10 of the Best Boss Battles of this Generation *SPOILERS*

Bracken Lee-Rudolph from ITF Gaming writes:This generation of gaming, with the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the ever-present PC, has been filled with some exceptional protagonists, some epic antagonists and a great amount of fights between the two. Now as the curtain begins to close on our current generation with the announcement of the PlayStation 4, we take a look at some of the most insane, hardest and visceral boss battles that the current generation of gaming had to offer, starting with… A MAJOR SPOILER ALERT, I do discuss integral plot points, so beware!

[majiebeast]

Poseidon God of war III nothing can match it this gen. I doubt any God of war can top it ever.

[RememberThe357]

I struggle to think of better boss battles than the ones in GoW3. If there were any I don't think I played them.

The Batman games had good bosses and Infamous had some good ones too, but other than that it's been pretty weak.

This isn't a bad list given what they have to work with; this generation has not been good for the boss battle.

[edenianrain]

I disagree about batman having good bosses,but maybe its because it felt way to say to me now infamous I agree,especially jeweled from the original,that is what you call a final boss fight.

[Murad]

First thing I think of is the final battle in MGS3, and MGS4, and Peace Walker. All of those battles were intense and look beautiful if anything. I also loved the final battle with Zeus, it was super awesometacular.

[papashango]

GOW 3 boss battles were just glorified mini games of bop it.

QTE really take the fun out of boss battles for me.

[Campy da Camper]

My favorite were Demon Souls and Scarecrow from Batman AA. I reeeeally like the Scarecrow ones.

[Reverent]

Yeah, as amazing and cinematic as GoW3's bosses were, and as fun as Infamous 1-2's bosses were, Demon's and Dark Souls have to have the best boss battles this gen in my opinion. I'm still in love with Ornstein and Smough boss fight.

[LOGICWINS]

Ra's al Ghul in Arkham City, Hercules in God of War 3, and Kiryu Kazuma vs. Akiyama/Tanimura.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Just awesome!

Kiryu vs. Joji Fuma is easily one of my favorite of ALL TIME.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[guitarded77]

@ Campy da Camper

Yeah, Scarecrow is a good one.

Can't believe no MGS4 on the list.

Demon's Souls too... some crazy bosses. I think the Iron Knight was very memorable for the scale. The first time you walk out and see him you're like "Oh s#!t... RUN!!!".

God of War clearly had some epic boss battles. Jaw dropping at times.

Personally I prefer 3rd person boss battles to first person. It's just more epic.

[admiralvic]

@ Guitarded77

Demon Souls was probably not / rarely mentioned, because most of the bosses were pretty anticlimactic once you knew how to fight them. In several cases the path to get to the boss was far more difficult than anything the bosses could ever hope to do.

[Jaqen_Hghar]

Ratchet vs. Nefarious or Tackion was good. Hercules was my favorite boss fight of GoW3.

[knowyourstuff]

Obviously whoever made this list never played Metal Gear Solid 4. Or Resistance 3.

BTW God of War only has quick time events at the very end of Boss Battles, so haters can STFU please.

[Xof]

You know, the first time I played Nier... that big boss at the halfway point (prior to the timeskip) made me think, "Wow, this battle is so much more fun than anything in God of War 3."

Very different games, yeah, but the way fighting a giant foe was presented in Nier was just so much cooler. In God of War, boss fights aren't special. They're rote.

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

How is this "rote"?
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[CataclysmicDawn]

I'm inclined to differ in opinion, so far as that is concerned. While I haven't laid hands on Nier, I felt that GoW's bosses were varied and allowed for lots of different approaches.

Everything has it's tendencies, even in things like sports, where football teams like Barcelona play iconic brands of football, but teams approach their challenge in many different ways.

[Tontus]

Can't you praise one game without slagging off another? The God of War franchise is not only considered to be one of the best in gaming history but its boss fights are legendary, I can't say much about Nier because I have never, nor do I plan to, play that game.

[InMyOpinion]

I've played and finished Nier. It has some amazing bosses, accompanied by some of the best music composed this gen. An overlooked gem.

[Y_5150]

That game still holds most epic beginning of all time. Video games and movies.

