Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.

8 Of The Best Game Over Screens Ever

This article is over 10 years old and may contain outdated information

With the release of Dark Souls 2 we give you a brief glimpse as to what it’s like to lose in other games. Just so you aren’t alone in your Dark Souls deaths.

image

Let’s start with the game that brought back losing into the vogue, Dark Souls. This is quite possibly one of the most frequent screens that you’ll see. Not because you’re bad at the game, mind, but because the game is just designed to kill you over and over again.

Recommended Videos

image

In 2011’s Catherine, when you lose you don’t just lose the game, you lose love. We’ve all lost games but how many times has your console told you that you’ve lost love, not many I’m sure. Besides losing the game you’re also privy to some hard hitting realities.

image

Dragon’s Lair was the Dark Souls of its day. A game where you are certainly going to be dying quite often. This was the source of quite a bit of anger in the arcade as Dirk the Daring encountered quick time events meant to bring you to your knees.

image

Duck Hunt wasn’t just about duck hunting but about trying to shoot the dog as they’re laughing at your failure. This game helped to create a generation of cat people.

image

In Fallout 2, when you die, you’re given the treat of seeing your corpse after nature has had it’s way with you. As the years pass and your body is reduced to another skeleton in the waste, the realization that everything just ended is even more palpable.

image

Friday the 13 on NES made your end even more of a failure when you’re notified that it’s not just you that has died, but you’ve brought about the end of your friends as well. At least you go down alone I guess, you’ll have your friends in the afterlife.

image

If Edgar Allan Poe made a videogame’s game over screen it would be Ninja Gaiden‘s. You’re given a timer as a saw comes down to kill you. It’s so much fun to see the character you’ve associated with as they die a horribly gruesome death.

image

Other games just give you a Game Over but Quantum Conundrum lets you know just how much you’re missing by dying. Dying wasn’t enough, now they have to rub your face in it.


The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission.Ā Learn more about our Affiliate Policy