[General Discussion] Favorite Boss Fights

The title says it all. Name your favorite boss fights of all time, whether due to the scenario, the challenge, the music, and so forth.

I've given it some thought, and I'd have to say the following three choices make up my favorite boss battles in my history of playing games.

1. Seven Force (Gunstar Heroes)



Unquetionably the best boss fight for the best action game ever made. Real men take on Green and his Seven Force in expert mode, where you'll have to fight off all seven forms at once. I've spent many summers fighting Seven Force, and just recently I downloaded the Sega Ages: Treasure Box iso to play GH on my PS2. After all this time, the game hasn't gotten old, and neither has Seven Force.

2. Zakat (Zone of the Enders 2)

(best pic I could find)

I absolutely love this fight for nearly the same reasons I love Seven Force. The aesthetics all came together perfectly here. The setting has Jehuty (your mech) and Zakat high up in the sky, past the clouds. The two opponents (Dingo and Zakat's pilot) trash talk each other in a beautifully animated cutscene. The whole battle plays homage to the very best mecha anime. Also, the boss music really, really owns.

3. Crocomire (Super Metroid)



There are longer, more intense fights in Super Metroid, but this one has always been the most memorable to me for two reasons.

A) It's the first boss fight since Bowser in Super Mario 3 where I was forced to think outside the box, as normal attacks had no effect on the creature.

B) It ended with, to this day, the goriest boss death ever for a first party Nintendo game. The post-battle surprise made me jump out of my seat.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Only two come to mind first.

The final boss in Terranigma (SNES) is a favorite because I think I attempted it too early, and the battle was a challenge. I remember that there was an item that I never managed to get so the battle ended up being longer than necessary. I also didn't figure out when to block certain attacks until my second attempt.

In Dew Prism (PSX), there was a boss called Cloud Whale. I remember the name of that one because I was forced to look it up in a guide after failing at least ten times. I thought there was something I couldn’t see or a trick to use, but there were none. The boss would use three or four different attacks consecutively without leaving much room for the player to attack, and I believe I was also too weak for this battle. I think I started with one or two healing items even if the boss was able to reduce the HP bar to half in one hit.

A boss battle generally becomes a favorite if it happened to be unusually long or very challenging.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Cerberus (The three headed GF) from FF8... He was the best challenge i've ever faced in an RPG . (Not sure if i remember his name right, tho ^^ )

Edit : Also, 3 more i thought of;

Rocket-Demon Baphomet (thats what i call him !) the final boss in Doom.. OMG.. everytime he popped into my face i literally felt my skull quiver and my whole body tingling, i was young, but he was that scary, and that awesome.

The 2 stage hydra in God Of War.. Man that boss was so big, fierce and almost had me shaking in my seat..Only i remembered i was 21, so i didn't.

The crab/scorpion/lava-demon thing in Devil May Cry, that thing REALLY looked like a hell-spawn.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Metal Gear Rex from the first Metal Gear Solid game is one of the most intense boss fights I've played in a game. I like games that are able to actually have a realistic large scale enemy, and Rex is probably the most convincing one I've seen in a game. Usually, large things in games just have the "Final Fantasy" effect: it doesn't matter how big it is, in reality it moves exactly the same and is just as powerful as something much smaller. Rex managed to actually seem plausible despite it's ridiculous size, and the entire fight seemed like an actual David vs. Goliath battle of epic proportions. Plus you actually had to use a bit of strategy: hiding behind boxes out of it's sensor sweeps, using grenades to scramble it's electronics, dodging the heck out of the way when it makes a mad charge at you like a 100-ton bull.

Here's a picture of Rex for the 5 of you that haven't played the game (the Twin Snakes version, but eh, same thing): http://www.home.no/lzp/Rex.jpg

The Azel/Atolm battles in Panzer Dragoon Saga were also a treat, in fact many of the boss fights in that game were spectacular for an RPG. Rarely could you ever win simply by hitting attack over and over again. The only problem was that the game was fairly easy, and some parts of the combat system were pretty broken (like the counterattack spell and Sniper gun attachment).

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Look at this shit



Xiga. Be praying.




