Board 8 > Top 20 Metal Gear Solid bosses

(+) Yeah! (+)

The Octopus fight is the only B&B boss I remember.
---

You should fix that by playing more MGS4
---

Volgin fight is great, not least because of the great music
---

6. Crying Wolf

This will probably make the rest of my list pretty obvious, since I must now reveal my absolute love of sniper battles. Crying Wolf is my favorite fight of the game, hands down. The atmosphere is beautiful, which contrasts nicely against all the blood in the snow from the poor froggys that wondered into my sight. Except when I go for no kills, then they just get a relaxing chilly nap.

I'm not ashamed... I'm a little ashamed to admit that I've abused the method of hiding under a truck. More than once. I stopped though, I got clean.

My one problem with this fight is the frogs, really. I don't quite like them interfering here. Although I'm not sure I'd exclude them completely, because they do add something to the fight that I would miss if they were all gone. Maybe less of them? Not sure. Doesn't matter! Either way, it's a great time to be had by all. Especially for me since I like sniping peeps in the face.
---

I've never done Crying Wolf properly. I always just hide under the truck next to the beginning area and snipe at her from underneath it. Sometimes she shoots it or whatever, but she usually just prowls around looking for me. I'm terrible at fighting her.
---

Oh I was as well, but I fought her enough times that I got tired of being cheap and decided to git gud instead

Although I don't think I ever actually achieved any real gud status but I at least explored the area more and/or hid up on the walkways instead
---

5. Sniper Wolf

I've gone full on "fuck the rules" mode here, because in most ways Crying Wolf is actually probably a better boss. That seemed like the fight they wanted Sniper Wolf to be but they didn't have the technology. Even so, my girl here is just a much better character since she actually has proper development. You say that has nothing to do with the fight and this is a list ranking only the fights and nothing else and to that I say I can't hear you la la la.

To be fair, I am ranking both encounters with her in one. That should be sufficient enough to convince everyone she's a better combatant than her counterpart up there.

Once you get over Snake's shaky ass hands (like seriously relax bro), you're treated to an intense test of endurance and wit. Maybe not that intense, but still tough. First time is as simple as aiming down a straight hallway. So do that and shoot when you see the pretty lady and you'll probably win.

Next time is a more wide open area, but in the snow! It's a bit more difficult to spot her now since she blends in better but I don't remember it being all too bad. This was the first true sniper battle I was introduced to since there was none in the second game. It holds a special place in my heart for that. I can't say for sure, but this might have been where my love of snipers started to blossom.

It also led to the most emotional scene in the game imo
---

The Quiet fight should make it on here too then.
---

What's the difference between Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain?
---

Ground Zeroes is basically just one big story mission and some side ops set in the same region. Phantom Pain is a full blown open world type game.
---

Which do I play first?
---

Ground Zeroes comes first.
---

You don't have to play Ground Zeroes though. Phantom Pain stands on its own pretty fine, and is (was?) free on PS+, or you can get both games for 30 dollars with all DLC. Which I thought was a great deal.
---

Yeah, Ground Zeroes is mostly skippable, although you can transfer some stuff from your save file into Phantom Pain (nothing gamebreaking or anything), but TPP does a decent job of summing up what happened in GZ.
---

That Sniper Wolf boss fight it good stuff, emotional! (The Twin Snakes version for me oddly enough)
---

ew twin snakes
---

4. Metal Gear RAYs

See now this is a boss that deserves its spot based on my criteria, because it's fun and difficult as fuck. Well, maybe not nowadays, but 10 years ago when I wasn't so great at video games this shit was tough. And I was only on Normal, when I found out you had to fight 12-20 of them on higher levels I was like oh fuck no.

I wanna go back and try it on higher difficulties, man what I wouldn't give for a PS4 release.

Anyway, this took me several tries and I thought it was impossible, but of course once I finally reigned supreme it was some of the greatest thrill I had ever felt. If I hadn't already loved the game before, I sure as shit did now. Honestly that's probably why I didn't enjoy my duel with Solidus as much, after such an intense and crazy battle against giant aquatic robots (I want a Metal Gear RAY guys help a brother out), an old man with tentacles just couldn't offer the same excitement. It would have helped if they had a gameplay transition to wind down from the RAY fight, kinda like another game in the series did for their final boss... hmm.

