30 Days of Video Games

[Conando]

My favorite boss fight would have to be:

Any Ridley Battle

This motherfucker. He comes back in almost every single Metroid game out there, and you have to respect his tenancity. What really makes the fight for me is the atmosphere they set up with him since Super Metroid, including his theme song. This guy wants you dead, and he will always be there to screw everything up for you. No matter how many times Samus puts him down, he comes back, not even death can stop him because he comes back as a freakin' robot and then later a clone! Of course, he provides quite a challenge to go with his dogged pursuit of Samus too, it wouldn't be any fun if he was just some mook. I always found Ridley to be the most challenge boss of the Metroid games, I just never found the final bosses to be more challenging them him. Maybe because the bastard likes to fly around and whack you with that ridiculously long tail of his, or fire his lasers in Metroid Prime.

[cdrom1019]

Favorite boss? I think as of right now and this is of course subject to change...Is the final boss sequence from Kingdom Hearts RE chain of memories. First fighting marluxia in the death machine and then fighting him afterword with all the sleights he gets to use. The fight in the regular chain of memories was pretty epic but the HD remake was just what the series needed. And boy was it pretty epic.

as far as a different one.....

I loved trauma center...and fighting the savato for the second time was just amazing....second only to the twisted rosalia from trauma team

[Nix]

Day 9: Favorite Boss

Mr. Freeze - Batman: Arkham City

Here's the deal, Batman's up against Mr. Freeze and he absolutely must take him down in any way possible. Mr. Freeze has you outgunned so frontal assaults are a no-go, you're going to have to resort to playing hit and run and you have all of your gadgets and techniques at your disposal. Ledge take downs, silent take downs, electrocuting him, etc. you can do it, but here's the catch, you can only do each of these techniques once (twice if you're really lucky on some of them). This boss battle on the second playthrough is the absolute best since you're going to use almost all of Batman's techniques and gadgets in the process of whittling down his health. The battle makes you think and apply your techniques in a different way, and I couldn't ask for anything more.

This battle also served as a great way to show off just how flawed of a character Batman is despite him being the "hero".

Edited January 24, 2012 by Nix

[buba]

Day 9 - Favorite Boss Fights

Any Boss from TMNT Hyperstone Heist

Some are pretty easy, others are hard as hell but all have one thing in commun: They represent the characters personality from the show at 100%.

The retarded but strong Rocksteady, the cocky Leatherhead and of course the always angry Krang.

I love to fight those guys, even though I already played this game so damn much that I know their attack pattern like the back of my hand.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Tmsp

[Carbo]

This is such a hard question for me to answer to be honest, possibly the hardest one I've been posed in my life as a gamer. It takes a substantial amount to have a boss have a lasting impact on me. So in no particular order, here's a few of them that surely left that.

Metroid Prime in general rests alongside Viewtiful Joe and Paper Mario 2 as my favorite Gamecube game of all time. While so many concepts of that game might have become dated by today's standards, it's truly a testament to the scope of exploration and mystery that games would impose in the past. At the heart of it all, after discovering the planet's deepest hidden secrets, you face off with the one and only parasite which was responsible for wiping out the very race that inhabited the planet, the titular Metroid Prime. This wasn't your average Metroid, this was a plague. A harbinger of genocide. The ramifications of which the music conveyed perfectly were heavy, of which the entire game names itself after. But that's not nearly the end of it, after defeating it's shell, you're tasked with destroying the very essence responsible for the planet's doom and despair. Fucking amazing.

No More Heroes is still tied up as my favorite game of all time, and this game breeds on it's boss battles because that's basically the foundation for the entire game. You have about ten boss battles to dare through, all colorful and fun, interesting with each and their own gimmick to boot, but none of them left as much of an impact on me as Henry; the bonus boss of the game, and an absolute beast. But why him? Out of all the bosses that were so well characterized, intuitively designed, incredibly unique and fun, what put him above the rest?

What made this boss so special is that... He wasn't really special. Henry is Travis' Irish twin brother, a savvy foil to Travis' unrefined stature that is basically to him what Vergil is to Dante. While every other boss had it's own gimmick, this boss battle is basically like facing your own shadow who knows more about you than you know yourself. Henry uses the exact same weapon you do, a beam katana, but is not only more efficient and elegant with it, he's got a shit ton of stamina to boot, and for god's sake, you fight him in a motel parking lot with beam katanas while heavy metal blaze-of-glory western music is playing in the background.

