The first game to sport a bona fide boss fight was dnd, a computer role-playing game released in 1975. Since that time, boss encounters have become a mainstay of video games. The very best sorts of boss fights are ones you remember long after the game is finished and I thought I'd highlight some of my favorites. Dipping into my game library, it became apparent I had a lot to choose from so with difficulty I limited my choices to one boss per game; enemies that offered up a fun fight, or were hard and interesting without being cheap, or simply scared the piss out of me.
!! Spoilers Ahoy !!
Presented by game system:
10. Star Fox - Dancing Insector: The original Star Fox for the SNES was the first game to use 3-D polygons on the SNES, and one of the earliest 3-D games to grace home consoles. When I first played this game, I found it pretty tough but I prevailed... up to a point, and that point was the Insector. This mechanical daddy long-legs stopped me cold for about a week before I was able to beat it.
9. Super Metroid – Mother Brain: So, unsuspectingly you battle your way to the big brain in the jar, it's a fight that looks so familiar to veterans of the original Metroid and plays out identically. All done right? Suddenly, this happens:
The Mother Brain battle is epic in every way: a fight with a giant, disgusting monster, panic as your health slips away, and pathos as the flying jellyfish makes the ultimate sacrifice. I ate this stuff up over ten years ago and still love it today.
8. Yoshi's Island – Baby Bowser: Now here's a game that is loaded with fabulously fun boss encounters, but when limited to just one choice I had to give the Koopa King the nod, even though he's still in diapers. Sure, the person in this video makes the fight look easy but Bowser is no push over. It's frigging hard to clunk him in the head with those eggs and many of my own battles ended with Yoshi getting a stomping under Bowser's Godzilla sized feet.
7. Soul Reaver – Malchiah: Malchiah is the first boss you run into in Soul Reaver and like all of the bosses, he's of the puzzle variety. Once you know the trick to taking him down, he's not difficult. Even so, his ease of defeat does nothing to lessen his intimidation factor. I still get a little nervous thrill leading this wretched thing around the arena to his eventual doom.
6. Devil May Cry – Nightmare: Speaking of bosses that creep me the hell out, how about an armor plated pool of necromantic sludge? You fight this thing in Devil May Cry three times and I for one, dread every encounter. Not only does it hit hard itself, but if it swallows Dante, then you end up fighting bosses previously defeated as well. A terrifying and tough as nails fight it may be, it's still awesome, in a masochistic kind of way.
Hmm, speaking of masochism and nightmares, pheeew the dialog in DMC is bad!
Related Links:
Top Ten: Favorite Bosses part 2
The Ten Greatest Fire Levels in Gaming History, Part 1
Top Ten Most Terrifying Enemies and Then Five More