10 Best Video Game Boss Battles YOU COULDN'T PLAY
4. The Illusive Man - Mass Effect 3
The Mass Effect series is brimming with some of the most well-written and enthralling characters in gaming, with one of the most noteworthy being the Illusive Man.
Played by Martin Sheen, this enigmatic figure is the leader of the shadowy Cerberus organisation and plays a pivotal role within the second and third games. Despite striking-up a tenuous alliance with the Normandy crew during Mass Effect 2, he becomes one of the main antagonists in the next game, with it later being discovered that he’s been indoctrinated by the Reapers.
Depending on what kind of relationship players had with him, their heel turn can feel like a betrayal or inevitable outcome. Either way, the stakes are high when Shepherd catches up with him during the final act.
What follows is a tense conversation that determines if Shepherd can convince him of his indoctrination where he dies regardless of the outcome. Given everything that's led up to this moment, this confrontation doesn't have the sense of finality that a traditional boss fight would.
Frustratingly, there was originally a fight with the Illusive Man at this point in the game. Instead, players were left with this underwhelming finale moments before experiencing the trilogy's notoriously terrible ending.