Have you got what it takes to take on PC gaming’s toughest video game villains?
Ah, video game bosses. While most of them serve to challenge us at our best, there are a sordid few whose sole purpose seems to be to traumatize us for life. These are the worst of the worst – the type of video game villains so difficult they’ve reintroduced us to the infantile habit of sucking on our thumbs and crying for mommy.
Here we’ve compiled a list of the 10 Video Game Bosses Who Slaughtered Millions of Noobs Worldwide – and because this is primarily a PC gaming site, we’ve only focused on those who have appeared in PC games. Read on… at your own peril!
10. The Nihilanth, from Half-Life
Half-Life was a blessing to the first-person shooter genre, giving us intelligent enemies, scripted events, and seamless, realistic environments.
It also gave us the Nihilanth.
This giant fetus monstrosity opened the dimensional rift allowing Xen’s mutants to pour into Black Mesa. And we all know the extent of the massacre that follows.
As the game’s bid bad, there’s nothing remotely cute or cuddly about the Nihilanth. Like a petulant brat, he likes throwing clusters of energy balls at your face, and when bored, summons his underlings into the room for you to play with. He also has an off-putting habit of teleporting you into rooms crowded with alien nasties. Hey, at least you’re never lonely going up against this guy.
One of the most challenging, not to mention grotesque, video game villains on this list!
The Nihilanth wants a kiss. Pucker up!
Blooming... like a flower!
9. Fontaine, from BioShock
No one likes the sound of his own voice more than BioShock’s criminal mastermind, Frank Fontaine. Under the guise of a heroic freedom fighter, he incited the rebellion that eventually led to Rapture’s downfall.
Players face a spliced-up Fontaine at the end of the game. His veins coursing with ADAM – a substance that grants humans amazing abilities – Fontaine is now able to do things you’d normally expect from a god. Like rushing at you at blinding speeds and throwing punches that have all the force of a speeding locomotive. He also assumes three forms, each powered by a different plasmid – fire, ice, and electricity. And just when you think you’ve gained the upper hand, he’ll summon his goons and tiny hovering death machines to join in on the fun.
One of the few video game villains who’ll have you pulling out your hair in frustration!
Plasmids - one route to godhood.
Fontaine will beat you to the ground
8. Seth, from Street Fighter IV
A copycat you just want to punch in the face
What’s more exasperating than a cheap fighting game boss? How about one that copies other characters’ moves, and looks like he was designed by a lazy college student in the course of one night?
Seth is the Chief Executive Officer of Shadaloo’s weapons division, S.I.N. To complete the BLECE project – a name that strikes terror in absolutely no one – he needs to collect data about the world’s best martial artists. So he organizes an international fighting tournament for this very purpose (why he doesn’t simply hack into their Facebook accounts is a mystery).
Street Fighter IV's Seth has drastically modified his body to the point he resembles what the Silver Surfer would look like were the superhero addicted to protein shakes. Plus, Seth has this silly yin-yang basketball thing inside his stomach cavity.
As mentioned, Seth has copied several fighters’ moves, including Guile’s Sonic Boom, Zangief’s Spinning Piledriver, Ryu’s Shoryuken, and more. He does have a couple of unique attacks, such as the Tandem Stream, which sucks opponents into his stomach, before ejecting them at approximately the speed of light.
Despite his lazy design and lack of an original moveset, Seth remains one of the hardest video game villains to beat.
Giving M.Bison the cold shoulder
Talk to the hand
7. Ghost of Lady Comstock, from BioShock Infinite
Who you gonna call? (Image from BioshockWikia)
Who knew fighting a ghost could be so freakin’ hard?
Lady Comstock, as the wife of Zachary Hale Comstock, was the First Lady of Columbia. Devoted to her husband, she spread his teachings to the citizens of the floating city. She gradually lost faith in him, however, after witnessing his cruelty to those who dared question him. When she threatened to publicly disclose the truth about their daughter Elizabeth, Zachary Comstock had her killed, then framed the rebel Daisy Fitzroy for the murder.
She returns during the events of BioShock: Infinite as a Siren – a specter capable of resurrecting dead enemies. What this means is that you’ll be consistently surrounded by armies of bad guys you’ve already killed, forcing you to keep moving and shooting lest you’re overwhelmed. Requires the patience of a saint to defeat.
She lights up like a Christmas tree! (Image from GamePressure)
An altar to the departed Lady Comstock (Image from HowManyPrincesses)
6. Shao Khan, from the Mortal Kombat series
Emperor Cheap
Fighting game bosses are known to be particularly trying. But when it comes to total, unadulterated cheapness, Mortal Kombat’s Shao Khan takes the cake – icing and all.
This steroid-abusing freak murdered the previous ruler of Outworld to become its supreme ruler. As emperor, he then conquered and annexed lesser realms to his. Always scheming to add Earthrealm to his list of defeated worlds, he’s the prime antagonist in many Mortal Kombat titles.
Emperor meathead likes spamming nigh-invincible charge attacks that throw you across the screen like the lightweight that you are. He successfully blocks 99% of your attacks. Did we mention he also has a warhammer and a magical spear that he uses as a projectile? Most infuriating of all, he isn’t above petty, schoolyard taunting, never hesitating to let you know just how pathetic you really are.
If you’ve faced Shao Khan, then you already know how it feels to cry yourself to sleep – making this big bully one of the most vexing video game villains ever created.
Where does he hide a spear that big??
"No one's slick as Shao Khan, no one's quick as Shao Khan, no one's neck's as incredibly thick as Shao Khan's!"
