10 Terrible Boss Fights That Almost Ruined Video Games

4. The Black Hand Of Sauron - Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a remarkable game for the most part, best remembered for its innovative Nemesis system, whereby the Orcs have a persistent hierarchy which changes according to your encounters throughout the game.

This wonderfully inventive mechanic makes even the most seemingly ordinary engagement meaningful within the wider context of the player's journey, so it's a shame that the game's few actual boss fights just can't even begin to measure up.

This is especially crushing in the case of the game's final boss, where you'll briefly face off against the Dark Hand of Sauron...in a quick-time event (QTE). Yup, that's it.

It's tough to remember a final boss in recent memory that seemed so blatantly curtailed due to a rushed development, because after the player spent dozens of hours immersing themselves in this rich world which made routine combat feel worthwhile, was a glorified interactive cutscene ever going to cut it?