Midbosses. which is your favorite?

[O. Van Bruce]

These guys allways end up milked, unnoticed or simply destroyed quckly but some of then can be very fun to destroy and dodge their patterns.

Even if I haven't played it I know I'll like it. The stage 4 midboss of SaiDaiOuJou has a very varied and fun selection of patterns. + that intro that makes you wonder when it'll stop.

http://youtu.be/rErySOfCT_0?t=11m54s

Also, Stage 3 midboss of Ketsui is special. You have to destroy it in order and quickly to get that extend.

http://youtu.be/--MsRpmd_QI?t=6m56s

So, which are your favorite midbosses?

[Skykid]

Espgaluda II stage 3. The way it comes in timed to the music is too epic, I get an adrenaline kick out of it every time.

[mdsfx]

Espgaluda II stage 3. The way it comes in timed to the music is too epic, I get an adrenaline kick out of it every time.

Is this the boss that's "climbing" up the columns or am I thinking stage 2? Either way, that's my favorite

EDIT: It IS the stage 3 mid-boss. Definitely gets my vote!

[Hagane]

Besides the, uh, obvious reasons everyone is probably imagining, milking her drones at stage 4 is quite tricky and fun.

[Formless God]

Espgaluda stage 4. Everything syncs with the music as long as you're not trying to score.
Ketsui stage 3.
Criclo stage 5. The upside down fight was cool as hell. Too bad the patterns were balls.
SDOJ stage 4 looked nice. I'm still mad that they didn't give the cyclone attack an Expert version, though.

[emphatic]

Ketsui stage 4. The music breaks down just as it enters. ESPGALUDA II is a close second.

[guigui]

Radiant Silvergun's Kotetsu (stage 2, first midboss)

Giant Mecha Bat comes in with a karate move in front of the moon, waachee !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvRIaCAb ... page#t=38s

[Captain]

I always liked this guy, he reminds me of ikaruga or R-type plus the mandatory tentacle arms in the first version.
He's just out of context compared to the rest of the game's enemies.

[To Far Away Times]

Gotta be the Ketsui Stage 4 mid boss. It's all synced up to the music and everything is so tense and badass. That part of the song is catchy as hell too.

[Zaarock]

Seconding galuda 2 stage 3 and ketsui stage 4.

Radiant Silvergun Stage 3C: Gallop is an R9-arrowhead (with force and bits) who will use all the classic r-type attacks to kill you while mixing up the cycles of his different attacks and using harder ones when its parts get destroyed. Arguably the hardest boss in Stage 3, especially before you know what weapons to use on it so it's a hard midboss for sure. Wonder what it's like in a sword only challenge

IDK if RS bosses be called midbosses though, it doesn't make sense calling Penta a midboss to me just because there is one boss after it in Stage 4 for example.

[cj iwakura]

Shikigami 2's, Stage 3's crazy red/white block boss is pretty fun. (The Shikigami 1/3 variants, not so much.)


Also, most of Touhou's, due to the crazy backstories involved. The best one that comes to mind is Perfect Cherry Blossom Stage 4, fighting Youmu Konpaku on the way up the steps. Her arrival's synced to the music and everything.

[AntiFritz]

Shikigami 2's, Stage 3's crazy red/white block boss is pretty fun. (The Shikigami 1/3 variants, not so much.)

Actually come to think of it, that's probably one of my favourites as well. Never thought a shmup would have you playing connect four during a boss fight...

[guigui]

Radiant Silvergun Stage 3C: Gallop is an R9-arrowhead (with force and bits) who will use all the classic r-type attacks to kill you while mixing up the cycles of his different attacks and using harder ones when its parts get destroyed. Arguably the hardest boss in Stage 3, especially before you know what weapons to use on it so it's a hard midboss for sure. Wonder what it's like in a sword only challenge

VTF-INO did this, as well as the whole game. Dont watch if you want to stay sane :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... uoHQ#t=63s

[Giest118]

The second midboss in the Special Round in DDP Maximum.