If that's not enough to convince you there's always

And finally,

Ganon.

This boss shaped my childhood. So much.

The reason I choose Ganon should be fairly obvious for anyone who ever grew up with it. When he unleashed this form with the power of the Triforce at the ruins of the castle grounds, surrounded by a bunch of hellfire, you knew shit was for real. The fight itself wasn't particularly that fantastic, but the setting was where it was at. It was ominous, it was dark, the music was haunting, after a long, epic adventure, you face off with the man who would immortalize himself in the world of Hyrule and villains as a whole. What he once saw as a mere kid he brushed off, has become a threat so majestic and aggravating that he is ready to unleash all the power of the world to brutally destroy you. An orchestra in the background so ominous speaks louder than words and the N64's lack of graphical prowess to detail this beast made it all the more intimidating when they resorted to using some of the best lightning work possible, obscuring most of him.

[Cobalt_Bolt]

Day 9 and my favorite Boss Battle. Now this one is tough because I've faced down alot of bosses over the years ranging from giant bosses to mirror bosses. Ladies and Gents I give you from Megaman Zero 3:

Omega Zero

This boss combines both the gigantic boss for the first two phases of the battle with his first and second armor forms and mirror boss battle for the final phase. The two gigantic armor forms take up one-half to three-quarters of the arena leaving little room for error in dodging the attacks and if you messed up you lost quite a chunk of health. After you finish off both armor forms and think that it's over you get quite a shock in that the true form of Omega Zero is the original body of Zero with almost all the movesets from the previous Megaman Zero and Megaman X games with a couple of twists. If you used up all your subtanks in the first two phases of the battle then you better be a great dodger because there is almost no room for error here especially with his multihit combo attack that can leave you dead faster than you can say "reset". I like this battle because of the way it combined both types of bosses into something that to the uninitiated is the stuff made of nightmares.

Runners Up:

Perfect Chaos from Sonic Generations: What can I say about this boss that hasn't already been said by my fellow forum users. You've got no Chaos Emeralds, he's the size of the Empire State Building, mean new look, and yet Sonic still comes out on top 13 years after Perfect Chaos' debut in SA1.

Dr. Weil phase 2 from Megaman Zero 4 : Giant boss check, Colony Drop check, Timer for fight counting down putting pressure on to stop boss check, Great soundtrack stating the intensity of the battle check. This boss captures the battle for a better tommorow at the cost of the hero's life pretty well.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Cobalt_Bolt

[Sonic the Hedgehog in 3D]

(the Generations Version)

This guy, this guy is amazing; challenging but not cheap. It provides a fun time that can be hard, an amazing take on an already great boss. I enjoyed every second of it.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Rawrdom

[gato]

Day 9 - Favorite boss

...

TBH I don't remember any particularly memorable boss fight...

Oh well, my pick for today will be...

Phantasy Star Online - Olga Flow

I don't have any fond memories of this bastard, but it's one of the most entertaining boss fights I remember... It's certainly PSO's best one (And I believe it came back in the Portable series... I can't check that right now), and it manages to be challenging without coming up as frustrating... (most of the time)

I used to be an adventurer like you.

Most of my love comes once again from the setting, you just went through the

(a bitch of a stage, especially in ultimate), you get to this long halfway with a teleporter/elevator in the middle, whatever happened to Heathcliff Flowen, you are going to find it out here... You take the elevator, start going down, you hear some sort of message... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3AdN80WKXw, and the fight starts!

Heeeere's Flowen! (or what's left of him)

This fight must have been amazing back in the day, going down in an elevator while this monster (also falling down) shoots you with everything it has and swinging his huge sword at you every once in a while... I also find (for some reason) incredibly cool how the thing fights you upside down.

Here is a good video showcasing it's attacks (BTW, you better get some ranged weapons when facing it because it's pretty much the only way you are going to be able to hit this bastard, and pray that giant beam doesn't hit you once you have enough DFP because its "OHKO".) :

Goin' down!?

