The survival horror genre has become one of the most successful niches of gaming, but it’s titles likeResident Evilthat helped put the genre on the map in the first place.Resident Evilhas blossomed from violent curiosity into one of the most mainstream video games that’s currently on the market.
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Capcomhas made their mark on the gaming industry with a lot of their properties, butResident Evilstill stands out from the crowd. The series does an excellent job with how it creates scares and atmosphere, but theResident Evil bossesare also a major area that should not be underestimated, especially when it comes to the final foes at the end of the games.
10Derek Simmons & Ustanak (Resident Evil 6)
Derek Simmons is a major final boss inResident Evil 6as he’s faced by bothAdaand Leon. Derek feels more like a rejected enemy fromIron Man 3. The addition of a helicopter for Ada’s portion of the fight is cool, but it’s a bland boss that gets ridiculous in the worst ways. Ustanak is another final boss inResident Evil 6that’s encountered during Jake and Sherry’s campaign, but Ustanak is more of a series of QTE sequences than a satisfying boss. It’s a boring sequence and it reflects the poor direction that the series briefly takes.
9Queen Leech (Resident Evil Zero)
Resident Evil Zerois an ambitious title that features some innovative design features as well as some of thecreepiest monstersfrom the series. Queen Leech has a fascinating backstory that’s the culmination of Dr. Marcus' sad downfall by Umbrella. This boss is utterly disgusting, but it’s more about making use of the game’s “co-operative” mechanic than conventional firepower. Rebecca opens valves, Billy deals with the queen, and it’s the power of teamwork that defeats this final boss in the end. It’s not only tedious, but frustrating because this battle could have been so much more.
8Eveline (Resident Evil 7)
Let’s be clear,Resident Evil 7is a fantastic entry in the series that course corrects many of the problems fromResident Evil 5and6.The game and this final boss gain tremendous love over the fact that they’re genuinely scary, but Eveline isn’t actually difficult or challenging when it comes to bosses.
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Eveline is the tortured spirit that’s been manipulating the Baker family. This final fight is huge and is full of upsetting visuals as Eveline’s face gets pummeled with ammunition, but it’s a tame finish in terms of strategy & gameplay.
7HAOS (Resident Evil 6)
Resident Evil 6brazenly features four separate campaigns, all with different final bosses, but it’s HAOS fromChrisand Piers' story that feels like the biggest and most satisfying.Resident Evil 6wants to pretend that it’s a giant action film and the HAOS boss fight is the only one of the trio that creates this feeling. Chris and Piers need to work together to slay this massive monster and while it does feature QTE sequences, they’re brief and don’t ruin what’s otherwise a cathartic, albeit empty, boss fight.
6Tyrant T-002 (Resident Evil)
It’s incredible how so many of the hallmarks ofResident Evilare established in the veryfirst game. It may be simple in terms of the current gaming standards, but it’s still impressive for the time. In this regard, the game’s final boss, an intimidating Tyrant, isn’t exactly difficult, but is still meant to generate fear. It’s a behemoth that’sTerminator-like in nature. All the player needs to do is keep their distance and barrage Tyrant T-002 with bullets until a rocket launcher is provided, which also becomes a staple of the final boss fights from earlierResident Evilgames.
5Albert Wesker (Resident Evil 5)
A showdown between Chris Redfield andAlbert Weskershould be an all-time highpoint for theResident Evilseries, but instead it gets bogged down with many of the problems that plague the rest of the over the topResident Evil 5. This final fight feels like it’d be more appropriate in a superhero game.
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Wesker is now fully transformed into a powerful tyrant-like beast and Chris defeats him by knocking him into a volcano & finishing off the job with a rocket launcher. It’s absurd on every level, which is either amazing or infuriating for longtime fans of the series.
4Osmund Saddler (Resident Evil 4)
Resident Evil 4marks a dangerous precedent for the series that the following titles really run with. The game is revolutionary for its time, but many of its innovative changes have been run into the ground now. For instance, Leon’s final showdown against Osmund Saddler involves the cult leader transforming into a deeply disturbing arachnid-like beast. It’s vast and terrifying, but it’s also the direction that all of the subsequent final bosses in the series adopt, typically to diminishing returns. Even still, it’s handled right inResident Evil 4.
3Super Tyrant (Resident Evil 2)
Resident Evil 2really ups the stakes when it comes to boss battles. There’s Mr. X as well as the many forms of William Birkin. However, when it comes toResident Evil 2’sfinal boss, it doesn’t stray far from the structure of the original game. Both the classic game and the more recent remake feature a final showdown against the Super Tyrant where he’s basically a bullet sponge for the magnum where it’s important to keep a healthy distance. It’s basically an exercise in endurance until the player acquires the anti-tank rocket, which will quickly end the boss battle.
2Alexia Ashford (CODE: Veronica)
Resident Evil CODE: Veronicaremains a black sheep in the series even though it was initially designed as the originalResident Evil 3.The title features an impressively deep storyline and the return of Claire Redfield. The game’s final boss is Alexia Ashford who’s fully ascended into a higher power. Alexia Ashford features many of the staples of earlierResident Evilbosses, but her many different forms require vastly different strategies. It’s also deeply satisfying to get to finish off Alexia’s final dragon fly form with Chris and a rocket launcher.
1Nemesis (Resident Evil 3: Nemesis)
Resident Evil 3’s Nemesisis one of the most popular villains inResident Evilhistory. Both the originalResident Evil 3and its remake try to put a creative spin on the ultimate weapon trope. At this point Nemesis is just a writhing mass of goo & limbs and Jill has to spend the majority of the fight running around and powering up her rail gun as she fends off Nemesis. It’s another final fight that feels like it’s about running out the clock, but it still builds a ton of suspense in a way that a final fight should.
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