5. Ultimecia, from Final Fantasy VIII
She should fire her make-up artist (Image from VillainsWiki)
Final Fantasy is known for its convoluted stories, and Final Fantasy VIII’s Ultimecia is one of the most perplexing video game villains ever to be contrived. Basically, she’s a time-hopping sorceress from the future who possesses a woman named Edea Kramer to bend the entirety of Galbadia to her will. Her ultimate goal? Why, to merge all eras so that she can kill everybody and become a goddess, of course!
But she’s not just absurd… she’s almost one heck of a tough boss.
Nothing is more aggravating than killing a boss, only to find out that she’s still alive. And with Ultimecia, this happens not once, but three times, as the battle consists of four different stages, each one more difficult than the last. First, she appears as her sweet, sexy self. Then, she summons the insanely powerful Griever to turn your party to dust. Then she combines with Griever, because why not. Then she transforms into something from Tetsuya Nomura’s wildest LSD trip.
She’s got area attacks that literally bring your heroes to their knees (9999 hit points down to 1 in two seconds will do that) and spells that cause all manner of status ailments. And she knows exactly how to exploit your heroes’ weaknesses. Been ignoring that crybaby Rinoa for most of your game? Tough luck – she’ll be dead in no time.
Probably needs a Snickers bar
Time travel does wonders to your complexion!
4. C’Thun, from World of Warcraft
I SEE YOUUUUU (Image from FantasyPower)
You know a video game boss is teeth-grindingly hard when the developer is forced to release a patch nerfing said boss.
An Old God residing within the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj, C’Thun awakens after millennia of sleep to marshal his army of insectoid Qiraji against Azeroth. Which means only one thing… lots and lots of dead heroes.
World of Warcraft’s C’Thun was nefarious among high level raiders as being just a few degrees away from full-on invincibility. He was able to crush even the most well-coordinated guilds to a pulp, scattering their level 70 members like so many pieces of detritus after a hurricane. He’s a little more manageable now, thanks to the nerf, but those tentacles of his still pack quite a punch. Take it from us; you’ll be seeing red before you put him down for good.
Reminds me of a Xenomorph egg - only what comes out is far, far worse (Image from WoWWiki)
His victims are a thousandfold (Image from WoWWiki)
3. Baal, from Diablo II: Lord of Destruction
From Diablo II: Lord of Destruction comes Baal, one of the Prime Evils of the Burnings Hells. After Diablo releases him from his prison, Baal and his demonic army invade the Barbarian homelands and destroy the holy shrine atop Mount Arreat. He then corrupts the Worldstone – the artifact that played a significant role in the creation of Sanctuary.
Blizzard’s dark fantasy is chockfull of unfairly difficult bosses, from Diablo’s different incarnations throughout the series to the fallen Archangel Malthael in Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. But of all the demons, monsters, and other freaks the franchise throws you, Baal is the one that’ll wear down your patience until it’s nothing but a powdery remnant of what used to be your sanity.
Baal emits a chilling wave that slows you down, knocks you back, and that’s borderline impossible to dodge. He teleports. He creates clones of himself, which retain all the original’s abilities. He drains your mana like a frat boy guzzles beer. And because he’s a demon, he’s got a kinky side, summoning tentacles that grope you in your tender spots until you’re red with shame.
One of the vilest video game villains in history.
As ugly as sin (Image from YouTube)
2. Emerald Weapon, from Final Fantasy VII
Emerald Weapon is the toughest of the five ridiculously hard optional superbosses in Final Fantasy VII. Awakened during times of great crisis, the Weapons protect the Planet against threats such as Sephiroth’s summoning of Meteor.
Because he’s been taking his breakfasts very seriously since childhood, Emerald now boasts a whopping 1,000,000 hit points. He’s immune to most status ailments. Many of his special attacks affect the entire party while simultaneously dealing thousands of hit points in damage. Those same attacks cancel out your party’s buffs. His most brutal move is the Aire Tam Storm, which multiplies the damage by the amount of Materia you have equipped. So the more Materia your characters have on them, the easier it is for him to one-hit kill them.
All your party members at level 99? To Emerald, they’re mosquitoes to be shrugged off – or swatted with utterly zero mercy.
Hold your breath... this is gonna be one tough battle!
This can't be good...
1. Ornstein and Smough, from Dark Souls
The Souls series is notorious for its murderously formidable bosses, but none are as rage quit-inducing as Dark Souls’ Ornstein and Smough.
This battle pits two bosses against you: the limber Dragon Slayer Ornstein and the lumbering Executioner Smough. Serving as protectors to Gwynevere, Anor Londo’s Princess of Sunlight, these two have the secondary duty of making your life as miserable as they possibly can.
Ornstein is fast, able to dash across the screen, impale you with his spear, and zap you with lightning attacks. Smough is slow, but his immense girth makes him harder to dodge, and his massive hammer will grind you to dust. By themselves, they’re a challenge. Together? This dynamic duo will utterly pulverize you.
But after hours of screaming at the screen, you finally manage to slay one of them. Now that it’s one-on-one, that should make the whole thing easier right? Right?
Wrong.
The survivor absorbs his fallen partner’s power, transforming into a superpowered version of himself. Think Orstein, only bigger and stronger, or Smough, with the former’s speed and lightning attacks.
We’re not kidding: Ornstein and Smough will bring out the worst in you. For that reason, they’re #1 on our list of toughest video game villains.
The toughest boss battle in gaming? (Image from DarkSouls.Wikia.Com)
And with that, we come to the end of our article on the 10 Video Game Bosses Who Slaughtered Millions of Noobs Worldwide. What about you guys? Who do you think are the hardest video game villains to beat? Leave us a comment below!
