Did any of these shock you ?
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00:00There are plenty of standout games that have become infamous thanks to one or two shoddy boss
00:04fights. However, it's a little bit weird when every boss is terrible in an otherwise terrific
00:10title. Due to the seamless gameplay, detailed world, and rich story, it's perplexing when every
00:15encounter with a major adversary is boring, uncreative, or badly programmed. I'm Jess from
00:22WhatCulture and here are 10 great video games with terrible bosses.
00:2610. Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII
00:30The staggering success of Final Fantasy VII led to a slew of spin-offs, including the prequel
00:36Crisis Core. Initially released on the PSP, this installment focuses on Soldier member Zach
00:42Fair, while he was allied with the treacherous Sephiroth. Even though Crisis Core could have
00:47been pure fan service, and it is, it has a lot to offer. It has an accessible battle system,
00:53magnificent graphics, and it expands on the lore and backstories of key characters. On top of that,
00:59Crisis Core is surprisingly emotional. Despite the fact Zach is doomed from the start, nobody was ready
01:05to watch such a heart-wrenching death. But Crisis Core has its problems. Although the bosses are well
01:11designed and have inventive tactics, they're too easy. If Zach regularly performs the submissions,
01:16he'll level up very quickly, allowing him to wipe the floor with the most powerful of monsters. By the
01:22time Zach is maxed out his most devastating spells, the spiky-haired commando can win the last few scraps
01:28in a minute flat. Though these extra missions aren't mandatory, they're worthwhile since it's the only way
01:34to access the most coveted spells. Zach will grow strong enough to dominate almost any battle, even if he
01:40only completes half these side quests. Number 9, The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. It's hard to know where to
01:47start while singing Skyrim's praises. Its immense world, personalized perk system, jewel-wielding
01:53weapons, accessible user interface, and diverse spells are just a sample of the masterpiece's
01:59highlights. However, one of the few factors that didn't garner acclaim is the bosses. Considering the
02:05story centers around dragons laying waste to the world, fighting these almighty beasts should have
02:11been a sight to behold. And yet, the most daunting adversaries can be eliminated by chucking a few
02:16fireballs from afar, or by hacking them to pieces. Later enemies don't pose much trouble despite hefty
02:22health bars, so long as a dragonborn has a selection of potions in stock. Annoyingly, the Elder Scrolls
02:28sequel saves the worst boss for last. Not only is the showdown with Alduin depressingly generic,
02:34it's more aggravating since it can take over a hundred hours to reach him. What makes this
02:39criticism more noticeable is the fact that Skyrim has a bloat of bosses. If Bethesda focused less
02:45on endless draug as warlocks and wyverns, they probably would have had more time to make each
02:50encounter enthralling, epic, and most importantly, less crap. Number 8, Dead Rising. Though the controls
02:58in the original Dead Rising are clunky, this doesn't pose much of a problem while wailing on a slew of
03:04zombies. After all, Frank West doesn't need pinpoint accuracy while armed with a lawnmower. However,
03:10imprecise controls become an issue with the bosses, especially while taking on armed enemies from
03:15afar. In some battles, it feels like the controls pose more of a threat than the undead. While Frank
03:21desperately tries to aim at the bosses, he can be mowed down before taking a single shot. Although not
03:27every boss is a nightmare, some have the opposite problem and pose no challenge whatsoever. If the enemy
03:33has no long-ranged attacks, Frank can pick him off from a distance with ease. Alternatively,
03:38he can use heavy artillery or a chainsaw to deplete their Hell's Bar in a matter of seconds.