So the end boss of space shoot-em-up Radiant Silvergun is a giant man that attacks you with flying kicks. Totally saw it coming.

He looks amazingly smooth and fluid as he's athletically running, jumping and somersaulting around the screen. All of his attack patterns are wonderfully designed, beautiful to watch, and overwhelming to experience. Bottom-Right: Each phase of falling diamonds is in synchronisation with the beat of his pulsing heart. Cool.

What an impressive and unorthodox last boss. I love it.

I was speaking idiomatically.

The fight against Bunji Kugashira in Gungrave comes to mind, mainly for the challenge of it (it's definitely the hardest fight in the game, even harded than the last boss). He has all the same moves as you, so it's bascally like you are fighting yourself, which means that the fight is friggin difficult (if you look at Gamefaqs, someone actually made a FAQ that only covers this fight because it's so difficult). After you finish it though, the feeling of relief that it's over is one of the greatest things you'll feel while playing a game. Everything else is awesome to, from the cutscenes before and after the fight, to the music during the fight. Awesome boss fight indeed.

Also, the final boss in Xenosaga Episode I comes to mind, if not just for the awesome music they played during the fight.

Another good boss fight was the battle against the four helicopters in XIII. Just the pure franticness of it, with the helicopter shooting missles at you, you trying to dodge them while shooting back at the helicopter, finally destroying one and another one comes, it's all awesome. It's definitely pretty difficult, but still cool nonetheless.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I could go on for quite awhile about boss fights and which ones are pretty outstanding from the rest. But I thought Favorites threads like these weren't allowed? Well, regardless I'll take this opportunity to mention some of the best I've seen.

- The boss in Ikaruga where you cannot shoot. You're trapped and your only chance of survival is colour coordination and memorization. If you're lucky enough to survive (which I haven't so far) until it's death, the death is amazing.

- The alien boss in Metal Slug 3 on level 2. I still haven't figured out a successful way of beating this thing accurately without dying at least once. The balls of energy they throw at you at an extreme speed usually get me killed at least once. This boss stands out just for insane difficulty over the rest (for example, the first and third bosses).

- Flaming Leo from Viewtiful Joe immediately comes to mind. I remember seeing him and going "oh shit" while he kicked my ass a good few times. The way he's drawn is nicely done too, and it was probably one of the best battles in the entire game.

- The battle vs. Lavos. It felt never ending and I didn't think it would ever die. Even though the first time I beat Chrono Trigger all my characters were in their 50's, it still lasted quite awhile. Also, you know that room with the simulation of the end of the world, with meteors showing all over the world? Spine-chilling like nothing.

- Mushihimesama and the level 3 boss. Which is basically the entire level, because it's a gigantic worm which has bugs flying outside of it's stomach that shoot bullets at you constantly. Then there's the arms and sections of the boss which you need to destroy piece by piece. The level's music is the only thing that I dislike about this level. The boss itself is the largest I've ever seen.

- Astro Boy: Omega Factor and the sister robot which transforms into different kinds of animals. I had to kill this thing very carefully otherwise I'd still be working on it. It totally caught me off guard since the rest of the game had been on a certain pace which hadn't been changed until this boss.

- Rez' second boss makes you feel so freaking small, especially when the camera goes sideways and shows how small you are in comparison to how grossly oversized it is. All of the bosses in Rez deserve a mention because they're just so beautifully done that none of them lack interest in challenging.

- The last battle in Gitaroo Man. It was a little farfetched by flying above an island fighting eachother through musical notes, but it was a rush the first time I beat it consecutively with the other levels.

How ya doing, buddy?

Quote:

But I thought Favorites threads like these weren't allowed?

Really? I thought that was only in regards to favorite characters, or any threads that result in listing-style posts.

That Radiant Silvergun boss looks ridiculous to the point of fun. I might give it a download just for the fight.

::kung-fu kicks vic viper::

As far as RPGs go, I'll have to give it some thought, but I can't name too many final boss battles that I would consider memorable. Most of them follow the same formula; the last villain takes some bizzare, usually angelic shape and merely spams planet-destroying spells on you. For all the hype with Sephiroth, his last form and battle felt pretty underwhelming for me.

