The Boss Battle Ban: A Modest Proposal

I don’t know, it just depends on the game. Zelda bosses are almost always fun, mostly because they’re more puzzle than HP sponge–figure out the pattern, get three hits in, and Robert’s your father’s brother. Demon’s Souls had some really interesting boss fights and a couple craptastic ones. Portal had a great boss fight. Bioshock never should have had one at all.

agreed about Portal. I admit it, that boss fight did not suck.

I disagree slightly. I’ve always enjoyed epic type boss battles in such action games as God of War and Devil May Cry. I think they are also necessary in games like that. What do you do in stead, just have more waves of regular enemies to end a level?

I do agree though that some games try and force the issue as opposed to figuring out a creative or unique way to end levels. This is apparent when it is attempted in FPS games especially. I think you can have a good boss fight, but you definitely do not need one in shooters.

What about Arkham Asylum? That game had some incredible boss fights. Both challenging and unique OK I can’t do this that ruined the game for me.

I’m with you on the ban.

Dude, how can you forget Metal Gear Solid? While some of the boss fights over the series have been rather lackluster, others have been amazing. For example:

The End, MGS3: Quite possibly the most epic sniper duel ever in a video game. If you play that fight the way it was originally designed (no cheat code to find his location then sneaking up on him), it can be a nailbiting chore examining each leaf in a gorgeously rendered forest to find his small telltales.

Revolver Ocelot/Liquid Ocelot/Liquid Snake, MGS 4: I never thought a fight between two old men who had trouble standing up at that point could be as violent and exciting, especially to people who have played the entire series.

The Joy/The Boss, MGS3: Beautifully rendered, lovely music, and heartbreaking at the same time. Also another fight where almost any method can be used to defeat The Boss.

Psycho Mantis, MGS1: So many WTF moments in that fight while Mantis messed with your system and your mind.

Other games also come to mind, most especially Ganon in The Ocarina of Time. The first fight felt rather anticlimactic, but still similar to previous entries (don’t get me started on Link’s Shadow). Then, all of a sudden, he comes out of the rubble all Godzilla on your behind.

I agree shooter bosses tend to be pretty lame, though, with very few exceptions.

Bosses are a necessary evil in gaming, specifically progress-based games like God of War or Zelda. You have to feel like you’re getting somewhere, and continually beating down bigger and badder enemies as you play the game, or you might as well hang out on the first stage.

Borderlands does have some god awful bosses, though, I agree with you there.

Good bosses:

You mentioned Shadow of the Colossus, so I won’t repeat that one.

Ocarina of Time: I always thought this was the Zelda game that finally got bosses right. The rest of the 3D Zelda’s have kept it going, but OoT was such a fun adventure the first time you played it, and finishing off each dungeon’s boss was so damn satisfying.

Uncharted 1 & 2 also have “bosses” that are well done (maybe not the last boss of 2, actually) and have a basis in reality. I don’t mind shooting up helicopters, ever.

God of War 2 has some of the best boss and mid-boss fights around. Who doesn’t want to fist fight Icarus as you’re plunging through the bottom of the world, finally overpowering him enough to rip his wings off and fly away, leaving him to die? That’s just ART, dammit.

Every now and then a game gets boss fights right. Resident Evil 4 comes to mind. Gamers and journalists profess their love for the boss fights in these rare titles and then we have to suffer the countless imitators who ultimately fail.

I agree 100%, though as I was reading the article, all I could think about was to point out Shadow of the Collossus. Thanks for ruining my comment with your damn parenthesis.

What about the crap monster in Conkers bad Fur day? besides the irony, he also has a lovely voice.

Yeah I was just burned by the lame bosses in Batman: AA so I would have to agree with you at least a little. I have had too many memorable boss experiences to want to give them up, though. The amazing Super Metroid, Zelda, God of War, MSG, etc. bosses help me forget that boss fight in Borderlands where I ran out of ammo and had to melee the boss to death over the next half hour.

Bosses in Gears of War 1 & 2 have the same redundant patterns, however they are very fun to play against. Take for instance, the big fish monster was very predictable, but still challenging and entertaining to beat.

For me, it’s not boss fights per se, but boss fights simply added in as a climax to a level/mission/act in a story.
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Some guy with a million hit points and crappy AI!
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That’s because you’re fighting against programming. One of these days some gaming studio will create, as an elite reward, a player or team of players to play as a boss character, defending whatever.
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Then again, considering some of the players I’ve encountered in various PUGs, AI can be a whole lot smarter.
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except Shadow of the Colossus
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It’s a puzzle and a boss! Fun game.

“will create” should be “will allow”

I was about halfway thru this post when i was thinking about slamming you with Shadow of Colossus, but you found the exception.

I think the premise of this article should change to “I don’t like climaxing” because, afterall, that’s what boss fights are supposed to be; Climaxes in the story or plot, if you prefer. There is something to be said about that boss that always manages to get away and the first time you get to stomp all over his face with your riverdancing clogs and shout, “Eat that! You @#$%@!ing @#$%@@ with a side of !#$%@#$! soup!” or something along those lines.

I do believe, however, that boss battles (in shooters at least) should be changed into something more along the lines of a test of endurance.

In conclusion, my dear misled boss haters and scoffers, this argument, and my ensuing victory lap around my office shouting praises of myself and all those who mimic me, can be summed up with one simple word: Kefka.

I’m surprised nobody’s brought up MMOs. I can’t speak for any others, but Blizzard makes some fantastic boss encounters in WoW. Not just as parts of the story, but also as incredibly fun parts of gameplay.