the film with a message that the audience must buy the Blu-ray (or whatever) to see how the story ends? What if a writer published a novel with the ending sold separately in the Kindle store? We’d be furious. There’d be a public outcry. But as gamers, we've been trained to expect the best parts of many games to come separately, and we dutifully fork over additional cash for additional characters, weapons, levels, and yes, sometimes even integral plot elements.
Of course, I realize that DLC and bonus content has its place in the gaming world. But this sort of content should be like concession food at the movie theater. Unnecessary? Perhaps. Overpriced? Definitely. But many devotees willingly pay for those hot-dogs and popcorn because it’s part of the experience. It’s the same reason why I’ll often wait when buying games until all the DLC and expansions have been bundled together. But these extras and add-ons should not be an integral part of the central storyline. A game’s plot should be able to stand on its own. A strong story with interesting characters doesn't need to deceive the audience into wanting more.
I’m not going to bother looking up the “real” ending on Wikipedia or YouTube. I’d rather stick with my original ending, unresolved as it may be. I still enjoyed the story, and if the developers ever release a real sequel, I may play it. In the meantime, I think I’ll go back to playing some of my old favorites. Games with stories and content that invited me to come back again, not blackmailed me into it.
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