10 Best Multi-Phase Video Game Boss Fights Ever

2. Liquid Ocelot - Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots

Metal Gear Solid 4
Konami

Perhaps no boss fight in the history of video games has so brilliantly capitalised on fan service as Metal Gear Solid 4's climactic battle between Old Snake and Liquid Ocelot.

Atop Ocelot's battleship Outer Haven, Snake and Ocelot face off in a simple fistfight, but one informed by Hideo Kojima's decision to split the battle into four segments, each of the first three phases paying homage to one of the previous mainline games in the series.

Each phase has health bars for Snake and Ocelot in the style of the three original games while set to their most iconic respective songs, with Ocelot continually changing up his attack style between phases.

The fourth and final phase, however, is a considerably simpler QTE-style punch-up in which an exhausted Snake and Ocelot sluggishly attempted to put each other down for the count.

As if this isn't awesome enough, defeating Ocelot then rewards players with an almost comically lengthy hour-long ending. For all its silliness and goofy Kojima-isms, what a game.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.