Uh, but yeah so this is where the Stinger Trend is epitomized. You ain't just aiming for one dude, you're trying to target like three different dudes now, and all of them need to be hit a full two times. That's nuts. Cuz their delicate weak face won't open itself up to you unless you blast it in the knee first with an arrow alright full circle

God damn this was the point Raiden became a badass too
---

I always hated the metal gear RAYs fight, it never felt legitimately hard, only luck-based hard.
---

As someone who took over 200 tries to beat it on European Extreme and can do it consistently now, I can say that the Ray fight is extremely skill based.
---

kevwaffles posted...

As someone who took over 200 tries to beat it on European Extreme and can do it consistently now, I can say that the Ray fight is extremely skill based.

Same
---

Yeah I never felt like it was in any way unfair.

I found it brilliantly tense on the harder difficulties. You need virtual perfection over a reasonably long length of time.
---

Also it has some cool strategy to it too. Hitting them in the head straight away without hitting them in the knee is something I would do from time to time to keep the ones on the outside stunned. Stops them from firing missiles so much. And the risk/reward of luring it into firing the mouth laser so you could hit it while it was firing and get bigger damage.

Really good and often overlooked fight

Also Crying Wolf is definitely superior gameplay-wise, but Sniper is a more memorable fight. Partly nostalgia but partly because it's way more emotionally charged. In a game like MGS that's probably more important. Gameplay-wise the best one overall is The End, but he would probably be third on my list behind Liquid Ocelot and The Boss for a similar reason.
---

Glad people agree with me, never thought that fight had anything to do with luck. I remember feeling like I was making progress on each attempt. Until the point where I got their attacks and moves down and finally bested them.

As I mentioned, that accomplishment was the moment I truly fell in love with the game and I was hooked for the rest of the series.

On another note if anyone wants to send me a good working PS3 controller so I can go back and play MGS2 on harder difficulties well that would be really fucking swell =D
---

I honestly didn't play extreme for over a decade. Finally did it on the HD version.

The thing that put me off more than anything was the button mashing with Solidus on top of Arsenal, but that was fine. I remember it being a real killer in hard mode on the ps2 but maybe I was using a less-responsive third party controller back then. So the whole time I was worrying about one of the least stressful parts of the whole experience. The hardest part was probably the RAY fight actually. I think mine lasted 20m+ because I was so defensive.
---

I'd say that's true of most things people say are RNG, really. Really it's not that luck was screwing you over, it's that you were requiring good luck to beat it with your current skill level or strategy and eventually that runs out because you're not doing it right.

Very overused complaint in gaming in general.
---

well shit I guess I have to play through metal gear solid 2 again one day
---

XIII_rocks posted...

The thing that put me off more than anything was the button mashing with Solidus on top of Arsenal, but that was fine.

It's a fucking minute long at a speed I can maintain for maybe 30 seconds. It's pretty bad.

I had to get a friend to take over for like 10 seconds in the middle of it to get through. Lost tons of health in the transitions, but it worked.
---

kevwaffles posted...

XIII_rocks posted...

The thing that put me off more than anything was the button mashing with Solidus on top of Arsenal, but that was fine.

It's a fucking minute long at a speed I can maintain for maybe 30 seconds. It's pretty bad.

I had to get a friend to take over for like 10 seconds in the middle of it to get through. Lost tons of health in the transitions, but it worked.

I think I did die once but hard mode on ps2 took like an hour. Either they made it easier on euro extreme or I was using a third-party controller on ps2 like I said.

I always thought I was pretty bad at button-mashing tbh
---

I've played all the difficulties for the dog tags. European Extreme is definitely the hardest. Extreme I believe requires you to mash just as fast but doesn't last nearly as long. Hard and below don't require you to mash anywhere near as fast.

So yeah, my money is on you using a turbo controller.
---

Uh, ok man

I don't own a turbo controller and never have but ok
---

Then you either remember wrong or got temporarily amazing. You're the one who introduced the idea of third party controllers, so I assumed that's what you were getting at. Not sure the point otherwise.

It's not easier when you play on higher difficulties.

Oh, I glazed over "less responsive". Lol
---

Yeah and it's not just MGS

A few years ago I played RE4 on the PS2 on Professional mode. Hadn't done that before iirc. Maybe I did it once on the GameCube when it was first released but don't remember.

But basically it got to the part where the giant Salazar statue is chasing you and you have to mash buttons to climb up once the bridge collapses. I kept fucking falling. I was absolutely livid with the game. It briefly fell out of my top 10 of all time because I thought they'd managed to fuck it up so spectacularly on the hardest difficulty by making this button-mashing section unfairly hard.