So what happens after that? you get to the bottom of the lab with Olga's "corpse", the battle is over! You can go back to Pinoeer 2... Except that there is no portal, nor boxes, nor it seems like a proper ending and there is that little white light turning around, you check the light,

Olga gets up and this time you are both in ground level so it's going to try to stomp you, slash you and kill you!... And maybe murder you later!...

This is where the fight gets chaotic, Olga will start walking around and attacking you with its sword in many hurtful ways, and now it's 2 partners (some sort of mags) Gael and Giel join in to make things even more difficult for you... To make things worse, now Olga can become pretty much invulnerable to all sorts of damage except for a random "type" he will adopt (types in this game are kinds of armor the enemies have, Native, A.Beast, Machine and Dark) so you better have some percentages in all of your weapons if you hope to deal some damage (that or kill it before it has a chance to activate this mode)... You also get to "become" Heatcliff Flowen for a while... This fight is crazy! xD

Once again... I'll let a video do the talking for me:

Round 2!

So yeah, this boss is pretty epic, might not be at the scale of some more modern fights... But this is the only one who managed to get stuck in my head. (maybe because if you are really really lucky, this guy gives you the best sword in the whole game)

Or maybe because of some kind of dirty joke I had with one of my PSO buddies and the fact that Olga is a woman's name where I live.

Honorable mentions: none (can't think of anything *shrug*)

I remembered!

There are 2 guys I always enjoy beating the crap out of... And both come from The King of Fighters 99.

Krizalid

Often high ranked as one of the most annoying bosses of the series, I just really like to fight against him,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9DUGPt-0QA.

Kyo Kusanagi

Once hero of the series, now a bonus boss for this game... It just feels epic to fight against the one who used to be "the good guy". Also,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x61w5mSqlic. (and I'm not only talking about the game, series or vidya in general, I really mean one of the best pieces music I've heard in my life! It does an amazing job expressing the situation both you and Kyo are facing).

Edited January 24, 2012 by gato

[Your Vest Friend]

Oh, remember how I mentioned Boiler Room Doom's best bit being the end of it? Well, today's topic is the perfect time to bring it in!

WTF [Crash Twinsanity]

I'm sure a few of you played Warped, right? That was pretty cool too, since Dingodile's introduction to the player was when he attempted to kill Penta. But it has to be said, the boss fight was pathetic; he was in the Antartic (why are reptiles always lumped into the ice places in the ND Crash series? CTR was just as bad with Glacier Park), he defended himself with rocks, the music was boppy (although still awesome) and his flamethrower blasts were weaks as hell. Here? After you destroy his shack, he stalks you since he pverheard Cortex mention treasure and, after the trail through the aforementioned Boiler Room Doom, he blasts Cortex through the roof due to not telling him where the treasure is (and for insulting him since Cortex couldn't understand a word of his heavy Aussie accent, he wouldn't last a day with Marine) and you get hell.

Now let's make this clear; the boss fight is not -that- hard or challenging (although easily the hardest in Twinsanity barring the final boss fight, although some think it's even harder than that) compared to other classic fights outside the Crash franchise. But boy, is it fun. The demonic, fiery imagery, the sheer range of attacks Dingodile utilises this time around, the literal chanting of the acapella (very different to the other tunes in the soundtrack) and just the fact that Dingodile got upgraded into being the biggest dick on my top ten favourites list.

Komodo Moe is a Badass [Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back]

While this is also a fun fight, I'm looking more from the perspective of one character; Komodo Moe. He's not one of my top ten favourites, but damnit if he isn't close. As made clear by Naughty Dog, this guy is basically Crash's evil answer to Big the Cat (albeit, given that he was supposed to be in Crash 1 but was pushed back to Crash 2, he was made long before Big). He's portrayed as clumsy, goofy, comedically overweight and a complete walkover. Yet, in this one instance, his debut and boss fight, he was allowed to take the helm. He wasn't clumsy and morose, he said "Hey, I'm huge and I have samurai skills programmed into me, I should be a fucking tank".

And that he was; he was invulnerable, he was a good shot with his swords, and facepalmed and shook his head when his partner messed up something so simple as attacking Crash. And that was the thing about this boss fight; it was JOE who was the liability here, not his much-insulted although-more-competent-in-his-first-game bigger brother. And you know what? Everyone ignored this. Moe has never been that incompetent in the games he appeared in, although the concept art shows us that he was intended as such, and yet he's one of the least popular of all the Crash Bandicoot characters barring one-shots like Rilla Roo and Yaya. I may like Joe more, but big respect to the big guy.

