Genichiro is who everyone who’s ever played Sekiro sees as the biggest skill check. I can’t believe he’s not even on the list. He’s the definition of a skill check. You’ll either give up or you’ll fall in love with the game.
As soon as gasciogne transformed I had him glitch and jump off the top rail for a glitch death. Needless to say I didn’t learn how to fight until later in the game 😅
It's GOTTA be Genichiro. Was stuck on him for about 3 days, Dude was working me. But when i finally beat him, The game's combat finally clicked for me. Super surprised its not on here let alone #1
Good for you @@corneliussmiff2773 I've beat a lot of hard games over the years as a much older gamer in my 30s, but I could Not get Genichiro even close to dying! He is so OP, I even beat Ornstein and Smough with a much easier time! Father G died on my first time and I didn't understand why all the fuss!
@@birdatbattlefield sorry but you are wrong. Most people who play sekiro find the combat difficult, then get stuck on genichiro and at some point it "clicks" and beat him. This was also the case with me and later I even got the guardian ape after 3 attempts.
Horizon Zero Dawn after puttering around the first area you fight the first Sawtooth. Have to creatively use traps, fire damage and aiming for its weak points otherwise you will get mauled by it and have to start again.
100% agree! Genechiro is the base as to when Wolf's true path in skill and story begins, and the peak is reflected at Genechiro in the end. Sekiro is poetry in itself!
Fallen Order, doing Oggdo Bogdo as my first boss without any upgrades was a decent challenge for me. Really set the tone and made it clear that you couldn’t just swing your saber around.
Like many have said before me, Genichiro from Sekiro tops Gascoigne. He insists on you learning the ropes to prevail and, in stark contrast to Gascoigne, he insists that you do it alone.
No way. Gasciogne beats Genichiro, its your first time facing a hunter with his own fast movement and its not very far in the game. Once you get to Genichiro you mostly have the parry system down. I beat him fairly easy. How are you people struggling that hard at that point in the game? Lady Butterfly and The Guardian Ape were bigger skill checks than him.
@@birdatbattlefield "Lady Butterfly and The Guardian Ape were bigger skill checks than him", for you. Though I will admit, they weren't pushovers either, but not as outrageous as Genichiro - for me.
I’m never one to actually care about things not making lists but it’s wild to not have genichiro on here. He fits the definition best as well since it truly is just a test of skill since after you’ve done you can do it again easily
Funny thing is, The Cleric Beast took me a dozen or more tries. But Gascoign was the first souls-borne boss I ever beat on my first attempt. His movements were just easier to read for me.
It’s funny how, outside of a few almost unanimously agreed upon bosses, most people have wildly different experiences with which boss gave them issues. It was the exact opposite for Gascoigne and Cleric Beast for me.
LMAO I found it super weird how she forgot to mention the literal music box you get from the little girl, that makes the entire second phase of Gascoine a joke. It was even in the video she used as background footage, you may only get two uses out of it, but that's honestly all you need.
I think the first game I played with a 'skill check' boss was probably Disgaea: Hour of Darkness? One of the early boss fights was Mid-Boss, but it's a big difficulty spike to beat him. You either need to know just how to play the game, making use of the various classes you have available at that point, or you need to cheese it by overleveling....TBH, I usually cheese that fight, though that's partly because I just have a habit of farming stages in Disgaea RPGs because watching stats climb is appealing to me (and I liked saving up to buy the most expensive equipment available).
I’d give an honorable mention to the flaming bull from Sekiro. Not the most punishing boss, and one that is easily cheeseable, but if you take the time to learn Sekiro’s parrying mechanic and learn to wisely use the items provided for you, the fight can be done in a fraction of the time that it takes to run behind the bull smacking its ass. Plus it was so satisfying to take the bull down by wearing down its stance than to cheese it
I haven't played Nocturne in years, but I remember starting a new game after many (and I DO mean many) defeats at his hands and learning specific spells and abilities just to beat him. Back then, I used to just brute force my way through games like that and it worked, but Matador was my literal wake up call
I had trouble with Alma most in Ninja Gaiden. When you brought up Murai, I had forgotten how hard it was. It was brutal. But one thing I never forgot was how hard the Alma fight was. It didn't help that I didn't upgrade my sword. I was ignorant. But when she crashes in, it's dreadful.
