Only one canon good ending?

[Badass Trans Knight]

Having played every "canon" ending, it seems like the only good ending is going with the Aldecados. Misty's cards direct towards it, Judy will tell you to leave if you're with her, Panam asks you to join her and will offer help without the player even asking, and all the other endings range from melancholy to outright bad.

Suicide; getting dumped and then dying, working with Arasaka, uploading to a computer; all seem like really crappy ways to finish up the game. And in this one ending you stay with the person, leave with few drawbacks, and even really seem to survive in the end (V has no symptoms during the phonecalls, despite being a wreck before they even happen in the other endings, that is a pretty clear sign whatever she tried succeeded).

I'm not complaining about this ending, but rather about all the others. There isn't even a neutral ending; either you get what I'd call a storybook ending that anybody would want, or you die, no in between. I feel like there needs to be an in-between.


This is especially considering the endings where what you do after doesn't need to be so rigid. What's stopping V from going with the Aldecados after giving Johnny control for example? That could end up pretty much the same. It makes sense that it's the only option after siding with the Aldecados for the final fight, but otherwise I think there should be more of a choice. V going corporate after the Rogue ending seems especially out of left field.

[bgray9054]

Isaac Clark님이 먼저 게시:

bgray9054님이 먼저 게시:

Maybe you're right. I'm ultimately just glad I played this at a friend's house and didn't buy it for myself. With endings like these I'd never even consider buying this on an extreme sale.

Oof, well then definitely don't play RDR2 or The Last of Us. Some of the best games and films of all time have downer endings. Media with grim endings are meant to teach people a lesson, and that lesson is that a happy ending is never guaranteed.

People struggle to change their fate and/or make a difference all the time only to discover at the end that they never had a chance. What matters is how you deal with that. Whether you're able to hold true to your values and stay faithful to yourself.

In a way, we all die alone. When that time comes, will you be able to look back on your life with pride, or will you die ashamed of the way you lived?

Appreciate the heads up - ya I was already familiar with LOU2 and the way its story made a lot of people mad (saw the spoilers on youtube, sounds terrible, won't ever buy it). I never got into RDR because I haven't played the first one. But I appreciate the heads up - if it has a lousy ending I likely wouldn't enjoy it. I like my games to end in a satisfying way that feels like my character accomplished something satisfying. When a game ends like CP2077 or Far Cry 5, etc. I feel like my time in the game was a waste.

[不良ヌルポインタ]

Well I made Judy cry her eyes out at the very end... and went with the "bikers" to the raid, plugged my self in allowed Johnny to take over... I AM SOO F-ing sad right now.... BUT truth is V isn't dead "her" soul is, V now is an AI like Alt.

[kiploca]

Guess I'm the only one that loved the Temperance ending, it got me right in the feels. But then again most people love a corny ending so I'm not surprised most people liked the Panam ending.

[不良ヌルポインタ]

kiploca님이 먼저 게시:

Guess I'm the only one that loved the Temperance ending, it got me right in the feels. But then again most people love a corny ending so I'm not surprised most people liked the Panam ending.

OMG really you got Termperance too,,, We share feelings, I was balling my eyes out when I was choosing my ending for the first time 149hours. I looked up only 5.4% people got it and does include people go back and redo endings.

[Husker_85]

I got Temperance as my first ending and it felt like a really satisfying conclusion.

[Ygolnac]

There is no happy ending. V dies the second she is turned in an engram. Alt made it clear.

Welcome to cyberpunk baby.

[Husker_85]

Ygolnac님이 먼저 게시:

There is no happy ending. V dies the second she is turned in an engram. Alt made it clear.

Welcome to cyberpunk baby.

In the Rogue ending, by the time V reaches the uploading terminal it seems like he/she is moments from dying anyways.

It's possible that the reason for that is because you need to take a few orange pills to get that ending in the first place.

[Toaster Maximus]

The star ending is the happy one, while you have the bleeding still, you and your new clan are heading out of night city and going to people the clan knows who can fix you, and the fact in the ending Judy is not sad and leaving you a message while you make food for her, says a lot about how things are turning out for V

Female V really is the best

[Ygolnac]

Toaster Maximus님이 먼저 게시:

The star ending is the happy one, while you have the bleeding still, you and your new clan are heading out of night city and going to people the clan knows who can fix you, and the fact in the ending Judy is not sad and leaving you a message while you make food for her, says a lot about how things are turning out for V

Female V really is the best

Undoubtly it's the best outcome for V becouse Judy comes along and there's a big group supporting you. In all the other endings you feel so alone. Also it's the ending that most give you FAINT HINTS that not all hope is lost.

