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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
01:28scraps in a minute flat. Though these extra missions aren't mandatory, they're worthwhile since it's the
01:34only way to access the most coveted spells. Zach will grow strong enough to dominate almost any battle,
01:39even if he only completes half these side quests. Number nine, The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. It's hard
01:46to know where to start while singing Skyrim's praises. Its immense world, personalized perk system,
01:52dual wielding weapons, accessible user interface, and diverse spells are just a sample of the
01:58masterpiece'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,
02:08fighting these almighty beasts should have been a sight to behold. And yet,
02:13the most daunting adversaries can be eliminated by chucking a few fireballs from afar,
02:17or by hacking them to pieces. Later enemies don't pose much trouble despite hefty health bars,
02:23so long as the Dragonborn has a selection of potions in stock. Annoyingly,
02:28The Elder Scrolls sequel saves the worst boss for last. Not only is the showdown with Alduin depressingly
02:34generic, it's more aggravating since it can take over a hundred hours to reach him.
02:38What makes this criticism more noticeable is the fact that Skyrim has a bloat of bosses. If Bethesda
02:44focused less on endless draug as warlocks and wyverns, they probably would have had more time to make
02:50each encounter enthralling, epic, and most importantly, less crap.
02:55Number eight, 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
03:08armed with a lawnmower. However, imprecise controls become an issue with the bosses,
03:13especially while taking on armed enemies from afar. In some battles, it feels like the controls pose
03:18more of a threat than the undead. While Frank desperately tries to aim at the bosses,
03:23he can be mowed down before taking a single shot. Although not every boss is a nightmare,
03:29some have the opposite problem and pose no challenge whatsoever. If the enemy has no long
03:34ranged attacks, Frank can pick him off from a distance with ease. Alternatively, he can use
03:39heavy artillery or a chainsaw to deplete their health bar in a matter of seconds. In a nutshell,
03:44Dead Rising's bosses have no real difficulty curve. Whether Frank is tangling with a cannibalistic
03:50chef, a crazed security guard or a demented clown, it's either insultingly easy or immeasurably
03:57frustrating. 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 encouraged
04:12to experiment rather than being told what to do or where to go. But there's one throwback to classic
04:18titles that wasn't appreciated. Brutal bosses. For the record, it's not the enemy's strategies
04:24that 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
04:35such regularity, it's hard to see the main character half the time. In situations like this,
04:40the boss can just box in our pointy-eared hero, giving him no chance to escape. A similar game which
04:46released the year before is Death's Door, which had a more balanced difficulty despite having
04:51significantly harder bosses. Every time the player died, it felt like it was their fault,
04:56encouraging them to get better. But in Tunic, it feels like the camera and the mechanics pose a
05:01greater threat than the enemies do. 6. Ninja Gaiden 2
05:05Dark Souls and Cuphead prove that bosses can be fair despite being infuriating. As frustrating as bosses
05:12like this are, they can be defeated by memorising their attack pattern. But as Ninja Gaiden 2 proves,
05:17there's a big difference between a tough boss and a cheap one. Most bosses in Team Ninja's hack and
05:23slash sequel have insta-kill attacks, which can be unleashed at any moment. What's worse is that these
05:29screen-filling foes can be bested through button mashing. Since these bouts don't involve much timing
05:35or precision, there's little satisfaction to be had on your end. Then there's the nuclear armadillo.
05:40Now 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. Because of this,
05:51pretty much every first timer died at that point, forcing them to face off against the nuclear armadillo
05:56from the very start. Now that's not suggesting every Ninja Gaiden 2 boss is cheap, but even when
06:01the nasty bunch agree to play by the rules, it's not as fun or engaging as it should be.
