Video game bosses are almost always scary, but there are some especially frightening ones I'd prefer not to remember... except on a day like this. Below are my picks, with videos and everything.



10. Legion – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (and other installments of the series)

A giant… floating… orb.. OF FEATURLESS BODIES! Overall, this thing is pretty gross looking, and if I ever imagine myself after a night of binge drinking, waking up in early dawn and seeing this thing at my doorstep, I'd probably run to my closet and never come out, nursing my shotgun and scotch until the army arrived. In reality, this thing would be frightening, but the first time I faced it in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night I was happily and grossly appalled. This is why the corpse-dripping Legion kick starts our list. If not so scary from sheer grotesque factor.



9 - The Sorrow – Metal Gear Solid 3

Overall, a creepfest of a character. The Sorrow wasn't your kind of Emo kid who had some problems and then complained about them on the internet, then got cyber-bullied, cried a bit more, then wrote his worries out in a terrible song nobody would listen to. The Sorrow took all that went wrong in life and became something terrible and ghastly - and well, helpful in his own way. The Sorrow may not really be a "boss", but the transcendental walk Snake takes down a river (put on by The Sorrow) is creepy enough to have him on this list.



8. Lord Saddler – Resident Evil 4

Creepy, powerful, strong – this guy transforms into one of the most grotesque things I've ever witnessed. It's like – imagine yourself walking down a street one night… maybe in the woods… and this thing comes at you out of the woods - or you go down into your basement to check on that faulty water heater, and BAM! Lord Saddler. Yeah, see? Scary.



7. The Tormentor – Dead Space 2

Holy crapola! What has two legs and is bent on tearing you limb from limb? The Tormentor from Dead Space 2, that's who. I really would like to see a couple of guys or gals rig a Tormentor costume up for Halloween and go to a club and act casual... or just prowl neighborhood streets.



6. Sinistar – From… Sinistar

What? You don't think some retro arcade monster is scary?? Let me tell YOU a story, my friend. I was six years old, playing Sinistar. Not really understanding the game, nor why there was some freaky giant face plastered on the side of the arcade cabinet... so, I am innocently flying around, shooting things in space, when suddenly I hear a crackled, distorted and booming voice telling me to RUN COWARD!!! Well, holy cow bells! I'll tell you what... that scared the CRAP out of me. To this day, I'll be driving on a highway late at night, the road empty, vast darkness around me, and I know I'll just hear I AM SINISTAR and suddenly Sinistar will come out of nowhere and eat me. True story, bro.



5. Giygas – Mother 2

Giygas may rank a bit high on this list for some, but for Mother fans, he should be even higher. Probably one of the oddest RPG battles ever, the battle with Giygas isn't so much about strength and power, as it is about friendship and love. What? How is that scary? Well, it's like, you don't even really KNOW what you are fighting; it sort of looks like a demon face and sort of not… regardless, it's one of those battles you never forget… and it's epically long.



4. Big Daddies – BioShock

I mean... let's face it. Walking around Rapture is scary as hell, and then you put in these giant, uber-powerful, freakfest of monsters… Anyone who has experienced a Big Daddy while low on health and weapons knows just how frightening the whole proposition is!

Regardless, it'd be a good costume, and while there have been professional ones at cons, I thought this guy's was a good homebrew solution.



Wear it to PTA meetings. Impress friends!

3. Nemesis – Resident Evil 3

Nemesis may seem like a contrite, uninspired monster these days, but let me tell you, that thing FREAKED us out when we were youngins and wee teenagers. It FOLLOWED you from room to room, a concept sort of new in the Resident Evil games at the time, and then the thing would show up whenever it pleased, when you least expected it and were least prepared. Well, if I ever go by a giant mutant monster I hope it's a nemesis, because he'll just burst out of a wall and destroy me with one single blow.



2. Pyramid Head – Silent Hill

If Jason and Freddy are the faces of slasher / horror cinema (and to a certain extent these days, Jigsaw) then Pyramid Head is the poster child of video game horror. The first time you see him, while hiding in a closet, it's probably one of the most tense and memorable events in the entire Silent Hill series, and then facing him and his giant sword, realizing he not only is impossible to kill, but has a higher calling than your pathetic soul... is all but freaky. And those air horns, booming sounds and creaking industrial noises don't help the situation either...



1. The Shadow and other denizens of Brennenburg Castle – Amnesia: The Dark Descent

What's scarier than an enemy you can't see? Exactly. In fact, most of the time you NEVER see exactly what is chasing you in this game. Hiding in shadows raises your paranoia and fear, and keeps those shadowy enemies from finding you, but stay too long and you'll go insane. However, once you are in the light, those shadows know where you are. Good god. Creepy sounds, weird physiological effects... Amnesia is best to be played and experienced, because nobody can articulate or write down in words just how frightening this game is (and how freaky those things that haunt you within the castle are). Of course there ARE things you can see too, so that just makes everything even peachier, right? Since you can't really SEE much, it's far better to hear and see people's reactions…



Now can you see why these denizens made #1 on our list? Maybe you should go down into your basement with the lights off and check on some old wiring. Why not? Or maybe you should just look behind you right now….