[Eyeco]

One thing I love about the GOW 3 boss battles is when the Ghost of Sparta song comes on I get so pumped

[Mr-SellJack]

Souls Franchise FTW!!!!!

[Gamerbeyond]

i really liked the titan bosses in god of war

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

Metal Gear Solid 4 had some epic boss battles, my favourite ones were....

MINOR SPOILERS
MINOR SPOILERS
MINOR SPOILERS

Crying wolf
Metal Gear REX VS RAY
and Liquid Ocelot

[DownNotOut]

The liquid ocelot boss fight was the most epic moment this gen IMO

[Eyeco]

I'm on my 5th playthrough on MGS 4 and I'm on Crying Wolf absolutely powerful, tense and eerie.

[Jaqen_Hghar]

When the MGS3 music kicked in during that final fight and he turned back into Ocelot a man squealed like a Justin Beiber fangirl in the front row. Snake vs. the triangle button tunnel was still the best boss fight of that game though.

[Donnieboi]

The Crying Wolf one "solidified" Snake as the greatest soldier ever. Dude was dealing with hypothermia, the frog soldiers literally surrounding him on all sides, dealing with the white blinding snow storm, and finally the huge, beastly, hyper fast, long-range sniping Crying Wolf ALL combined were still no match for the old man. And what I like is how YOU (the player) really felt like the odds were against you. The game didnt hold your hand, you REALLY had to make the best of this nearly impossible situation. So it wasn't just Snake "the legend" winning this impossible fight, but it was really YOU who won too, because you really had to figure out how to take each enemy out while using the environment to your advantage. Hell, you could even "hunt" down Wolf by tracking her foot tracks (if the player was clever enough). Or fool wolf by standing in the open when the wind would blow directions, so she smells your scent.Then lure her to where U once Were, only to pop out of somewhere to trap her. No other boss fight in history was so flexible in how Many ways you can approach and Even fool your opponent. Snake wins with brains not brawn every time! Insane!

This is how the battle plays out if u can beat her and ALL enemies WITHOUT getting seen/caught, or using lethal force. Try beating them without killing them. THAT is how you get the ultimate challenge and adrenaline rush. Too bad many noobs just went in there blasting and using rations to keep them alive even though wolf is kicking their butt. Play every boss fight using stealth and non lethal weapons to see the true brilliance and A.I. of this game's bosses.

[DarthJay]

Clearly the Alien Queen boss battle in Aliens: Colonial Marines. CLEARLY!

[KillrateOmega]

SPOLIER ALERT!

And the Armstrong fight from MGR: Revengeance didn't get a single mention? :(

Anyways, the GoW series as a whole has incredible fights. GoW 3 in particular pretty much takes the cake as having the most epic boss battles around. Aside from Zeus, you could have just as easily mentioned Cronos (my personal favorite due to the sheer scale), Poseidon, Hades, Ares, the Colossus of Rhodes, etc.

The Infamous series is also a very strong contender in terms of it's boss battles. Alden, the Beast, and Bertrand anyone?

The Arkham boss battles, while less incredible in scale, were no slouches either. I still remember the first Joker battle where he's trying to turn you into a Titan before becoming a Titan himself.

I'm surprised that the final fight with Liquid in MGS4 didn't get a mention. The setting, changes in music, and life bars that were changing with the music as these two old warriors/rivals/brothers slowly beat each other to death was one of the most gripping scenes I have ever seen. The cool mech battle between REX and RAY was fun as well :)

Regardless, all the boss battles listed were in incredible. This has been an awesome generation for gaming. Looking forward to what we'll see next-gen.

[CataclysmicDawn]

MGR: R has just come out though, and I have not had the opportunity to play it.

God of War had some of the finest boss battles I've ever played, and I was well tempted to give both GoW and Dragon's Dogma several mentions.

Batman had some great battles too, plainly because of his enemies forcing him to adapt due to their vastly differing abilities. I considered adding Doctor Freeze from Arkham City, considering the difference in strategy that you were forced to apply.

I've never played an MGS. I still, to this day, feel horrific about it, but I can't in good faith mention something I have not played.

Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the read :D

[KillrateOmega]

No problem, bro :)

This list was very well put together and has definitely been one of the more enjoyable reads during a time when N4G has been flooded with PS4 rumors, information, and positive/negative opinions. A breath of fresh air.

*I was really just joking about the Armstrong fight. Considering how recently the game has come out I didn't expect it to be here.*

[Jaqen_Hghar]

Hercules was a man's favorite GoW boss battle ever. It was just a mono e mono brothers fight (much like Liquid vs. Snake) and the whole last quicktime was epic.

[sdozzo]

Demon and Dark Souls.

[TheRealHeisenberg]

Having just played through GoW 1 thru 3, I feel inclined to go with the Zeus battle in GoW3. Props to Batman: AC too though.

On a side note, I completely forgot how awesome the graphics are in GoW3. The devs put in quality work.

[madduey]

I replayed it again the other day stunning game in every way Zeus fight for me!! But ripping off Kronos' nail was awesome!!

[Philoctetes]

Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough.

All other bosses are just fighting for second place.

[doogiebear]

Yeah that battle was only one where patterns cant help you. U just had to plain out-pace them and wear them down.

[DevilishSix]

Good grief that list is weak. Zeus wasn't even the second best Boss battle in GOW 3. Posideon and Hades were better, Hell the battle against the Titan (forget name) was more fun.

I enjoyed boss battles in most of Platinum's games. Bayonetta, Vanquish, and MGR:Revengence had good boss battles. Darksiders 1 & 2 and Dragons Dogma had some good battles.

Demon Souls and Dark Souls had some nasty Boss, since they were such hard games not sure if the regular gamer think they are much fun, but I did.

Since this generation has gone so first and third person shooter crazy the art of making good boss battles has weakened.

[listenkids]

I just can't agree with the list, sorry. :(

[_QQ_]

No MGS4, Skyward Sword, Metroid Prime3,or even big daddy fights from Bioshock? The writer must have missed some of the best games this gen. also i would say the chronos fight over the zues fight from GOW3 imo

[CataclysmicDawn]

I actually did miss most of those, since I never owned a Nintendo console, and have unfortunately not ever played an MGS title.

Chronos was that massive Titan, right? He actually came to mind while writing this as well, but I chose Zeus because of the story relevance and the fact that Chronos ended up playing as a platforming environment more than a boss.

[_QQ_]

i like the chronos fight because it's unique and on such a huge scale, but i understand now that your list is based on 1v1 style boss fights in which case i almost 100% agree with it, especially the Radec fight, i feel like it never gets recognition.

[Cam977]

Ornstein and Smough. The gratification I received after soloing them on NG+ was incredible.

[A2X_]

Ok nobody mentioned Shadow of the colossus. Now I'm really sad.

[Y_5150]

THIS GEN, not last generation.

[A2X_]

Missed that bit. Thanks ;)

[fsfsxii]

But Shadow of the Colossus has one of the best boss battles of all time.

[yami930]

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS**

My top boss battles of this generation I can think of are:

Posiden (God of War 3)
Metal Gear Ray (Metal Gear Solid 4)
Monsoon (Metal Gear Rising)
Kessler (Infamous)

I'm sure there were more great ones, I just cant think of them off the top of my head.

[Y_5150]

Kessler and Zues. Hard to say which one is better, both are truly great villains.

What I like is that he mention That black knight from Castle Crashers and Ras Al Ghul where both surprisingly awesome boss battles to me.

[Britainz-Fin3st]

Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 had pretty good boss battles if i remember rightly
.

[StrawberryDiesel420]

No boss battles from either Demon's Souls or Dark Souls which basically have THE BEST boss battles this generation of gaming? This list FAILS HARD.

[Loki86]

Xord, that is all.

[plaZeHD]

At this point there is no game that can top God Of War 3 boss battles. So all God Of War 3 boss battles for the win.

[RealtorMDandDC]

GOW3 is pure Epic on bluray.... Those where incredible boss battles

God of War and Metal gear Series tend to have some very clever and epic moments....

Vanquish has it's moments currently playing it and I have to say, I'm impressed...

