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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
00:35prequel Crisis Core. Initially released on the PSP, this installment focuses on Soldier
00:41member Zach Fair, while he was allied with the treacherous Sephiroth. Even though Crisis
00:46Core could have been pure fan service, and it is, it has a lot to offer. It has an accessible
00:52battle system, magnificent graphics, and it expands on the lore and backstories of key
00:57characters. On top of that, Crisis Core is surprisingly emotional. Despite the fact that Zach is doomed
01:03from the start, nobody was ready to watch such a heart-wrenching death. But Crisis Core has
01:09its problems. Although the bosses are well-designed and have inventive tactics, they're too easy.
01:14If Zach regularly performs the sub-missions, he'll level up very quickly, allowing him to wipe the
01:20floor with the most powerful of monsters. By the time Zach is maxed out his most devastating spells,
01:25the spiky-haired commando can win the last few scraps in a minute flat. Though these extra missions
01:31aren't mandatory, they're worthwhile since it's the only way to access the most coveted spells.
01:36Zach will grow strong enough to dominate almost any battle, even if he only completes half these side
01:42quests. Number 9. The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim
01:46It's hard to know where to start while singing Skyrim's praises. Its immense world, personalized perk
01:52system, dual-wielding weapons, accessible user interface, and diverse spells are just a sample of
01:57the masterpiece's highlights. However, one of the few factors that didn't garner acclaim is the bosses.
02:04Considering the story centers around dragons laying waste to the world, fighting these almighty
02:10beasts should have been a sight to behold. And yet, the most daunting adversaries can be eliminated
02:15by chucking a few fireballs from afar, or by hacking them to pieces. Later enemies don't pose much
02:21trouble despite hefty health bars, so long as a dragonborn has a selection of potions in stock.
02:27Annoyingly, the Elder Scrolls sequel saves the worst boss for last. Not only is the showdown with
02:32Alduin depressingly generic, it's more aggravating since it can take over 100 hours to reach him.
02:38What makes this criticism more noticeable is the fact that Skyrim has a bloat of bosses.
02:43If Bethesda focused less on endless draug as warlocks and wyverns, they probably would have
02:49had more time to make each encounter enthralling, epic, and most importantly, less crap.
02:558. Dead Rising
02:57Though the controls in the original Dead Rising are clunky, this doesn't pose much of a problem
03:02while wailing on a slew of zombies. After all, Frank West doesn't need pinpoint accuracy while armed
03:08with a lawnmower. However, imprecise controls become an issue with the bosses, especially while
03:14taking on armed enemies from afar. In some battles, it feels like the controls pose more of a threat
03:19than the undead. While Frank desperately tries to aim at the bosses, he can be mowed down before taking
03:25a single shot. Although not every boss is a nightmare, some have the opposite problem and pose no challenge
03:32whatsoever. If the enemy has no long-ranged attacks, Frank can pick him off from a distance
03:36with ease. Alternatively, he can use heavy artillery or a chainsaw to deplete their hell's bar in a
03:42matter of seconds. In a nutshell, Dead Rising's bosses have no real difficulty curve. Whether Frank
03:48is tangling with a cannibalistic chef, a crazed security guard, or a demented clown, it's either
03:54insultingly easy or immeasurably frustrating. Number 7. Tunic. Serving as a love letter to the
04:01Legend of Zelda, Tunic is an isometric adventure that focuses on exploration, combat, and puzzles.
04:08The world is intuitively designed, so our heroic fox is encouraged to experiment rather than being
04:14told what to do or where to go. But there's one throwback to classic titles that wasn't appreciated.
04:20Brutal bosses. For the record, it's not the enemy's strategies that are unfair, but the gameplay.
04:26Due to the protagonist's stubby sword, it's hard to tell if he's in range to hit his target,
04:31especially when the camera is zoomed out. The camera pans with such regularity, it's hard to
04:37see the main character half the time. In situations like this, the boss can just box in our pointy-eared
04:42hero, giving him no chance to escape. A similar game which released the year before is Death's Door,
04:48which had a more balanced difficulty despite having significantly harder bosses. Every time the
04:53player died, it felt like it was their fault, encouraging them to get better. But in Tunic,
04:59it feels like the camera and the mechanics pose a greater threat than the enemies do.