Mainly because it's also the stage 4 boss of Espgaluda 2, which is a FUCKING BALLER boss fight by the way.

[drunkninja24]

The second midboss in the Special Round in DDP Maximum.

Mainly because it's also the stage 4 boss of Espgaluda 2, which is a FUCKING BALLER boss fight by the way.

Oh nice

Yeah I love ESP2's stage 4 boss. Probably one of my favorite cave bosses.

But speaking of midbosses, I'd have to say Ketsui Stage 5 midboss.

[J-Manic]

That guy who keeps showing up during certain stages in Giga Wing. He's annoying as hell, but it's always pleasureful killing his ass.

[Nana]

Shikigami 2's, Stage 3's crazy red/white block boss is pretty fun. (The Shikigami 1/3 variants, not so much.)

Damn that fight to hell. That midboss is Fujiko's downfall. See also: The entirety of stage 3

[Squire Grooktook]

The multi armed stealth fighter looking thing that shows up near the beginning of Rayforce stage 3. That shit is intense as hell till you figure out how to play defensively and take out his arms. Still though, I always feel uneasy as hell facing him (especially on hard mode where he's a nightmare).

[J-Manic]

I've always liked that mech mid-boss in TFV's "Rising Blue Lightening" stage.

[OdiousTrident]

First midboss in Spriggan - great piece of steam / gearpunk design that shows you right off where the developers are coming from.

Everything from Kamui... especially the sword-wielding ship or whatever that was.

Both midbosses in Stage 6 of Soldier Blade - the first one really establishes the difficulty ramp from that point on... and the second one was just so awesome in concept for the younger me.

First midboss in Whip Rush - lets the player know that the game requires precise movement with little forgiveness.

Special mention should go out to Magical Chase, the recurring guy in Vertical Force, Dodonpachi II Bee Storm, and Super Darius II with its homages to the arcade game.

[WarpZone]

These guys allways end up milked, unnoticed or simply destroyed quickly but some of then can be very fun to destroy and dodge their patterns.

Skewing off-topic, but I think I actually prefer Cave's mid-bosses to the regular bosses... anyone else feel this way?

I'm not big on Cave's boss paradigm in general - it's more interesting when there's destructible parts (see some of the earlier or Yagawa games), but they often reduce to being a floating tub with a huge weakpoint that you just cook with the laser while jumping through a sequence of patterns, heavily focused on dodging over offense. Obviously there is subtlety in attack manipulation, scoring details like stalling to cash in on a dense pattern, etc. but I think these are all things the levels tend to do better anyway, sometimes with an astonishing flow between weak/strong enemies and shot types across an intersecting canvas of bullet varieties that originate from destructible objects.

Anyway, Cave mid-bosses usually have similar pattern design to the bosses, but the fights are briefer and don't overstay their welcome, feeling more like a quick break from the stage to mix up the pacing and bullet styles but then put you back in the fray without a hitch -- and beyond that, they're more likely to overlap with other design elements, like stage enemies continuing to appear during the boss, some interesting resource management situations mid-level that have consequences carrying into the second half, and speed kills are more likely to be emphasized with possible bonus enemies afterwards. I don't have a single favorite Cave mid-boss, but I think the Galuda games do all this pretty well in particular.

I would have liked a Cave game that was just one long, continuous level through smoothly changing scenery and music with mid-bosses studded throughout (maybe followed by branching routes/difficulties expanding on DFK but in a more natural way) with a big multi-phase boss only at the very end. Maybe there's an indie Cave clone I'm not aware of that does this. It would make such a great Mushi 3 @_@

[Furry Fox Jet Pilot]

The battleship Vinogradov from Ketsui's stage 3, Canal Fleet.

[Aconcit]

Ketsui stage 4 mid. My ship always grooves to that music.