My favourite ending is the secret one tough. It's a sad ending, your love interest leaves you. You do your final gig in space. You a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ legend, burned arasaka alone. It's full of sadness but you have left your mark. How a cyberpunk narrative should be in my opinion.

[Toaster Maximus]

Ygolnac님이 먼저 게시:

Toaster Maximus님이 먼저 게시:

The star ending is the happy one, while you have the bleeding still, you and your new clan are heading out of night city and going to people the clan knows who can fix you, and the fact in the ending Judy is not sad and leaving you a message while you make food for her, says a lot about how things are turning out for V

Female V really is the best

Undoubtly it's the best outcome for V becouse Judy comes along and there's a big group supporting you. In all the other endings you feel so alone. Also it's the ending that most give you FAINT HINTS that not all hope is lost.

My favourite ending is the secret one tough. It's a sad ending, your love interest leaves you. You do your final gig in space. You a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ legend, burned arasaka alone. It's full of sadness but you have left your mark. How a cyberpunk narrative should be in my opinion.

The endings do match their cards, but yeah that one is pretty sad.

[Traveller]

"hey have labor camps, a secret police, assassins, absolute control and spying, the whole nine yards."

– so, basically, the USA.

[Goro Majima]

Idk, for me the canon one is Johnny keeping V body because basically in that way you are saving V from being "deleted" and johnny taking his redemption.

[Balekai]

As others have said: If there is a soul, real V might have actually died after Dex shot him/her. The Engram "resurrected" you in order to boot the body back up and continue its programming of taking over.

V dies in all story endings from a metaphysical stand point, if the soul is not transferred through the process of engrams etc. Alt makes you into an engram in all endings save for the suicide one. If a soul isn't transferred through engrams, then V is already dead. If a soul doesn't exist, then the metaphysical argument is mute: Original V is gone and is non-existent like everyone else who dies. The copy is the closest thing to immortality (or normal reproduction is).

However. Is the soul question really mute if souls don't exist?

Regardless of the way things work metaphysically when it comes to reality.awareness before, do the engrams essentially create souls? Do the engrams themselves create an afterlife and a reincarnation process?

The question becomes, much like the soul question, whether or not V's engram consciousness/awareness takes up the same metaphysical "space" in reality as the original V's consciousness/awareness. To the engram V and everyone else, they do. If the original V no longer exists in a no soul reality, then isn't that enough to make V, "V"?

We as humans really don't know anything about reality, awareness or consciousness. That's something to be explored by future peoples with technology similar to the engram tech and AIs running around, if not waaay more advanced knowledge required to truly answer those questions. For all we know individual consciousness doesn't actually exist. It's just reality becoming aware of itself from different perspectives and limitations through certain configurations of matter.

--

As for the endings and which is canon: They may all be canon whether there is a sequel to V's story or not. There's really only two to three endings when it comes to V's survival:

- V is put on ice and needs Arasaka to resurrect him/her later with better tech (Arasaka Engram Ending).
- V is in the net beyond the Blackwall. It's up to him/her, like it was for Alt (who failed/gave up) to possibly find answers. (Any ending where V decided to give Johnny their body).
- V is alive for 6 months and must find answers before they die. (Any ending where V decided to live out their 6 months).

If V's story continues then all endings will probably have something to do with Mr. Blue Eyes and the possession conspiracies. This is most evident in the secret ending where you're doing a space heist in return for Mr. blue eyes help with your problem. The possession stuff may be where the story goes forward dealing with entities (AI?) taking over peoples bodies and how this technology/ability helps V while also threatening the world.

Edit: The best endings for NPCs are Arasaka and Secret Ending. Everyone survives.

[Rain]

I just took the solo path with Johnny, why risk everyones lives, idc if they get mad. Then I just gave Johnny the body, at least he can live on and my character could possibly become some powerful ai or a part of one or hell find some way to take over a robotic body since he's an ai now. Gives purpose.

To me that one seems the best ending. Johnny and V are both reborn in a way.

[Bruno]

Life aint all pretty and ♥♥♥♥, get used to everything that gets thrown at you.
But i wont say this is the end until we see upcoming expansion