Boss battles used to be as much a part of a video game as the levels themselves, creating a sense of rhythmic progression that's rarely seen in the more cinematic releases of today. Certain genres like platformers, franchises like Dark Souls/Bloodborne or throwback 2D retro releases like Shovel Knight still fly the flag proudly, peppering their runtimes with a handful of epic high-octane showdowns with varying difficulties, but there's been a sharp decline in the sheer amount of games that feature them at all, which is a huge shame. However, if you're going to put a big ol' talking roadblock in our way and you're going to ask us to develop something of an antagonistic relationship with a certain character, creature or obstacle - at least do it well. The following 15 abominations of code did precisely the opposite of that, utilising cheap tactics, annoying animations, infuriating taunts or a combination of all three simply to get the most incendiary reaction as possible out of the player. When done well, boss battles can be some of the most exhilarating parts of any game, but when they shoot for a particular reaction and screw it up, that only leaves an unending well of hatred to draw from.