Best Game Over Screens

This one is both gorely awesome and a great marketing tactic. If you’re scared and don’t want to see Ryu’s horrible death (something you don’t see, anyways), then put those quarters quickly in the machine and hit Start! But, should you be courageous (or sadistic) enough, you can watch the saw going down and down, and then imagine Ryu’s innards being scattered all over the place.

The Colonel’s famous scream couldn’t possibly be left out of this top ten. Kojima surely knows how to make his games climatic, and the game over screen is no exception. With a very suspenseful music in the background, your death can trigger a couple of different lamentations, from any of your colleagues like Mei Ling. But there’s no other scream that more famous than the Colonel’s SNAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!

As if the player’s self-esteem wasn’t already low for owning a Virtual Boy (headaches included in the price), this game makes him feel even worse. We wonder if anyone wants to try again after being told that in red flashing letters trying to make you blind. At least, the game’s considerate enough to tell you exactly why you lost.

Similar to Ninja Gaiden, but here you don’t have to imagine anything. Subtlety was never one of Mortal Kombat’s strengths, anyway. Should you chicken, you can always continue (or close your eyes, we guess), but should you be brave (or out of continues), you’ll witness how your character is turned into a shish-kebab. At least the game comforts you in that you weren’t the only one, given the amount of blood scattered before you hit the floor

If Still Alive is a measure in credit roll songs, then this one has to be for game over songs too. Totally ridiculous, over-the-top and drawn out, but hilarious and original, it’s a song you have to listen to at least once. Teasing you in every possible way, the song doesn’t hold back anything, and that’s why it gets the recognition as the best game over screen ever. And, by the way, if the song didn’t make you realize, you are dead.

What a better way to prove your failure than to show you the destruction of the entire world? Not many, we can guess. Yes, the Armageddon can be prevented with a simple ocarina tune (a bit anticlimactic, isn’t it) but it’s still nice to see that your actions lead to more than just your death. And of course, the teasing “You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you” in the end is more than encouraging to get better.

Conker’s not your typical game, and thus, it can’t have your typical game over screens. Famous for its “mature” theme, its game over shows you exactly what happens when your nemesis captures you. And, to be honest, given that the players wants to beat him and thwart his plans, why can’t the nemesis have some fun when it’s you the one who loses?

An oddity here, a game over screen where you’re in full control of your character, either the Prince or any of his cousins. For your failure, you are reprimanded by your father in very serious terms, but what makes this scene awesome is that he shoots lasers to you from his eyes. Will you try to dodge them, or will you let them hit you, just for kicks? Up to you to decide, but you can’t deny how good this screen is.

Surprisingly (or not, given that it comes from a 8-bit console, where the scaring possibilities were rather limited) it doesn’t try to scare you, but it makes you feel bad. So, not only you died (as you would in any game), but your friends died TOO! Do you feel guility? You’re responsible for their death! Now, go back and make sure you don’t lose again!

Much more subtle than the last two, I always found this one to be brilliant. It doesn’t tell you a “Game Over”, but rather it shows you that your failure is what was bound to happen. “Fate has no forgiveness for those who dare stand against it”, this message will get into your mind if you lose a couple of times in a row, making you think that, maybe, in the end, it is impossible. Or maybe it’ll create in you an irresistible desire to challenge fate. What’s assured is that this is not a game over screen that goes unnoticed