 | Mike Tyson Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES)  If Iron Mike winked at you back in 1987, it meant that with the next punch, your world was going to end. If the former heavyweight champion winks at you now, it probably means that he wants to rip out your large intestine and wear it as a tie, or perhaps a tasteful scarf. |  |
 | Stage 3 R-Type (Arcade, many consoles) Any boss can pop up at the end of a level; this one is the level. A giant battleship that filled the entire screen back when 4-inch-tall monsters ruled the arcades, this bad boy can fry you with its thrusters, smash you into a wall, or straight shoot you down. Respect. |  |
 | De Rol Le Phantasy Star Online (DC/XB/GC) A barrage of purple energy balls. Gut-piercing tentacles. A skin-scorching laser beam. It's no wonder you need one, two, or three other friends to help take down this unpredictable, water-dwelling worm. |  |
 | Alma Ninja Gaiden (XB) One of the few bosses from the current generation of consoles to make the list, Alma earns her spot by separating the men from the boys in one of the hardest games ever made. Many a ninja has fallen to this femme fatale, but surviving means that you are among Ninja Gaiden's elite. |  |
 | Nemesis Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PS1/DC/GC) "S.T.A.R.S.!" Being hunted room to room for hours by this giant freak scarred us for life (in a good way). Note: Nemesis was knocked down two spots for his appearance in Resident Evil Apocalypse. |  |
 | Seven Force Gunstar Heroes (Genesis) Back in the day, an action game wasn't an action game unless you broke a sweat battling its bosses. Seven Force, a robot that possessed a whopping seven different forms, helped keep several couch potatoes from sporting love handles (at least for the time being). |  |
 | The End Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2) The lengthy sniper showdown with the elderly End is the quintessential Metal Gear Solid experience: a lethal game of hide-and-seek where you must use sight, sound, and technology to track down the old fart...and to avoid being caught yourself. |  |
 | Mother Brain Super Metroid (Super NES) When it comes to epic endings, you can't do much better than the climax of Super Metroid. Mother Brain's first form jogs the memory of battles past, but what unfolds after her true form rises is the perfect finale to an already sublime experience. What's truly amazing about the event is that it happens without the characters speaking a single word. |  |
 | Psycho Mantis Metal Gear Solid (PS1), MGS: The Twin Snakes (GC) By committing a narrative faux pas and breaking the fourth wall, MGS mastermind Hideo Kojima gave us one of the most uniquely memorable boss fights ever. Psycho Mantis can read our minds (actually, our memory cards), mess with our TV sets, and anticipate our every move. |  |
 | Sephiroth Final Fantasy VII (PS1) Is it his luxurious flowing hair? His 7-foot-long sword? The green glow of his eyes? We may never know why we love Sephiroth so much, but we do know that thanks to what he does to Aerith (see pic), he's unquestionably the most memorable villain in role-playing game history, and the EGM staff's unanimous No. 1 boss of all time.  |  |