I guess Kefka would be a special exception, due to tower he sicks at you (living naked statues of himself. jeez), as well as the sudden bulge in muscles he gets along with the slick angel wings. It's definetely less gay looking than Seph's final form. :/

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Please tell me how you're going to "download" Radiant Silvergun.

The game can't be emulated accurately even for a Saturn title.

Most amazing jew boots

My personal favorite Rez boss will always be the Area 4 running man. The first time you chase him down the twisting corridors as Joujouka pounds in your ears is an indescribable rush. The damn thing just looks so awesome you feel like not shooting him, at least until you get to the straight corridor and he starts attacking.
Maybe a little easy as a boss fight, but no less entertaining, especially if you hold out destroying him fast and he start morphing between multiple forms in rapid succession near the end of the fight.

Killer7 had a host of extremely memorable (and fucked up) boss fights. The seven-part duel against the Handsome Men is one favorite of mine, even if the outcome is prescripted. It just came outta nowhere for me and I was laughing my ass through the whole thing.
I also rather liked the standoff with Curtis in the third level: Encounter. Even though it's so ridiculously simple, it took me ages to figure it out. While a lot of the boss fights had been more or less extravagant blast-fests, Dan's duel with Curtis Blackburn had a far more private, intimate feel, though no less surreal because of the way you had to observe the pigeon and wait.

Resident Evil games have also had a lot of great bosses, not least the fantastic Resident Evil 4. The Tyrant fight in the GC REmake is a personal favorite of mine. The atmosphere and everything that had taken place before it just had you all pumped up knowing this was the "final battle".
It was both scary and thrilling, or frustrating depending how much ammunition you had left. I almost always had plenty of magnum ammo by then so fighting him wasn't a problem. It was also hilariously tense when you fire that last rocket at the Tyrant expecting the usual cutscene, only to have the Tyrant swat the shot aside like a fly. Finally taking him down proved extremely satisfying, thankfully.

Another boss that dies extremely satisfyingly was Verdugo in RE4, Salazar's right hand. The whole fight was incredibly tense for me, desperately trying to dodge his attacks and horrifiedly coming to the conclusion that he doesn't seem to be taking any damage from my shots. Eventually realizing to freeze him with the nitrogen tanks, the final shot completely took me by surprise. I expected him to die in the typically boring overexaggerated and lumbering fall to the ground, but seeing him shatter to a dozen pieces while frozen brought about an excited whoop from me.

Originally Posted by Elixir

- Astro Boy: Omega Factor and the sister robot which transforms into different kinds of animals. I had to kill this thing very carefully otherwise I'd still be working on it. It totally caught me off guard since the rest of the game had been on a certain pace which hadn't been changed until this boss.

That wasn't the sister robot (Zoran), that was Pook, an entirely different character. Zoran has no reason to fight Astro =/

There's nowhere I can't reach.

It's Yukari Yakumo from the shooter Perfect Cherry Blossom, if you manage to unlock Phantasm, which I did.



+ final attack:Yukari's Arcanum "Danmaku Bounded Field"

This boss has 20 forms, yes you heard it, 9 Non-Spell Card forms and 11 Spell Card forms. Which other shooter does this? And the attacks are awesome, requiring different skills in each form, which means pure adrenaline until the last form (if you ever reach it, that is).

You got knives, butterfly spirits, arrow head bullets, crystal shards, round bullets, medium round bullets, big bubbles, laser blades, laser mesh in any constellation and color.... illusions, confined space, time trick, fanning, spinning, bursting, buck-shotting, alternating, waving, dancing, exploding, disappearing, reappearing... you name it, she got it.

Too bad, most of you won't even know what I am talking about.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I guess these count..pretty much any fight from Shadow of the Colossus (especially the big sword guy, the "bird", and the last fight). Also liked the first boss in Viewtiful Joe 2 (forgot the name but its got the military music going on). Guess there's more but I cant think of em lol

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

My favourite boss fight I can think of in recent memory would have to be the final fight with Ganon in Wind Waker. It's an epic battle, the atmosphere is just so invloving. I must have replayed it at least 15 times, I love it.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Can I nominate everything from Zone of the Enders 2? That game had some really shining examples of how boss fights should go, as none of them were every really as simple as "regular enemy, except stronger".

