Similar to watching a film or reading a book, video games allow us to escape from reality and immerse ourselves in an entirely different world. There's nothing better than forgetting the troubles of the real world and investing a few hours ending zombies or trying to navigate an open world adventure. What does suck though is when a game you've really enjoyed playing comes to an unsatisfactory conclusion or includes a twist that makes no sense. There's nothing worse than spending hours of your time on a game and reaching the end only to be faced with a horrible plot twist that makes no sense or renders the game useless.

Unfortunately, this is something that happens way too often for my liking. Some amazing games such as Borderlands and Mass Effect 3 have been let down by dodgy endings, while the likes of Resident Evil 5 and Bayonetta have mid-game twists to add nothing to the actual game and often make no sense. To save you from playing a game for endless hours only to be met with an unfulfilling, here's a list of the 15 plot twists that hurt iconic games, along with 15 of the best to make sure you don't miss out on those games.

30 God Of War III - Hope Is The Ultimate Weapon

There's nothing worse than a twist ending to a game that makes you wish you never invested your time in it, as is the case with God Of War 3. The game is supposed to be the thrilling conclusion to the trilogy whereby we finally discover the purpose of Kratos and what's in the box. Upon finding Pandora's Box Kratos opens it to discover the ultimate weapon, which turns out to be hope. How the heck does hope help you achieve greatness? This reveal had many God Of War fans hoping for a new group of writers for the next installment.

29 Mass Effect 3 - The Coloured Choice

The great thing about the Mass Effect franchise is the ability to create and shape a character across three brilliantly inspiring games. Every choice you make has a certain consequence and fans hoped the final game would explain all that has come before. What you get instead is a choice between three coloured endings that share over arching similarities. No matter which one you choose the outcome is the same. It's a very unsatisfying conclusion that reeks of a designers rushing to finish a game before its release date.

28 Final Fantasy VIII - Everyone Has Amnesia

On a whole, Final Fantasy VIII is an awesome game and one that still remains a favorite amongst fans. Critically acclaimed and a massive commercial success, the game is an enjoyable experience, until the third act. The game uses tried and tested cliches to bring the story to a close. First, it's revealed the majority of the characters are suffering from amnesia, and then some type of time traveling villain appears and wants to compress time into one moment, or something absurd along those lines. What follows is some time travel plot and a bunch of crummy cut scenes explaining what happened to everyone, making a mess of what was a remarkable game up until that point.

27 Bionic Commando - Your Wife Is Always With You (In Your Stupid Arm)

Based on the 1987 arcade game of the same name, Bionic Commando is an action adventure game where players take control of super soldier Nathan Spencer. Armed with a bionic arm that does all types of crazy things, Spencer is forced to work for a shady agency in order to find out what happened to his missing wife. In what's an absurd twist, players discover Spencer's wife has been somehow fused into his arm. This makes absolutely no sense and left many gamers scratching their heads.

26 BioShock - Mind Control

Of all the twists on this list the one that occurs in BioShock is something nobody could see coming. Playing as main character Jack, you are lead by the mysterious Atlas who helps navigate you through the underwater city as you attempt to overthrow the cities leader Andrew Ryan. Whenever Atlas asks for your help he says, "Would you kindly," which towards the end of the game you discover is a trigger phrase to get you to do whatever he wants. You've actually been brainwashed and have been forced to carry out Atlas' wishes throughout the entire game. Absolutely shocking.

25 The Last Of Us - You Don't Get A Choice

Few games have been as emotionally draining and heart racing as 2013s zombie epic The Last Of Us. The game has many heartbreaking moments but things reach all new heights when Joel, who has been escorting Ellie to a medical facility to find the cure for the zombie virus, finds out the only way to successfully create the cure will result in Ellie's end. Unbeknownst to Joel he's been protecting Ellie only to lead her to her end. It's a heart-stopping moment, but thankfully Joel's a bit of a softy and helps save Ellie, but things could have gone in an entirely different direction.

24 Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Aaaaaand He's Gone

The Call Of Duty franchise continually delivers fantastic games and Modern Warfare is no different. A great bonus about this game is the ability to play as two main characters, a Marine and an SAS commando. Swapping between the characters gives you two different perspectives to play from so you can experience different environments and battles. The twist in this game comes about halfway through when one of the players you control is destroyed during a nuclear attack. One minute you're doing your thing, the next a mushroom cloud appears and you're done. It's crazy to think they killed one of the main protagonists like that but is another reason why the franchise is so loved by fans; you never know what to expect.

23 Metroid - Surprise! Samus Is A Woman

Ok, before anyone gets their pitch forks out, the reason this one makes the list is because at the time when Metroid was released, having a female lead character was a massive deal. While it would have been better for Nintendo to have Samus' gender known from the get go, it's still a great twist, with many people shocked they were playing as a woman all this time. Thankfully gamers embraced the character and she has appeared in almost 15 different Metroid games over three decades, with a new title set to be released on the Nintendo Switch very soon.

22 Silent Hill 2 - They Were Ended By YOU

Somehow how Konami managed to make Silent Hill 2 even scarier than the original game. Building on the suspense and creepy atmosphere of the first release, the sequel is once again set in the strange town but this time finds players trying to work out what happened to James Sunderland's departed wife. After receiving a letter from his wife he travels to Silent Hill where he meets a strange apparition named Mary, who looks like his wife, and must battle various nightmarish creatures to find the truth. The big twist comes when you discover Sunderland is the one who elimiated his wife and everything happening in the game is a manifestation of his guilt.