Maybe it fits.... Playing Shadow of Mordor I ran into an orc war chief that was immune to all my attacks. So I gave him 7 bodyguards, started the war chief mission again and had those 7 bodyguards kill him for me. Quite satisfying.
Matador really teaches the player 3 things: Always use buffs/debuffs (especially that they're stackable up to 4 stages meaning the more you stack buffs the more you become powerful), fuse regularly and optimize your team (always change your demons they're tools not pokemon, make sure your team is resistant/nullified to the enemy's attacks), and lastly optimize your MC to ensure his survival (change his magatama depending on which boss you fight since different magatama has different elemental resistance/nullification)
Matador cancels debuffs with Dekunda....so...you really CAN'T debuff him. He also has Red Capote, which maxes BOTH his evasion and accuracy....and lowers your defense with Taunt. THAT'S why he's such a wall. The fact you can't debuff him (and have them stay), the fact he maxes his own evasion and accuracy, especially when you lower them again, he'll use Red Capote again, and the fact he uses Taunt to hit harder. Maxing your own accuracy and evasion is the way to go....as you'll be on an even playing field for the most part then. The true trick you need....have demons that nullify Force....that'll take his turns away. As for the MC....by the time you face Matador...you only have a few Magatama to utilize. It's kinda funny that the one that nullifies Force...you can buy from the Junk Shop right before you face him.....almost like it's a sign. The other thing...in SMT games, you don't know what the boss is going to throw at you until you face them. It's ironic that Matador is the only required Fiend fight (outside of Dante / Summoner at Mantra Tower.). You actually have to look for the rest. I have an easier time with all the others, but since Matador is so early in the game, he's the hardest of them all. Most bosses have either Dekunda, Dekaja, or both....in some form or another.
@@johnhanzelyjr Not really if you debuff Matador with a single Fog Breath + Sukunda which results in -3 stage debuff, you won't actually trigger his Dekunda or Red Capote for a number of turns. The point is the bosses will only use Dekaja and Dekunda if you max your buffs to your team and you give the enemy max debuff
@@mysteryboii4869 No entirely true. I've had bosses use Dekunda or Dekaja after only one debuff or buff. Sure, they waste a turn....but you're also wasting precious MP, which goes up very slowly in Nocturne. Matador's case....you simply don't have the MP to keep up with it since his fight is so early. Bosses before him, though....don't have Dekaja or Dekunda...but most bosses after him do. -kaja or -nda skills take up a whopping 16 MP, and Fog Breath uses up 40....and the max you most likely to have at that point is roughly 100. Again....this is just the experience I've had. Not saying I'm a master at the SMT games...but I do know the systems well enough to get through them without much issue.....although...the first major boss of SMT5 (Hydra) kicked my arse the first couple times.
I learned none of those things. Mostly because by the time I got to his fight I was level 60 from all the grinding I’d been doing and simply DPS checked him.
You put 3 fromsoft bosses and none of them are even close to being as much of a skill check as genichiro from sekiro. Him not being on this list makes it a joke.
They are harder, but the point of the list is not ranking them by how hard they are but mark a breakpoint in the game where you should have learned certain skills to face the upcoming challenges. Although I agree with the vast majority stating that Genichiro is more of a skill check boss than O&S
For me O&S were harder oddly enough, I didn't find Godskin too difficult even in coop they don't feel too bad, although I find Elden Ring the harder game, O&S were just a lot harder to me, I don't know how they'd feel now tho. I'm just comparing each fight as they were first time for me.
@@voraxumbra1O&S are also brain dead easy. Or at least when I found out they are both susceptible to poison. I just lobbed dung pies at them and ran circles, takes a bit of time but technically don’t even need to hit either of them once.
Godskin duo is easier because of the ammount of resources you have in Elden Ring. Status, spirit ashes, player summons. In Dark Souls, you can only rely on getting good.
Then there's also Freddy Beaumont (Loki) from The Secret World. That mother trucker made me use every strategy and skill in the wheel and item in my inventory in order to beat him.
