5) Destiny 2 – Ghaul
Bungie’s always struggled with delivering memorable end-of-game boss battles in its shooters. Halo 2, already considered to be the black sheep of the trilogy, due, in no small part, to its contentious cliffhanger ending, is the only one of the three that can truly be considered to have a traditional boss encounter. Master Chief’s uninspired final battle with Tartarus, the arrogant, hammer-loving Brute chieftain, had little in the way of spectacle or interesting combat mechanics – you just kept shooting while running in circles to avoid being flattened into a military green-colored pancake.
For comparison’s sake, neither Halo or Halo 3 – unless you count the Guilty Spark encounter in the latter – locked the credits screen behind a winner-takes-all conflict between hero and villain, and are more fondly remembered because of it. The Warthog gauntlet through the Pillar of Autumn and a crumbling Halo ring in the first and third games respectively, are Bungie at its best, in that regard.
Yet, both Destiny and its sequel wrap up their respective narratives by following in Halo 2‘s footsteps, neither of which are going to be featured on any ‘best of’ lists anytime soon. Infiltrating the Black Garden at the climax of Destiny‘s campaign in order to destroy its amorphous heart wasn’t exactly the revelatory narrative moment that many had hoped it would be, but it was at least challenging.
The final battle with Ghaul in Destiny 2, on the other hand, is nothing more than an exhibition match. Yes, Destiny‘s most challenging content should be reserved for endgame content like the raid and PvP, but did the Red Legion’s commander – one that swiftly conquered Earth and robbed the Guardians of their Light, no less – really need to be that easy?
Killing Ghaul felt more like a mercy killing, not a victory for all of mankind.