Your least favorite videogame bosses, and why

[Mischief Maker]

Sanctus, the final boss in Devil May Cry 4

Aesthetic Level: I don't care if he has devil horns and flame effects swooshing around him, he's an old man with liver spots. Why didn't he turn into some kind of cool monster like all the other bosses? It's even worse in context because the previous level had Dante taking on a marble colossus the size of a skyscraper.

Gameplay Level: I hate those stupid satellite things of his that screw with the lockon priority mechanics. I want to grab him with the bionic arm, I want to shoot him, but the lockon prioritizes the satellites. (Thankfully) no other enemy in the game does this. It's the action game equivalent of an adventure game puzzle where you know exactly the thing to do, but the game requires you to jump several steps further through the designer's noodle logic before it finally lets you. Even bosses that reverse your controls aren't as bad as this.

Note that I'm not saying he's a hard boss by any means, he's just really really annoying and I hate when a game spends 10 hours teaching you its mechanics only to throw a last-minute challenge at you that has nothing to do with those mechanics. (See also Strike Suit Zero).

[BIL]

A couple I associate with less than pleasant feelings:

Sol Dae Rokker, Metal Slug 3's fourth boss.



Specifically for the random occurrence of its ranked-up golden needle scattershot, the hardest thing in the game and the bane of a no-miss run. I like a challenge, and RNG reflex-testing stuff, but the way it'll sometimes spam that attack relentlessly and other times intermittently or not at all, while its others are all cake, is nerve-wracking. On runs where the attack doesn't happen it almost feels like cheating. I wonder if this dread and "survivor's guilt" were the intended effects, haha. I have a couple of effective strategies that'll nearly always see me through, but it's never pleasant.

Deadeye Joe transforming robot #252464 (Jungle boss), Contra The Hard Corps



Rare but stinging boss misstep for this game. Has several very cool forms in its running battle, and a ton of 100% unassailable dead time between them. Mandatory encounter. When I'm mentally placing turrets, electrical fences and spikes along the route as the boss trundles ahead of me, something's fucked.

[Ruldra]

The last boss of Cybattler is a huge asshole: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovLYEC-hQTs#t=300

Mainly because he loves attacking you and then running offscreen, he loves his hit'n'run attacks. Back when I faced him I didn't know you could use forcefield, so his spike attack was almost impossible to manage. I had no idea how to take him down.

The player in the video did a very good job of dodging his attacks, but you can see how things start to get ugly once he runs out of forcefields and he only barely survives. It's a tough fight.

[Ed Oscuro]

That fucking bouncing ball thing at the end of X-Multiply.

Oh, and on the "just wanted to love it more" level, the FIRST boss of Truxton II / Tatsujin Ou. Cool patterns but lock-on + multiple things happening on different timers is already testing me severely - but then it adds on deadly things that are small and sometimes hard to see. Ehh, not really "least favorite" if only because it helps make sure you're totally awake by that point. (And that's something you might need after the incredibly overlong stages in that game.)

Mainly because he loves attacking you and then running offscreen

Not surprised! I will keep that bit about the forcefield in mind though.

[BIL]

Golden Babylon, Holy Diver (FC)'s fourth boss



Bullet flicker. Would already be a tense encounter, with just one hit from its fast aimed shots almost certain to knock you off your perch to instant death - but the sprite breakup makes it a real torment. Holy Diver tends to do this. It's legitimately very, very tough... then on top of the brutal stage and enemy designs, it has these niggling flaws that push it into the fucking red mist zone.

[Ruldra]

the FIRST boss of Truxton II / Tatsujin Ou.

Oh yeah, you just reminded me of this guy:



Tatsujin Oh stage 5 boss. Constant homing attacks at you plus fullscreen spam attack on his second phase makes this boss at max rank pretty much impossible. Even japanese players end up dying at this boss and then fighting him again at a lower rank.

[CIT]

Gill from Street Fighter III. He's cheap, but I also really hate his abysmal character design. Not that the game has an appealing cast to begin with, but a red/blue dude in a speedo is a particular low point.

Also take your pick from any number of SNK bosses. I'll choose KoF '96 Goenitz.

[Specineff]

^ Rugal from KOF98. Almost made me break a controller in two.

[null1024]

^ Rugal from KOF2002. Mind you, I'm a bit eh at other KOFs because all I play is 2002 [smattering of 98 here and there, occasional 13].
But I play enough 2002 that I don't even have to think when playing the game on MVS defaults. I still cannot even remotely approach Rugal.