You have no less than three battles against Nephtis, who cannot be directly attacked, and each time you have to come up with a new method of getting past its impenetrable shield. The most interesting one is the last fight, which takes place in a narrow hallway. You have to use other enemies as projectiles, or if you're a really good shot, slam Nephtis into the wall with the Gauntlet weapon.

Inhert was also a really unique boss. For the first quarter of his life bar it's a standard fight against a really fast opponent with moving bars getting in your way. Then he renders the room pitch black, and you have to fight completely blind with your computer giving you verbal directions.

The fight with Jean Bison in Sly 2 was a great diversion. You don't attack him directly; instead, you have Bentley running around with a walkie-talkie, giving commands to Sly up in a control room. The idea is to lure Jean into the fire vents, saw blades, or hanging logs, and hit the appropriate button to sic one of the traps on him. It technically plays out like a standard boss fight, but with a really unusual set of weapons.

Also, a second vote for Seven Force. That, I think, is the first time I've walked away from a boss fight physically exhausted. He just doesn;t stop coming. The remade version in Gunstar Super Heroes wasn't bad either, although his attack patterns are more predictable.

I think the big yellow thing from the Megaman games deserves mention too. I don't know what it's real name is, it's the big cyclopean guy who splits himself apart and flies across the room in segments. He still kicks my ass, simply because the pieces fly so fast, you never know which chunk is coming next, and it's really easy to get faked out.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

There was one boss in Contra Shattered Soldier which was great, it's during the third level. the music gets you so pumped up going down the elevator toward the stand off with the big thing which then gets mashed by a huge machine after you defeat it. Epic!

Devil May Cry 3 had a nice end battle, and the battle with Agni and Rudra was one I enjoyed, and there Devil Arm is awesome too.

Resident Evil 2 Leon Scenario A because you can finally test the upgraded magnum to show its true power. Ohh yeah, Pigsy in Manhunt was great too

FELIPE NO

I can't think of any actual boss fights rigt now except Bowser from Tetris Attack. That guy is so hard and requires alot of dedication, and fast thinking to be able to beat successfully first try. He really is the combo king!

EDIT: I mean on very hard mode

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

SOLDIER mentioned Super Metroid, but he didn't mention the battle with Motherbrain and the giant Metroid. Yeah, it was easy as pie, but it was very cinematic (without being a cinema scene) and very rewarding when you get to blow Motherbrain away with the Hyper Beam.

RPG boss battles usually end up being more frustrating than exciting, but Final Fantasy IV definitely had some good boss fights. The Evil Wall is one of the most tense and unfair battles (unless you're overleveled), and actually kept me from beating the game for years. Also, the final battle with Zeromus can be either epic or a complete let down. It starts off with a rousing scene as your friends all pray for power and revive your characters while the Final Fantasy theme plays triumphantly. Then you use the crystal and this BIG FUCKING ALIEN pops up in front of you. Unfortunately, if you lose this battle it feels very anti-climatic, because you have to watch the scene all over again.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by randomwab

There was one boss in Contra Shattered Soldier which was great, it's during the third level. the music gets you so pumped up going down the elevator toward the stand off with the big thing which then gets mashed by a huge machine after you defeat it. Epic!

Contra games definitely have a ton of memorable boss battles. I'd say my favorite from Shattered Soldier was the Big Fish at the end of the 4th level. It makes a great entrance as it smashes through the glass and the battle is pretty intense.

Overall, my favorite Contra boss is one from Contra III: The Alien Wars. The big robot guy who would do a 360 flame from his mouth, and shoot guided lasers. Best part of course was when he'd then toss timebombs, and hide. It's just incredibly imaginative and a lot of fun to fight.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

My favorite boss fights usually have attacks that are fun to dodge. Atmosphere can play a role, but I'm seeing too many choices here that are based purely on style and no substance.

Seven Force is cool, but it's attacks are extremely scripted. Soldier and Crab force are the only ones I find fun.