Firebreathing Reptile with an Epic Theme???

Take Tweek. I like Tweek. He's cute, and Welsh, and comes with really good music for his level parts. What happens if you take the firebreating reptile idea with the awesome choir chords, flip it so it's evil, and mix with high-adrenaline 2D platforming, as well as a fake-out retro fight beforehand and some physical comedy?

Firebreathing Reptile with an Epic Theme [New Super Mario Brothers Wii]

TWEEK!

Not a Boss but AAUK Called It One, So I Say Screw You Guys I Love It [sonic Generations]

In fact, take any one of my top ten fave characters, and there'll be at least one boss fight they've been in that I love, whether for the fight itself or the pre-fight banter between them and your player(s).

Except for Pura...and Tails. I'm sorry Tails, but your boss fights have sucked.

Edited January 24, 2012 by VEDJ-F

[FlameKoetsu]

Favorite Boss huh, more of a recent one but its the Final boss from Kirby's Return to Dreamland.

Magolor

Every Kirby game usually has an epic final fight but this one really topped it for me. The fact of so many phases in the boss fight is what I really enjoyed though. The first being a Shump style level that ends with you fighting the ship you traveled on THE ENTIRE GAME. After that you get knocked down to fight Magolor in space, the whole scene of the next part is amazing such as seeing a portal to Popstar slowing drifting towards the battlefield. The look of him and his final form are great and give you the cutesy Kirby feel with a bit of creepiness also.

[SuperStingray]

Quadraxis (Metroid Prime 2)

This is what I was saving him for. If a good game teaches a player how to intuitively use the tools and skills it provides, a good boss is a fair exam of them. And Quadraxis is nothing if not a test, with tactics mirroring those of its smaller bacteriophagoid counterparts encountered throughout the rest of Sanctuary Fortress mixed with a test of skills and abilities picked up during the chapter, including the Spider Ball, Power Bomb and Echo Visor.

Another quality I seek in a boss is a level of resilience that represents their above-average strength, intelligence that reflects the challenge they should impose and a stronger than usual degree of satisfaction in taking them down. Quadraxis has all of these. To present a contrast first, my least favorite bosses are the ones you wail on until their health bar goes to zero, only changing tactics to prevent the battle from becoming stale rather than because their strategy necessitates it. The final boss of inFamous is my key example of this; he has a crazy huge health bar and a narrow range of attacks that he occasionally cycles through from beginning to end. It assumes a long battle is a proper substitute for a challenging one. Meanwhile Quadraxis is by no means a short battle, but rather than quantifying his strength in health, he's a boss resilient and resourceful enough that you have to take him down piece by piece. Even after you destroy his legs, his head survives and floats around, but what's REALLY satisfying is that you actually climb the husk of his legs to reach and destroy his head.

While there are gratifying bosses out there, Quadraxis is among the best designed, relying on the player's cleverness, intuition and understanding in an understated and brilliant way.

Runners Up: Mr. Freeze (Batman: Arkham City), REX Brigade (Metal Gear Solid 2), Bowser (Super Mario 3D Land), Iustitia (Bayonetta), Almost any boss from Demon's/Dark Souls

[Starman Swift]

Day 9: Favorite Boss Fight

General Tor from Iji.

The final boss for a game should be suitably epic, as well as suitably hard, and the folks behind Iji clearly know this. General Tor fights you in a huge armored suit, which is easily ten times as tall as you and has eight health bars. All of his attacks span the entire screen, and there is one specific one that can kill you instantly if you don’t dodge it. (It’s slow, but if you miss three of them and don't reflect them back, he kills you instantly anyway. Yes, it can be one of those ‘Tennis’ bosses, but normal weapons damage him too, just not as much.)

He also has a slightly higher AI than some other bosses; he’s more likely to use attacks that damage you than ones that don’t. There’s even an option, before the fight, to give his suit maximum charge, letting him use his most powerful attacks from the start, if you like a challenge. Overall, a very fun, challenging final boss from one of my favorite indie games.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Swift

[Serperior]

Waddle Dee (Kirby Super Star/Kirby Superstar Ultra): I can't describe why this boss is so amazing in text form, so I'll let this image do the talking. (WARNING: Large image)

But seriously, this boss is amusing simply for how pathetic amazing and epic it is.

