Feature - Top Ten Boss Battle Themes

As explained in our previous feature, boss battles are a gaming tradition and often an integral part of their design. However, instead of looking at bosses themselves, we will instead be looking at the music associated with them as the player is locked in combat.

Like last time, a Gameplay First video, in two parts, served as the partial inspiration for the creation of this list, only about a different subject. As we threw ideas around about what a music-based list would be about, we eventually settled on Top Ten Boss Battle Themes as the subject. This time, however, we actually have Autistic Gamer himself as a guest contributor (you can find his blog here), as we felt he would be able to better round out the time frame represented. During our communications with him, the list ended up sticking with the following criteria:

• The song must be used in a boss fight (as such, it doesn't matter if it was a licensed track)
• The song must be memorable
• Only one song per game can be chosen (Addendum: Does not apply to Honorable Mentions list)
• Only one contributor needs to have played the game

At first it was difficult to whittle the list down to ten, but even then we had a pretty good idea of what would end up in the top two slots. Because of Autistic Gamer's involvement, this list covers more than just contemporary games, though the end result may still surprise you. If there is a review of the mentioned game on the blog, we will provide a link to it so you may read our opinion on it. If you do not agree with the list, which is subjective to begin with, then feel free to create your own list in the comments.

The list, including the honorable mentions, is after the break. Our individual opinions will be color-coded as such: EHeroFlareNeos; Tetris_King; Autistic Gamer.

Spoiler Note: Some of the songs listed belong to important bosses in the games they originate from, so spoilers will be completely unmarked.

Final Warning

[OLD] Feature - Top Ten Video Game Boss Fights

Boss battles are a tradition that spans much of the history of video games, from dnd in 1975 on the PLATO Network all the way to the contemporary bosses of today's gaming such as The Joker from Batman: Arkham Asylum. While they have become pretty much a staple of major AAA productions like the popular Gears of War or Metal Gear franchises, there are only a select few who are so good that people form lists around describing which ones they find to be the best. This is one such list.

The idea came to Tetris_King and I after watching a video made last year by Tyler Uslan for his Gameplay First review show (the series has recently ended, but the video can be found here) in which he made such a list. After watching that video, and subsequently finding other boss lists online, we began to think about what we would put in such a list, partly because there were some we thought that video overlooked. Recently the two of us finally sat down and wrote up a list of who we thought to be worthy candidates for boss selection, specifically trying to follow Uslan's criteria, with a couple addendums:

• The Boss must be memorable
• The Boss must be challenging
• Only one boss per franchise could be chosen (Addendum: Does not apply to Honorable Mentions list)
• A boss could only be chosen if we played the game they came from
• Addendum: The last rule is applicable even if only one of us has played the game

After creating that list, it was a little difficult whittling it down to just ten, much less putting them in a specific order, but throughout the process, we always had an idea of what the #1 slot would go to and couldn't think of a boss that would bring it down even one slot.

Before continuing, keep in mind that most of these bosses are contemporary. I've seen Ganondorf and Bowser appear on several best boss lists, usually in the top ten for longer lists, but our first console was a PS2, which means that we don't have the experience or nostalgia to put such bosses on the list. As such, these entries are all, for the most part, pretty recent and if they are included in a game that has been reviewed on this blog, we will link to that review so you may read our opinions on those games.

So, you're probably wondering, who is in this immovable #1 slot? The answer is after the jump, but first are some honorable mentions and the runners up. Our individual opinions will be color-coded as such: EHeroFlareNeos; Tetris_King.

Spoiler Note: Since some of these bosses are final bosses, there will be unmarked spoilers regarding their identities and importance to their parent games.

Opinion Note: This list is very subjective and represents only the opinions of its writers. If you have a problem with the final selection, then make your own list in the comments.