Favorite Boss Fights in PC Games

[Contrite]

Regale us with your favorite boss fights in PC games, be they FPS, action adventure, or RPG (I don't want to make the same thread on the RPG board just for RPGs) Note this relates to PC games only, not consoles. So yeah you can't include Shadow of the Colossus

Before I state mine, I would like to say I am extremely disappointed in the way boss fights have been handled for the past decade overall. Much of the decline came from God of War (console game I know but bear with me) and it's retarded QTEs. It was cool and different the first time, now it is annoying as shit.

I remember being disappointed with the boss battles in Arkham City which I beat recently. The fighting thugs in the main game is a tone of fun as you have so many options, but suddenly in boss fights you have only one specific method of defeating the boss, aside from the Mr. Freeze battle. What's the point of all your gadgets if they will be rendered useless like that? Thugs you can beat with your hands easily anyway.

I far prefer the way older games, especially RPGs used to do it. Have a massive boss and just give it a shit ton hp, armor, and some overpowered unique attacks. Then you use all the abilities your character(s) have and chip away until it is dead.

Here are the memorable ones off the top of my head:

-Baldurs Gate 2. Dragon Fights especially, the Twisted Rune (ofcourse) and some end quest fights. Mini bosses that level drained were annoying as fuck though
-Icewind Dale 1 & 2
-Jedi Knight (Dark Forces II). This is the pinnacle of what boss fights should be, especiallly the way they are set up and start, with a narration from Qu Rahn
-Jedi Knight II reborn fights. (mini bosses I suppose)

Just a couple from off the top of my head.

 

[chestburster]

I want my boss fight to be hard as fuck. Zero tolerance for error. Makes it a really special moment when you defeat them after failing forever until you perfect your skills.

Unfortunately most recent popamole games don't have boss fights like this.

On the top of my head, one of the more intense boss fight is the four dragons raid boss from one of Borderlands 2's dlcs. It's pretty tense, even with exploiting glitches and such.

Spoiler

 

[AlexOfSpades]

Memorable because it was tremendously challenging:

Spoiler

I am the Alpha and the Omega.

Memorable because there was so much build-up

Spoiler

Another four billion dollars down the drain...

Memorable because it was such a mindfuck:

Spoiler

Will you join the unity? Or will you die here? Join. DIE! Join. DIE!

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Curse of the Azure Bonds. - It's not just that the end boss himself is a Frost Giant, but he's brought ALL of his minions and mooks with him. IIRC the sheer amount of baddies would make the Infinity engine cry in the corner before crashing.

Baldur's Gate 2 - The Demogorgon fight made all the other fights seem kinda trivial.

Eye of the Beholder 2 - Oh look, the bad guy that's been taunting me the whole game is finally fighting me. Oh look, he's just a wimpy-ass cleric. Oh look, he's dead alrea- HOLY SHIT HE'S NOT DEAD HE'S A... RUNRUNRUN CLOSETHEDOOR... Phew, he's not gon- HE JUST STOMPED THROUGH THE DAMN DOOROHFUCKFUCK.

Doom - Cyberdemon. CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP...

Serious Sam: The First Encounter - Ugh-Zan III. Holy shit that fucker is huge.

 

[laclongquan]

Bloodlines: The Sheriff. Memorable because he's as tough as his image made out to be.

 

[adddeed]

I liked Painkiller's bosses.

 

[WhiteGuts]

Boss fights are gay.

But I liked fighting that Brayko in AP cause the music made it good.

 

[DalekFlay]

 

[Abelian]

It took me ten years to beat Death Adder

Spoiler

but I only started up Golden Axe three to five times during the interval

 

[RK47]

Didn't like most boss fights, I'm totally against the idea of that.
The traditional 'boss' fight implies fighting against some superpowered asshole who had cheap attacks like bullet hell smhups while you die in one graze.
BUT - I enjoyed Freespace 2's campaign grand finale.
That was really something. You blew up the 'Boss' only to discover it was just the 'first of many'.

The fact they did it IN-GAME while during mission made it even more awesome.

 

[Night Goat]

Psycho Mantis.

Note this relates to PC games only, not consoles.

Fuck you, I'm Chaotic Neutral.

 

[Oesophagus]

Psycho Mantis.

The grandpa sniper from MGS3 was p. cool as well

 

[Bruma Hobo]

 

[agentorange]

there was a pc version

 

[DalekFlay]

Note this relates to PC games only, not consoles.

For the record, I play Mega Man 2 on PC.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

 

[Ninjerk]

The first time I blew up an Imperial Star Destroyer in X-Wing.

 

[Xeon]

I don't like boss battles, I think Skyrim's final boss approach was kinda good since it simply made it seem like a normal enemy fight but with some fluff.

Most memorable was probably Final Fantasy IX's Ozma, I reloaded so many times trying different tactics to kill it without using underhanded tricks.

Edit:
Have not played it but I still liked some of the boss battles in Dark Souls, Like the Wolf or Wyvern/Dragon fights.

 

[Psquit]

Grim fandango

Spoiler

Domino was such a pimp.

Contra hard cocks corps


Gunstar heroes


I dunno... Anything that isnt a QUICK TIME EVENT SHITFEST OF A BOSS OR COCKTEASING NON BOSS BATTLES WHERE YOU ARE LIKE "OH SNAP BOSS FIGHT" THEN THE BOSS JUST SAYS NAH IM KIDDING NO BOSS FIGHTS IN THIS GAME.

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

Jonas (SotC)

Spoiler

Blud (Abyss of Pandemonium)

Spoiler

Motaro (MK3)

Spoiler

Sabaoth (Doom 3)

Spoiler

Dragon (Dissolution of Eternity)

Spoiler

Klocek (Franko)

Spoiler

Pestilence & rest of Horsemen (Hexen II)

Spoiler

Sorano (Bulletstorm)

Spoiler

 

[:Flash:]

Of the games I played in the last years, I liked the bosses of God of Thunder.
They had a good mix between silliness in design and strategy, luck and perseverance to beat them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts4fwVYI4qk&list=PLD6A5CCDFBE0B5EF4

I want my boss fight to be hard as fuck. Zero tolerance for error. Makes it a really special moment when you defeat them after failing forever until you perfect your skills.

Unfortunately most recent popamole games don't have boss fights like this.

If you like Jump'n'Runs Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams might be for you. Good game anyway, and the Boss Fights were really tough.
I think they patched some of it out, though, because people were complaining. IIRC originally less than 5% of people who made it to the last boss were able to beat him.
I didn't, either. But every time I almost made it, it was because I made a tiny mistake. So the fight was never unfair, it was just very hard.

 

[forumvisitor#451]

Mr. Freeze in Batman Arkham City was very tense and good, although he could be more challenging.

 

[skacky]

SHODAN in System Shock. Cyberspace ftw.
Shub Niggurath in Quake, just because of the way you kill it.
Nihilanth in Half-Life for the sheer weirdness.
Xan Kriegor in UT99. Amazing AI for a really tough fight.
Duriel in Diablo 2. That fucker is tough.
Painkiller's are indeed cool.
I don't know if the Avatar in Dungeon Keeper counts, but in any case he raped my army the first time I played that level.

 

[Psquit]

Mr. X is such a boss.

Robo x is also boss as fuck.

His theme is also boss

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

OBVIOUS CHOICE IS OBVIOUS

YOU CAME TO WRONG NEIGHBORHOOD MOTHERFUCKER

also:
firkraag, demogorgon, darth sion, Looking Glass Knight on NG+, most boss battles in Dragons Dogma