Bosses with the enemy having the same moves, weapons and/or abilities as you is a concept I usually enjoy. Because of the fact that you and your enemy are on even ground in most, if not all manners, the ways you often have to go about defeating a mirror boss is usually pretty unique, and can lead to some pretty awesome moments. The feeling of beating one of them, and knowing that you have the superior skill over the AI is a pretty good one, especially if the battle itself was really tough. Dark Bowser, Vergil, Akuma and Ninetails (Pictured above amongst other examples) are my particular favourites of this type.

Omega Zero from Mega Man Zero 3 is another one of my favourite bosses in this trope, but I forgot about him while putting together the image.

X vs Zero in Mega Man X5 is another one of my favourites. The boss fight is really fun....if you're X (X as a boss is pretty easy sadly, you wouldn't think so considering X's range advantage) but the things that make me like this boss the most is the concept and the music. With the concept, I like it because of the fact that these 2 characters, who have been through quite a lot together, and even as individuals, now fighting each other in what will be their last fight ever (Well, what was meant to be their last fight ever until X6 happened) for whoever loses.....ignoring that canonically Zero is the loser and then he would go on to have his own series where he would go on to kill X if X6 never happened. Seeing each of them go all out and even use weapons from past games was a really neat touch as well, and really added to the feeling that this was a serious fight and showed that neither of them were willing to lose. As for the music, it fits with this battle really well. It has a really intense sound to it, and it does have the feeling of a final battle to it.

Honourable mentions:

Yami: This would be outside the honourable mentions if it weren't for the fact that I'd be repeating exactly what others have said before. The fact that Yami takes everything you've learned throughout the game from you meaning you have to earn them back throughout the boss fight was a pretty good idea, and the way you get to use the brush in the fight, and how they give near enough every technique a practical use in the battle made it really interesting, and fitting for a final boss, since it requires you to have mastered all of the skills you've learned throughout the game. Also the last phase music is the best song on Okami's soundtrack.

[Swiss]

I'm sorry, but this just beats every boss ever made in my opinion. Words can't describe a thing like this, so I'll just leave the video there (warning: contains strong language).

[Sean]

Day 9: Most favorite boss battle

Noitu Love 2 has some really fun boss battles. Each one is different and hectic in its own way, and maneuvering around their attacks and pummeling them with your mouse button at the next open opportunity is incredibly satisfying. Technically, the whole game contains some of my favorite bosses ever, so I'll mention just one here and not gush about them all: the final boss, although revealing its name would constitute as a spoiler!

I think what really makes it for me is the music. Each major boss in Noitu Love 2 has its own unique theme, and the final boss has three,

for

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ4nWOb63gg. They build the atmosphere nigh perfectly, even better than the majority of multi-phase bosses I've seen in games. Most of the time due to some strange coincidence, I find myself preferring the penultimate phase music over the true final phase music, but Konjak is a man who knows how to build up tension and excitement without falter.

And yeah, the whole fight is just plain, crazy fun. I especially enjoyed the second phase (pictured above), but the sheer speed of the last one is punctuated by its intense music and it's one of my favorite boss experiences to date.

[null]

Day 9 - Favorite Boss in a Video Game

Manfred von Karma - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Nintendo DS - 2005

Meet the embodiment of batshit insane. This guy's ego makes Kanye West look like Fluttershy when it comes down to his perfect 40-year prosecuting streak. The one time he gets just a minor penalty, he goes popping a cap in the defense lawyer's ass, but only after taking a bullet to the shoulder first and not going to get it treated; true actions from a straight up 'G. And then there's that whole taking-said-lawyer's-son-under-his-wing-and-manipulating-him-over-time business.

I love over-the-top characters, and since Ace Attorney is all about over-the-top-ness, there's a plethora of said characters throughout the games; Manny just happens to be my favorite. While it's complicated to argue that the various prosecutors in the series are "bosses", von Karma's character certainly made the trial feel like a boss battle.

