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Coolest First Bosses in video games


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We already covered crappy final bosses so now let's reverse the scenario with introductory bosses that satisfied us with a good start on our quest to *insert mission here*. It can be any first boss, although if it's from a game like Megaman or Castlevania: Lament of Innocence, try making it the first boss you chose from the levels you could choose from at the beginning.

 

I liked Chaos in Sonic Adventure, really cool atmosphere for the first encounter with the blob of destruction and interesting fighting style.

 

The Golem in Megaman Zero was also fun since you had a crappy gun, some tension after escaping some mechaniloids with Ciel and were trapped until you got your Z-Saber back.

 

Bowser in Paper Mario was good since you were lead to believe that you were going to win at first, only to have him turn invincible and defeat you at the very beginning of the game. Games where you are forced to lose at some point are quite rare so this makes it an even more special first boss.

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Hydra.jpg

 

God of War's Hydra.  One of the best examples of starting off with a bang.  This certainly didn't feel like a tutorial boss, it just threw you against a furious towering beast straight from the get-go.  Not much else to say.  More games should hook you in like this.

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Hydra.jpg

 

God of War's Hydra.  One of the best examples of starting off with a bang.  This certainly didn't feel like a tutorial boss, it just threw you against a furious towering beast straight from the get-go.  Not much else to say.  More games should hook you in like this.

Don't forget that loud as shit roar it has, it's like the loudest thing I heard in a game.

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Demon's/Dark Souls was pretty crazy to me. (the Demon's Souls below since they're basically the same thing almost)

 

demons-souls-20090130100116126_640w.jpg

 

Both were just slammed in your face as soon as you barely got the hang of things. There was some quick cryptic tutorial writings on the floor to tell you how to attack and defend yourself, and before you knew it the game decides "Got it? Great! Now here's this chunky demon 6 times taller and wider than you. He /will/ kill you btw unless you've played this before, but even then lawl."

 

I loved it because it totally sets the tone for the entire game perfectly.

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320px-DrillEggman.png

 

 

In all seriousness though, I've never really played a first boss that really struck me as cool, but I do think it's cool that in the Mega Man games you get to choose who the first boss is.

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First bosses usually suck honestly.

 

 

While I wouldn't say its the coolest, the introductory boss of Star Ocean: The Last Hope is quite... intriguing. The game can actually be a pain to get started on due to the fact that you have no shops or towns or anything at the start, you hardly have any items for item creation, and two party members with NO healers. The beginning area itself is hard to get through for some people (I personally didn't think it was THAT hard, but I've seen several others have trouble getting through it and they're usually pretty good with RPG's), and the first boss itself is a pain in the butt.

Not to mention the fact that a spaceship TRANSFORMED into it due to the influence of the Grigori (which you don't find out until many many game hours later).

 

I always thought that the first boss against Gades in Lufia & the Fortress of Doom was quite epic, too. Granted, its a hopeless battle, but still, its fun getting to encounter one of the main antagonists (the EASIEST of them), having to fight him solo with your main character, and having him one-shot you.

 

 

Not sure what else to mention right now. I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but there's a lot out there.

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I liked the beginning of Paper Mario on the N64 because it was the first instance in a video game that I played (to my recollection) in which the main character loses the first battle in a scripted sequence. It made Bowser seem like a real, present threat unlike anything before, and I adore that moment where Mario is falling down through the clouds and the game's title finally appears.

Also in Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, case 3-1 introduces the first instance of a villain whose influence spreads across multiple cases (unless you count Morgan Fey, who isn't reintroduced until the end of the game), and even though Dahlia Hawthorne is the polar opposite of the magnificant bastard known as Manfred von Karma in that every single plan she attempts to execute fails spectacularly, she is still just as every bit terrifying in her sheer heartlessness. Taking her down feels good, but you're reminded soon after that it's only a temporary victory, and Mia had to go through a traumatizing past case in order to catch Dahlia at her own game.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxRPE2f9r08

 

And this is just the first boss in the game. Insane...I love this game.

Edited by KrazyBean
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I thought the Dracula fight at the beginning of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night where it's the end of Rondo of Blood was really awesome. Not only because you're invincible, but because of the cheesy voice acting and the fantastic remix of the final boss theme from that game. Portrait of Ruin actually takes a fair bit of time to get to the first boss, but the Dullahan is surprisingly brutal and very intense for a first boss. Even the typically harder Order of Ecclesia's first boss is a wimp compared to this guy.

 

Ridley in Super Metroid also has a very oh shit feeling where you have no items at all and you literally can't win and escape the Ceres Colony with barely your life.

 

I'm quite fond of Rush Adventure's as well, as while I find the Ghost Rex kind of lame and too Rush-1-esque in it's pattern, squaring off against a massive robotic dinosaur was a pretty cool way to introduce boss battles. Chaos in Adventure 1 was too, for the same reasons as outlined in the topic opener, and the fact you've barely started the game at this point.