03:43In a nutshell, Dead Rising's bosses have no real difficulty curve. Whether Frank is tangling with
03:49a cannibalistic chef, a crazed security guard, or a demented clown, it's either insultingly easy or
03:56immeasurably frustrating. 7. Tunic
03:59Serving as a love letter to the legend of Zelda, Tunic is an isometric adventure that focuses on
04:05exploration, combat, and puzzles. The world is intuitively designed, so our heroic fox is
04:11encouraged to experiment rather than being told what to do or where to go. But there's one throwback
04:17to classic titles that wasn't appreciated. Brutal bosses. For the record, it's not the enemy's
04:23strategies that are unfair, but the gameplay. Due to the protagonist's stubby sword, it's hard to tell
04:29if he's in range to hit his target, especially when the camera is zoomed out. The camera pans with such
04:35regularity, it's hard to see the main character half the time. In situations like this, the boss can just
04:41box in our pointy-eared hero, giving him no chance to escape. A similar game which released the year
04:47before is Death's Door, which had a more balanced difficulty despite having significantly harder
04:52bosses. Every time the player died, it felt like it was their fault, encouraging them to get better.
04:58But in Tunic, it feels like the camera and the mechanics pose a greater threat than the enemies do.
05:036. Ninja Gaiden 2
05:05Dark Souls and Cuphead prove that bosses can be fair despite being infuriating.
05:10As frustrating as bosses like this are, they can be defeated by memorising their attack pattern.
05:15But as Ninja Gaiden 2 proves, there's a big difference between a tough boss and a cheap one.
05:21Most bosses in Team Ninja's hack and slash sequel have insta-kill attacks, which can be unleashed at any moment.
05:28What's worse is that these screen-filling foes can be bested through button mashing.
05:33Since these bouts don't involve much timing or precision, there's little satisfaction to be had on your end.
05:38Then there's the nuclear armadillo.
05:41Now this guy's gonna blow up after meeting his maker, but there's no hint that the atomic explosion
05:46will kill our hero unless he blocks or performs a certain move at the right time.
05:50Because of this, pretty much every first timer died at that point, forcing them to face off
05:54against the nuclear armadillo from the very start.
05:57Now that's not suggesting every Ninja Gaiden 2 boss is cheap, but even when the nasty bunch agree to play by the rules,
06:03it's not as fun or engaging as it should be.
06:07Number 5. Deus Ex Human Revolution
06:09Deus Ex Human Revolution was a welcome return to form for the sci-fi hacker saga.
06:15Offering a perfect blend of genres, extensive world-building, well-explored character arcs,
06:21and scores of cool mechanics, HR comes pretty close to matching the original.
06:25Having said that, Eidos Montreal ran into a spot of bother during development, which cost them dearly.
06:31Although the main campaign was supposed to have traditional bosses,
06:35the developers strongly considered cutting them due to time constraints.
06:39Believing their removal would impair the story and gaming experience as a whole,
06:43it was decided to outsource the boss fights to a small studio called Grip Entertainment.
06:49According to Grip director Paul Krzyzewski, he worked on the project like a regular shooter,
06:54unaware the property wasn't action-heavy.
06:57For this reason, it's no surprise that these bombastic bosses didn't gel with Deus Ex's otherwise stealthy gameplay.
07:04To be clear, Human Revolution's bosses aren't bad in the traditional sense,
07:08but there's no question that they feel out of place with the game's tone.
07:11The bosses became such a sore point, they were completely overhauled for the director's cut of the game.
07:16Number 4. The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask
07:20Considering the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time has the highest score on Metacritic,
07:26it's arguably the most celebrated video game of all time.
07:30Nevertheless, the follow-up Majora's Mask surpassed its predecessor in many ways,
07:34focusing more on character developments, personal conflicts, and mature themes.
07:38After all these years, the intricate time loop concept is still deemed one of the most innovative mechanics in the entire series.
07:46But if there's one aspect where Majora's Mask falters, it's its bosses.
07:51Save for the Guardian of the Snowhead Temple, every end of dungeon enemy is lame.
07:56In most Legend of Zelda installments, Link needs to utilize a treasure hidden inside each dungeon
08:02in order to vanquish the corresponding boss.
08:05But in Majora's Mask, most of the bosses can be beaten with mindless slashing, including the main antagonist.
08:11Although the third boss, Gaiorg, doesn't have this issue, it's still tedious to fight the creature,
08:17thanks to the awkward camera.
08:19Ironically, almost every sub-boss requires more precision and timing than the major ones do.
08:25Nintendo seemed to be aware of this criticism,
08:27since the boss battles were heavily revised when the game was remade for the 3DS.