Runner-Ups: Giygas (EarthBound) and Unnamed Giant Catfish (Touhou 12.3 ~ Touhou Hisoutensoku)

[Solly]

Favorite Boss

With my flame, I'll burn him to the bone!

And with my frost, I'll freeze him to his soul!

Sorceress Sisters

TWINROVA

There are a lot of things to like about this fight. It's probably one of the most challenging fights in Ocarina of Time, although that doesn't mean much to me now since I've played the game so many times it's all pretty easy.

But it's also got one of the coolest uses of the Mirror Shield in the entire series. In their first form Koume and Kotake individually command the powers of fire and ice. Instead of reflecting their powers back at them, you have to hit them with each other's power turning sister against sister, which is a pretty neat gimmick. After they combine, they'll continue shooting fire and ice, but you have to catch three of the same spell and then shoot it back at them. Fire + Fire + Fire will hurt Twinrova, but collecting Fire + Fire + Ice will reset it. I kinda like items getting new specific or exaggerated powers during boss fights. It feels really climactic.

I also really like the fight from a story perspective. Koume and Kotake are Ganondorf's surrogate mothers, which makes it all the more fitting that they're the last bosses you fight before reaching him. This is the point in the game where you really feel like you're taking the fight to him.

I also love the way they argue with each other after you kill them. A little comic relief never hurt.

Honorable mentions go to Bowser in Super Mario 64, the Marble Garden Zone boss in Sonic 3 and Knuckles, and a lot of other great fights I can't seem to think of at the moment.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Solly

[Badnik Mechanic]

Day 9: I'll get you back Evil boss! aka favourite boss in a video game.

This is would be my number 1 pick.

Shadow of the Colossus: The Colossi.

To attempt to pick a single boss here would be foolish, every boss in this game is so unique and such a fun experience that it constantly draws the player back to it, to return and find their way to the next boss, to tackle it and defeat it.

Each boss is presented almost like a puzzle. The player has to first of all decipher how to actaully climb the beast, often this involves using the environment and sometimes even the boss' own attacks in order to get an openning. Once you find your way onto the boss, the boss will try and throw you off, you must find it's weak points and attack it.

Yet when you climb the boss, it almost becomes a level in itself, you tower above the ground on a new environment, and environment that knows you're trying to kill it. The colossi will react depending where you are and even if you stab it in areas that do not damage it.

Each time you enter the boss area, it awakens like a phantom, it appears out of the mist and slowly advances towards you, the things that childhood nightmares are made of. It seems impossible to imagine when you see the boss to then think... I'm going to climb that... and then... I'm going to destroy it.

Yakuza 3: Yoshitaka Mine

This is the final boss of Yakuza 3... and what a boss it is... You fight on the top of the Millenium Tower, this boss will absolutely destroy you if you don't know your moves and do the same cheap combos over and over, you've got to be so on the ball with this one otherwise he'll absolutely destroy you.

This fight is one of the most intense fights in the game if not in videogames, he'll keep coming at you and your special HEAT actions almost bounce off him. You can't stop moving because he's relentless...

And it's awesome! The fight is so intense and every trick or every tactic you've used in the game is called for, even those extra hard moves you've been putting off doing.

However the kicker is the music... it's Yakuza 3's best track in the game, "Fly" starts up and lasts for the entire fight, everything about this fight has you going "COME ON! COME ON! YEEEAAAAAAHHHH!!!" when that final blow hits and Uncle Kaz is victorious!

Honorable Mentions

Yakuza Series: Mine

Any fight between you and this person...

Because it's usually hilarious yet amazingly intense.

Demon Souls & Dark Souls: A Black Phantom

Technically it's not a boss... yet everything about it makes you react like a boss... A black Phantom is another player invading your game and your world... you never get over it... seeing the text "The Black Phantom **** has invaded" will put all your senses on edge, someone, somewhere in the world, has invaded your game and their mission is to kill you and claim your soul, they're coming for you, they want you dead...

So what you going to do about it? Summon help? Lay a trap? Try to run? Or stand and fight! It's so intense the first time you see this, everything you've tried to do in the game is now called into question, you either win or you die! There nobody is coming to save you. And when you see your target, or he sees you, you'd better be ready for one hell of a fight (if the player knows what he's doing), cheap tricks won't work here my friend.