[Eyeco]

I didn't like Kessler at the end of Infamous I though he was an actual pain in the A$$, his health is ridiculously high and you do little damage, on top of that he has so many attack patterns which he constantly delivers, one including those annoying exploding robot spiders, and you constantly have to keep moving around a map that has no cover positions whatsoever.

[patsrule316]

I know they came from the beginning of this generation, but two I haven't seen mentioned are Saren from the original Mass Effect and General Raam from the orginal Gears of War. They weren't set piece bosses, but they were definitely worthy adversaries. Dark Souls definitely had some bad ass bosses. And I know they weren't popular with everybody, but I liked many of the psychopaths in Dead Rising. And I agree with all who said Scarecrow.

And for a completely unconventional answer, I was as proud of beating Freebird on expert in Guitar Hero 2 as any other boss battle I faced.

[FATAL1TY]

1- Cronos (GOW3)
2- Poseidon (GOW3)
3- Zeus (GOW3)
4- Hercules (GOW3)
5- Hades (GOW3)
6- Cerberus (GOW3)
7- Scorpion (GOW3)
8- Radec (KZ2)
9- Kessler (infamous)
10- Aphrodite (GOW3) :D

[rhap]

Yoshitaka Mine from Yakuza 3. When the opening song starts to play, you realize that's really the last boss and everything changes. Probably the best boss fight on this generation for me.

Another game worth mentioning is Asura's Wrath. The entire game is an awesome boss battle.

[cyberninja]

Gow3 and Mgs4 bosses were the best imo. Also loved bosses from demon's souls.

[KontryBoy706]

Metal Gear Solid 4 final fight with Solid Snake VS Liquid was EPICKKK

[markte]

How can this list not have:
Jeanne from Bayonetta, the last fight with her blows ALL the fights on this list out of the water In fact how is there no fight from Bayonetta at all?

Genshin from NG2/NGS2. Ninja Gaiden, "nuff said.

Berial from DMC4, not only was it a bad ass fight, but he also looked bad ass!

[yami930]

From DMC 4 I think the Nero vs Dante boss battle (not the intro tutorial one) was a great boss battle this gen too (my favorite fight in DMC 4).

[markte]

Yeah that was an epic fight. Personally, I felt all the boss fights were pretty bad ass. It's just that Berial stood out more, due to his appearance and the setting.

[Mookie]

I just beat Metal Gear Rising 5 mins ago and that final boss should go in the top 10

[GCO Gamer]

Vanquish also had one of the sickest boss battles.

[RealtorMDandDC]

I have to agree with you there. Vanquish has some awesome boss battles so far. Heck the first one is rather epic like.

Metal Gear series has been also very epic.

Psycho Mantis Boss fights in Metal gear are always epic and awesome.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watc...

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

MGS1 link: http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Max-Zorin]

Every boss on Ninja Gaiden 2 puts the challenge level of your favorite boss fight to shame.

[GreenMachin3]

Heavenly Sword: Raven King!

[shivvy24]

Makarow - COD .... Lol jokes !

[smashman98]

I like the list however i disagree with the star destroyer

that was something i was looking forward to only to be utterly disappointed by mediocre controls. Plus it wasnt any where near as epic as the trailers

also I would've definitely put gwyn from darksouls in there

[fsfsxii]

GOW3 has one of the best bosses ever!
Starting with Poseidon, man, best 20 mins of my life lol
It blew me away because the day before i beat GOW2 and started GOW3 later and man i was stunned by the gorgoes graphics.
MGS4 has Snake vs. Liquid

[dsdrgyj]

in order to thank everyone, characteristic, novel style, varieties, low price and good quality, and the low sale price. Thank everyone

http://al.ly/3JF

http://al.ly/3JF

http://al.ly/3JF

│＼＿╭╭╭╭╭＿／│ 　
　│　　　　　　　　　│＼｜／ 　
　│　●　　　　　●　│—☆— 　
　│○　╰┬┬┬╯　○│／｜＼ 　
　│　　　╰—╯　　　／ 　
　╰—┬○————┬○╯ 　
　　╭│　　　　　│╮ 　
　　╰┴—————┴╯ dxfgjhhg