[rant] I hate boss levels

[maflynn]

Ok, maybe I'm in the minority but I hate boss levels. I'm stuck on MGS4 crying wolf level.

It just seems to a waste of time on these. Yeah, I'll beat it, but it will take hours of shooting and dying before I achieve the goal. Takes away from the actual enjoyment of the game. I mean the extended cut scenes are bad enough, but dealing with the boss levels

[/rant]

 

[Hellhammer]

I think there was "easy" way to kill every boss with some kinda special item. Here is an easy way to do it

 

[AAPLaday]

Boss levels in general suck, why is it they don't adhere to the rules of the rest of the game? Not just on MGS4 but games in general. You get to the end of the level and suddenly its like your guns are as effective as a pea shooter when the boss shows up! Lets not forget the hundreds of people i have wiped out getting this far though

 

[maflynn]

I think there was "easy" way to kill every boss with some kinda special item. Here is an easy way to do it

Great suggestion, I'll try that

Boss levels in general suck, why is it they don't adhere to the rules of the rest of the game? Not just on MGS4 but games in general. You get to the end of the level and suddenly its like your guns are as effective as a pea shooter when the boss shows up! Lets not forget the hundreds of people i have wiped out getting this far though

Agreed, all of sudden my gun doesn't do the same level of damage.

I love the game, and I can even put up with the excessive cut scenes. I was sitting there watching the ending of the last boss level/mission briefing/beginning of the next level for almost an hour - talk about crazy. All in all its a great game (Yeah I know I can skip the cut scenes and I will when I play it a second time)

 

[MRU]

Boss levels are as old as the hills. Unfortunately they haven't really evolved, hence we still end up with similar boss mechanics as we did 10 years ago.

However games which lack interval challenges from boss characters, tend to feel exactly that.. 'missing somthing'.

It's going to take so real thought to evolve, but I think they are a necessary evil.

 

[0098386]

I rather like boss sequences so long as they're well made (I even named my studio after them ). And they are consistent with enemy rules, they just have more armour or are larger so they take more bullets. I like games like Quake and co have bosses immune to your weapons and take something larger to kill them.
It's not like they take a regular enemy, stick a boss tune on and give it more health.

 

[GFLPraxis]

You're a baby.

Boss levels are the best part, and actually make-or-break for me in the case of many 2D games. I LOVE playing the boss battles.

I mean, seriously, you're complaining because bosses KILL YOU and make you waste time? If you don't want to actually be challenged by the game, go watch a movie >_>

I play games because I enjoy being challenged.

 

[maflynn]

I play games because I enjoy being challenged.

Same here but that doesn't mean I like the boss levels. Take the crying wolf level. I just had to sit there under the tank shooting at the boss. Took me about a half hour and I incurred no damage. What's the challange in that, it was a waste of time. I'd rather be going through the levels then fighting some boss that's impossible to kill unless you sit there for 20 to 40 minutes.

 

[andrew upstairs]

I think there was "easy" way to kill every boss with some kinda special item. Here is an easy way to do it

That's how I did it. Didn't realize it was a "cheat". It just seemed logical.

 

[maflynn]

That's how I did it. Didn't realize it was a "cheat". It just seemed logical.

I wouldn't call it a cheat, and as I kept trying to kill off the boss, I probably would have stumbled upon this. for instance, I was already looking for a place to "hide" and shoot at the boss. I was up in those towers trying that the night before. I kept getting nailed by the soldiers and the crying wolf. I was happy to get that piece of advice. It probably saved me a couple of days trying to find a strategy to win.

 

[takao]

You're a baby.

Boss levels are the best part, and actually make-or-break for me in the case of many 2D games. I LOVE playing the boss battles.

I mean, seriously, you're complaining because bosses KILL YOU and make you waste time? If you don't want to actually be challenged by the game, go watch a movie >_>

I play games because I enjoy being challenged.

yeah but quite often the boss battles evolve into

a.) find out the boss pattern
b.) hit the weak spot 3 times... never less, never more than that .. after each hit the pattern/attacks change
c.) boss simply having huge amounts of hitpoints

and then here are games which simply makes bosses absurdly difficult for now apperent reason ... castlevania comes to mind where outside of boss battles you never die because it's ridiculously easy and then in the boss fights you die constantly

in my opinion developers should either go for "all boss battles" or do away with them completly with the exception of a final boss

 

[NoSmokingBandit]

While reading this i am reminded of Ratchet and Clank. The boss battles in that series (at least of the games i've played) are usually just a more powerful enemy. Perhaps in some kind of weird armor or something, but all the weapons work as expected, the boss isnt crazy hard to beat, and its not all about finding the weak spot or striking at a precise time.

 

[GFLPraxis]

yeah but quite often the boss battles evolve into

a.) find out the boss pattern
b.) hit the weak spot 3 times... never less, never more than that .. after each hit the pattern/attacks change
c.) boss simply having huge amounts of hitpoints

and then here are games which simply makes bosses absurdly difficult for now apperent reason ... castlevania comes to mind where outside of boss battles you never die because it's ridiculously easy and then in the boss fights you die constantly

Then we're just talking about bad design here.

Go play a Mega Man game. xD

You remember Sephiroth in Kingdom Hearts II? I beat that at level 39...instead of levelling up, I just spent hours memorizing how the AI reacts to everything I'd do and how his pattern changed when he had certain amounts of damage, and then beat him without taking a hit (since all his attacks kill you in one hit at level 39). And it was fun. :3

in my opinion developers should either go for "all boss battles" or do away with them completly with the exception of a final boss

No, they should just make well designed bosses.

Same here but that doesn't mean I like the boss levels. Take the crying wolf level. I just had to sit there under the tank shooting at the boss. Took me about a half hour and I incurred no damage. What's the challange in that, it was a waste of time. I'd rather be going through the levels then fighting some boss that's impossible to kill unless you sit there for 20 to 40 minutes.

This IS a waste of time, but only because the developers designed a hideously badly designed boss.

I can agree that, if the developer isn't bright enough to make a well designed boss, it's better to not have them than have a badly designed one. But well done boss fights are amazing.

Modern games really seem to slip on this, really. Almost all the best boss fights I can think of (barring Sephiroth in both Kingdom Hearts games) are in 2D games. And I've never played a good boss battle in an FPS. FPS games shouldn't have them at all.

 

[0098386]

Modern games really seem to slip on this, really. Almost all the best boss fights I can think of (barring Sephiroth in both Kingdom Hearts games) are in 2D games. And I've never played a good boss battle in an FPS. FPS games shouldn't have them at all.

Crysis does some good "boss battles", except for ones that really stand out (notably that Korean nanosuit guy and the final one). The mini boss battles are great, especially against the bigger aliens and tanks. Half Life (1, 2, episodes) have good sequences too. None of them seem to follow the 2D formula of attacking during a repeated pattern. They're more about avoiding invulnerable enemies or reaching a point within a certain time limit. Not bosses as such but just more challenging moments that rely on lessons taught in the previous area.

The bosses of Order of Ecclesia; perfect. Infact Castlevania games just have the best boss battles of any game ever.