06:06Number five, Deus Ex Human Revolution. Deus Ex Human Revolution was a welcome return to form for
06:13the sci-fi hacker saga. Offering a perfect blend of genres, extensive world building,
06:19well explored character arcs and scores of cool mechanics, HR comes pretty close to matching the
06:25original. Having said that, Eidos Montreal ran into a spot of bother during development,
06:30which cost them dearly. Although the main campaign was supposed to have traditional bosses,
06:35the developers strongly considered cutting them due to time constraints. Believing their removal would
06:40impair the story and gaming experience as a whole, it was decided to outsource the boss fights to a
06:46small studio called Grip Entertainment. According to Grip director Paul Krzyzewski,
06:51he worked on the project like a regular shooter, unaware the property wasn't action heavy. For this
06:57reason, it's no surprise that these bombastic bosses didn't gel with Deus Ex's otherwise stealthy
07:03gameplay. To be clear, Human Revolution's bosses aren't bad in the traditional sense, but there's no
07:08question that they feel it had a place with the game's tone. The bosses became such a sore point,
07:13they were completely overhauled for the director's cut of the game.
07:164. The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask Considering The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of
07:23Time has the highest score on Metacritic, it's arguably the most celebrated video game of all
07:29time. Nevertheless, the follow-up Majora's Mask surpassed its predecessor in many ways,
07:34focusing more on character developments, personal conflicts and mature themes. After all these years,
07:40the 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. Save for the Guardian of the
07:52Snowhead Temple, every end of dungeon enemy is lame. In most Legend of Zelda installments,
07:58Link needs to utilize a treasure hidden inside each dungeon in order to vanquish the corresponding boss.
08:04But in Majora's Mask, most of the bosses can be beaten with mindless slashing, including the main
08:10antagonist. Although the third boss, Georg, doesn't have this issue, it's still tedious to fight the
08:16creature thanks to the awkward camera. Ironically, almost every sub-boss requires more precision and
08:23timing than the major ones do. Nintendo seemed to be aware of this criticism since the boss battles were
08:29heavily revised when the game was remade for the 3DS.
08:35The fight with Frank Fontaine at the end of Bioshock isn't just underwhelming, it's jarring.
08:42Considering how nuanced and fleshed out the world of Rapture is, it's strange to see this magnificent
08:47story conclude with a face-off against a Hulk reject. Due to Fontaine's formulaic tactics and
08:53tiny health bar, it's anticlimactic when the credits roll. Since the boss fights were deemed Bioshock's
08:59only glaring floor, a rational game should have avoided repeating the mistake in future.
09:04Unfortunately, Bioshock 2 had similar issues. Rather than devising unique adversaries with
09:10distinctive 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,
09:25game, giving 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
09:37to most attacks. Coupled with her mammoth health bar, this 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.
09:532. Super Mario Bros. Wanda
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 him on the head. Of course, the franchise's
10:19gameplay has evolved leaps and bounds over the years, and as a result, the more recent entries have given
10:24the gaming community some of the most entertaining battles ever. So what exactly happened to Super Mario
10:30Bros. Wanda? Rather than having Nintendo's mustachioed mascot contend with a varied group of end-of-level
10:37enemies, every castle concludes with fighting Bowser Jr. Although each encounter has mild variety,
10:43the Koopa kid relies on the same strategy every time. And somehow, it gets even worse. At the end of
10:50each airship level, Mario must fight a robotic version of his nemesis. However, calling it a fight is
10:56probably a stretch since Mario can destroy robot Bowser by pressing an overhead switch one time. Though
11:03Wanda is overflowing with innovation, the same can't be said about the boss fights.
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 has allowed
11:23Rocksteady's DC saga to endure ever since. Well, endure until Arkham Knight. Sadly, those creative juices
11:29dried up when it came to designing the big battles. Not only are the bosses poorly designed in their own
11:35right, there's no reason why they turned out this badly. Squaring off against Batman's rogue gallery
11:41should have been a blast, considering how diverse these criminals are. Since the franchise is renowned
11:47for its satisfying combat, pummeling Gotham's worst supervillains should have been a highlight.
11:52But that's not the case. Half the bosses can be defeated by compelling them to slam into a wall like
11:57Wile E. Coyote. The Scarecrow sections feel more like stealth levels than boss fights. The confrontation
12:03with Harley Quinn involves fighting off her goons before defeating her with one punch. Despite
12:08Killer Croc and Bane's immense size and strength, they can be easily stunned with a single batarang.
12:13And then there's the final boss. Not only does Titan Joker look ridiculous, it's arguably the easiest
12:20fight since Batman's health replenishes each time he strikes his arch nemesis. The fact that the boss
12:26fights turned out great in the follow-ups makes this blunder in Arkham Asylum all the more glaring.
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