10 Outrageously Hard Video Game Boss Battles

By Edward Owen /

9. The Nihilanth €“ Half-Life

I don€™t even know how long it took me to complete Half-Life. Frankly, I don€™t want to know. If I knew how long I€™d spent pummelling headcrabs, shotgunning vortigaunts and massacring innocent scientists (don€™t pull that face, you know you€™ve done it too) I€™d probably fall into a deep depression. But when you play something for that long, there€™s a certain level of investment that goes into it. And when you know you€™re tantalisingly close to finishing that journey, any potential obstacle to that sweet feeling of completion will be hated all the more. Enter the Nihilanth. The architect of the Xen invasion of Black Mesa looks all sorts of creepy, and it€™s your task to put him down. But what a task it is €“ mostly invulnerable and capable of transporting you into a room full of aliens, he€™s the sort of opponent who makes you want to hurt your computer. If the teleportation trick wasn€™t enough, the big bald one occasionally cuts out the middle man and throws some more aliens at you. Or if he€™s feeling particularly fruity, he€™ll just attack you himself with high-damage energy blasts. The Nihilanth is capable of trying the patience of a monk, and you€™ll make frequent use of the quick-save function throughout. Then you get sucker-punched with THAT ending. Not cool, Valve.