Oh man, Matador in SMT3 is tough. Currently playing it now and you're not wrong. You definitely need to buff and debuff in this game to get to the end (the remaster has an easier difficulty that makes the game beatable without doing so). I'm surprised Cerberus from Devil May Cry 3 isn't on this list. Because that guy was like hitting a brick wall with your face first. You have just your sword as a melee weapon, just 2 guns to choose from and you're incredibly weak with few (if any) health upgrades and your Devil Trigger won't be unlocked for another 4 chapters. The only solace you get is that, if you manage to beat Cerberus, the rest of the game should be manageable.
Good list. I remember veating that bloodborne boss with just patience abd pattern learning since I wasn't too familiar with the parry mechanics and was kinda bad at them at the time. It took me about 4 tries before I killed him.
For me it was the Blood Starved Beast in Bloodborne. He releases toxic clouds around him that kills you insanely fast, has a broken grab that’s literally based on RNG, and has no chill if your parry timing is garbage 😄.
I'd like to give an honorable mention shout-out to the attack chopper that jumps you at the end of the tutorial mission in Armored Core 6. I certainly wasn't expecting to get stuck at that roadblock for as long as I did.
Bald Bull from the original Punch Out! was a great skill check. You can cruise past all the fighters before him, but you have to learn to parry special moves with him to get past that fight.
Exactly - he's explicitly a skill check boss, in that you can get by the rest of the game with only one or two stealth takedowns mastered, for him you need *all* of them. Particularly on hard new game plus mode, where your list of ways to take him down is the same size as the number of times he needs to be taken down.
As soon as gasciogne transformed I had him glitch and jump off the top rail for a glitch death. Needless to say I didn’t learn how to fight until later in the game 😅
While not a full bods, id say mini bosses. War chiefs in shadow of war is a great example on vibe and skill checks, they learn your fighting style so fast and many bring a small group to you and or have abilites thst you cant beat by playing simple, and when they take jump attacks and fromt attacks around while being immune to arrows teaches you two of the biggest thinsg in combat, end the fight fast and constaly change your style because the enemy is always watching for the opening
When I clicked in the video the ninja gaiden black one was the boss I was thinking about (but assumed too obscure) - I found him harder than the later ones (I guess because he taught me.....)
I would give Theseus and Asterius from Hades an honorable mention. Much like Ornstein & Smough, you have to focus on one or the other while still being aware of the attacks of both.
I would include the final boss from Kena: Bridge of Spirits on here. All of the bosses in that game are difficult on anything but easy, but the last boss is especially difficult.
Another suggestion for a commentaries version Agni and rudra from DMC3 With have to use duo weapons to hurt one or the other and if you finish one off he gains his brothers powers It's kind of like the ornstein and smough fight
Vanquish Mission 1-3, Giant. You get your first skill check with the giant KNRB-0 Argus robot boss...Platinum expects you to learn how to play right out the gate. :)
I want a list of times the player wasn’t really the main character or time that side characters did all the work in saving the world and didn’t get any recognition.
I would have included Blue from the first Pokémon game, as he's the only trainer that you fight that has a diverse team of Pokémon and with necessitate a test of knowledge for different type weaknesses and strengths. I would also like to submit the Rhino and Scorpion fight from Spider-Man. It requires environmental awareness, knowing when to dodge, and then I went to go in for the strike.
I would say any 1v1 duel in Nioh 2 should be on this list. Each is a boss battle with no chance for people to help, and they're a bit souped up with how they work/fight. If you don't know the ins and outs of your own build you'll have plenty of problems on your hand. Shoutout to Ryu Hayabusa''s fight for making me legitimately hate the Izuna drop.
Nioh's second boss Hino-Emma, or vampire lady, was much harder and a much bigger skill check. Any time I replay Nioh this is the boss that makes me wanna quit.
I remember her being a challenge but I don't remember her being ungodly hard. The arena was bigger and you had leg room to get some distance before she tried to swoop at ya. But I haven't played the og nioh in a minute so maybe I blocked out the trauma 😅
For me it's the tiger/midget at the end of the bamboo forest in Tenchu II Stealth Assassins. I fought that guy for weeks bc there's no internet yet where I'm from 😂
Technically not a boss, but you gotta mention the first Lynel in Botw. Most people will find the one in Zora's domain pretty early and it really makes you get good with the combat.
My choice would be from the card game library of ruina, the boss tommery, forcing you to get to grips with party member's speed and redirecting attacks, its an absolute wall to fight
So proud of all my brethren decrying the travesty of this list not including Genichiro. What's going on at WhatCulture Gaming HQ for this oversight to happen, I wonder?
