Book Ends/Video Games: Difference between revisions

** Halo 1 is an example all on its own: you start on the Pillar of Autumn, making your way to an escape pod before it crashlands on Halo; you end the game on the Pillar of Autumn, making your way to an onboard fighter before the Autumn blows up and takes Halo with it. This can actually be extended to cover pretty much the entire game, since the last half of the game is practically the first half in reverse...escape the Pillar of Autumn which is being overrun by Covenant, board the Truth and Reconciliation to rescue Keyes from the Covenant, fight your way up to the Control Room, explore an ancient structure infested by Flood and release them, fight your way through an ancient structure infested by Flood to find a way to destroy them, fight your way down from the Control Room, board the Truth and Reconciliation to rescue Keyes from the Flood, go back to the Pillar of Autumn to escape Halo which is being overrun by Flood.

** ''[[Halo: Reach]]'', being a prequel to the main trilogy, {{spoiler|leads directly into Halo 1, with Master Chief, Cortana, and the Pillar of Autumn heading for the Halo ring.}} ''Halo'' likes these a lot, it seems. Also in-game, the story begins and ends with a [[Dead Hat Shot]] of Noble Six's helmet.

* ''[[Radiata Stories]]'' begins with Jack Russell leaving his home in Solieu Village in the early morning, shouldering a rucksack and his father's sword as a subdued song plays in the background. In one of the two endings {{spoiler|Jack Russell leaves his home in Radiata City in the early morning, shouldering a rucksack and his father's sword as a subdued song plays in the background.}}

** Not to mention that the first thing we see in the game, even before being introduced to Jack, is Cairn slaying a dragon. No matter which story path you pursue, at the end of the game, {{spoiler|Jack Russell, Cairn's son, slays a dragon.}}

** The ''Sands of Time'' trilogy began and ended with the Prince narrating to {{spoiler|Farah}}:

{{quote|"Most people think time is like a river, that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you: they are wrong. You may wonder who I am or why I say this. Sit down and I will tell you a tale like none you have ever heard."}}

* The original ''[[Half-Life]]'' begins and ends in a tram. The sequel begins and ends with Gordon in stasis. In addition, the G-Man puts Gordon on a train at the beginning of ''Half-Life 2'', and in the ending the G-Man says "this is where I get off" before stepping through a glowing doorway (much like the ones on the train).

** ''Half-Life 2'' begins with Gordon Freeman entering City 17 by train. ''Half-Life 2: Episode One'' ends with Gordon Freeman narrowly escaping an exploding City 17 by train, thus finally ending the City 17 story arc.

** Also, you revisit the ruins of Shadow Moses, the site of the first ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''.

** The final boss fight of ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots]]'' calls back to the first and last boss fights of ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''. The last of ''MGS'' and the last of ''MGS4'' are both [[Fisticuffs Boss|hand-to-hand fights]] with Liquid on top of a Metal Gear. The first of MGS and the last of ''MGS4'' are both {{spoiler|against Revolver Ocelot. The difference is that in their first fight, they were both agile, powerful warriors. In the second, they're dying old men.}}

** Similarly, ''[[Tsukihime]]'' has Shiki Tohno meeting Aoko Aozaki in the prologue and epilogue.

* The finale of ''[[Deus Ex: Invisible War|Deus Ex Invisible War]]'' takes place on Liberty Island, where the first ''[[Deus Ex]]'' started.

** Also, the ending of the original where {{spoiler|you let the Illuminati rule the world as a shadow government has a conversation that mirrors the opening conversation.}}

* The true final stage of ''Raiden IV'' uses a remake of ''Raiden II'''s first stage music.

* In the ''Wrath of the Lich King'' expansion to ''[[World of Warcraft]]'', the opening cinematic features a voiceover of King Terenas Menethil telling a young Arthas of the duties of a king, using [[Dramatic Irony]] to contrast with the latter's current status as the titular [[Big Bad]]. The final cinematic, upon the defeat of the Lich King in Icecrown Citadel, shows the ghost of Terenas comforting his dying son that "no king rules forever".

* ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'' can end with [[Good Morning, Crono]]...except {{spoiler|everybody's a Reptite}}.

** In most of the other endings, it closes with the same Millennial Festival that Crono attends at the start of the game.

* The first game in the [[Game and Watch]] line was called 'Ball' and featured a juggler. The final game, released 11 years later was titled '[[Super Mario|Mario]] the Juggler', and featured the exact same gameplay.

* Done in ''[[Infinite Space]]'', although not in the beginning. During the first confrontation with [[The Empire|Lugovalos]] near the end of Act 1, {{spoiler|Bastian blasted the Vasta star using Krebs exalaser}} to take down the enemies and prevent their advance to LMC. Ten years later near the end of Act 2, during the final confrontation, {{spoiler|Bastian's brother, Dietrich}} performed a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] by doing the exact same thing to prevent the enemies from chasing Yuri.

* A more short-term one happens in Call Of Duty: Black Ops. In the beginning of the first Vietnam mission CCR's ''Fortunate Son'' plays on the radio. At the end of the mission it's playing again.

* In ''[[Beyond Good & Evil (video game)|Beyond Good and Evil]]'', the action begins with Jade opening her eyes during morning meditation and ends with her opening her eyes {{spoiler|unleashing her powers to revive everyone in the Great Crypt}}.

** {{spoiler|The Opening cinematic of the game shows Mickey going through his bedroom mirror into Yen Sid's study, the Ending cinematic shows Mickey returning through his mirror, into his bedroom.}}

* Persona 4 begins with the protagonist arriving in the town of Inaba on a train, and ends with him leaving the town of Inaba on a train.

* The first three games of the ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' series form the Loto trilogy. The trilogy begins and ends in much the same way. The last third or so of ''[[Dragon Quest III]]'' almost exactly mirrors the plot of the first game, taking place in the same world {{spoiler|in the past}} with essentially the same plot.

** The beginning of ''[[Dragon Quest VII]]'' is during the Amitt Harvest... and so is the end. Each time, you also are woken up by your mother to get out of bed and bring a fish sub to your father. That also happens at one other point in the game, but not during the festival.

* ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'': Ezio's life as an Assassin really begins with {{spoiler|his family getting executed}}, and it ends in the same place {{spoiler|when he dies there.}}

* ''[[Entomorph Plague Of The Darkfall]]'': "How many more times must I encounter you?" - You begin the game and the final showdown with these words from the T'Urthrax Mata, after which she sends you back in time. But the second time you have a way to counteract that.

* ''[[Asura's Wrath]]'': The game starts with Vlitra's appearance, a Title-Screen like moment complete with press start, and Asura jumping off of Shinto. The last episode starts with Vlitra's reappearance, a Title-screen like moment complete with press start, and Asura jumping off of {{spoiler|The Karma Fortress}}.

* In ''[[Mass Effect]]'', the Citadel is your first stop after the tutorial zone and {{spoiler|the [[Very Definitely Final Dungeon|location of your showdown with Saren]] at the end of the first game}}, but it's ''[[Chekhov's Boomerang|also]]'' {{spoiler|the Catalyst and the site of the ending of the third game}}. There's a similar effect in ''Mass Effect2 '', where the Sahrabarik system is both where you begin after taking control of your ship and where the relay to reach the [[Very Definitely Final Dungeon]] is located.