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Best boss battles of this past gen?

Once I actually figured this fight out I found it quite enjoyable.

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I dont think any RPG has ever made me go into so much of a "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?" fluster as the Batomys battle in Valkyria
 
Metal Gear Solid 4 - Laughing Octopus bossfight was excellent. I really felt chased and uncomfortable in that small cabin with this freakish boss jumping all over the place.

Then there's the weird octocamo stuff, like her morphing into Naomi, the MK.II and a random cardboard box.

In fact, a lot of bossfights in MGS4 were actually pretty good.
 
I don't think it's a particularly good example of a well-designed boss battle, but for its time the fight with General RAAM from Gears of War in co-op is definitely something that really sticks out for me out of all the great boss battles last gen.

Final fight in Metal Gear Solid 4 is a really good example of an exceptional boss battle. Narratively powerful, as it culminates everything from an entire franchise's history into one single, end-all battle, while also simply being executed really well.

Edit: Completely forgot, but anything from Monster Hunter 3. Anything.
 
Not the most challenging by any stretch, but the Saren boss fight at the end of Mass Effect felt like the very definition of epic, even after 5 or 6 playthroughs.
 
Metal Gear Solid 4 - Laughing Octopus bossfight was excellent. I really felt chased and uncomfortable in that small cabin with this freakish boss jumping all over the place.

Then there's the weird octocamo stuff, like her morphing into Naomi, the MK.II and a random cardboard box.

In fact, a lot of bossfights in MGS4 were actually pretty good.
You just reminded me that despite my ill feeling towards that game all of the boss battles were pretty good.
 
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I dont think any RPG has ever made me go into so much of a "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?" fluster as the Batomys battle in Valkyria

Oh I liked this one. even though I kind of cheated using imba cover for Selvaria. The way you had to "beat it" was very well executed.
 
Freeze was good, but the Japanese rule when it comes to boss battles. The Armstrong fight in Rising is so good, that game just killed it with its bosses.
 
Do MMOs count?
If so, everything else is just blown out of the water by extreme prejudice.
(Titan HM may win the crown, but.. this generation includes Illidan pre-nerf now that i think of it!)
Personally, it's probably Malygos. Ohwell.
Non-MMO: mechanically:
FF XIII-2 last boss. 8 hours of wipes, goddammit. Tied with last boss of Terra in BBS.
Non-MMO presence\storywise:
Probably David from TloU. That thing packed a punch...
 
Jeanne from Bayonetta: Some of the coolest QTEs in the game(you get used to them after a while). Fighting her is very fun and fast paced compared to some of the other slower bosses.


Dark Souls the thread(DLC spoilers
Artorias
, Ornstein and Smough, 4 Kings, Priscilla):
All of the boss fights in the game with the exception of that mothafuckin tree are pretty impressive the first time around. Some of them(O and S, 4K) are much much much better with the big difficulty boost from NG+ and turn into the best boss fights that I've done in years.


The Child from Catherine: The bosses are all very cool and fitting aesthetically, but this creepy bastard takes it to a whole new level:
Ugh, worse than those PS3 ads.


Demon's Souls: Same appreciation for the fights as Dark Souls, with possibly the most asshole end boss of the generation.


Jet Bahamut from Final Fantasy XIII-2: I blazed through this game in comparison with FFXIII, so it may have been due to my team being unoptimized, but I remember this fight taking 3 or 4 tries the first time through, pre-grinding, and it had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There are very few RPG bosses that do that to me.


Heroic Ragnaros from Firelands, Hard Mode Mimiron and Sinestra from Bastion of Twilight in WoW: I know WoW doesn't really come as part of a generation, but it's been around for that timeframe. These 2 bosses epitomize what I like about hardcore raiding boss design. They require you to work as a team, learn from your mistakes, strategize, and almost every mistake leads to a death, which more often than not, will lead to a soft enrage wipe.


Sticking with WoW, also Yogg-Saron, Vashj and Kael'thas Sunstrider: Not as punishing as the last 3, but these 3 fights epitomize strict teamwork requirements. Some of the most I've ever seen in gaming.
 
Legendary ships in ACIV (still counts as last gen ;))

Haven't beaten all of them yet, but my first encounter ended in being ripped apart by two giant ships, which was an awesome experience. That's because I realized that I wasn't ready yet and upgrading my ship alone won't suffice.

I guess that's what I want from a boss fight, beating something much stronger, not by getting stronger until it isn't a challenge anymore, but instead with finding weaknesses and using the right tactics.
 
Mr. Freeze is even better on New Game Plus, where you have to do twice as many takedowns to beat him. It really made me bust out some weird ones, like window takedown and some of the gadget ones.
 
Ornstein and Smough without a doubt. I remember doing the co-op so many times against those bastards. Somehow I can solo it now too, but they still give me nervous tension like no other.

Laughing Octopus in MGS IV was also pretty incredible. Loved all the visual trickery. And with a good sound system you feel like you are being straight up assaulted by tension. The way the music changed whenever she smashed through a window was quite menacing. Best fight in the game imo.

FF XIII-2 and LR final bosses were crazy good.
 
Metal Gear Rising- All of them

Arkham City- Mr.Freeze (especially on Hard New Game+)

Resident Evil 5-
Wesker+Jill

Dead Space- The Hive Mind
 
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I dont think any RPG has ever made me go into so much of a "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?" fluster as the Batomys battle in Valkyria

I went through that whole game without using any Orders. I had no clue they existed until I had to look up how to beat the final boss. That tank level was pretty easy.

I actually don't remember the Mr. Freeze fight that everyone mentions outside of Mr. Freeze's cool design...
 
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Credo from Devil May Cry 4. The Dante fights are pretty great too.

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Sam is my favorite boss from Metal Gear Rising. The others are almost as amazing, however. That game easily had the best bosses out of any game during Gen 7.
 
Agree with most here but a few others off the top of my head.

God of War - Hades and MGS4 end fight was pretty epic.
 
For me it's Mr. Freeze from Batman - Arkham City

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You literally have to use all the skills you learned through the game to beat him.
This fight on NG + is exactly what Batman bosses should be and more bosses in general. Don't know if it's my favorite but it's up there for sure. Really well done.
 
The boss battles that I really enjoyed have already been mentioned numerous times with the Mr. Freeze boss fight from Arkham City and Platinum Games in general. Asura's Wrath has a really amazing epilogue DLC final boss that was even better than I would if ever expected.
 
How the hell has anyone not said Manus yet?

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Really felt good when I finally got him. That battle was INTENSE!

This guy on NG++ is fucking INSANE. He gets my vote easily, I feel like a scared little girl when I fight him now since I lost track of what number NG+ I'm on. So many ways to one shot me :[
 
Really? I find it to be one of the easiest end bosses of all time, basically all you have to do is move left and right to avoid its attacks and shoot its weak spot.

It is an easy boss yeah, but I just love how imposing it is, and how Isaac just seems so small and defenseless in comparison.
 
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