There is nothing more hurtful for a gamer putting in hours in a game only to meet a game over screen with the slightest of fumbles along the way. Although times have changed and checkpoints are in place to avoid many rage-quit moments, some games take it up a notch just to watch the gamers suffer in silence.
Ever since video games bought into the cinematic-styled narratives and exploration of various human emotions, there is also the element of wanting more attention while it goes out of its way to connect more with the one at the realm of the controller. One such form is the fake game over screens.
7 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty
Hideo Kojima is notoriously known for reinventing the way games are supposed to be played, and it is no surprise to see a few of his games on this list. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was undoubtedly way ahead of its time with its narrative, gameplay, and in-game mechanics, but it's the last few portions of the game that get the ball rolling in a few bizarre directions.
Colonel Campbell's turbulent behavior builds up to a point where he urges the player to quit the game, and those who persist onwards would have an unexpected twist during the Raiden combat. The game flashes a white screen and puts out a fake game over the screen, which reads Fission Mailed. Upon further notice, Players would realize they still have control of Snake (without spoiling further), and would need to get to the end of the game).
6 Hitman: Blood Money
The Hitman franchise is known for silent takedowns, but little did the players know that legendary agent 47 would be taken down in his own ways in Hitman: Blood Money. During the ending chapters of the game or in the "Requiem" mission (to be precise), Agent 47 is briefed on his agenda and decides to make his own stand.
However, with him distracted by the briefing, his loyal and trustworthy commandeer, Diane, sneaks behind him and injects him with poison. Just when the funeral ritual scenes for Agent 47 start, accompanied by the rolling credits, players are prompted to match the pop-up controls to increase the assassin's heart rate. Success at it would have the infamous hitman wake up from his slumber and killing anyone and everyone attending his funeral. Failure to do so would unlock an un-cannon ending where the agent stays dead!
5 Metal Gear Solid 3
The fake game-over scenario in Metal Gear Solid 3 is more of an upgrade since Hijdeo Kojimo doesn't like doing the same things repeatedly. As with the unique treatment of the gameplay, the game developer mastermind manages to incorporate the troll as an in-game mechanic.
Players are introduced to the death pill - a bolus that allows Snake to temporarily play dead. However, the events turn out to be that particular scene where the game forces the player to use up the option to further progress. Once consumed, the game puts up a fake game over the screen yet still allowing players to open their inventory and use up the revival pill. Also, if the tablet is not consumed within a stipulated time, it is game over, for reals, this time.
4 Lollipop Chainsaw
Lollipop Chainsaw made heads turn with its overly sexualized protagonist, Juliet Starling, rampaging the streets of zombie-infested fictional California. But in the game's defense, Lollipop Chainsaw was self-aware of what it wanted to be - a mindless, quirky, and gorey high school zombie survival game.
Juliet Starling is all set to meet her high school crush awaiting her in the park nearby, ignorant regarding the ongoing zombie uprising. However, Juliet does reach him in time only to see the love of her teenage life being shredded apart by a swarm of meat-hungry zombies, and it's game over. Or so it says. The game continues after with Juliet carrying her boyfriend's head tied to her posterior (to sound more kid-friendly) and continues to wreak havoc everywhere she goes!
3 Dead Space 2
The Dead Space franchise is one of those iconic series from the late 2000s that managed to leave a mark long after its eventful days. The second installment of the game, Dead Space 2 was able to recreate the magic of its predecessor and had a slight twist at the end.
In the supposedly closing cut scene of the game, Isaac is left to die on the space station - The Sprawl. With its reactors melting down completely and life systems giving out, Isaac drops to the floor to accept his ill fate. Somewhere close to 20 seconds of the rolling credits, Ellie barges through the roof like the knight in shiny armor to save Isaac, allowing him to finish the game like the hero that he is.
2 Control
The 2020 game from Remedy Entertainment was the perfect release for the gaming community, all while considering what was happening worldwide at that time. Jesse Faden, the newly appointed director of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), has an uphill task of cleaning out a rather supernatural mind-bending entity called the Hiss.
However, with an array of superpowers and a pistol that defies most laws of physics, Jesse is put into a place where the powers of the Hiss overtake her during the closing hours of the game. With the closing credits starting to roll, something looks unusual, later revealing that the Hiss has completely fooled both Jesse and the player into thinking it is game over. Conquering the fake game over, Jesse suppresses the entity's power and makes her way to the game's final boss battle.
1 God Of War: Ragnarok
God of War: Ragnarok needs to real introduction. The 2022 game was built on everything its predecessor had made and met with unanimous praises and blockbuster sales worldwide. During Kratos's first encounter with Thor, the game goes out of its way to try something different. Thor has Kratos in his death grip, and players are promoted to tap the desired button popping on the screen to keep the bald god killer alive.
Despite all the massive efforts, the Kratos succumb to Thor's might and breathe his last, and a game over the screen pops up. Even before players can process what just happened, Thor, through his lines, "is not done" with Kratos yet, revives him, returning him to combat. A point in the game that was shocking yet memorable.