08:33Number 3. Bioshock. The series.
08:36The fight with Frank Fontaine at the end of Bioshock isn't just underwhelming.
08:40It's jarring.
08:42Considering how nuanced and fleshed out the world of Rapture is,
08:45it's strange to see this magnificent story conclude with a face-off against a Hulk reject.
08:50Due to Fontaine's formulaic tactics and tiny health bar, it's anticlimactic when the credits roll.
08:57Since the boss fights were deemed Bioshock's only glaring flaw,
09:00a rational game should have avoided repeating the mistake in future.
09:04Unfortunately, Bioshock 2 had similar issues.
09:07Rather than devising unique adversaries with distinctive strategies,
09:11every boss is just a beefed-up version of a regular enemy.
09:15Anyone who thought Bioshock Infinite would be third-time lucky was also mistaken.
09:20Rather than throwing together some generic baddies,
09:22the developers went to the other extreme, giving the bosses too many strategies.
09:27No boss exemplifies this issue more than Lady Comstock.
09:31This spiritual entity turns invisible, teleports,
09:34incessantly heals, and renders herself immune to most attacks.
09:39Coupled with her mammoth health bar,
09:41this brawl is a slog, even on the lowest difficulty.
09:45In a way, it's kind of impressive how the series bungled the boss fights three times in a row,
09:50considering how well the rest of the gameplay turned out.
09:53Number 2. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
09:56Despite Super Mario's influence on the gaming industry,
09:59many of the Italian Plumber's earlier titles had surprisingly mundane boss battles.
10:04In the original Super Mario Bros., our coin-collecting hero could beat Bowser
10:08just by reaching the right side of the screen.
10:11In many titles, Mario can defeat colossal machines, dinosaurs, and monsters
10:15by repeatedly bonking him on the head.
10:18Of course, the franchise's gameplay has evolved leaps and bounds over the years,
10:22and as a result, the more recent entries have given the gaming community
10:25some of the most entertaining battles ever.
10:28So what exactly happened to Super Mario Bros. Wonder?
10:32Rather than having Nintendo's mustachioed mascot contend with a varied group of end-of-level enemies,
10:38every castle concludes with fighting Bowser Jr.
10:41Although each encounter has mild variety,
10:44the Koopa Kid relies on the same strategy every time.
10:48And somehow, it gets even worse.
10:50At the end of each airship level, Mario must fight a robotic version of his nemesis.
10:55However, calling it a fight is probably a stretch,
10:57since Mario can destroy robot Bowser by pressing an overhead switch one time.
11:02Though Wonder is overflowing with innovation,
11:05the same can't be said about the boss fights.
11:08Number 1. Batman Arkham Asylum
11:11Back in 2009, Batman Arkham Asylum cemented itself as the definitive superhero title almost overnight.
11:18Its masterful combat, imaginative puzzles, and lightning-in-a-bottle voice casting
11:22has allowed Rocksteady's DC saga to endure ever since.
11:26Well, endure until Arkham Knight.
11:28Sadly, those creative juices dried up when it came to designing the big battles.
11:33Not only are the bosses poorly designed in their own right,
11:36there's no reason why they turned out this badly.
11:39Squaring off against Batman's rogue gallery should have been a blast,
11:43considering how diverse these criminals are.
11:46Since the franchise is renowned for its satisfying combat,
11:49pummeling Gotham's worst supervillains should have been a highlight.
11:52But that's not the case.
11:53Half the bosses can be defeated by compelling them to slam into a wall like Wile E. Coyote.
11:58The Scarecrow sections feel more like stealth levels than boss fights.
12:02The confrontation with Harley Quinn involves fighting off her goons before defeating her with
12:07one punch.
12:08Despite Killer Croc and Bane's immense size and strength,
12:11they can be easily stunned with a single Batarang.
12:14And then there's the final boss.
12:15Not only does Titan Joker look ridiculous,
12:18it's arguably the easiest fight,
12:20since Batman's health replenishes each time he strikes his arch-nemesis.
12:25The fact that the boss fights turned out great in the follow-ups
12:28makes this blunder in Arkham Asylum all the more glaring.