We continue our article:
5. Bioshock – Big Daddy
The first installment in the Bioshock series was as immersive as it was terrifying. There are many enemies who are after your blood; Like the ADAM-hungry Splicers that attack you when you enter the underwater city of Rapture, and the security cameras that summon mini-helicopters equipped with machine guns, it’s already enough to make you nervous. But just wait until you come face to face with The Big Daddy.
The developers at 2K Boston were clearly very proud of the enemy Big Daddy, as they curated a cutscene to introduce him. With the sound of Atlas in your ear and the Splicer charging towards Little Sister, the player can only watch through a wide security window as the massive, metallic Big Daddy, wielding a massive drill, bursts through the roof and proceeds to tear apart the assailing Splicer with shocking ease, similar to that witnessed when Brock Lesnar first appeared. Once against Spike Dudley.
At that moment, the player knows that they will eventually have to face Big Daddy, an uncomfortable thought to say the least.
4. Shadow Of The Colossus – Avion
One could argue that in a game consisting entirely of boss battles, any of the 16 Titans could easily qualify for this list. Who can forget the first giant, Valus, and how the camera kept panning higher and higher as he appeared? It made the idea of defeating an enemy of this massive size seem completely impossible.
Quickly (or slowly, as the case may be) you’ll begin to understand the mechanics that allow Wander to climb onto the monster and stab its glowing pressure points until his black blood flows out of him and falls to the ground. The next three giants vary in size and movement speed, but you won’t realize the full scale of this amazing game until you reach the fifth boss.
Avion, the giant bird, soars above the crumbling cathedral in which it stands, circling a wide lake before settling on a huge stone pillar in the middle of the water. There, he waits for you, calm and menacing at the same time, expecting you to approach. Just jumping into the water to swim toward it makes you feel helpless. Once you are able to ride it, you will find that errors in the gripping mechanism will cause you to fall into the water again and again. It’s definitely a step towards increasing difficulty, and a moment that makes you open your eyes wide to what you’re witnessing.
3. Dying Light – Nightmare Volatile
After airdropping into an isolated city filled with zombies and a desperate human population, you might reasonably expect some chilling horror to follow. But it won’t take long for ordinary zombies wandering the deserted streets and only attacking as you pass by, to become more like a favorite bedtime game than… Nightmare Volatiles.
As with most nightmares, these “friendly friends” only appear at night. At the first drop ofAntizinYou burn the cure by playing as the hero Craneto be able to establish contact with the gang leader and terrorist President Who works freely within the borders of the abandoned city. The orange color of the sky fades to complete darkness and the alarm on your watch begins to go off. You look through a crack between two metal plates, and then you see it.
With slit fangs resembling the Nomak from Blade 2 and bulging muscles devoid of skin, these Volatiles stalk you with such brutal speed that you turn into a terrified creature, dripping with sweat as you madly press buttons. You may find yourself, as the author did, spending most of this portion of the game waiting or trying to sleep through the nighttime periods if possible, due to the extreme discomfort these monsters cause
2. Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – The Beast Of White Orchard
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is full of enemies of all shapes, sizes, abilities, and natures, and Geralt of Rivia has the right set of skills and tools to deal with them. As you introduce yourself to the rules of this world in the opening White Orchard area, you will face a variety of challenges depending on the places you choose to explore. You can fight or flee as you wish.
But it’s only when you accept a contract to eliminate the griffin terrorizing the village, a contract you must fulfill to advance in the game, that you find yourself forced to stand against this terrible winged monster and figure out how to defeat it. You will be able to defeat this annoying opponent by combining your potions and using magic signs, while being patient in dodging and stabbing. Even then, you’ll need the help of your mentor Vesemir. This level basically acts as a tutorial on dealing with the stronger flying monsters you’ll encounter later, and gives you a glimpse of the challenges coming down the road.
1. Jet-Li: Rise To Honour – Fei And Hung
Rise To Honor is actually a movie in the guise of a game. Like The Warriors released the following year, this PS2 classic takes heavy inspiration from and builds upon iconic cinematic scenes. While controlling the virtual character Jet-Li, you master an intuitive combat system that enables you to do everything you would expect from a martial arts champion: strike, dodge, block, parry, kick, fly through the air while shooting, and get cinematic slow-motion shots when you land strikes. Critical.
The first boss battle begins with you chasing down a pony-tailed villain, who, in Hong Kong action style, deceitfully lures you into a rooftop battle. You jump to the roof and strike a Batman-like pose, when suddenly a duplicate of your prey appears out of nowhere. It’s a trap! Twins Fei and Hung advance in perfect unison, one kicking you in the back of the head while you try to take down the other. It’s not the most difficult task to master, but when you realize that your problem has doubled, it’s a moment that makes you groan and hit your forehead, saying, “Oh, shit.”