Wot? No Genichro!? You know, the boss when one of the most difficult triple-A games ever decides to test your mettle before letting you proceed to fight even more challenging gatekeepers? I demand a recount!
I would actually like something to the opposite of this list, like, games that failed to teach you the rules of their own mechanics before you needed them, or lied to you about the mechanic until it was too late. Vampyr and FF13 come to mind.
I was struggling to beat Ornstein and Smough for close to 2 weeks, not getting past a single bossight for so long was really demotivating. But since they dont play fair i decided to not play fair either and just crossbow-spammed them both to ded lol its not really a skillcheck bossfight if you can cheese them so easily now is it
I think I cemented my skill and confidence playing souls games when I beat genichiro, after I beat him and owl I really wasn’t afraid of any other souls boss By far sekiro is the hardest of souls games
ngl but for dark souls 1 i would say the bell gargoyles honestly. O&S are midgame and yes hard but your 1st real skill check are the gargoyles for 1st time players imo. the 1st duo fight of the game on also a pretty small arena. still sorta learning the controls and actually barely having any upgrades. depending on your path ofcourse but this is sorta the 1st path the game kinda leads you on.
Genichiro is who everyone who’s ever played Sekiro sees as the biggest skill check. I can’t believe he’s not even on the list. He’s the definition of a skill check. You’ll either give up or you’ll fall in love with the game.
My pick: Genichiro from Sekiro. You either eventually quit the game or come out of it feeling like Samurai John Wick.
Was surprised Sekiro didn’t make the list
My greatest failure 😢
I was just gonna comment this
As soon as gasciogne transformed I had him glitch and jump off the top rail for a glitch death. Needless to say I didn’t learn how to fight until later in the game 😅
Yes it's a perfect example of taking all the skills you have in the journey into gherkin finale
It's GOTTA be Genichiro. Was stuck on him for about 3 days, Dude was working me. But when i finally beat him, The game's combat finally clicked for me. Super surprised its not on here let alone #1
Not having Genichiro here is a crime.
For me he IS the skill check of all skill checks. Once I beat him, the combat mechanics for the entire game made complete sense.
Who?
Either Father Owl or Isshin The Sword Saint or Guardian Ape
Somehow I thought he was going to be Number 1, imagine my shock when he didn't even make the list...
Good for you @@corneliussmiff2773 I've beat a lot of hard games over the years as a much older gamer in my 30s, but I could Not get Genichiro even close to dying! He is so OP, I even beat Ornstein and Smough with a much easier time! Father G died on my first time and I didn't understand why all the fuss!
I came here just to check if Genichiro was number 1. I was disappointed to discover he didn't even make the list
Because he wasnt a brick wall like Father Gasciogne was. The Great Ape is harder for most than Genichiro.
@@birdatbattlefield sorry but you are wrong. Most people who play sekiro find the combat difficult, then get stuck on genichiro and at some point it "clicks" and beat him. This was also the case with me and later I even got the guardian ape after 3 attempts.
Horizon Zero Dawn after puttering around the first area you fight the first Sawtooth. Have to creatively use traps, fire damage and aiming for its weak points otherwise you will get mauled by it and have to start again.
Imagine not putting genchiro at number 1 let alone not on the list
100% agree! Genechiro is the base as to when Wolf's true path in skill and story begins, and the peak is reflected at Genechiro in the end.
Sekiro is poetry in itself!
Fallen Order, doing Oggdo Bogdo as my first boss without any upgrades was a decent challenge for me. Really set the tone and made it clear that you couldn’t just swing your saber around.
Came for the boss list, stayed for the tasteful metaphors
If this hasn't been done, please do a list of the most honorable video game villains or the most honorable actions done by video game villains.
Good one!👍🏾
Thanks! I appreciate it!
I had a reality check the first time I came up against Lady Butterfly in Sekiro.
Daddy guacamole got me bro 🤣
Like many have said before me, Genichiro from Sekiro tops Gascoigne. He insists on you learning the ropes to prevail and, in stark contrast to Gascoigne, he insists that you do it alone.
Not to mention you can fight cleric before Gascogne and level up and he’s easier
@@corywittamori896 Also a very good point. With Genichiro, there's nothing but your skill that'll get you through.
