10 Video Game Enemies That Should've Been The Final Boss

There's a lot more to designing a final boss than making them tough-as-nails. Because there's so much emphasis on story and character development in modern titles, gamers expect the developers to put just as much effort into crafting a truly great antagonist.

The final battle is the last thing that players experience before the credits roll, and it's imperative these baddies leave a major impression.

That's why it's agonising when the last adversary stinks to high heaven. Anyone who's played Far Cry 3, Shadow of Mordor, or Gears of War 2 know all too well how a crappy climax can ruin an otherwise perfect game.

This is more frustrating when the player encounters evildoers throughout the main campaign who are far more interesting than the hero's nemesis. When a game spends hours fleshing out a villain's backstory and motivations, it's non-sensical to replace them with some nobody at the last minute. If an underling is ten times more memorable than the big bad, it's hard to understand why the showdown wasn't against them.

The final bosses on this list weren't just bad - none of them should've been the final boss to begin with.

Within the first few hours of Final Fantasy IX, it's clear that Kuja poses a major threat to world. Being a genetically engineered entity hell-bent on Gaia's destruction, the feathered-haired foe has "main villain" written all over him. Since our hero, Zidane is Kuja's brother, their personal relationship makes their rivalry more engaging.

Now, because this is Final Fantasy, fans were expecting a bait-and-switch. Since Kuja's existence was orchestrated by the ancient mage, Garland, it looked like he would replace him as the final boss in the eleventh hour. However, Kuja kills Garland during the climax. With Garland out of the way, it looks like Kuja really is the true antagonist.

But after he's defeated, a mysterious being called Necron appears, revealing he was behind everything. Because Necron has never been mentioned until now, his appearance is totally out of left field. Since nothing is revealed about Necron's motivations or origins, his appearance is completely pointless.

If Necron was left on the cutting room floor, it wouldn't have any effect on the story, which makes players wonder why he was in FFIX in the first place.