Favorite Boss Battles in the Rareware Games that I Have Played

When it comes to boss battles, Rareware tends to come up with fights that can be epic, clever, and as fun the tenth time as they were they first time. Whether it is a major adversary or one of his or her minions, these battles tend to show off just how creative Rare could be. Today, I shall take some of the battles that I feel are among the best ones that Rare has ever made. These are the battles that I always look forward to fighting whenever I play the games in which they are featured. In no particular order, here are my favorite Rare boss battles...

Donkey Kong 64: Mad Jack: Some of the fights in this game really make you sweat, and the battle with Mad Jack, the nasty jack-in-the-box, is one of them. As Tiny Kong, you must use your Ponytail Twirl to leap from platform to platform as Mad Jack chases you around. Eventually, he stops on a platform, and you must hit a switch that corresponds to the color of the platform where Mad Jack is resting in order to hurt him. During this time, you will need to avoid the projectiles that Jack fires at you. Fall off the platform, and you must restart the current phase of the battle. Later on, Mad Jack will turn invisible, making it harder to see where he will land. The battle is long and difficult, but it is also quite exciting.

Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge: Gruntilda (Spiller's Harbor): Part of what made this hand held version of the Banjo games such a disappointment was that most of the boss battles were a rehash of the previous fights with some new attacks added in. Then there was the fight with Gruntilda the witch in Spiller's Harbor, which was more like a first person shooting match. Here, you need to use ice eggs in order to destroy parts of Grunty's mechanical body, all the while dodging her spells. Halfway through the fight, she will float through the air, adding to the challenge. It is a neat battle while it lasts...it is a shame that Rare could not come up with more unique fights for this game.

Donkey Kong Country 2 (Game Boy Advance version): Kerozene: For the hand held version of the Super NES classic, Rare added Kerozene, a monster who awaits you in Stronghold Showdown, which in the original version was merely a brief cut scene showing Diddy and Dixie trying to rescue Donkey Kong. Kerozene is quite tough: you will need to use cannonballs to destroy the swords that he sends at you, and then to hit his head for the rest of the battle. However, he will breathe fire every which way, pound the ground with his fists to stun you unless you jump beforehand, and when he has one hit point left, he will engulf the entire castle roof in flames. You must time your final attack carefully, or else you may land in the fire and lose a life just as Kerozene is defeated. This new boss is a great addition, and far better than Kroctopus, the new boss for the hand held version of Donkey Kong Country 3.

Banjo-Tooie: Weldar: This game is filled with lots of clever and epic boss battles, and Weldar is the cream of the crop in my opinion. What this near-sighted welding torch may lack in eyesight, he more than makes up for with some powerful attacks. He can fire blasts of energy at you, try to crush you, and vacuum you into his mouth a la Kirby. Only by shooting a grenade egg at him while he tries to suck you in will cause damage. The battle gets tougher later on when the floor becomes electrified, forcing you to move more carefully. Add some very epic music to the mix, and you have one of the most creative boss fights that Rare has ever created.

Conker's Bad Fur Day:The Great Mighty Poo: An even more innovative boss battle comes in the form of this guy, whom Conker faces on his quest to get home. The Great Mighty Poo is known for singing in between attacks, and the lyrics are quite amusing. As for attacking him, you must throw toilet paper into his mouth whenever he pauses to sing. Ultimately, you finish the monster off by literally flushing him away, and he quotes the Wizard of Oz as he goes down the drain. Even with the Nintendo 64 nearing the end of its lifespan, Rare stepped up to the challenge to give it one last round of great boss battles, and the Great Mighty Poo has rightfully been deemed to be one of their very best of all time. Be warned that the Xbox remake, Live and Reloaded, gives his voice an unnecessary echo and censors some of his lyrics.

Diddy Kong Racing: Wizpig (First Race): Many of the boss races in this game become a piece of cake when you become proficient enough with them. Then you encounter Wizpig, and all bets are off. Wizpig is incredibly fast, and he even flies at points in order to maintain his lead. Without balloons to slow him down, you will have to rely on zippers in order to stay ahead of the swift swine. You must hit them just right, or you will fall into the water and slow down considerably. Even if you get a very large boost (by releasing the A Button just before hitting the zipper), winning the race will still be a challenge. It is a tough race, but it is also quite fun, and it will make those who feel that the game is strictly for young kids change their minds fast.

Jet Force Gemini: Mizar (Second Time): The first time you fight Mizar, he is pretty much a pushover. The second time, not so much. While a lot of his attacks are easily dodged, his lightning attack, which goes at random speeds, can reduce your life energy in a hurry, even with full health. For most of the battle, you will need to strike Mizar's back, preferably with homing missiles, to gradually damage him. In between these hits, you must avoid his attacks, which are random. Not only is the lightning attack annoying, but as the battle rages on, he tends to use it more often, which may very well destroy you if you are not careful. The final part of the fight, which is a rehash of the first time you fought him, is considerably easier, but what you have to go through to get to it is difficult, epic, and fun.

Banjo-Kazooie: Gruntilda: Those hoping for a memorable fight with Grunty at the end of Banjo's first game were surely impressed, and with good reason. Grunty has some rather nasty attacks, from swooping down at you on her broomstick to pelting you with fireballs and magic spells. At various parts of the battle, you must attack Grunty by pecking or firing eggs at her. Latter, you will need to awaken the Jinjo statues in order to cause further damage. It all culminates with an epic scene in which the Jinjonator knocks the witch off the castle roof. A great battle to end an equally great game.

Star Fox Adventures: Redeye King: The ruler of all Redeyes (Tyrannosaurus Rex in the real world) is quite a large and terrifying beast, but he is also part of one of this game's better boss battles. He stomps around a temple, wanting to make lunch out of Fox McCloud, who will need to unlock doors containing explosive barrels. Then, he will have to wait for the king to draw near him before stepping on switches that create electricity that will knock the beast down. While out of commission, the Redeye King becomes vulnerable to the explosive barrels. As the battle progresses, the switches appear closer to the beast, so you must time your attacks accordingly. The fight is not terribly difficult, but it is pretty epic.

Donkey Kong Country (Game Boy Advance version): Necky's Revenge: The other versions of Donkey Kong Country had you fighting Master Necky Senior, a slightly harder version of Master Necky. This time, you will be fighting not only him, but also Master Necky! The two vultures will each spit one nut at a time, and then you must hit one of them. What makes this battle a bit of a challenge is that, after one vulture is defeated, the other one will spit four nuts at you before becoming vulnerable to attack. It is best to alternate your attacks between the two vultures so that you will only have to deal with the four nut attack once. I like the changes in boss strategies that Rare made in this version, and this was the best alteration of the bunch.

These are just a few of the many excellent boss fights that Rare has come up with, and they are all epic, challenging, and most of all, a lot of fun. With a few of these bosses, you can fight them again as much as you want without having to start a new game, so that you may enjoy taking them out all over again. I admit, not every Rare boss battle was grand, and I plan to compile a list of some of their worst boss fights in the future. For now, track down these games, fight these bosses, and see for yourself what makes them so grand.