No way. Gasciogne beats Genichiro, its your first time facing a hunter with his own fast movement and its not very far in the game. Once you get to Genichiro you mostly have the parry system down. I beat him fairly easy. How are you people struggling that hard at that point in the game? Lady Butterfly and The Guardian Ape were bigger skill checks than him.
@@birdatbattlefield "Lady Butterfly and The Guardian Ape were bigger skill checks than him", for you. Though I will admit, they weren't pushovers either, but not as outrageous as Genichiro - for me.
While no Matador, Whitney from Pokémon Generation 2 can absolutely slaughter new players
Yeah for sure would agree
I’m never one to actually care about things not making lists but it’s wild to not have genichiro on here.
He fits the definition best as well since it truly is just a test of skill since after you’ve done you can do it again easily
Funny thing is, The Cleric Beast took me a dozen or more tries. But Gascoign was the first souls-borne boss I ever beat on my first attempt. His movements were just easier to read for me.
It’s funny how, outside of a few almost unanimously agreed upon bosses, most people have wildly different experiences with which boss gave them issues. It was the exact opposite for Gascoigne and Cleric Beast for me.
For me it was both. Every boss besides maybe witches of hemwick took a lot of tries
Hollow Knight being a dominatrix is quite an image, and I’m here for it 😂
LMAO I found it super weird how she forgot to mention the literal music box you get from the little girl, that makes the entire second phase of Gascoine a joke.
It was even in the video she used as background footage, you may only get two uses out of it, but that's honestly all you need.
I think the first game I played with a 'skill check' boss was probably Disgaea: Hour of Darkness? One of the early boss fights was Mid-Boss, but it's a big difficulty spike to beat him. You either need to know just how to play the game, making use of the various classes you have available at that point, or you need to cheese it by overleveling....TBH, I usually cheese that fight, though that's partly because I just have a habit of farming stages in Disgaea RPGs because watching stats climb is appealing to me (and I liked saving up to buy the most expensive equipment available).
Does this list really count when it doesnt include the greatest skill check in Genichiro
I was gonna get mad if Matador was not included, it's literally the boss that decides whether you will be able to continue o soft lock in SMT3
I’d give an honorable mention to the flaming bull from Sekiro. Not the most punishing boss, and one that is easily cheeseable, but if you take the time to learn Sekiro’s parrying mechanic and learn to wisely use the items provided for you, the fight can be done in a fraction of the time that it takes to run behind the bull smacking its ass. Plus it was so satisfying to take the bull down by wearing down its stance than to cheese it
Kudos for the Ninja Gaiden shout out but I'm legit confused Mr Freeze from Arkham City didn't make the cut. Like How Sway?!
I haven't played Nocturne in years, but I remember starting a new game after many (and I DO mean many) defeats at his hands and learning specific spells and abilities just to beat him. Back then, I used to just brute force my way through games like that and it worked, but Matador was my literal wake up call
I was fully expecting Genichiro Ashina to be number One on the list and him not even getting a nob is a bit disappointing.
I had trouble with Alma most in Ninja Gaiden. When you brought up Murai, I had forgotten how hard it was. It was brutal. But one thing I never forgot was how hard the Alma fight was. It didn't help that I didn't upgrade my sword. I was ignorant. But when she crashes in, it's dreadful.
Maybe it fits.... Playing Shadow of Mordor I ran into an orc war chief that was immune to all my attacks. So I gave him 7 bodyguards, started the war chief mission again and had those 7 bodyguards kill him for me. Quite satisfying.
"Work smarter, not harder" way of going about things, very nice!
Genichiro slaps WhatCulture Gaming around a bit with a large trout.
Matador really teaches the player 3 things: Always use buffs/debuffs (especially that they're stackable up to 4 stages meaning the more you stack buffs the more you become powerful), fuse regularly and optimize your team (always change your demons they're tools not pokemon, make sure your team is resistant/nullified to the enemy's attacks), and lastly optimize your MC to ensure his survival (change his magatama depending on which boss you fight since different magatama has different elemental resistance/nullification)
Like most SMT games. ❤
Matador cancels debuffs with Dekunda....so...you really CAN'T debuff him. He also has Red Capote, which maxes BOTH his evasion and accuracy....and lowers your defense with Taunt. THAT'S why he's such a wall. The fact you can't debuff him (and have them stay), the fact he maxes his own evasion and accuracy, especially when you lower them again, he'll use Red Capote again, and the fact he uses Taunt to hit harder. Maxing your own accuracy and evasion is the way to go....as you'll be on an even playing field for the most part then. The true trick you need....have demons that nullify Force....that'll take his turns away.
