10 Best Skill-Check Bosses In Gaming History
2. Balteus (Armored Core 6)
As German rock legends Falco once (almost) sang:
Oh Balteus, oh Balteus, oh Balteus,
Oh Balteus, oh Balteus, oh Balteus,
Oh Balteus, oh Balteus, oh oh oh Balteus,
Stop goddamn shooting me, Balteus!
Skill-check specialists FromSoftware Inc. further proved themselves as the undisputed masters of their craft with Armored Core 6's Balteus - the end result of a mech designer taking the Frasier Crane approach to deciding exactly how many missiles a robot should be able to fire at once. ("If less is more, just think of how much more "more" will be!").
Unless you've mastered your own custom-built mech's fighting style, each round against Balteus will end with you disintegrating in a rain of rocket-fuelled lead.
Fortunately, Armored Core 6's combat is open-ended enough that you can avoid Balteus' ballistic discharge in a variety of ways, from dancing through the onslaught in a zippy, lightweight mech to absorbing the punishment with a well-timed burst of a forcefield in a mobile fortress. (And any number of strategies in between, from sniping to sword-swinging).
Of course, doing any of the above is easier said than done, but the feeling of accomplishment derived from Balteus meeting his end makes it worth the effort.
And the fact that FromSoftware Inc. deliver this feeling again and again throughout AC 6's campaign shows why they're seen as gaming's premier provider of quality boss battles.
Which brings us to the final entry on this list...