10 Video Game Boss Fights That Broke The Rules

The Metal Gear Solid franchise lays claim to many of the most inventive and singular boss fights in the history of the medium, courtesy of its genius creator Hideo Kojima.

But as brilliantly creative as so many of the battles have been over the years, Kojima has never quite topped the show-stopping, jaw-dropping insanity of the Psycho Mantis fight in the original Metal Gear Solid.

The fight is designed primarily around Mantis' extensive psychic abilities, with Kojima taking the opportunity to thoroughly screw with players' heads.

This includes Mantis making the player's controller vibrate, reading their memory card, commenting upon any Konami save files they might have, and trying to trick players into thinking the TV channel has changed.

But the pièce de résistance is unquestionably Mantis' ability to "read the player's mind," in that he can predict every combative move Snake makes against him and in turn evade every attack directed his way.

The solution? Unplug your controller and insert it in the second controller port instead, breaking the psychic link and making Mantis vulnerable once again.

It's such mind-bogglingly brilliant use of gaming tech, and laid the gauntlet down to other developers to try and match its devilish ingenuity - which, largely, they haven't. Over 20 years on, it remains one of the most intelligently constructed boss fights of all time.