20 Best Video Game Boss Battles Of The Decade (So Far)

11. Red - Pokemon HeartGold / SoulSilver

It's admirable, in a way, that Game Freak are not only committed to repurposing the same combat formulas for every instalment of the Pokemon franchise, but that they somehow manage to make it utterly thrilling every single time.

There are certainly no points for originality here. In a game that's merely a remake of a sequel, and in the section that's just rehashing a plot line from the preceding story, our intrepid trainer scales to the top of a mountain and faces the mythical Red. Unless you've put some improbable hours into your team, then you'll be facing a lineup of Pokemon that are stronger and quicker than yours.

Combined with the variety of Red's team and the number of Full Restores he's sensibly packing, it's one of the few genuinely challenging conflicts in the whole game. A serious thrill for prospective Pokemon masters both old and new.