15 Most Memorable First Boss Encounters In Gaming History

9. Parasite Queen (Metroid Prime)

Ever since it's inception, Metroid was a 2D action-adventure game in similar style to Castlevania. Reinventing the series as a first-person shooter in a full 3D world seemed an insane idea, especially given Nintendo's lack of experience in the shooter genre. Crucially, Metroid Prime still championed a sense of adventure; exploration is as essential as combat in Metroid Prime. It also brought some staggeringly impressive boss battles along for the ride, including the very first in the series. The Parasite Queen is fought at the very beginning of Metroid Prime as Samus explores a frigate she receives a distress call from. The Queen sits in the center of a huge, cylindrical room, protected by rotating shields. Samus has to time her shots to hit the Parasite when a shield isn't protecting her; a simple gameplay mechanic but an effective one. Samus also has to dodge a series of lazers from the Parasite Queen, showcasing the freer movement allowed by the series shift into 3D. It's not the biggest challenge Samus faces but it highlights many great reasons for Metroid's move into the first-person shooter genre; anybody still on the fence after this fight might never be convinced.