CJF's Top 10 Least Favorite Boss Fights

Boss fights are one of, if not, the best aspects in a video game, often testing a player's skill and just being entertaining to play through. Sadly, like a lot of great things, they have their share of easily hated boss fights. I know a lot of people have done this type of list before and some of my picks won't come as a surprise, but I have my share of bosses that I really disliked, whether it's due to bad game design or they are just not fun. Sit back and get ready to relive some painful memories; this is my Top 10 Least Favorite Boss Fights. Also, spoiler alert!

Dishonorable mentions go to every boss in Devil May 2, Egg Emperor from Sonic Heroes, Clunk from Secret Agent Clank, and Rodrigo Borgia from Assassin's Creed II.

10.) The Beauty and the Beast Corps (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots)

(Counter-clockwise from top) Screaming Mantis,
Laughing Octopus, Raging Raven, and Crying Wolf

 

The Metal Gear franchise is known for its well-crafted boss fights, often requiring strategy. However, Metal Gear Solid 4 (with the exception of the final boss) has the weakest boss fights the series had to offer. The B&B Corps consisting of Laughing Octopus, Raging Raven, Crying Wolf, and Screaming Mantis aren’t technically bad and require some form of strategy, but they are boring and tedious to go through. They are very low on the list because while fighting their Beast forms isn’t all that great, their Beauty forms are at least better due to the ominous tone and you get to learn their tragic backstories after defeating them. **shudders**

9.) Le Paradox (Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time)

 

All the bosses in the latest Sly Cooper game before this one were really fun. Any ideas on how the final battle will turn out? Quick-time events!  This battle was such a cop-out and insultingly easy. The only positive I can say about the battle is that it’s visually nice, seeing Sly fighting Le Paradox with his cane against his dagger. Still, what a STINKER of a final boss for one of my favorite games of 2013.

8.) Titan Joker (Batman: Arkham Asylum)

I love Arkham Asylum but the bosses were my least favorite aspects. With the exception of Poison Ivy and The Joker, all you do while confronting them are throwing a Batarang at them when they charge at you, wait for them to stay still, and then punch the living daylights out of them. The Poison Ivy battle was decent, but the battle against the Joker was not.

You think that fighting the Joker on steroids would be epic. Not really. He hardly puts up a fight and spends most of the time shouting to the skies while I’m beating up his goons. While his back is turned, you pull out the Batclaw to make him fall, giving you the chance to beat him up. Do this two more times and you win. What a joke!

7.) Mz. Ruby (Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus)

Easily the weakest boss in Sly Cooper’s first outing. Now, I don’t mind rhythm gameplay if it’s done decently. The Le Paradox fight in Sly 4 was awful, but it's nothing compared to the fight against Mz. Ruby. Pressing each button requires pinpoint accuracy and there were times when I did hit the button, but it didn’t respond, making me lose a hit point. If anyone plays this in the Sly Collection, it’s even worse because the music is out of sync, forcing you to hit the mute button. The only thing good I can say is that the beat is pretty catchy.

6.) Phaedra (Shadow of the Colossus)

 

If you thought Basaran (Colossus #9) was annoying, get a load of the fourth colossus, Phaedra. The strategy is to lure him into the area filled with catacombs, having him peek inside to look for you, giving you a chance to climb on its back. It’s annoying because you have to get it in the right position to peek inside and it takes forever to do that. This is one boss fight I dread every time I do a new playthrough of this game.
 

5.) Thugs-4-Less Leader - Third battle (Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando)

The first two times fighting the Thug Leader were actually pretty fun, if not a little repetitive on the second fight. The third and final battle against him, on the other hand, was tedious, long, and boring, with no sense of progression. All you do is hop from turret to turret, doing minimal damage and just wasting my valuable time.

4.) Aquatic Gran Terror Bruce  (Viewtiful Joe)

My least favorite boss in Viewtiful Joe, hands down, goes to Bruce (no, not Bruce the shark from Finding Nemo). If he hits you with his chomp attack, he will grab you and shake you around until you lose all of your health. That’s not even fair! The reason he is not higher on the list is because you can take him down quickly with the Slow/Zoom punching move so that you don’t have to suffer through that Aquatic Gran Terror. He sure lives up to his name.

3.) Polygon Man (PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale)

 

The fight against an early, forgotten Sony mascot had great potential, but it was a letdown in the end. He summons his minions which are actually possessed characters from the roster while he turns into hazards from the normal stages of the game. After you use a super to defeat all of the minions, he will slam into the ground, leaving himself open for attack. Do this two more times and you beat the story mode. Talk about wasted potential; his minions were more of a threat than he was.

2.) Time Eater (Sonic Generations)

 

I hated this boss from the very beginning and I still hate it to this day. How could the developers screw up a potentially epic boss fight on Sonic's 20th Anniversary? And with the series’ track record of great final boss fights, this is unacceptable.

You can switch between Classic and Modern Sonic during the fight, but you can only hit the boss while controlling Modern Sonic. Has anyone even hit the Time Eater as Classic Sonic? The reason Classic Sonic is there is so you can grab rings more easily (catching them as Modern Sonic is hard).

Throughout the whole battle, you’re just holding the boost button so you can reach the machine’s core, while enduring the stiff controls and the debris that will slow you down. And lastly, Sonic’s friends never shut up. “That looks like a homing shot!” Take a shot every time they talk; you'll get hammered.

The Time Eater could have been number one, but I found one boss fight that is even worse.

1.) Erich Rhoemer (Syphon Filter)

 

The bosses in Syphon Filter were very underwhelming, and the final fight against Rhoemer is no exception. If he sees you, he will constantly throw grenades at you. How do you defeat him? You can't shoot him, for starters, for he is bulletproof, even in the head.

In order to defeat him, you have to find the gas grenades in the control room, but in order to do that, you have to shoot down a couple of goons while avoiding his grenades, unless you actually shot down the goons before the cutscene plays. Once you obtain the gas grenades, you still have to avoid him and find the right time to throw them at him. What results is his anti-climactic end.

I love Syphon Filter, but this is the boss battle that angered me the most and almost made me explode (metaphorically, and no pun intended). Rhoemer, you can take those grenades and just shove them up your... **clears throat** Just die!

And those are my Top 10 Least Favorite Boss Fights. Feel free to mention your least favorite boss battles.

Discuss the list here.