I love the Gryffon fights in the first DMC, because you're dodging wonderfully complicated electrical patterns and attacks and stuff. Come to think about it, DMC had overall better bosses and enemies than DMC3.

I also loved the final boss battle "Greedy" from Ristar, because it has a perfect blend of intuition and memorization: once you master it, you can beat him pretty much unscathed, but the feeling is satisfying.

I know everyone hates SNKP's attempts at prolonging the Metal Slug games, but my favorite bosses have always been from Metal Slug 5. THIS is 99% substance... some of the bosses don't even look interesting. The final boss was extremely disappointing, though.

Someone mentioned Shattered Solder, and while I never played it, I have played the incredibly underrated Neo Contra. A surprisingly polished arcade style game, the bosses were numerous and fun to fight, which almost reminded me of Treasure in a way. I never use that guard spinning thing, at all, though, not because it's useless, but because it's TOO USEFUL.

Oh, and Sin and Punishment. Tons of awesome bosses. If you've played it, you'll know how awesome the bosses are.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

There's a ton, but let's mention some less exposed ones, plus some favourites.

Giygas from Earthbound will be one of my ever-loved ones, since: 1) he should have just kept the super-shield on and you would really be helpless, and 2) You need Paula to "pray" in order to win, enough said.

Beatrice from Wild Arms 3 was very neat. She had 10 different forms, since it was just thrust at you at the last second that her little world ws evolving and you had to stop it. Plus, immediately before the final battle:
[spoil] BAM! Lamium saves you from an ambush and since Beatrice killed him, the rest of the groups' lives are permanently screwed, because killing a cult leader is serious business. Thanks Beatrice...bitch![/b]

Against giant Garai in Chrono Cross, at one point was memorable, soley for the fact that Harle can shoot balls at his groin, repeatedly!

The fights against every single one of the elite forces in Wild Arms 4 really required you to think, as each member of the elite force had their own specialty and you had to think instead of just attack. One could get extra turns out of nowhere, another could nullify all your attacks with a spatial distortion, one produced clones which if you killed you would die too, etc. My favourite of the force though, was Farmel, the shield. She would be invincible and took me forever to figure out that:

Spoiler:

You need to use Arnaud's "Displace" to move her so that she would change her shield, although why she wouldn't just use darkness stance the whole time is beyond me.

Zeal, another Chrono Trigger classic scared me the first time I fought her in her 2nd form. Smack a hand: Life Shaver, hp to 1! Smack the other hand: MP Buster, mp to 0! Hexagon Mist: 500+ dmg, if improperly prepared. Plus, my favourite attack: Hallation, hp to 1 for ALL. You could charm the wicked prism items from her though.

MidBoss in Disgaea, every time you faced him. Unless you were thoroughy prepared and overlevelled beforehand, it was such a facade. He'd appear to be a pansy in all the dialogue with all his fruity behaviour. When you get to battle, all his minions will wear you down, and you're forced to eat his Adonic Blast and Adonic Fury.

Rugal in the King of Fighters series. Damn now! Genocide Cutter outprioritizes almost everything, and pushes you away. Kaiser Wave is a lot faster than it looks. Not to mentioned God Press which comes out quick to do massive damage.

Princess Sissy from Power Instinct Matrimelee, because the simple Abubo summon outprioritizes everything due to it's ridiculous 1/2 second invincibility. Not to mention the guard dropping frog, and just about any move short of her lame transforming ray will beat yours. She's no sissy if it's even hard to beat her with constant savestates!

My absolute favourite though would have to be the Valkyrie Profile version of Iseria Queen, dueo the Empress Massacre attack wh guarantees your death in a series of flashy angelic scythe strikes.

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Favorite Boss Fights , eh?

Well, my favorite battles were:

1. Omega (Final Fantasy 2/5j SNES/PSX)
Omega was impossible the 1st time I fought him but when I figured out an easy way to beat him (Samurai & Monk, anyone?), it was easy, provided I'm fast enough, of course.

2. Kefka (Final Fantasy 3/6j, SNES/PSX)
Fighting him is so damn fun, yet annoying when he uses HyperDrive or Goner (Ugh, I cringe EVERYTIME I see that attack used). But the music is pretty awesome too. I think the title of his theme was Dancing Mad, right???

