The Quality of Final Bosses
By Chyro 48 Comments
Spoilers Below for Borderlands, Halo 3, Gears of War 2, Batman AA and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
As I recently finished Borderlands I couldn't help but feel that the end boss detracted from the overall experience. I'm not talking about the story here, which is another topic entirely. But just the final boss. As I sat there for 15 minutes left clicking like crazy. I found I was just severely bored. Excellent games seem to be ending on a low note lately.
I'm not expecting Demon's Souls level of difficulty here. But a game forcing me to change tactics would be a good start. Most games lately have boiled down to just spamming the shoot button. Borderlands, Gears of War 2 and Halo 3 are prime examples of this. No twitch skill needed. No thought needed. Just the simple ability to shoot X monster while you fly around in a helicopter or dodge needlessly even though it's almost impossible for the boss to kill you. And it's not just first person shooters that have fallen into this trap. In Batman Arkham Asylum you barely interact with the final boss at all.
It's not all about difficulty though. It's also about the mood the game sets and how it leads up to the final conflict. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a excellent example of this. As you sit there in last stand and Price slides his pistol over to you I felt instant exhilaration. This is one of the easiest "end bosses" in gaming history. Yet I didn't feel like I was cheated whatsoever.
Borderlands, Batman AA and Gears of War 2 are not terrible games. They deserve all those accolades and awards. I just felt no sense of accomplishment after beating them. Are these endings a product of rushed development? The developers catering to the lowest common denominator? Lack of inspiration after grueling hours of non stop polish and testing? A combination of all of the above? Either way, this trend is irritating.
Note: I have a distinct lack of funds at the moment so there is a bunch of games I have yet to play. So there is probably quite a few games that don't fall under this category.
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