The 50 foot whatever or that Human/Player sized Boss

[JJ Styles]

So for the first in this series of Weekly VG questions: Video Game Bosses -> The Attack of the 50 foot whatever or the Player/Human sized murder machine who's about to end you. - Giant Sized Bosses or Human/Player sized bosses?

Boss Battles. I don't have to say much about what Video Game Bosses and Boss Battles are. Some Video game boss battles are so HUGE that they simply have HUGE GUTS to fill up with your personal firepower or blades (whichever you are wielding. These are the more classic boss battles that let you felt that you were fighting something bigger than yourself (obviously) while fighting for something or for someone bigger. In short, classic VG bosses since the days of old.

But there are some more bosses that are not huge monstrosities, but are simply humanoid sized guys who are just as good as beating you down straight up.

Spoiler:

But if there's one thing that I always liked about some games is that they do not feature some boss, or end-bosses, or final bosses that fill the screen and be this super intimidating force. No. Some of the most epic bosses are those that are simply the same size or at least relatively the same size or slightly to noticeably larger but not gigantic kinds of bosses. These kinds of bosses move just about as quick or even quicker than the player and skillfully try to kick your ass while you do your best to just try smashing them with your basic combos. They still exhibit really interesting boss attack patterns that you have to know in order to beat them, and unlike the 50foot whatever, they aren't huge, so they don't have huge guts or hitboxes to unload your firepower with.

For me, there's something about human/player/humanoid sized video game bosses that make me feel even more accomplished in facing and eventually beating them. I feel that these kinds of bosses are much more immersive and more involving than the classic "Fighting of the 50 foot Gigantosaurus" that most other games have. For some, you may have seen these more humanoid sized bosses and imagined them to be that bully from grade school to high school that you wished you'd rip and torn to pieces, or maybe that chick that dumped you for that dumbass jock (for the ladies, that dude you dumped you for that girl with bigger boobs), or he/she could have been a long lost friend that turned to the wrong side of town. Ildr, that Human sized boss serves as a vehicle for some epic 1v1 dueling.

So tldr, simple question for VG:
The Giant Sized Video Game Boss or the Humanoid/Player Sized Boss. Only one of each option. No "It Depends". And explain why :)))

Discuss Ladies and Grunts.

 

[pkmin3033]

Well, it really DOES depend on the villain in question, but in my experience, an increase in size usually results in a decrease in intelligence, and this whole mentality that bigger is better doesn't really fit...it just means you have a bigger target to aim at. Unless it's in monster hunting games - where bigger is definitely better - I'm not really into giant-sized bosses. If a boss is huge, they typically have one obvious weak point, or are scaled down in strength so that you can actually win without being squidged. Fighting someone your own size, there is no need for that scaling mechanic, so it feels like a more even battle.

 

[Frequency]

As long as the game engine and AI supports the boss in question, I support both.

 

[Satoshi Ookami]

Bigger bosses. They are easier to hit.

 

[Fannie]

I seem tend to find human bosses more of a challenge. The more challenging the boss, the more of a boss I feel when I defeat them.