So, I was playing Xenosaga: Episode 1 for the PS2. It's related to Xenogear, a game that I hated for being too talky, but I decided to buy Xenosaga cheap to see how bad it was.

Xenosaga had frequent half-hour long movies, boring characters, and random (poinless) religious symbolism. But THE one thing that I may remember this game for is the abrupt ending. It's one thing to resolve one story while setting up a sequel, but this game's plot just stops. You spend most of the game trying to get to a city known as Miltia, but you never make it. In fact, as soon as I realized that I was watching the final movie, it occured to me that I knew nothing about a character named chaos, and he makes up a sixth of the party.

So, because I have time to kill, I thought I compiled a list of what other RPGs would be like if they stopped as abruptly as Xenosaga. (The following webpage is filled with spoilers.) I think I'll use XAE to stand for Xenosaga Abrupt Ending.

Alundra 2

Uhh, the game with the wind-up keys, right? I'd say whenever you save the princess, but I'm not sure if that happens at the end of the game or before. Definitely right after you do all those tasks for the green guy.

Beyond the Beyond

Bleck, I actually paid fifty dollars for this game. It's another RPG that suffers from sidequest-itis. It's probably one of the best examples, really. In the beginning of the game, you have to flee from a invasion of a kingdom. You must bring troops from another town, but your tough guy gets cursed along the way. When you reach the second kingdom, the curse keeps you from proving your identity. You have to get an item that changes night to day a long dungeon. You use the item to make it night at a pirate town, which helps you get an item that helps you get to the top of that same long dungeon. Eventually, you cure the curse to send the troops to save the first kingdom so you can invade the bad kingdom.

There's more to this game after this, but really, the best XAE would be after you invade the bad kingdom. After all that, who needs to find out what's behind it all? Another good abrupt ending is after you fight the black knight character.

Breath of Fire

When the winged Nina starts to fly. I mean, there's dozens of 'save the world' plots, but how about a 'woman remembers how to fly' plots.

Breath of Fire 2

This game is just a series of subplots and sidequests stapled together under the 'central' plot of an EEEEEvil church. (Which doesn't come into play until late in the game.) So at the 'rhino' town where the mom of one of the main characters throws the EEEvil church officials out of her home, it's a good time as any to find out the names of the programmers.

Chrono Cross

I have to watch myself, because it's too easy for me to just start listing the reasons why this game and its plot sucks. I'd say the battle after Prometheus is deleted is a good abrupt ending, but this game really doesn't have a central plot. I can't believe the praise that this game received, because it seems to suffer from Subplot-itis like Breath of Fire 2 did.

Chrono Trigger

Easy. After Crono dies. You managed to stop Lavos from killing you all, but stopping it or raising Crono from the dead is none of your business!

Dark Cloud

After you finally find out about that guy who had messed up time and cause the whole game to happen. The hallway right before the clock level is a nice oppurtunity for an XAE.

Earthbound

After collecting all 8 parts of the song, why not just watch the credits take place in Ness's head? It's the weirdest part of a game that's beloved for it's weirdness.

Hey, top RPG companies like Squaresoft aren't brave enough to make a game where the main character walks around in his pajamas during the credits, so take that!!

Final Fantasy

This is a 8bit RPG, before plots were really plots. I guess the game should end just as you meet those elders who talk about the past. Or maybe when you get the rat tail and power up.

Final Fantasy V

Probably the worst plot of the modern Final Fantasys, and that includes VII. As soon as Krile takes over for her grandpa is the best XAE, but a good runner-up is the last time Bartz says, "Noooooo!"

Final Fantasy VI

This game has two halves, and before the end of the first half, the game actually seems to end peacefully. Of course, the eeevil empire turns out to be lying about their intensions to peacefully talk to the magic beings and starts to destroy a magic town. At this poin, you control a general of the empire who is strong but has a heart of gold. If they gave you a tough boss fight here, you have a really really good XAE.

After the world gets blowned up, the game should end just after you get that second airship.

Final Fantasy VII

This one is easy to think about, but hard to pinpoin the right time. Definitely the best abrupt ending would occur before Tifa and Cloud discover Cloud's big secret. Probably the best XAE would be after Barret saves his home town from the train, although it would be interesting if the closing credits had a scene of Cloud and Tifa getting loss in the sea of materia.

Final Fantasy VIII

After Squall saves Rinoa from her doom in space, and drags her and himself into that spaceship. That sappy "Eyes on Me" could have played over the credits (which it did at the real end of the game.) It would have been better than playing it over a conversation that I'm sure was suppose to be important to the love theme of the plot, but instead proved to be incredibly distracting.

