Mostly yes (Destiny)

by MrPadraig08 , Steel City, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, 07:12 (3811 days ago) @ Cody Miller

What are the characteristics of a perfect video game boss? In my opinion:

1. Challenging - Bosses need to be harder than regular enemies.
2. Intensity - Bosses need to provide a challenge that is intense, rather than mundane.
3. Novelty - Bosses should have unique properties that make them fun to fight.
4. Crescendo - The intensity of the challenge should increase throughout the fight, with the maximum at the moment you kill a boss.

If you have these four things, then you have a great boss in my opinion.

Agreed, for whatever reason I keep thinking back to Banjo-Kazooie for my favorite boss fights. They were unique fun, and at least the final boss was challenging (especially because it would get easier or harder depending on if you answered the quiz show questions right mid boss fight.)

But I do disagree on this:

Most boss fights end up being relatively short, under 3 minutes. This helps keep things intense, since if things drag on too long it can lead to boredom. However, short length is not necessarily a requirement for a good boss, so long as the boss keeps you on your toes throughout. See Seven force in Alien Soldier / Gunstar heroes.

All boss fights I remember loving the most were long epics where error lead to losing all the time investment (usually 20 or so minutes). To the point where you begin to lose hope that you are capable at defeating them.

Example: Darth Malak at the end of KOTOR, he was tougher than my dude and I used most my resources just to get to that point. Head on attack would be suicide, my only option was to run. So I did. I used force speed to out run him as we ran in circles around the bridge of the ship. occasionally stopping to chip his health. This wasn't a super way to take down a boss, but I had a blast and is one of my most cherished memories of a final boss. It also added to his epicness, as just running away was the only way to face him and win.

Anyway, I like long boss battles where my heart is racing.

The only other thought I had is I love when a boss who is too powerful/scary to get close to goes into a vulnerable state where you have to get close. Adds tension that at any moment he could come to and clonk you to the bonkersphere. So in that respect, at least for the titan, the spider tank has that.