Mike Tyson
- Appearance: Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out (NES)
- He’s got a mean swing
Punch-Out was by no means realistic, but one thing that stayed true to real life was the devastation of Iron Mikes punches. He was the most challenging opponents in retro-gaming, with one hit knock downs in the first round and following up with an extremely unpredictable fighting style. His punches in later rounds weaken, but it still only takes a couple hits to dwindle your life bar empty. There’s a reason few players have defeated him, and why there are even less who have won by TKO.
Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough
- Appearance: Dark Souls (PS3)
- Two for one punishment
The Dark Souls series have no shortage of bosses that could make this list, but one that stands out among the rest is the battle against Ornstein and Smough. Facing off against both enemies simultaneously required exceptional multitasking; dodging swings from Smough’s enormous hammer while Ornstein charged with his spear, keeping your health in check and striking when you had the chance. Depending which one you kill first determined what followed. Ornstein dies first and Smough absorbs his power into the hammer, if Smough falls then Ornstein grows more than double his size and shoots lightning — either way, it was brutal.
Shao Kahn
- Appearance: Mortal Kombat II (SEGA)
- Shoulder charge spamming
As the Supreme Overlord of the Outworld one wouldn’t expect Shao Kahn to be a walk in the park. He just has a tendency to block everything thrown his way and follows up with repeated shoulder charges that takes away hefty chunks of HP. Like the good sport he is, Shao Kahn sometimes steals the moment and talks some trash, pointing his finger and saying things like “Feel the wrath of Kahn” — this was a perfect opportunity to get some well-placed attacks; most of the time however, you’ll just resort to constant jump kicks until he falls — don’t you judge me, it works!
General RAAM
- Appearance: Gears of War (Xbox 360)
- Soloing on ‘Insane’ is not a good idea
General RAAM is the commander of an endless army of locusts, and he proved to be the biggest pest of them all. The final battle had an epic showdown on a moving train, RAAM has the ability to use swarms of Krill to pull you out of cover and form a protective shield. The best approach is to lob a grenade at his shield and fire away from a distance. When you play on Insane you have almost no time to pop out of cover before you get downed. It’s recommended that you tackle RAAM with a friend, because you’ll both be playing medic to each other for the majority of the fight.
Click on thru to page three for the final bosses on the list…