The first time you beat a black phantom, there is an overwhelming sense of pride, the smirk on your face is huge... the next time you see the text 'the black phantom **** has invaded' your thought process changes to... "Bring it on."

Edited January 24, 2012 by Hogfather

[Indigo Rush]

It's 3 in the afternoon.

I'm in the playground.

Except I'm not there...

No, I'm in the Pokemon League.

And I just beat Lance.

That's right, I defeated Lance, the most powerful trainer in the world!

His Dragonites may have taken down most of my team, save for my Pidgeot and my Lapras.

Lapras, who's got half of his health, and Pidgeot who still seems to be okay.

I may have been whittled down to only 2 Super Potions and a Max Revive, but that's okay.

I won't be needing it.

I beat the Pokemon League.

Yessir.

Yeah that's right, Lance.

Give me all of the glory that I deserve!

Give-

...wait. What?

Wait, no.

No. NO.

NO.

*turns cap*

*gives Max Revive to fallen Venusaur*

It's.

ON.

The most iconic battle of my childhood.

My Venasaur vs his Charizard. No holding back. After battling him throughout the Pokemon games, it's finally time to finish him off, and claim my rightful place as THE POKEMON CHAMPION.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Indigo Rush

[Victory Defender]

Day 9 - Favorite boss

My favorite boss is the good ending boss fight from Infamous 2, which is Kuo & The Beast vs.Cole.

This game is a favorite for me. The reason this boss is the best is because it's anti-climatic. Throughout the game, you are inclinded to believed Kuo is totally good and Nix is evil. However, with the final karmic decision, you find out that's not the case. Nix decides to defeat the beast, and Kuo betrays Cole. Well, there goes your thoughts on the ending. You're fighting both Kuo and The Beast - mainly the beast, and Kuo just distracting you time to time. The most amazing thing is in the beginning of the game, you fight the beast. Right off the bat, you're about to beat him, but he pulls a trick up his sleeve and manages to defeat you. You then play the game acquiring new powers and abilities in hopes to defeating the beast. In the end, you realized you have watched Cole grow stronger, just to accomplish his task he was destined for.

[Nintendoga]

Day 9 Master Hand

Master Hand is so....random.

The main boss of the Smash Bros. series is quite a delight.

Master Hand's erratic behavior and simple yet effective design easily makes him my favorite. His backstory is also...interesting? Supposedly he is actually a child's hand, used to bring the toys/trophies(smashers) to life, in order to battle each other for the child's amusement. But the imagination and real life events surrounding the child forces Master Hand to go away whenever one of them wins the tournaments.

Quite interesting enough, some say the child is Sakurai, or someone he knew of as a child. Crazy Hand is obviously the child's right hand, and some go as far to even call Tabuu the child's father in real life. Controlling the child and trying to stop the child's unhealthy obsession with Nintendo characters. This is all very interesting and what not, but who's to say the child is really Master Hand, what if, Master Hand is really us....

/endpshycologyrant

Anyways, I do love Master Hand, his battle moves are hilarious, ranging from fist pumping you, to bitch slaping. My favorite, is the lasers he shoots from his fingers, making you dodge his lasers or risk getting fried (pun not intended). Master Hand on Intense provides a very challenging time with his erratic behavior all over the place, and makes him quite and intimidating boss. Easily my favorite because of moves, abilities, behavior, and mind of a child (though this may go to Crazy Hand).

Master Hand, I applaud you for being a interesting boss.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Nintendoga

[Johnny Boy]

Day 9: Favorite Boss

Mr. Freeze: Batman Arkham City

What I loved so much about fighting mr freeze is that his boss fight really showed how damn smart this guy is. How? Simple. It's because every time you hit him, he'll make sure you won't be able to use the same move you just used on him again. For example, if you electrocute him, he'll freeze the generators, if you use a silent takedown he'll activate some little fire thing that prevents you from sneaking upon on him again. The way freeze keeps forcing you to change your strategy is just brilliant.

[Soniman]

IIm getting real sick of you and your awesome post Indigo. Just.....man....

Anyway

Ancient Asskicking Automation

KOLOKTOS

The Zelda series was always ace when comes to great bosses, but this was just flat out awesome. The design, the methoods of damaging him, DAT FUCKING MUSIC. It was all fantastic.