05:03Number 6. Ninja Gaiden 2. Dark Souls and Cuphead prove that bosses can be fair despite being
05:09infuriating. As frustrating as bosses like this are, they can be defeated by memorizing their attack
05:15pattern. But as Ninja Gaiden 2 proves, there's a big difference between a tough boss and a cheap
05:20one. Most bosses in Team Ninja's hack and slash sequel have insta-kill attacks, which can be
05:26unleashed at any moment. What's worse is that these screen-filling foes can be bested through button
05:32mashing. Since these bouts don't involve much timing or precision, there's little satisfaction to be
05:38had on your end. Then there's the nuclear armadillo. Now this guy's gonna blow up after meeting his
05:43maker, but there's no hint that the atomic explosion will kill our hero unless he blocks or performs a
05:48certain move at the right time. Because of this, pretty much every first timer died at that point,
05:53forcing them to face off against the nuclear armadillo from the very start. Now that's not
05:58suggesting every Ninja Gaiden 2 boss is cheap, but even when the nasty bunch agree to play by the rules,
06:04it's not as fun or engaging as it should be. Number 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
06:31dearly. Although the main campaign was supposed to have traditional bosses, the developers strongly
06:36considered cutting them due to time constraints. Believing their removal would impair the story
06:41and gaming experience as a whole, it was decided to outsource the boss fights to a small studio
06:46called Grip Entertainment. According to Grip director Paul Krzyzewski, he worked on the project
06:53like a regular shooter, unaware the property wasn't action-heavy. For this reason, it's no surprise that
06:59these bombastic bosses didn't gel with Deus Ex's otherwise stealthy gameplay. To be clear,
07:05Human Revolution's bosses aren't bad in the traditional sense, but there's no question that
07:09they feel it had a place with the game's tone. The bosses became such a sore point, they were
07:14completely overhauled for the director's cut of the game.
07:17Number 4. The Legend of Zelda. Majora's Mask.
07:21Considering 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. Nevertheless, the follow-up Majora's Mask
07:32surpassed its predecessor in many ways, focusing more on character developments, personal conflicts,
07:37and mature themes. After all these years, the intricate time loop concept is still deemed one
07:42of the most innovative mechanics in the entire series. But if there's one aspect where Majora's Mask
07:48falters, it's its bosses. Save for the Guardian of the Snowhead Temple, every end of dungeon enemy
07:55is lame. In most Legend of Zelda installments, Link needs to utilize a treasure hidden inside each
08:01dungeon in order to vanquish the corresponding boss. But in Majora's Mask, most of the bosses can be
08:07beaten with mindless slashing, including the main antagonist. Although the third boss, Gaiorg,
08:13doesn't have this issue, it's still tedious to fight the creature, thanks 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 since the boss battles were heavily revised when the
08:30game was remade for the 3DS. 3. Bioshock
08:34The fight with Frank Fontaine at the end of Bioshock isn't just underwhelming,
08:41it's jarring. Considering 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, Irrational Games should have avoided
09:02repeating the mistake in future. Unfortunately, Bioshock 2 had similar issues. Rather than devising
09:08unique adversaries with distinctive strategies, every 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, the developers went to the other extreme,
09:25giving the bosses too many strategies. No boss exemplifies this issue more than Lady Comstock.
09:31This spiritual entity turns invisible, teleports incessantly, heals, and renders herself immune
09:38to most attacks. Coupled with her mammoth health bar, this brawl is a slog, even on the lowest difficulty.
09:44In 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, many of the Italian Plumber's earlier
10:01titles had surprisingly mundane boss battles. In the original Super Mario Bros., our coin-collecting
10:07hero could beat Bowser just by reaching the right side of the screen. In many titles, Mario can defeat
10:13colossal machines, dinosaurs, and monsters by repeatedly bonking them on the head. Of course,
10:18the franchise's gameplay has evolved leaps and bounds over the years, and as a result, the more recent
10:23entries have given the gaming community some of the most entertaining battles ever. So what exactly
10:29happened to Super Mario Bros. Wonder? Rather than having Nintendo's mustachioed mascot contend with a
10:35varied group of end-of-level enemies, every castle concludes with fighting Bowser Jr. Although each
10:42encounter has mild variety, the Koopa Kid relies on the same strategy every time. And somehow, it gets
10:49even worse. At the end of each airship level, Mario must fight a robotic version of his nemesis.
10:54However, calling it a fight is probably a stretch since Mario can destroy robot Bowser by pressing an
11:00overhead switch one time. Though Wonder is overflowing with innovation, the same can't be said about the
11:07boss fights. Number 1, Batman Arkham Asylum. Back in 2009, Batman Arkham Asylum cemented itself as the
11:15definitive superhero title almost overnight. Its masterful combat, imaginative puzzles, and lightning-in-a-bottle
11:21voice casting has allowed Rocksteady's DC saga to endure ever since. Well, endure until Arkham Knight.
11:28Sadly, those creative juices dried up when it came to designing the big battles. Not only are the
11:33bosses poorly designed in their own right, there's no reason why they turned out this badly.
11:39Squaring off against Batman's rogue gallery should have been a blast, considering how diverse these
11:44criminals are. Since the franchise is renowned for its satisfying combat, pummeling Gotham's worst
11:50supervillains should have been a highlight, but that's not the case. Half the bosses can be defeated
11:54by compelling them to slam into a wall like Wile E. Coyote. The Scarecrow sections feel more like
12:00stealth levels than boss fights. The confrontation with Harley Quinn involves fighting off her goons
12:05before defeating her with one punch. Despite Killer Croc and Bane's immense size and strength,
12:11they can be easily stunned with a single Batarang. And then there's the final boss. Not only does
12:16Titan Joker look ridiculous, it's arguably the easiest fight, since Batman's health replenishes
12:22each time he strikes his arch-nemesis. The fact that the boss fights turned out great in the follow-ups
12:28makes this blunder in Arkham Asylum all the more glaring.