As for the MC....by the time you face Matador...you only have a few Magatama to utilize. It's kinda funny that the one that nullifies Force...you can buy from the Junk Shop right before you face him.....almost like it's a sign.
The other thing...in SMT games, you don't know what the boss is going to throw at you until you face them. It's ironic that Matador is the only required Fiend fight (outside of Dante / Summoner at Mantra Tower.). You actually have to look for the rest. I have an easier time with all the others, but since Matador is so early in the game, he's the hardest of them all.
Most bosses have either Dekunda, Dekaja, or both....in some form or another.
@@johnhanzelyjr Not really if you debuff Matador with a single Fog Breath + Sukunda which results in -3 stage debuff, you won't actually trigger his Dekunda or Red Capote for a number of turns. The point is the bosses will only use Dekaja and Dekunda if you max your buffs to your team and you give the enemy max debuff
@@mysteryboii4869 No entirely true. I've had bosses use Dekunda or Dekaja after only one debuff or buff. Sure, they waste a turn....but you're also wasting precious MP, which goes up very slowly in Nocturne. Matador's case....you simply don't have the MP to keep up with it since his fight is so early. Bosses before him, though....don't have Dekaja or Dekunda...but most bosses after him do. -kaja or -nda skills take up a whopping 16 MP, and Fog Breath uses up 40....and the max you most likely to have at that point is roughly 100.
Again....this is just the experience I've had. Not saying I'm a master at the SMT games...but I do know the systems well enough to get through them without much issue.....although...the first major boss of SMT5 (Hydra) kicked my arse the first couple times.
I learned none of those things. Mostly because by the time I got to his fight I was level 60 from all the grinding I’d been doing and simply DPS checked him.
You put 3 fromsoft bosses and none of them are even close to being as much of a skill check as genichiro from sekiro. Him not being on this list makes it a joke.
Gotta be honest, godskin duo is harder for me than o&s were. Also Gundyr should be on this list
They are harder, but the point of the list is not ranking them by how hard they are but mark a breakpoint in the game where you should have learned certain skills to face the upcoming challenges. Although I agree with the vast majority stating that Genichiro is more of a skill check boss than O&S
For me O&S were harder oddly enough, I didn't find Godskin too difficult even in coop they don't feel too bad, although I find Elden Ring the harder game, O&S were just a lot harder to me, I don't know how they'd feel now tho. I'm just comparing each fight as they were first time for me.
Godskin duo is braindead easy if you just use the sleep status.
@@voraxumbra1O&S are also brain dead easy. Or at least when I found out they are both susceptible to poison. I just lobbed dung pies at them and ran circles, takes a bit of time but technically don’t even need to hit either of them once.
Godskin duo is easier because of the ammount of resources you have in Elden Ring. Status, spirit ashes, player summons. In Dark Souls, you can only rely on getting good.
Then there's also Freddy Beaumont (Loki) from The Secret World. That mother trucker made me use every strategy and skill in the wheel and item in my inventory in order to beat him.
DS3’s Pontiff Sulyvahn is a solid one too
Oh man, Matador in SMT3 is tough. Currently playing it now and you're not wrong. You definitely need to buff and debuff in this game to get to the end (the remaster has an easier difficulty that makes the game beatable without doing so).
I'm surprised Cerberus from Devil May Cry 3 isn't on this list. Because that guy was like hitting a brick wall with your face first. You have just your sword as a melee weapon, just 2 guns to choose from and you're incredibly weak with few (if any) health upgrades and your Devil Trigger won't be unlocked for another 4 chapters. The only solace you get is that, if you manage to beat Cerberus, the rest of the game should be manageable.
Good list. I remember veating that bloodborne boss with just patience abd pattern learning since I wasn't too familiar with the parry mechanics and was kinda bad at them at the time. It took me about 4 tries before I killed him.
