Waching daily Aug 1 2018

There's nothing like a cartoonishly long video game boss fight to make you want to curl up

in the fetal position and rock yourself to sleep.

You know the ones we're talking about, the kind with a bajillion HP, waves of minion

underlings, and a smug air about 'em that makes you wanna kick their teeth in.

We've seen them all, so let's endure the terrible memories together as we look back at some

of the longest and most nerve-racking boss battles in gaming.

Yiazmat - Final Fantasy XII

Let's be clear: The Final Fantasy franchise is lousy with ridiculously hard bosses.

And, sure, taking on the likes of superbosses like Angra Mainyu, Omega Weapon, and Ozma

is no walk in the park.

But the dragon Yiazmat from 2006's Final Fantasy XII is a prime example of the sadistic pleasure

Square Enix derives from gamers' tears.

You see, Yiazmat boasts over 50 million health.

And when, or, rather, if, you get Yiazmat to 50 percent health, all attack damage against

him is capped at 6,999 HP, thus slowing down the battle dramatically.

Even worse, Yiazmat can fully heal himself if he manages to cast certain spells.

Real pros might be able to beat Yiazmat in about an hour, but, if you're a casual player,

be prepared to sink at least 3 or 4 hours to to get the job done.

The End - Metal Gear Solid 3

Snake's final encounter with The End in Metal Gear Solid 3 is a test of a player's skill

and endurance.

The End's sniper rifle might be fitted with tranquilizer darts instead of bullets, but

one wrong move will still put an "end" to your game.

This fight requires stealth, finesse, and patience as you try to track The End while

avoiding detection.

Most players should expect to spend a good two or three hours on this fight their first

time.

"I beg of you.

Grant me the strength to take this final prey."

If all that running around and sneaking around sounds boring, and, believe us, it drags on,

there are a few alternate routes you could take to finish the fight early.

You can snipe The End early during a cutscene, or if you're willing to keep your mitts off

your controller for a week, even force him to die of old age by saving the game and turning

your console off for 7 or more days.

"Reckless boy.

You don't deserve to meet your fate just yet."

Boss Rush and Yami - Ōkami

It may be one of the most highly rated action-adventure games of all time, but Ōkami also has one

of the most dreaded final boss sequences of all time: the "boss rush."

In this kind of final boss battle, a player must square up for a rematch with all of the

previously defeated bosses before going on to face some final big bad for the ultimate

challenge.

Ōkami stays true to the boss rush tradition; at the wreckage of the Ark of Yamato, you

must fight and defeat all of the major demons from the game again before you even see the

final boss, Yami, the demon leader who helped kill all of the gods long ago.

And that fight takes forever too!

She shifts through multiple forms and phases along the way, forcing you to switch up your

strategies to keep from getting your divine hiney whooped.

Nyx Avatar - Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3

In the final battle of social sim-slash-JRPG Persona 3, you go up against the avatar of

Nyx, the personification of Death itself, and the harbinger of the end of all life.

So, not the most forgiving boss in video game history.

"The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate…"

Throughout the fight, the Nyx Avatar will shift through fourteen different "Arcana."

For those unfamiliar with Persona 3, that means you've gotta battle this baddie through

fourteen phases to defeat it.

Even if you manage to get to the final phase, things can still turn against you in an instant.

In its final form, Nyx Avatar has abilities that reflect all attacks and deal heavy damage.

Additionally, extremely unlucky players might get hit by Nyx's charm spell, tricking one

of your party members into giving it a full heal.

Count on this fight taking at least an hour or more to finish, especially on your first

playthrough or with an underpowered party.

"Such a pity…

You understand fate, yet you still fight against it with all of your will."

Abyssion - Tales of Symphonia

The one saving grace of Abyssion from the 2003 RPG Tales of Symphonia, and its 2014

remaster Tales of Symphonia Chronicles, is that he's completely optional.

If players were actually required to defeat Abyssion, you'd probably find a lot more used

copies of Tales of Symphonia lining your local Gamestop shelves.

In the setup to this boss fight, Abyssion sends you to retrieve the a set of cursed

weapons called the "Devil's Arms."

He claims he plans to lock these horribly evil weapons away in some deep dark place

forever.

Sounds legit, right?

"Wrong wrong wrong wrong… wrong wrong wrong wrong.

You're wrong!"

After you finally gather all of the weapons, Abyssion turns on you in a sudden yet inevitable

betrayal, and the true boss fight begins.

He can use many of your own skills against you, and many of his spells do truly incredible

amounts of damage.

Unless you get extremely lucky or have a high-level party, a successful Abyssion fight will probably

take an hour or more.

Mael Radec - Killzone 2

Instead of a long and protracted battle found in some turn-based games, the final fight

with Killzone 2's Helghast commander, Mael Radec, is a heartstopping 30-plus minutes

of bullet hell.

First, you're tasked with dealing with waves of soldiers Radec throws at you throughout

the boss fight.

Each wave is tougher than the last, and the final enemies consist of relentless waves

of elite Helghast soldiers with rocket launchers.

And then Radec finally shows up.

"You seem to want this to be personal.

It will be my pleasure."

He's an expert in both long-range and up-close combat, and his armor can withstand even a

rocket launcher blast.

Even worse, Radec comes equipped with both a teleporter and a personal cloaking device,

which makes it child's play for him to suddenly attack you from behind when you're least expecting

it.

Prepare to respawn lots of times before you get the timing and strategy on this boss battle

right.