Final Fantasy IX

After Zidane and company get to the alternate world with the other monkey people. In fact, the scene where Zidane finds out about himself and brushes his friends aside while going through a gauntlet of enemies should lead to the final battle.

Final Fantasy X

After you defeated Lady Yunalesca, completing the pilgrimage. Maybe even after you find out the truth about the religion in Spira. There is a sequel to this game, so you could take care of Sin another time.

Final Fantasy Adventure

When you lose that woman a second time, you might as well just quit right there. What kind of lame hero loses the heroine twice?

Final Fantasy Legends III

Wasn't there some wacky time travel story in this game? Whatever. My money is on abruptly ending the game as soon as you get to the Pureland. (It still bugs me that they advertised this game as allowing you to go to the past and the future, but then it throws that option out the window once you go to the Pureland.)

Final Fantasy Tactics

Just after your rotten brothers assassinate the EEEEEvil cardinal. Or right after you find out that your religion is eeeevil after reading the book of truth. (Which the church hides, instead of burning immediately. Whatever.)

Grandia 2

Right after you beat up Melfice, the hero's brother.

Another good one is right before the pope proves to be EEEvil. Man, that still pisses me off. The game baited me, and I fell for it. Stupid game. You didn't have to make the church corrupt!

Legend of Dragoon

Legend of Legaia

You know the fight where you fight three characters that are just like your party? That fight is one of the toughest in the game, and I pick this over the more obvious choice than the time where you go back in time and learn about how everything got screwed up in the world.

Legend of Mana

As soon as you claim the Sword of Mana piece. Really, the Dub Dub Bears were all you needed from that game.

Legend of Zelda: The Adventures of Link

Zelda looks so peaceful, so end the game after returning the stones but before waking her up.

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

After rescueing the gem that has Zelda in it. It's tradition to end after saving the princess!

Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Right after finding out the big secret of the island right before the sixth level. Really, there's no poin to continue if it's all a dream.

Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Right after you get the fourth mask from the last dungeon. Since this game only has four dungeons, that seems like a perfect time to have an abrupt ending.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Right after you learn Sheik's identity. The way the plot is structured, I can't think of a better time.

Both games have similar plots, so I can save space by saying just after you saved the oracle. (If you're using a password game, then right before the fight with the witches.)

Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Just after you fixed the Master Sword and gotten all the pieces of the Triforce of Courage. Gannon appears in most Zelda games, so why not relax for now?

Illusion of Gaia

The Tower of Babel could be this game's Milita.

Kingdom Heart

This game is tough since you rescue all those princesses without losing most of them first. I want to say sometime around when you meet the Beast, and around the time you meet the man behind the darkness.

Mario and Luigi

Before the princess gets in trouble. I won't say more since Lita's now playing this game.

Mega Man Battle Network

Right after you save your gal friend from the bus that won't stop. Damn futuristic buses!!

Paper Mario

The game should end right after the princess bakes a cake. Not because it's the perfect XAE, but because you just can't top that! (Seriously, that's one of my favorite parts.)

Pokemon

Right after you beat the head of Team Rocket. You now got all eight badges, so they should have saved the tournament for some other game! Like, that battle arena game for the Nintendo 64...

Shining Force 2

Right after you return home. You've spent the whole game away, so reaching your old home seems like a triumph by itself.

Star Ocean 2

This game has two halves like Final Fantasy VI, so either before the first half ends, or right after you pass the four tests.

Star Tropics

When you meet your uncle at the end of level 6, it's time to play another game. The aliens can wait for a sequel.

Super Mario RPG

Two good options come to mind. The first one is when you enter the cloud city and just after you find out that Mallow is from there. This wasn't a great plot twist or anything, but you don't know anything about Mallow's people until now, so just ending it here before he meets his parents is ideal.

The other option is just as you beat that sword at the top of Bowser's castle. Sure, you finally reached Bowser's castle and reclaimed it, but who was that Smithy guy? And why did he ...(roll credits).

Threads of Fate

Right after the royal advisors betray the princesses in either story.

Wild Arms

Right after you fix Rudy's arm.

Wild Arms 2

I forget. Let me replay the game first.

Zoda's Revenge: Star Tropics 2

Right after you get the last tetris piece, or after you meet Leonardo.

Update (6/6/04): New games!

Final Fantasy X-2

Boy, what a weird game. Anyway, right before you take apart the eeevil giant robot but after you find out the secrets of the Crimson Squad.

Wild Arms 3

The entire fourth chapter seemed to go in a different direction then the rest of the game. So, after the air battle that concludes chapter 3.