3. Monarch (Gradius 3, SNES)
One of the "Bosses On Parade", his/it's music is rather mysterious. He was the only one I thought was very hard (When I first fought him/it), those annoying crystal tentacles almost always got me when I tried to shoot at him/it.

4. Bowser (Final Time, Super Mario 64, N64)
Bowser is actually challenging this time around, huh? When I fought him the last time, I thought the ENTIRE battlefield was gonna collapse within a period of time. But I managed to beat him by chance (Yeah, right....).

Is this good????

I was speaking idiomatically.

Luca Blight, Suikoden II - It takes three parties of six to take this guy down. And it isn't easy if your parties are of average power. And after taking a pounding from him, he is still alive and on his way to escaping before he gets taken down by a group of archers.

Odin, FFVIII - This fight is only challenging if you allow it to be. First of all, you have a time limit. Sure, there is plenty of time to annihilate him, and he doesn't ever actually attack. The fun lies in your attempt to draw as many Triple spells from him as you can, and defeat him within the time limit, because at the end of your 20 minutes {the counter begins the moment you enter his dungeon}, he will kill the party if you haven't killed him first. Drawing 100 Triples each on three characters is tough.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Qwarky

Another boss that dies extremely satisfyingly was Verdugo in RE4, Salazar's right hand. The whole fight was incredibly tense for me, desperately trying to dodge his attacks and horrifiedly coming to the conclusion that he doesn't seem to be taking any damage from my shots. Eventually realizing to freeze him with the nitrogen tanks, the final shot completely took me by surprise. I expected him to die in the typically boring overexaggerated and lumbering fall to the ground, but seeing him shatter to a dozen pieces while frozen brought about an excited whoop from me.

What the holy crap? I didn't know you could kill him. I always figured jumping into the elevator was the only way to finish the fight, and just leave him hangin' up in the power room. Well, you learn something new every day, i'll have to remember that for my next play through.

I love the lake boss in RE4 (name escapes me). I'm creeped out by lakes, i don't know why, i just am. Part of it is cause i have an over active imagination, and seeing stuff like that boss, and jaws, and whatnot kinda makes me edgy when i'm in the water. I know i have nothing to worry about, but it just really gets me every time i go swimming. This boss really played off that fear, especially when Leon gets knocked out of the boat, i always tap A as fast as i humanly can to get back into the boat.

Another underwater boss i really like was the fight with Ursella in Kingdom Hearts. Her second form is huge. I think at that point, you're about the same size as her eye. It just creeped me out, which made it memorable.

Pretty much any boss from any Zelda game has great memories for me. My favourite over all would have to be Odolwa in the Woodfall temple in Majora's Mask. I still remember the first time i fought him. My sister was watching, and she hates video games. In the end, even she said wow, with a genuine look of awe on her face, as i finished him off with one quarter of a heart left.

I really like the fight with Bull in the castle centre in Castlevania 64. You never stop moving, always running, and attacking in the prescious few chances you get. It makes for one intense fight.

I really like alot of the bosses in Metriod Prime 1 and 2. I really like the big Rock boss in the first one (can't remember the name). I remember having so much trouble with that one, but after i got the hang of it, it was still challenging, but adrenalin pumping.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Helloween

What the holy crap? I didn't know you could kill him. I always figured jumping into the elevator was the only way to finish the fight, and just leave him hangin' up in the power room. Well, you learn something new every day, i'll have to remember that for my next play through.

Yeah, you need to keep tipping the nitrogen tanks over to freeze him and shooting. The magnums do nice damage there, I had the Broken Butterfly at the time.
Sadly, I discovered on a later playthrough shooting him with a fully upgraded Handcannon does not produce the shattering effect when he dies, he merely slumps to the floor after a squeeling death animation, which wasn't half as satisfying.

I too loved Del Lago. It was such a thrilling set piece and a massive rush the first time you played it.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Yunalesca, because she was the first boss I ever died against. I had to try six times before winning.

Jam it back in, in the dark.