21 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Please Buy The Next Game

There's nothing worse than playing a game that seemingly ends halfway through the story. Imagine playing Red Dead Redemption and finally making it to Texas and the game ends. You'd be bloody angry. Well that's pretty much what happens with Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. The first major showdown is also the last as the credits roll and you're left with no resolution or idea what's going on. Despite the short run time and abrupt ending, this is actually a pretty decent game. Here's hoping the eventual sequel explains things a little better and gives fans a decent ending.

20 Red Dead Redemption - John Marston Getting Mowed Down

Speaking of Red Dead... Playing as former outlaw John Marston, Red Dead Redemption finds you blackmailed by the Government into hunting down and ending the former members of your gang in order to save your taken family. Once reunited with your family and settling into retirement, it looks like the game is over, but the Bureau of Investigation have other ideas and send a team to end you and your family. An epic battle follows in which you are surprisingly eliminated, but not before Marston is able to get his family to safety. In another twist, you play the final mission as Marston's son Jack, hunting down the man responsible for your father's end and putting a bullet in him. Justice prevails.

19 Borderlands - Never Finding Out What's In The Vault...

Borderlands was a great success when first released back in 2009. Taking control of one of four "vault hunters," you are tasked with finding a key and tracking down a vault said to contain alien technology and all manner of amazing treasures. The entire game is spent trying to find the key for the hidden vault as you shoot your way through various levels. When you finally get hold of the key and defeat the big baddie, you're informed the key won't open the vault for another two hundred years. Roll credits. This remains one of the most disappointing endings to a game I've ever played, with even the developers admitting they got it wrong.

18 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic - You Are The Problem

Star Wars games are great fun and Knights Of The Old Republic is no different. Playing as a Jedi suffering from amnesia, you spend most of the game trying to discover your identity while choosing between pursing the light or dark side of the force. You eventually end up in a final battle against bad guy Darth Malek, who trained under super evil Darth Revan. At end of the fight you find out you are actually Darth Malek, meaning no matter how hard you might have tried to follow the light side of the force, you're destined to become one with the dark side.

17 Fallout 3 - Why Not Sacrifice The Ghoul?

The third game in this post-apocalyptic series, Fallout 3 is another wonderful open-world experience with enough action and storytelling to satisfy any gamer. The ending of the game is a little morally dividing when you're faced with the choice of choosing which character to sacrifice in order to stop Project Purity. The problem is you can't select your sidekick Ghoul who just so happens to be immune to radiation. This is a massive oversight in a game with few errors and left many gamers frustrated. An expansion pack was released to fix this mishap but the damage was already done.

16 Resident Evil - The Double Agent

Often sighted as the original horror survival game, Resident Evil is a fantastic and super creepy game primarily taking place in an old mansion overrun with zombies and other mutant creatures. The big twist in the game occurs when STARS team leader, Albert Wesker, who has been guiding you through the game, turns out to be a double agent intent on your destruction. Not only does he double cross Jill Valentine and her team but he goes on to be the main bad guy throughout the series.

15 Bayonetta - You Have A Daughter

It's not often a game featuring a strong female lead also turns out to be well received by critics, but that's exactly the case with Bayonetta. While the action and gameplay is great in the game, the storyline leaves a little to be desired. Halfway through the game, Bayonetta rescues a child who has a passing resemblance to her, mainly because she wears glasses and has an affinity for lollipops. At the game's conclusion, it's revealed the young girl is Bayonetta's child, which doesn't really make sense considering Bayonetta's been sleeping in a coffin for 500 years. Someone didn't listen very well during math class.

14 Final Fantasy VII - Goodbye Aries

The Final Fantasy saga is loved by critics and fans alike and Final Fantasy VII is another tremendous addition to the series. It's another sprawling RPG epic that is immensely addictive, but also contains a shocking twist during the midway point of the game when main character Aeris is suddenly offed. It's quite a dramatic and emotional moment and left many gamers fighting back tears and is considered by many as one of the most unexpected good-byes in video game history. It still brings a tear to my eye.

13 inFamous  - Kessler Is Your Future Self

inFamous is a terrific take on the superhero genre, with players taking control of Cole MacGrath, a bike messenger who finds himself possessed with super powers after an accident. The game is pretty fun to play and has a couple of great twists. First your girlfriend is ended by bad guy Kessler, than you find out towards the end Kessler is actually your from the future who's come back in time to give you greater powers. It all gets a bit meta but sets the game up for a compelling sequel.

12 Super Mario Bros. 2: Mario Madness - It Was All A Dream

The success of Super Mario Bros. meant a sequel was inevitable, and Nintendo delivered with Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. This game proved to be incredibly difficult, so Nintendo used the game engine from Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic to create the fan friendly Super Mario Bros. 2: Mario Madness. A fun and enjoyable game almost on par with the original, it did suffer from a horrible plot whereby at the end of the game Mario wakes up in bed and realises everything that happened was just a dream. Not really an exciting twist for such a great game.

11 Spec Ops: The Line - Konrad Wasn't Alive At All

Third-person shooter Spec Ops: The Line is a fairly standard action game that doesn't really offer anything new, asides from a mammoth plot twist at the games end. Playing as Captain Martin Walker your actions and morals are constantly questioned throughout the game by exiled Colonel John Konrad who you talk with on the radio. At the game's end you finally meet Konrad, but all that's left is a corpse. It turns out Walker is suffering from a dissociative disorder and has been using Konrad as a way to rationalize his actions throughout the game. It's a pretty heavy twist that leads to four different outcomes, none of which work out well for poor old Walker.