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Syndicate
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Released in 1994, Bullfrog's Syndicate was one of the first PC games to blend elements of action, squad-based combat, and resource management into one cohesive package. And even though it was released years before any other game would attempt a similar formula, Syndicate was a success, in terms of both sales and public acclaim. But it suffered from an ending that wasn't just mediocre - it was plain bad.
You took control of a group of artificially enhanced special operatives who acted as your corporation's iron fist. The game's missions had you assassinate, kidnap, and bomb your opposition until your company was able to achieve world domination. Syndicate's gameplay mechanics were very complex. Within each mission, you were forced to keep a watchful eye on a number of onscreen indicators like the time remaining, your armor level, your target's location, and the endorphin level of your soldiers.
After spending countless hours learning the intricacies of the game, you were thrown onto the Atlantic Accelerator, Syndicate's final level. It was here that all the skills you were forced to master throughout the game were put to the ultimate test. The management of your agents' serum levels, weapons research in between missions, and time management necessary in the later levels had to be honed to a science in order for successful completion of the Atlantic Accelerator. The basic object of this level was for you to assassinate a well-guarded figurehead on board an oil platform. It was a very difficult task and one that few players ever managed to accomplish. Those who did, however, were treated to a five-second movie sequence that depicted a blimp inching its way above a street crowded with futuristic hovercars. It was the same movie clip that played after successful completion of every level in Syndicate. There was nothing that tied the story together; there was no movie showing the Atlantic Accelerator's final moments; there wasn't even any congratulatory text. The only thing revealed at Syndicate's completion was the game's credits.
The lack of any concrete ending, text or otherwise, didn't detract from Syndicate's overall worth. Had Bullfrog put the same amount of effort into a conclusion as it did into the actual game, however, the experience of finishing that final level would have seemed much more worthwhile.
Next: The monotone ass-kicking
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