Then I switched to my old Dualshock 1 - the only first-party controller I had left that would work on PS2 - and did it first time. Third party controllers are shitty.

So, to sum up:

Played MGS2 Hard mode on the PS2 like 12 years ago. Struggled at the button-mashing section, and I think it was because I was using a third-party controller.
Played MGS2 HD Version Euro-Extreme on PS3 like 3 or 4 years ago. Beat the button-mashing section after only a couple of tries, and I think it was because I was using a Dualshock 3.
---

I'm pretty sure RE4 doesn't change the difficulty of QTEs of any variety at all in Professional, so yeah, definitely points to controller issues.

Now that I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they tuned that shit down in MGS2 HD, which I never got around to trying despite owning. If not, you got way better at mashing then you give yourself credit for.

I did it on Substance on both XBox and PS2, and it was ridiculous on both, but I timed it on both and it seriously takes 60 seconds.
---

https://www.playstationtrophies.org/forum/metal-gear-solid-2-sons-of-liberty-hd/156296-button-mashing-2.html

Couple of remarks here indicating it was nerfed. That lines up with my experience.

But it's definitely a bit of both because of the RE4 thing.
---

3. Quiet

Surprise! I guess not really though. Oh well. So I actually ended up liking Quiet a lot more than I initially thought I would. Big boobs don't do much for me (dat ass tho), and I'm not a fan of blatantly objectified women. However, they at least gave her an explanation as to why she chooses to fight in such revealing attire. It's obvious the reason was added after the outfit was picked, regardless I appreciate the minimal effort. They could have left her with no reason and it wouldn't have really mattered.

Besides, once you get the Sniper Wolf outfit you have no reason to ever dress her in anything else.

Quiet is a badass sniper, no way you can deny that. The moment she shot the pilot of the jet and sent 'em toppling into the sea was the moment I started falling for her. And she just got better, favorite buddy for sure (but fox d-dog is super close second). I was moved to tears near the end of the game, this was Quiet's story to me, everyone else was a side character.

Oh the fight, well it's arguably not better than S or C Wolf, but I'd say I got way more enjoyment out of it. Which is nice since I had to defeat her like ten fucking times throughout my playthrough. I got really good at it, naturally. At the beginning I used cheap methods to speed up the process -- mainly stealth camo. I used the supply drop trick once, but I didn't find that fun and if I haven't been clear about this, I really fucking love sniper duels. So I opted to snipe her instead.

Plus I had this really nice anti-materiel rifle that took out almost half her health. That's my baby right there.

My first fight with her probably wasn't the easiest, but I had my trusty pup by my side to sniff her out, so I can't recall it causing me too much trouble. If I hadn't had to replay this fight so many times, chances are it wouldn't have ranked higher than Sniper Wolf (the emotion of that fight breaks through all barriers, even my own rules). Then again, Quiet's encounter has the benefit of having the best gameplay of all time, so it breaks even.

Also I have to remind everyone that her Sniper Wolf outfit is god damn perfect.
---

Why is it anti-materiel and not anti-material? I never got that
---

Quiet is great, and her stage us the best sniper playground in gaming
---

kevwaffles posted...

I'm pretty sure RE4 doesn't change the difficulty of QTEs of any variety at all in Professional, so yeah, definitely points to controller issues.

Now that I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised at all if they tuned that shit down in MGS2 HD, which I never got around to trying despite owning. If not, you got way better at mashing then you give yourself credit for.

I did it on Substance on both XBox and PS2, and it was ridiculous on both, but I timed it on both and it seriously takes 60 seconds.

Better man then me then, in my experience it is stonecold impossible to get past the button mashing in the Substance port with the Xbox controller on the highest difficulty.
---

Oh, when I say I did it, I mean I had a friend take over for about 10 seconds in the middle of it to give my hand a rest. I'm good at mashing, but I'm not that good.
---

XIII_rocks posted...

Why is it anti-materiel and not anti-material? I never got that

Well materials can be anything, which would indicate any gun could be anti-material. Materiel is just the military word for... things I guess. Mostly armored things, I assume.

That's my take on it anyway, we could just ask google if we cared that much.
---

I will post the final two tomorrow

probably
---

sweet your top two are the end and zeke too

btw if zeke isn't on your list I hate you
---

The End. Most overrated boss in the series just like MGS3 itself.

SantaRPidgey posted...

btw if zeke isn't on your list I hate you

Haven't played Peace Walker

Also lied about write-ups but I will have them soon
---

MGS3 one of the three greatest games ever made
---