Many action-oriented video games are defined by the massive battles that take place against particularly superpowered foes known as "Bosses." This loose term somehow stuck and became official over the years, and game developers have taken it upon themselves to capitalize on the moniker by designing increasingly more unique and creative Boss characters.
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That also includes the size of the characters in question. God of War really kicked off a trend when it started creating larger-than-life Boss battles that enveloped the entire screen. Other companies took note and pitted gamers against some of the most mammoth-sized Bosses ever seen in video games. What's still to come, is anyone's guess.
10 Galactus (Marvel Vs. Capcom 3)
The Marvel vs. Capcom series is best known for blending two franchise worlds together under Capcom's umbrella fighting game engine. It's also one of the most over-the-top entries in the company's lineup, especially when it comes to the third in the series.
There, gamers square off against the towering entity that comic book fans know as Galactus. This world-devouring supervillain overshadows the other fighters as he rains down pummeling fists and other attacks on the fighters who must fight back with everything they've got. Definitely a surprise battle for a series better known for its one-on-on dust-ups.
9 Venom (Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows)
Here's one iteration of the infamous Spider-Man villain/anti-hero that nobody would want to go up against. In fact, it's perhaps the most frightening rendition of the character in all of Marvel history. Web of Shadows focuses on a symbiote invasion of Manhattan led by none other than Venom himself.
It builds to a final climax at the end of the game when Spidey is forced to take on a massive Venom with five individual heads, which he must attack and defeat individually. It's safe to say this is not what Spider-Man fans signed up for, but it's one hell of a boss battle, nonetheless.
8 The Riftworm (Gears Of War 2)
Most boss battles of this magnitude tend to be face-to-face affairs, but Gears of War 2 takes a different approach. Fenix and his team begin the mission inside the creature where they must locate three individual hearts that keep it alive. The objective is rather self-explanatory - destroy the hearts.
Though not technically a boss battle in the traditional scope, the mission-based approach is the same. Players must dodge secondary and tertiary threats while navigating its innards and using the chainsaw to slice through the arteries leading to each heart. Gruesome and disgusting, but that's what Gears is all about.
7 The Stone Titan (Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow)
This semi-reboot of the Castlevania games took inspiration from the cult hit Shadow of the Colossus on PlayStation by introducing the Stone Titan, a similar kind of opponent requiring a somewhat relatable strategy to take down. It requires the player to climb up along its body while avoiding hits and strikes, but that's not all.
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The Titan will attempt to shake the player off of its limbs, requiring them to hold down the R2 button to keep from being thrown off. Only by destroying several glowing weak points on its body can this creature be put down. It's a mixture of the aforementioned Colossus, with the excitement of a typical God of War boss battle mixed together.
6 The Red Eye (Lost Planet 2)
Sandworms are part of the bread and butter that makes up science fiction, and they've been doing the rounds ever since Dune made them so popular. They've shown up a lot in video games as well, including a notoriously cool appearance in Lost Planet 2, complete with an open, gaping maw that can swallow people whole.
Taking down this massive behemoth requires locking onto the creature's weak points and firing a barrage of missiles at it, which is no easy task. It's easily one of the largest bosses of any video game, but believe it or not, there are still bigger fish to fry.
5 The Beast (Infamous 2)
Otherwise known as John White, this Infamous character shows up at the beginning of the second game as a massive, towering humanoid that spews magma. The creature hurls gigantic flaming rocks at the player, who must continuously dodge while hurling counterattacks to weaken it.
After smashing a long pier where the fight takes place, the Beast uses telekinetic powers to throw the player off, making it much harder to aim and fight back. In terms of sheer size, this baddie is one of the biggest, and he makes for a great antagonist.
4 The Gorog (Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II)
The Force Unleashed games are notorious for copying several elements from the God of War games, including Quicktime events. They decided to take a page from that series once more when it came to massive boss battles by introducing the Gorog, a massive alien beast capable of swallowing humans like Tic Tacs.
Players must utilize all their Force skills to hack and slash at this monstrosity while dodging flattening palm strikes, arm swings, and other attacks. It's an interesting battle that befits the hyper-stylized nature of the Force Unleashed games, which go way over the acceptable line on a good day.
3 The Hive Mind (Dead Space)
The infamous Necromorphs of the Dead Space franchise are freaky and repulsive enough on their own, but they're small potatoes compared to the entity that runs the show - the Hive Mind. This worm-like creature proves to be a surprisingly intense battle within an otherwise low-key horror title based on jump scares.
The Hive Mind attacks the player with large squashing tendrils that can sometimes them by the leg and hoist them up, making it incredibly difficult to aim and fire upon the weak spots on its maw. It's a nerve-wracking boss battle with a creature that eclipses the entire screen, and then some.
2 Cronos (God Of War 3)
Nothing quite says "big" like the massive Titan known as Cronos, who was banished into the dark regions of the Underworld in the God of War games. Kratos enters Tartarus to confront this overwhelmingly massive entity, only to be picked up and dropped straight down Cronos' gullet.
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What ensues is an uber-battle for the history books as Kratos works his way out of Cronos' huge body by cutting through it from the inside out, gaining the Omphalos Stone in the process. It would take a hundred TV screens to fit this gigantic boss into one shot, which is a testament to the processing power of the PS3 at that time.
1 Gongen Wyzen (Asura's Wrath)
It's rare that gamers face off against a boss larger than the entire planet, but Gongen Wyzen is the exception. It's not an understatement, either. After being knocked into space by Azura, this deity grows in size until he's literally able to hold the planet in two hands. With vengeance on his mind, he zones in on Asura and attempts to kill him with the point of his large index finger.
Asura summons all his wrath to deliver a fatal blow that travels through Wyzen's finger, up the arm, and throughout his entire body, causing him to explode from the inside out. Eat your heart out, Kratos.
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About The AuthorDerek Draven(541 Articles Published)Derek started writing about video games at age 14 and went on to write for GamePro Magazine and several other prominent outlets. He now brings his veteran pop culture XP to ScreenRant.
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