Host Samurai said:
I guess this is one of the reason why this gen sucks so much. Lack of interesting battles. Instead we get loads of generic cannon fodder dumped on us. I blame this mostly on lack of Japanese games IMO because the games they usually create lack "rules" to the universe which makes things a lot more interesting IMO. Western games like Crash Bandicoot and God of War "get it" while mostly others dont.
It really depends on the universe of the game. You are got going to have good boss fights in games like Call of Duty because its realistic and their wont be a "god like" being transforming into a skyscrapper shooting laser beams at you. Too bad because that would be quite awesome and more "video game" like as apposed to the "movie" type stuff devs are going for these days.
Quite frankly, I prefer having an enticing environment to traverse and explore rather than shooting off different sections of a boss with immense amounts of health. I'm speaking specifically of MGS1, which admittedly is an old ass game, but that's the type of design I would rather see less of. Demon's Souls, from what I hear, seems like a case of a game where every skirmish is wrought with risk, and I'd rather see games follow that logic over NG2's bosses.
Mario games have done a good job of using gameplay variety in their bosses with the simple 3 hits to kill rule still in place. Galaxy in particular made each of the bosses (with the exception of Bowser, really) an exercise in platforming rather than repetition, which made them great.
The "generic cannon fodder" is a fair criticism, particularly in the case of Gears of War, where Locusts literally are bullet sponges with varying levels of health.
On the other hand, Bungie always talks about the spikes in action to keep players interested, and I think the Halo series has certainly done a good job with making each fight entertaining (assuming you're playing Heroic or higher, as you should). You can decide to stay back and clear out the ranks before moving in, throw in a grenade and pop in and out of the confusion, flank the opponents to sneak around them, use cover to take out enemies, use that rocket launcher you happened to find to blow shit up, etc. I wouldn't say each skirmish is an entirely unique exercise, but you certainly rethink your strategy based on what weapons/vehicles you have at hand along with the composition of the enemies. You'll approach a group of Jackals and a couple Hunters entirely differently from facing a pack of Brutes.
Assassin's Creed 2 also is another type of game that doesn't really incorporate boss fights in the traditional sense (haven't finished it yet so I'm prepared to be disappointed). Yeah, you have specific targets and some bigger set pieces, but the combat really is standardized across each enemy. The challenge (or lack of challenge, I suppose) is in how you approach the task at hand with the means around you. Granted, I would admit that some of the mechanisms aren't as nuanced as most games, but AC2 really is such a huge improvement over the repetition of AC1.
Also, from the little I've played of Uncharted 2, it seems like a boss fight would be completely unnecessary in that game. The platforming and exploring alongside the combat was more than enough for the player without a boss that changes the rules entirely. Same thing with BioShock, which really didn't need a boss fight at all.
i know that's probably what you implied too. i hope.