Phase 1 is already good, using the Whip to completely rip this guy apart is seriously great, but whan Phase 2 comes along, good god....

The thing gets up rains down cold steel on you regularly, and summons his own army of the dead and even throws the damn blade at you. But it STILL gets better, once you manage to dismember one of his arms, you get a sweet Wind Waker nod by USING HIS OWN SWORDS TO CHOP THAT FUCKER UP! Unless you played the game, you have no idea how satisfying this is, going to town on his ass with his own weapons was one of the most satisfying ways to kill a boss ever.

And did I mention that the music is FUCKING AWESOME?

It sounds like an epic struggle between life and death (which is extremely appropriate considering the temple) and you feel like a badass fighting to this music.

Also, Skyward Sword made the brilliant decision of letting you REPLAY THE BOSSES, a feature ive not seen since Majora's Mask. Why Zelda games don't do this regularly ill never know.

Runners up are Ganondorf from Wind Waker.

It's one of those boss fights where you win by the skin of your teeth, its a one time experience that you'll remember forever. You see, Ganondorf was really kicking my ass and I was almost out of faires, but then I remebered I had one item left.

Grandma's Soup!!

That shit was a lifesaver, it heals all your health AND doubles your strength (until you get hit), Ganon was still cutting through my hearts until I FINNALY managed to stab that fucker right in the temple. My point is that without a Grandma's love, I would've never have been able to make it out of that boss alive, and that is awesome.

I also love the general atmosphere of the battle, technically Ganon already lost, there was no reason for him to fight Link, it was purely out of anger and despair, the Hyrule that we grew to experience and love in Ocarina of Time was slowly being submerged and destroyed by the rushing torrents, its incredibly somber and sad in an in-game and real life sort of way.

And lastly, Twinmold

Basically..

I liked Shadow of the Colossus-esque bosses before it was cool

Try and beat them without the giant's mask. Pure awesome.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Grooseinator032

[#EndyGate]

I have a few favorites when it comes to video games, though the concepts behind them seem to motivate me a bit more

Lechku & Nechku - Okami

Undeniably the most unique boss concept I've ever seen, two aristocratic owl men constructed of clockwork is something that I would've never seen coming in any game.

Yami - Okami

My god this is possibly my favorite final boss in a video game, because it strikes real deep. Right before the battle you instantly dispise this son of a bitch after Waka's glorious sacrifice, and even worse it takes away all of your celestial brush techniques. So for the next few phases you go about raping the bitch up the ass until you gain all of your brush techniques back, with the spirits of those who have supported you in your endeavorse appearing to cheer you on depending on the technique you use (Princess Himiko with Mist, Oki with Blizzard, etc.). And then things get even better in the final form, but I rather not spoil it all~

Ghost Titan - Sonic Rush Adventure

You're going up against a huge monster of a machined maned by Whisker, with him sending off tiny torpedo esc enemies, lasers, and the machines giant man hands. Though my favorite part of the battle has to be the cannons, I always loved the satisfaction you got from beaming that thing in the face.

Magolar/Magolar's Soul

This boss is absolute beauty. Not only does it use attacks based on Kirby's Super abilities against them, it also uses elements from just about every Kirby final boss before it.

[Sami]

Day 9 - Your Favorite Video Game Boss

Angelo Credo from Devil May Cry 4. Not because of the atmosphere, or the build-up, or the tension, or anything like that. Hell, you fight this guy before you even hit the half-way point, so you don't even get a sense of finality out of it. No, you get something I find to be even better: The sense that you're awesome, and you're fighting a guy who's almost just as awesome.

It's a sword fight to the death between you and an official of the corrupt Church. Not only has Credo been your rival for years, but he had to do with the kidnapping of your girlfriend in an attempt to use you as a tool for the Church's desires. After plowing through hundreds of demons for this one girl, you finally find her unconscious, in the hands of another Church official. Before you can fight him, you get interrupted by Credo, giving the other guy time to escape. Oh, it's on.

Not only does this angelic demon look awesome, but he's also very skilled with a sword. And it's here that I think words will no longer suffice. Here's a video I recorded after repeating the fight for over an hour just for the hell of it:

I don't think I need to say anything else.