Merge due to Trope Decay: Golden Ending

This came up here before, but nothing happened.

The problem with Golden Ending is that too many examples seem to be using it as a fancy synonym for "best ending" or even "good ending." According to the definition, it's The Same But More Specific, where the specific implication is that all the other endings are supposed to be bad. "Meh" is what I say to that.

I think Trope Decay has proceeded far enough that Golden Ending should just be lumped with the other Multiple Endings cases.

I'll see that wager and raise you some stats.

Article with 159 wikilinks and 41 inbounds, eh? Let's pick a sample and see what turns up.

Only one "Good ending", anything else is a clear Downer Ending / Game Over Try Again:

• Bad Mojo
• Cross Channel

Synonym for the 'best' of Multiple Endings with little apparent implication otherwise:

• Morton's Fork
• ASP Air Strike Patrol
• Breaking the Fourth Wall
• Cap
• Celestial Bureaucracy
• Choose Your Own Adventure
• Heartwarming.Chrono Cross
• Conquests Of The Longbow
• Crack Defeat
• Dawn Of War
• Depict 1
• Distant Finale
• Dragon Quest VIII
  • Characters.Dragon Quest VIII

Related to achieving 100% Completion:

• Alter AILA
• Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu
• Castlevania Harmony Of Dissonance
• Castlevania Symphony Of The Night
• Chaos Emeralds
• Clock Roaches
• TearJerker.Clock Tower

Unknown, expertise needed:

• Nine Hours Nine Persons Nine Doors
• Childhood Friend Romance
• Dad Series
• Dark Corners Of The Earth
• Dreamless Drifter

No context given:

• Dhuxs Scar

Exempt for various reasons:

• WMG.Alter AILA

This is a sample size of about 20% taken across classic ptitles and the A thru D range. Of this sample, about 50% seem to be using it as just a synonym for "the best ending" with little regard as to why it's the best one.

edited 24th May '11 5:40:41 PM by Stratadrake

^^I'm not sure why you're saying that the trope definition is that all the other endings are supposed to be bad. From the article: "Some, however, have bad endings, good endings, and one, shining, wonderful Golden Ending; the best possible ending out of all the good ones."

It seems to me like the trope is defined as the one ending that is clearly better than all of the others, even if not all the other endings are bad.

So then Golden Ending is exactly synonymous with "best ending."

The way it's currently written, yeah. There probably should be some flavor of bittersweet for non-golden endings, but that's a proposal for trope cleanup.

Question - given the trope as currently written, how many of those stats get changed?

I have no idea what you're suggesting. The trope is "in a game with Multiple Endings, some of which are good, some of which are bad, the Golden Ending is the goodest ending possible". Are you saying that it's being misused? Do you want to alter the description, change the title, or just fix the wicks? The thread title mentions merging, but merging with what?

edited 25th May '11 8:11:18 AM by NativeJovian

Merge into Multiple Endings, just like we already do for Bad Ending.

If it's just a synonym for "best ending" then it probably deserves a subjective tag.

I'm not sure if this is what the trope is talking about, but there is an objective fact that some games have a clearly "best" ending that's notably harder to get. Often a reward for 100% Completion or something similar. Definitely not just what the players happens to enjoy. I assumed that was this trope.

Not subjective. I am with Clarste here It is very common for games with Multiple Endings to have a very clear cut best ending, which I aways assumed Golden Ending was about. This is a clear trope and not a subjective one. In fact, I would advocate to just cut examples that are not clear why it is "the best".

edited 26th May '11 2:15:36 AM by Heatth

Yeah, I remember on the old thread I had an example of one of those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. You were an Olympic swimmer. Some endings you died, got disqualified, or missed your race. Other endings had you just ignore the plot and swim your race, getting the silver medal. Only if you did everything right would you get to the ending where you win the gold and get the sympathetic German swimmer to denounce her coach for giving his swimmers steroids and seek asylum in the United States. That's a clear cut Golden Ending, not subjective in any way.