Projectile? Instant reflect [and not enough frames to do your own reflect -- I play Athena].
Jump? GOODBYE, THIRD OF YOUR HEALTH! Genocide Cutter!
Roll anywhere near the bastard? ahahaha, get grabbed flawlessly

Bane of my existence. I think the closest I've come to beating him is while playing as Rugal and selecting 1/3 enemy health. And he's still hard as fuck.

[Axelay]

[quote="BIL"]A couple I associate with less than pleasant feelings:

Sol Dae Rokker, Metal Slug 3's fourth boss.



Specifically for the random occurrence of its ranked-up golden needle scattershot, the hardest thing in the game and the bane of a no-miss run. I like a challenge, and RNG reflex-testing stuff, but the way it'll sometimes spam that attack relentlessly and other times intermittently or not at all, while its others are all cake, is nerve-wracking. On runs where the attack doesn't happen it almost feels like cheating. I wonder if this dread and "survivor's guilt" were the intended effects, haha. I have a couple of effective strategies that'll nearly always see me through, but it's never pleasant.

I hate this piece of shit too ! I use the snail route and stock up on lasers . And pray it uses the wolfs instead of the gold needle. In the first 5 seconds you can pretty much half kill it . If I do get killed my flow is fucked up.

I love that boss from hard corps when it uses it's rotor blades to try and kill you I can't help but scream.

I have to say the boss I hate is the space ship robot transformer from rocket knight adventures. It is a pain in the ass .

[BulletMagnet]

The final boss of Scurge Hive annoyed me to no end.

[BIL]

I love that boss from hard corps when it uses it's rotor blades to try and kill you I can't help but scream.

Best thing is setting up an informal game of Pong and trying to kill your partner on the other wall with it. Sheena D vs Fang C is a helluva matchup, Ray C and Fang D are Shit Tier.

[Axelay]

I love playing pong with it ! The amount of times I have killed my brother with this method XD

I also like using a power weapon on its first form and making it spin stupid fast . It's always more fun dodging the lasers !

I have killed my self and friends many times that way .

[ACSeraph]

Rugal from KOF2002.

Only thing that saves this fight from ruining the game is AI exploitation, since he has this weird quirk where if you just sit there throwing projectiles at him he will reflect them (you can block) and then run in after them. Thing is when he runs in, he never actually does anything or blocks, so you can get a free combo every time.

Mizuki on the other hand, the Orochi clone from NeoGeo Battle Colosseum, is by far the most broken SNK boss. Only character I can ever beat him with is Terry because he's too stupid to block "barn knuckle". He really ruins the game for me since every time you play it the game ends on a sour note. The other bosses aren't much better due to the unfair health regen.


On a totally different note Yu Yevon (Majora's Mask ) from Final Fantasy X was a fucking joke of a final boss, especially after the epic fight with Jecht. I mean the whole game was mindlessly easy, but that was the icing on the shit-cake.

[Lord Satori]

Yu Yevon is more of a playable event than the final boss of the game. Jecht is considered to be the true final boss of the game. Personally, I love Yu Yevon. The concept of a pathetically simple entity causing so much destruction is really interesting. That and it was once an all-powerful summoner.

As for bosses I hate, I can't really think of much, but the final boss of Super Mario Sunshine is beyond retarded. Bowser in a hot tub. wtf Nintendo?

[BareKnuckleRoo]

On a totally different note Yu Yevon (Majora's Mask ) from Final Fantasy X was a fucking joke of a final boss, especially after the epic fight with Jecht. I mean the whole game was mindlessly easy, but that was the icing on the shit-cake.

Agreed, stupid waste of time. OH HEY HERE IS THE TRUE EVIL THING CAUSING EVERYTHING AND OHSHIT IT CAN ULTIMA YOU TO DEATH oh wait you're under perma-autorevive, lol, hit x repeatedly to win plz

They coulda made Yu Yevon's defeat a cutscene for fuck's sake, Jecht is the real final boss quite frankly. They could have made it interesting for a true final form, but their retarded choice of making it an unloseable story battle with perma autorevive is a giant what the fuck in the face. Woulda been more interesting if they made the International rerelease have an actually difficult Yu Yevon as a true final boss and make you fight each of the dark aeon forms in turn or something crazy if you'd beaten all the dark aeons + Penance, I dunno.

[Furry Fox Jet Pilot]

The large plane that is the first boss of DeltaZeal. It's so so underpowered, that I feel sorry for it. The alien weapon/craft that ejects from the wreckage isn't much stronger either. Also, I hate the Stage 5 Boss of Raiden II/DX. That fucker always messes up a good run.