 

If you count Brock as the first boss in Pokemon, then the Yellow incarnation gets points for basically forcing you to use more than one Pokemon. In RB you could brute force him even with Charmander, but Yellow requires another Pokemon, and with Mankey, the Nidorans, and Butterfree, you've got plenty of options.

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Seven Force from Gunstar Heroes.

 

 

As well as being absolutely insane in terms of concept (effectively 7 bosses one after another), this could in theory be the first boss encounter you have in the game depending on whether you select the mine stage from the off. To be honest, I'm still not quite sure how the Megadrive is able to process all this chaos and maintain a consistent framerate...

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Megaleg in Galaxy 1

 

ngbbs491919d14dde7.jpg

 

Why?  This giant 3 legged titan of a boss is pretty much a metaphor for the entire game.  It's a representation of how Galaxy is the grandest Mario experience ever created, but still remains charming and endearing in its design and relatively unique in its concept.  Climbing up the various parts of the boss Shadow of the Colossus style, each step getting more and more treacherous until nearing the top where you're getting bombarded by Bullet Bills.  Not to mention the growing tension of the battle is reflected by the musical piece that plays during.  There's a pretty wonderful sense of progression with the piece as a whole, as if an armada is readying to attack:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb9Xs9thpdM

 

The entire experience was just very memorable for me and it not only ended up being probably my favourite boss in Galaxy 1 but also one of my favourite Mario bosses of all time.

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I think the first boss in Streets of Rage 2 was pretty cool. Awesome setting, fair challenge for a first boss, (Oh he comes back and kicks your ass in the 8th stage trust me) gives you a fairly good idea about how bosses in this game work, and it has a pretty cool intro. Hearing that amazing boss music for the first time also helps.

Edited by McGroose
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Yeah, watching my sister play Skyward Sword, I so TOTALLY forgot about Ghirahim. I'd have to say him for me. The battle is very challenging if you're just getting used to it, and he STEALS YOUR SWORD if you mess up. Plus he's just plain creepy. I also like the fact that he's one of the very few recurring bosses in the series and he's the main antagonist throughout most of the game, but you fight him (and win) in the first dungeon.

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I think the first boss in Streets of Rage 2 was pretty cool. Awesome setting, fair challenge for a first boss, (Oh he comes back and kicks your ass in the 8th stage trust me) gives you a fairly good idea about how bosses in this game work, and it has a pretty cool intro. Hearing that amazing boss music for the first time also helps.

 

And then the third game has "Oh god Shiva again already? The badass ninja from the very end of the game previously?" That's like Ridley being the first boss, only unlike in Super Metroid you're expected to win. Shiva can be locked in loops easier than his incarnation in 2, but he's still a rough and intense first boss.

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And then the third game has "Oh god Shiva again already? The badass ninja from the very end of the game previously?" That's like Ridley being the first boss, only unlike in Super Metroid you're expected to win. Shiva can be locked in loops easier than his incarnation in 2, but he's still a rough and intense first boss.

They were originally gonna have Ash be the boss of the first stage (the stereotypic Gay dude who dives the boat), but they changed that for the Western version.

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They were originally gonna have Ash be the boss of the first stage (the stereotypic Gay dude who dives the boat), but they changed that for the Western version.

Ash is just a miniboss. Eitherway, Shiva is the actual boss for the first stage.

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Oh, Shiva is still the boss?

 

Well that's just evil, so the Japanese folks had to go through both Ash, THAN Shiva next, even through Ash isn't exactly a pain or anything.

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Metal-gear-rising-RAY-640x360_zpsd971e4c

 

Metal Gear RAY - Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

 

Metal Gear Rising has many great boss fights, in fact, they're some of my all time favorites, and Metal Gear RAY is no exception.  He is the first of many batshit insanely awesome boss fights that you will participate in, and dear lord does it leave quite the impression.  I have a thing against giant boss fights for the most part, a lot of the times they're slow, stationary, and just plain boring to fight.  RAY isn't exactly the most intimidating boss ever; its attacks are quite clearly telegraphed, however it does love to move around a lot, and that's enough to keep me engaged and on my toes.  It also trains you with the game's primary gimmick known as "Blade Mode"; performing certain actions within the fight will segue Raiden into a short Blade Mode segment that has him slicing the shit out of RAY's armor and mini turrets.  It's a lot of fun...

 

But then you finish the bastard off.

 

iOY5V7wAo0aJ3.gif

Well it's not technically dead yet, but the 2nd fight against it is still really cool.

 

Beautiful.

 

The icing on the cake of course is this game's soundtrack, that's dynamically synced with the game's cinematic QTE's.  That moment when Raiden catches RAY's blade and the vocalist shouts "Rules of Nature!" is unforgettable.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZWlaEoqtIE

Edited by Nix
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