10 Great Video Games With Terrible Bosses

There are plenty of standout games that have become infamous thanks to one or two shoddy

boss fights. However, it's a little bit weird when every boss is terrible in an otherwise terrific title

Due to the seamless gameplay, detailed world and rich story, it's perplexing when every

encounter with a major adversary is boring, uncreative or badly programmed. I'm Jess from WhatCulture and here are 10 great video games with terrible bosses

10. Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII The staggering success of Final Fantasy VII led to a slew of spin-offs

including the prequel Crisis Core. Initially released on the PSP, this installment focuses on Soldier member Zach Fair

while he was allied with the treacherous Sephiroth. Even though Crisis Core could have been pure fan service, and it is

it has a lot to offer. It has an accessible battle system, magnificent graphics

and it expands on the lore and backstories of key characters. On top of that, Crisis Core is surprisingly emotional

Despite the fact Zack is doomed from the start, nobody was ready to watch such a heart-wrenching death

But Crisis Core has its problems. Although the bosses are well-designed and have inventive tactics

they're too easy. If Zack regularly performs the sub missions, he'll level up very quickly

allowing him to wipe the floor with the most powerful of monsters. By the time Zack is maxed out his most devastating spells

the spiky-haired commando can win the last few scraps in a minute flat

Though these extra missions aren't mandatory, they're worthwhile since it's the only way to access the most coveted spells

Zack will grow strong enough to dominate almost any battle, even if he only completes half these side quests

Number 9. The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim It's hard to know where to start while singing Skyrim's praises

Its immense world, personalized perk system, jewel-wielding weapons, accessible user interface, and diverse spells

are just a sample of the masterpiece's highlights. However, one of the few factors that didn't garner acclaim is the bosses

Considering the story centers around dragons laying waste to the world, fighting these almighty beasts should have been a sight to behold

And yet, the most daunting adversaries can be eliminated by chucking a few fireballs from afar or by hacking them to pieces

Later enemies don't pose much trouble despite hefty health bars, so long as a Dragonborn has a selection of potions in stock

Annoyingly, the Elder Scrolls sequel saves the worst boss for last. Not only is the showdown with Alduin depressingly generic, it's more aggravating since it can take over 100 hours to reach him

What makes this criticism more noticeable is the fact that Skyrim has a bloat of bosses

If Bethesda focused less on endless draug as warlocks and wyverns, they probably would

have had more time to make each encounter enthralling, epic and, most importantly, less crap. 8

Dead Rising Though the controls in the original Dead Rising are clunky this doesn pose much of a problem while wailing on a slew of zombies After all Frank West doesn need pinpoint accuracy while armed with a lawnmower However imprecise controls become an issue with the bosses especially while taking on armed enemies from afar

In some battles, it feels like the controls pose more of a threat than the undead

While Frank desperately tries to aim at the bosses, he can be mowed down before taking a single shot

Although not every boss is a nightmare, some have the opposite problem and pose no challenge whatsoever

If the enemy has no long-ranged attacks, Frank can pick him off from a distance with ease

Alternatively, he can use heavy artillery or a chainsaw to deplete their health bar in a matter of seconds

In a nutshell, Dead Rising's bosses have no real difficulty curve. Whether Frank is tangling with a cannibalistic chef, a crazed security guard, or a demented clown

it's either insultingly easy or immeasurably frustrating. 7. Tunic Serving as a love letter to the legend of Zelda

Tunic is an isometric adventure that focuses on exploration, combat, and puzzles

The world is intuitively designed, so our heroic fox is encouraged to experiment

rather than being told what to do or where to go. But there's one throwback to classic titles that wasn't appreciated

Brutal bosses. For the record, it's not the enemy's strategies that are unfair, but the gameplay

Due to the protagonist's stubby sword, it's hard to tell if he's in range to hit his target, especially when the camera is zoomed out

The camera pans with such regularity, it's hard to see the main character half the time

In situations like this, the boss can just box in our pointy-eared hero, giving him no chance to escape

A similar game which released the year before is Death's Door, which had a more balanced difficulty despite having significantly harder bosses

Every time the player died, it felt like it was their fault, encouraging them to get better

But in Tunic, it feels like the camera and the mechanics pose a greater threat than the enemies do

6. Ninja Gaiden 2 Dark Souls and Cuphead prove that bosses can be fair despite being infuriating

As frustrating as bosses like this are, they can be defeated by memorizing their attack pattern

But as Ninja Gaiden 2 proves, there's a big difference between a tough boss and a cheap one

Most bosses in Team Ninja's hack and slash sequel have insta-kill attacks

which can be unleashed at any moment. What's worse is that these screen-filling foes can be bested through button mashing

Since these bouts don't involve much timing or precision, there's little satisfaction to be had on your end

Then there's the nuclear armadillo. Now this guy's gonna blow up after meeting his maker

but there's no hint that the atomic explosion will kill our hero

unless he blocks or performs a certain move at the right time. Because of this, pretty much every first timer died at that point

forcing them to face off against the nuclear armadillo from the very start

Now that's not suggesting every Ninja Gaiden 2 boss is cheap, but even when the nasty bunch agree to play by the rules, it's not as fun or engaging as it should be