[gs68]

Plesioth in Monster Hunter would be slightly less annoying if it weren't for its notorious "hipcheck" attack, which has a hitbox that's roughly the size of Russia, causing you to get hit even if you're a few meters away from its legs.

[Squire Grooktook]

I thought Dark Ragne from Phantasy Star Online 2 was a cool boss the first time I fought him in the Emergecy Quest, but than you encounter him in free fields and his legs (aka the weak point) keep getting stuck in/clipping into walls...

[Mortificator]

The PS2 Shinobi and Nightshade both had you go up against the protagonist's mentor.

Shinobi team's concept of a ninja duel: Two ninja dash around, leaving afterimages, hurling kunai, slashing at each other.

Nightshade team's concept of a ninja duel: Pillars rise up at varying heights. One ninja teleports to the top of the highest pillar and dances around. The other ninja completes a minor jumping puzzle to reach and smack him, while weapons occasionally pop up from the ground to poke her in the ass. Rinse and repeat.

[KAI]

Mizuki

Hate that bitch too.
Kuroki Battler from Ougoun Musoukyoku Cross is the cheapest fighting game last boss ever.

[Ruldra]

Regarding SNK bosses, you usually have an easy game followed by a stupid hard boss, but Art of Fighting 2 takes it to the next level and turn every battle into its own SNK boss fight. If you don't know the gimmick to beat each character you won't get far at all.

Yu Yevon (Majora's Mask ) from Final Fantasy X was a fucking joke of a final boss, especially after the epic fight with Jecht.

I thought Seymour was even more pathetic. Toward his 3rd comeback not even the in-game characters were taking him seriously. I can't even recall WHY he was opposing your party.

[Ed Oscuro]

The PS2 Shinobi and Nightshade both had you go up against the protagonist's mentor.

heyo spoilers~

Although I feel bad for the person who doesn't realize that this is how things go. A certain other ninja-ery game from that era does the same thing.

[BIL]

What's really fun is Hotsuma not instantly twigging the identity of his nemesis. *10 cent Robin mask falls off* "ZOMG ITS YOU"

[dunpeal2064]

On a totally different note Yu Yevon (Majora's Mask ) from Final Fantasy X was a fucking joke of a final boss, especially after the epic fight with Jecht. I mean the whole game was mindlessly easy, but that was the icing on the shit-cake.

Yeah, you literally can't lose this fight. I was absorbed into the game when I first played it at release, and was still baffled by Yu Yevon.

On the other side of the "shitty FF bosses" coin, I always hated fighting Ozma in FFIX. Its basically a chance fight, as the boss can just destroy you at any time. No strategy, no skill, just pure luck.

Another one that frustrated me was The Matador in Nocturne. He isn't the nastiest boss, but he is very early in the game, and another case where the boss can be a total asshole if he wants. I clearly remember dying 27 times to this boss, and when I finally beat him on my 28th try, I had one character alive with 4hp.

[Lord Satori]

What's really fun is the protagonist not instantly twigging the identity of his nemesis. *10 cent Robin mask falls off* "ZOMG ITS YOU"

*GASP* TEAM ROCKET!

Also, regarding Yu Yevon: I think what made me like it apart from what I said was the amazing themes they used for it. It's for that very same reason that I didn't dislike Seymour's final form.

I've also come to think that Penance is either Yu Yevon's Aeon, or Yu Yevon himself. Did you notice that it looks remarkably like Yevon's symbol?

[BIL]

*GASP* TEAM ROCKET!

If only. Seriously, PS2 Shinobi's MYSTERIOUS BAD GUY is a character seen five minutes earlier in the game's intro... with the addition of a 10 cent Robin mask. Best ITS YOU moment ever.

[CIT]

Even better than the scandalous "Dr. Cossack = Dr. Wiley" reveal?

[BIL]

Wasn't Cossack legit? I thought Mr X was Docta Wiwey.

But yes - it's played sublimely straight, creating a meta-twist where the twist is that it's actually a twist. I and no doubt any other sighted players made it up to that point assuming our superhumanly capable ninja master had noticed his brother was running around in a 10 cent Robin mask, and had manfully accepted the terrible twist of fate. But no, he's totally flummoxed until he accidentally boots off the diabolical bit of partywear and exclaims "ITS YOU" to dramatic music.

Shinobi ~ the classic Japanese tale of badly disguised brothers