Gingerbread Man on 30/8/2009 at 22:13
We speak often of the most annoying and stupid Final Bosses. We invoke the names of Nihilanth and the Undying King. Our ears redden at the memory of soul-crushing anticlimaxes called variously Doom 3, Quake 4, and Prey. And Fontaine... what the fuck was that about?
I can stare at games like Shadow of the Colossus or God of War, and they are Boss Fights from the get-go. There's no Shang Tsung here, no ... Part of the fun and terror and drive to defeat Bosses like Dr Robotnik or the Tyrant or Tenpenny was the periodic interaction you had with them (not so much for Robotnik, I guess) where they were in control, invincible and taunting you while they had you do dirty work and collect bullshit that they done littered in the realm. Because then when you did catch up to the bastards you were SO ready to give them a beat-down. You can't get the satisfaction of wading through wave after wave of more and more powerful minions until you get to the Final Boss itself unless you have something other than Bosses in your game.
So, who are the best End Bosses, and why do you think so? What do you think an End Boss should be like, ideally? Certainly it depends on the game itself. But why did SHODAN succeed when Fontaine failed miserably?
All this and more whirls in my head. FOR SCIENCE!
june gloom on 30/8/2009 at 22:18
Super Metroid. Mother Brain.
Thread over.
Fringe on 30/8/2009 at 23:22
Like Darth Vader, Jon Irenicus drives Baldur's Gate II's plot more than the heroes. He's not afraid to suckerpunch you--as in you the player--by taking away valuable party members or torturing people you care about. He torments you in your dreams. He's such a ludicrously powerful badass that he brushes you off the first few times you met him. Once he's gone, there's not much story to care about.
What makes him great isn't so much the fights themselves (which are well-done), but everything leading up to them.
raevol on 30/8/2009 at 23:23
I really liked the end of Half-Life 1. Not many did, but I did. It was bizzare, it required tactics, and it, in my mind, totally fit.
Also love the end of Ocarina of Time. It was very satisfying to finally crush the guy who ruined the world, and getting to crush him twice was even better.
I'm a fan of the end of Baldur's Gate 1, though not for the fight mechanics itself. That game just very expertly build up anticipation for the end, and when you finally got there, it was very satisfying.
Xenith on 30/8/2009 at 23:27
The boss in Condemned - Criminal Origins was pretty good, definitely not anticlimactic, though he did have some help from his lackeys. I do respect him for doing what he was supposed to do and nothing else, being dark, creepy and packing enough hitting power to break your bones if you weren't careful (not chatty like other end-goons). That and he was cool as heck with all the metal "ornaments" he was sporting.
Gingerbread Man on 30/8/2009 at 23:30
Quote Posted by Fringe
What makes him great isn't so much the fights themselves (which are well-done), but everything leading up to them.
Yeah, that's something I'm starting to decide is part of it. It's somehow way less satisfying to have an End Boss scenario unfold by entering a big room and seeing a weird / big / disgusting / cyborg thing and saying "Oh, that's what I have to destroy to win in the end" than it is to go into that room knowing what you're up against, betting on the fact that it's way more powerful this time, and hoping it doesn't know about your awesome new weapon / spell / limit break / etc.
I'm not sure if I'm being articulate enough here. I'm trying to convey something that is the difference between unavoidably fighting or stumbling across the Final Boss and actively seeking it out / battling your way towards it.
I think it's something like //whether the End Boss is a goal or an obstacle to that goal// but even that's not what I mean. :(
Matthew on 31/8/2009 at 00:03
The final boss of Planescape Torment probably goes without saying, I would think?
addone on 31/8/2009 at 00:31
I know this is gonna sound like a very typical thing for a gamer to say. But GLaDOS at the end of Portal. It's one of the most unique, satisfying boss fights I've done, even if it wasn't INCREDIBLY difficult.
june gloom on 31/8/2009 at 00:39
What about the Master from Fallout 1? His actions pretty much drive the plot of the game pretty much the Hub on to the end (especially if you tackle the Cathedral last, rather than Mariposa) and you get hints about him but he always seems to be a kind of boogyman, and when you finally get to him he's even worse than you imagined.
And then you don't even have to fight him.
Nameless Voice on 31/8/2009 at 00:40
In a way, talking about SHODAN as a great end boss seems a bit strange.
As an overall villain, she was great, but the end boss fights of both games were somewhat anticlimatic.