For me it was the Blood Starved Beast in Bloodborne. He releases toxic clouds around him that kills you insanely fast, has a broken grab that’s literally based on RNG, and has no chill if your parry timing is garbage 😄.
I'd like to give an honorable mention shout-out to the attack chopper that jumps you at the end of the tutorial mission in Armored Core 6. I certainly wasn't expecting to get stuck at that roadblock for as long as I did.
Genichiro from Sekiro not being on the list but Sonic Frontiers getting a shout out is wild imo 😂
Bald Bull from the original Punch Out! was a great skill check. You can cruise past all the fighters before him, but you have to learn to parry special moves with him to get past that fight.
I felt Mr. freeze would have made it. You had to use all the gadgets you knew to beat him. Strategic fight
Exactly - he's explicitly a skill check boss, in that you can get by the rest of the game with only one or two stealth takedowns mastered, for him you need *all* of them. Particularly on hard new game plus mode, where your list of ways to take him down is the same size as the number of times he needs to be taken down.
I REALLY thought he'd be high up on this list man. Shame.
As soon as gasciogne transformed I had him glitch and jump off the top rail for a glitch death. Needless to say I didn’t learn how to fight until later in the game 😅
While not a full bods, id say mini bosses. War chiefs in shadow of war is a great example on vibe and skill checks, they learn your fighting style so fast and many bring a small group to you and or have abilites thst you cant beat by playing simple, and when they take jump attacks and fromt attacks around while being immune to arrows teaches you two of the biggest thinsg in combat, end the fight fast and constaly change your style because the enemy is always watching for the opening
was expecting to see cerberus from dmc 3, he has the biggest you're not ready for this game just yet energy i ever found
When I clicked in the video the ninja gaiden black one was the boss I was thinking about (but assumed too obscure) - I found him harder than the later ones (I guess because he taught me.....)
With that dominatrix analogy, you wonder if it was a Jules article...
Blade wolf killed me so many times I can block two of his attacks when he charged at me but I couldn't block the one that hit me from behind
Oooo that Live & Learn comment might spark a feud
Mr. Freeze from Arkham City forced you to use different take downs and gadgets, by locking out each one you preformed before.
I would give Theseus and Asterius from Hades an honorable mention. Much like Ornstein & Smough, you have to focus on one or the other while still being aware of the attacks of both.
ngl the "Daddy Guacamole" had me cackling like a halloween witch
Genichiro should have been on the list...
Gene Wilder: "it's ORNSTEEN! ORNSTEEN I SAY!" 🤣
I would include the final boss from Kena: Bridge of Spirits on here. All of the bosses in that game are difficult on anything but easy, but the last boss is especially difficult.
Another suggestion for a commentaries version
Agni and rudra from DMC3
With have to use duo weapons to hurt one or the other and if you finish one off he gains his brothers powers
It's kind of like the ornstein and smough fight
Not having Mr. Freeze at #1 is already a crime. But him not making the list at all?
Come on, you guys are better than that.
Vanquish Mission 1-3, Giant. You get your first skill check with the giant KNRB-0 Argus robot boss...Platinum expects you to learn how to play right out the gate. :)
How did Sekiro not make the list?
I want a list of times the player wasn’t really the main character or time that side characters did all the work in saving the world and didn’t get any recognition.
I would have included Blue from the first Pokémon game, as he's the only trainer that you fight that has a diverse team of Pokémon and with necessitate a test of knowledge for different type weaknesses and strengths. I would also like to submit the Rhino and Scorpion fight from Spider-Man. It requires environmental awareness, knowing when to dodge, and then I went to go in for the strike.
The second gabriel fight in ultrakill is tough as nails and took me 53 tries to beat
Its oreo and smores for the infamous duo, cause they work so well together.
Thank you! That Sonic Frontiers DLC was BS hard
I'd go with Zhang Liang - first boss from Wo Long 🙂 His picture should be in a dictionary next to the term "skill check"
I would say any 1v1 duel in Nioh 2 should be on this list. Each is a boss battle with no chance for people to help, and they're a bit souped up with how they work/fight. If you don't know the ins and outs of your own build you'll have plenty of problems on your hand. Shoutout to Ryu Hayabusa''s fight for making me legitimately hate the Izuna drop.