5. Deus Ex Human Revolution Deus Ex Human Revolution was a welcome return to form for the sci hacker saga Offering a perfect blend of genres extensive world well character arcs

and scores of cool mechanics, HR comes pretty close to matching the original

Having said that, Eidos Montreal ran into a spot of bother during development, which cost them

dearly. Although the main campaign was supposed to have traditional bosses, the developers strongly considered cutting them due to time constraints

Believing their removal would impair the story and gaming experience as a whole

it was decided to outsource the boss fights to a small studio called Grip Entertainment

According to Grip director Paul Kraszewski, he worked on the project like a regular shooter

unaware the property wasn't action heavy. For this reason, it's no surprise that these bombastic bosses didn't gel with Deus Ex's otherwise stealthy gameplay

To be clear, Human Revolution's bosses aren't bad in the traditional sense

but there's no question that they feel it had a place with the game's tone. The bosses became such a sore point

they were completely overhauled for the director's cut of the game. Number 4. The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask

Considering The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time has the highest score on Metacritic

it's arguably the most celebrated video game of all time. Nevertheless, the follow-up Majora's Mask surpassed its predecessor in many ways

focusing more on character developments, personal conflicts, and mature themes. After all these years, the intricate time loop concept is still deemed

one of the most innovative mechanics in the entire series. But if there's one aspect where Majora's mask falters, it's its bosses

Save for the Guardian of the Snowhead Temple, every end of dungeon enemy is lame

In most Legend of Zelda installments, Link needs to utilize a treasure hidden inside each dungeon

in order to vanquish the corresponding boss. But in Majora's Mask, most of the bosses can be beaten with mindless slashing

including the main antagonist. Although the third boss, Gaiog, doesn't have this issue

it's still tedious to fight the creature thanks to the awkward camera

Ironically, almost every sub-boss requires more precision and timing than the major ones do

Nintendo seemed to be aware of this criticism since the boss battles were heavily revised when the game was remade for the 3DS

Number 3, Bioshock, the series. The fight with Frank Fontaine at the end of Bioshock isn't just underwhelming, it's jarring

Considering how nuanced and fleshed out the world of Rapture is, it's strange to see this magnificent story conclude with a face-off against a Hulk reject

Due to Fontaine's formulaic tactics and tiny health bar, it's anticlimactic when the credits roll

Since the boss fights were deemed Bioshock's only glaring flaw, Irrational Games should have avoided repeating the mistake in future

Unfortunately, Bioshock 2 had similar issues. Rather than devising unique adversaries with distinctive strategies

every boss is just a beefed-up version of a regular enemy. Anyone who thought Bioshock Infinite would be third lucky was also mistaken Rather than throwing together some generic baddies the developers went to the other extreme giving the bosses too many strategies No boss exemplifies this issue

more than Lady Comstock. This spiritual entity turns invisible, teleports, incessantly heals

and renders herself immune to most attacks. Coupled with her mammoth health bar, this brawl is a

slog, even on the lowest difficulty. In a way, it's kind of impressive how the series bungled

the boss fights three times in a row, considering how well the rest of the gameplay turned out

2. Super Mario Bros. Wonder Despite Super Mario's influence on the gaming industry, many of the Italian plumbers' earlier

titles had surprisingly mundane boss battles. In the original Super Mario Bros., our coin-collecting

hero could beat Bowser just by reaching the right side of the screen. In many titles

Mario can defeat colossal machines, dinosaurs, and monsters by repeatedly bonking him on the head

Of course, the franchise's gameplay has evolved leaps and bounds over the years

and as a result, the more recent entries have given the gaming community

some of the most entertaining battles ever. So what exactly happened to Super Mario Bros. Wanda

Rather than having Nintendo's mustachioed mascot contend with a varied group of end-of-level enemies

every castle concludes with fighting Bowser Jr. Although each encounter has mild variety

the Koopa Kid relies on the same strategy every time. And somehow, it gets even worse

At the end of each airship level, Mario must fight a robotic version of his nemesis

However, calling it a fight is probably a stretch since Mario can destroy robot Bowser

by pressing an overhead switch one time. Though wonder is overflowing with innovation, the same can't be said about the boss fights

Number 1. Batman Arkham Asylum Back in 2009, Batman Arkham Asylum cemented itself as the definitive superhero title almost overnight

Its masterful combat, imaginative puzzles, and lightning-in-a-bottle voice casting has allowed Rocksteady's DC saga to endure ever since

Well, endure until Arkham Knight. Sadly, those creative juices dried up when it came to designing the big battles

Not only are the bosses poorly designed in their own right, there's no reason why they turned out this badly

Squaring off against Batman's rogue gallery should have been a blast, considering how diverse these criminals are

Since the franchise is renowned for its satisfying combat, pummeling Gotham's worst supervillains should have been a highlight

But that's not the case. Half the bosses can be defeated by compelling them to slam into a wall like Wile E. Coyote

The Scarecrow sections feel more like stealth levels than boss fights. The confrontation with Harley Quinn involves fighting off her goons before defeating her with one punch

Despite Killer Croc and Bane's immense size and strength, they can be easily stunned with a single Batarang

And then there's the final boss. Not only does Titan Joker look ridiculous, it's arguably the easiest fight, since Batman's health replenishes each time he strikes his arch-nemesis

The fact that the boss fights turned out great in the follow-ups makes this blunder in Arkham Asylum all the more glaring