One of the best parts of a video game is the ending, but who has the time to go back and play through every game? Let me introduce you to Game Over: The Early Years, the weekly show where we dive into classic games and spoil both their stories and endings. From the biggest hits to obscure classics, we're taking a look at some of the best and most memorable conclusions in video game history.

When it comes to epic storytelling, the bar was always real low for arcade games. About the most you could expect was a wall of text at the beginning, a character bio during the attract mode and maybe, if you were lucky, a brief cinema setting up each stage. If you wanted a deep and involving story, then you were better off playing Final Fantasy or Phantasy Star or any of the other role-playing games on home consoles, because the arcade was where you went for simple shoot 'em ups and one-on-one fighters. But don't tell that to Konami, who bucked the trend by creating Gaiapolis, one of the most epic arcade games of all time. Released in 1993, this little-played adventure was not only a great action RPG set in a fantasy world, but it was also a precursor to Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons brawlers. Turn back now if you don't want to know what happens next, because today we're going to spoil the stories and endings for both the arcade and Nintendo Entertainment System versions of Gaiapolis. This is Game Over: The Early Years!


Still want more endings? Then I recommend you discover 23 Endings: The Early Years, the holiday series that ran during the 2017 holiday season. We cover Ninja Gaiden, Street Fighter II, Super Mario Bros. 2, Ghostbusters, Golden Axe, Metroid, Double Dragon, Flashback, Final Fight and many more!

And while you're just clicking on stuff at random, I suggest you head over to the Defunct Games YouTube page and subscribe to the channel. We're posting new episodes of Game Over: The Early Years every Monday, along with brand new game reviews throughout the week.