Lu Bu from Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is one of my picks i'm missing from the list
Father Gascoigne. He flatten me many times. Whenever they do the remake I'll be sure to seek revenge
The Mantis Lords also have some of the best music in the game
Ok be honest, how many pay pigs does Jess have wrapped around her little finger and why am I intrigued to become one?! Just kidding 😜
Honorable mention: the first nioh boss. That yokia was ridiculous with it's small room and sweeping chain and ball attack.
Nioh's second boss Hino-Emma, or vampire lady, was much harder and a much bigger skill check. Any time I replay Nioh this is the boss that makes me wanna quit.
Hino-Enma >
@@valetboy21bruh. She doesn't play with those ranged stuns
I remember her being a challenge but I don't remember her being ungodly hard. The arena was bigger and you had leg room to get some distance before she tried to swoop at ya. But I haven't played the og nioh in a minute so maybe I blocked out the trauma 😅
I've played every Souls game. Genichiro is by far the greatest skill check. I can't believe he didn't make this list.
Genichiro should be here. Also that boar dude from nioh 2 was a pain
Genichiro from sekiro
For me it's the tiger/midget at the end of the bamboo forest in Tenchu II Stealth Assassins. I fought that guy for weeks bc there's no internet yet where I'm from 😂
lol everyone who saw silver bullet should have known father Gascoigne was a werewolf 😂😂
Daddy Gascó is now the new norm for me
Guitar Hero 3
Technically not a boss, but you gotta mention the first Lynel in Botw. Most people will find the one in Zora's domain pretty early and it really makes you get good with the combat.
Oh my.
S&M references in a gaming vid 🫣
I beat the entirity of Breath of the Wild of the Wild without dodging or perrying until calamaty Ganon. So that was a pretty late skill check boss.
I didn't even parry there 😂
My choice would be from the card game library of ruina, the boss tommery, forcing you to get to grips with party member's speed and redirecting attacks, its an absolute wall to fight
Me: I wonder if they’ll bring up Resident Evil.
Me after the first frame: Ok.
So proud of all my brethren decrying the travesty of this list not including Genichiro. What's going on at WhatCulture Gaming HQ for this oversight to happen, I wonder?
Wot? No Genichro!? You know, the boss when one of the most difficult triple-A games ever decides to test your mettle before letting you proceed to fight even more challenging gatekeepers? I demand a recount!
Not listing Genichiro is an absolute crime
Haven't watched yet, but if yang from Sifu ain't up here, it's a crime
I would actually like something to the opposite of this list, like, games that failed to teach you the rules of their own mechanics before you needed them, or lied to you about the mechanic until it was too late. Vampyr and FF13 come to mind.
I was struggling to beat Ornstein and Smough for close to 2 weeks, not getting past a single bossight for so long was really demotivating. But since they dont play fair i decided to not play fair either and just crossbow-spammed them both to ded lol
its not really a skillcheck bossfight if you can cheese them so easily now is it
I think I cemented my skill and confidence playing souls games when I beat genichiro, after I beat him and owl I really wasn’t afraid of any other souls boss
By far sekiro is the hardest of souls games
Currently Dr Hartman from Control's AWE dlc has been whoopin me for 2 weeks now
ngl but for dark souls 1 i would say the bell gargoyles honestly. O&S are midgame and yes hard but your 1st real skill check are the gargoyles for 1st time players imo. the 1st duo fight of the game on also a pretty small arena. still sorta learning the controls and actually barely having any upgrades. depending on your path ofcourse but this is sorta the 1st path the game kinda leads you on.
Lou. Guitar Hero 3. 100%.
Jokes on them, I cheesed Father Gasdude even in his phase 2
Jess, did YOU write the article? How do I subscribe twice?
Surprised kos and Genichiro didn't make the list
Jeanne is to Bayonetta as Virgil is to Dante. ❤
God Eater games: the first time you fight Dyaus Pita
Kazdan Paradus from The Force Unleashed was a skill-check boss, for me, if not damn unfair, outright...
Ornstein and smo my gosh I’ve never broken a controller but they almost made it happen
so Jeanne made the list, but not Vergil
Vergil is the last boss, not a skill check XD
@@KhoaTran-md5ou im referring to DMC3 Vergil to be more specific. he was both a skill check and the final boss
Papa Gaiscogne going against a beast on the hunt