I completed the fourth chapter of Painkiller earlier. The boss for this chapter was a bugger named Alastor. He wasn’t especially hard; hurting him was downright easy. The irritation stems from the fact you have to do it repeatedly.
Hey, developers, giving your boss more hitpoints doesn’t make the battle any more epic or memorable.
Personally, epic or memorable boss fights are really all about the set up. You have to build your boss up throughout the preceding level(s) to show us how much of a bastard he really is in order to make his defeat truly satisfying.
This is something FPS games completely fail to do with one early exception. Defeating Adolf in Castle Wolfenstein 3D was satisfying because everyone knew what he was all about. Alastor of Chapter 4 of Painkiller? Who the hell is he and why should I give a damn?
Some text, more judicious use of cutscenes or perhaps a taunt during a checkpoint save could go a long way in establishing what a complete utter bastard a boss is. Make the effort and it will be appreciated.
