Giant killers: The biggest bosses in gaming

Galactus (Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3)

Just how big is he? In-game? Probably about 60-80 feet tall. His actual size is trickier, because as hardcore comic fans will tell you, Galactus has different appearances depending on whos perceiving him. His "true" height is 28 9", which seems incongruous with the image of him smashing the planet between his palms, should you fail at defeating him (aptly deemed an Earth K.O.!). The official explanation is that each humanoid race sees him differently, unable to comprehend the physics of his multi-dimensional form. In other words, yall too dumb to see him and need to get on Galactus level.

So how do you take him down? Smack his big fat face. Galactus is just another in the legacy of humongous, hella cheap bosses in the Versus series, preceded by the likes of Onslaught and Apocalypse. Pretty much all of Galactus moves cover the screen, which is the definition of overpowered in fighting games. Youll have to judiciously block his colossal finger-flicking, then rush in to attack before he decimates your trio with never-ending eye lasers.

Leviathan (Resistance 2)

Just how big is he? 300 feet tall. Youll occasionally spot this mega-Chimera throughout the game, but youll only attack him head-on when hes strolling through the city streets of Chicago. His chitinous exterior makes him pretty much immune to humanitys firepower, and he seems to have a penchant for picking up soldiers and screaming in their faces.

So how do you take him down? By jumping through predetermined hoops. The fight against the Leviathan is more of a drawn-out level instead of a proper boss battle, with scripted FPS action sequences pretty much non-stop. You can prevent yourself from being eaten by firing L210 LAARK rockets into the Leviathans mouth when he picks you up, but besides that, your weapons are completely ineffectual until the end of the stage. Thats when you drop a bridge on his head, letting you fire a rocket at the Leviathans exposed skull to kill it in one hit. Yay.

Phalanx (Shadow of the Colossus)

Just how big is he? 550-600 feet long, judging from our totally not-Wiki-related estimations. Lucky number 13 in the laundry list of Colossi that need slaying, this fight makes Wander look like a squirrel trying to take down a jumbo jet. Funnily enough, Phalanx is completely passive; he barely seems to be aware of Wanders existence, let alone trying to kill him.

So how do you take him down? Youll need to take Phalanx closer to ground level by sniping his underbelly sacs with arrows (ow). Once hes swooped closer to the desert floor, thats your chance to gallop Agro up alongside him and leap onto one of his flippers. After scaling his enormous, ridged fin, youll have to hold on for dear life long enough to stab the three sigils underneath Phalanxs back flaps. Just be sure to bail if he starts diving under the sand.

Storm King (Demons Souls)

Just how big is he? About 600 feet at full wingspan. Think of this beast as a stealth bomber built to cover two football fields--despite the fact that no stealth bomber we know of has been modeled to look like a freakish alien manta ray. In a franchise known for its memorable boss battles, it takes a lot to stand out--but the Storm Kings immense size has struck fear into many a hardened players heart.

So how do you take him down? Right off the bat, youll need the Storm Ruler Sword if you even want a chance at taking this gargantuan down. Youll also have to deal with his little manta-creature posse, preferably before the big fight. Once youve slain all of its freaky offspring, its just a matter of using your ground-to-air whirlwind sword to whittle him down as he slowly flies overhead. Just watch out for the constant barrage of icky spike volleys.

MAWLR (Killzone 3)

Just how big is it? A little over 900 feet tall (280 meters). There are plenty of menacing robots bosses, but the MAWLR makes them look like dainty French poodles. Resembling a space-age airship carrier with legs, this Helghast-made monstrosity is downright scary. If we actually saw this war machine on the horizon, theres a good chance we would just lie down and wait to die in the blasts of its myriad weapons.

So how do you take it down? By destroying it one piece at a time. The MAWLRs covered in orange cooling panels, and as weve learned by now, any bright orange component on a boss is an invitation to annihilate that specific spot. Youll first fire rocket volleys at its legs from the ground, then take to the skies in a chopper to knock out its giant shoulders. Its definitely one of the grandest large-scale boss fights around.

Mothership (Earth Defense Force 2017)

Just how big is she? 1,200 feet in diameter. In a game that revolves around gunning down gigantic insects and robots, youve got to be pretty freaking massive to be worthy of the final boss ranking. The Mothership earns that distinction by making the games giant mutant ants look like regular ants. As the head honcho in all but one of the EDF series, the Mothership houses an endless stream of bugs and robots to ruin humanitys day. Staring up at it will make you feel like an amoeba trying to take down a high-tech beach ball.

So how do you take her down? Shoot it with rockets, then shoot it with rockets some more. Its best to keep your distance, so you can intermittently blast the army of flying terrors that will be constantly headed your way. Once youve chipped away at the ships exterior, itll reveal a bright pink weakspot--a weakspot that also doubles as a one-hit-killing laser cannon.

Cronos (God of War III)

Just how big is he? Somewhere between 15,000 feet (Mount Doom) and 29,000 feet (Mount Everest). The fact that Kratos felled this massive titan simply makes no sense, given the fact that hes one-sixth the size of Cronos fingernails. But hubris kills, almost as often as the Ghost of Sparta himself. Kratos has no qualms against killing his grandpappy if he obstructs his vengeance, even if Cronos is ginormous enough to carry the huge Temple of Pandora on his back.

So how do you take him down? This is another instance of a boss fight turned level, with plenty of insta-deaths and the typical GoW quick-time events tossed in. Kratos does his best Osmosis Jones impersonation, climbing up and down Cronos arms before finally getting swallowed whole. Like an idiot, Cronos forgets to chew, giving Kratos the chance to disembowel the ancient titan before impaling his chin and stabbing his brain. The bigger they are, the more pain and suffering they have to endure before finally croaking.

Gongen Wyzen (Asuras Wrath)

Just how big is he? A hair over 41 million feet tall, so essentially the size of a celestial body. You knew he had to be here, because Wyzen is hands-down the biggest boss in video game history. Sure, Galactus could be bigger in theory--but no game other than Asuras Wrath has the gumption to portray a fight against such a cosmically enormous enemy. This god is the largest of the Seven Deities, and his final form could eclipse all of Gaia. Wyzen is so cocky--maybe rightfully so, given his size--that he attempts to crush Asura underneath his astronomically huge forefinger. This is a poke that could destroy a planet.

So how do you take him down? By becoming more enraged than any living entity has ever been. In game terms, that means mashing the B button with the fury of a thousand suns, causing Asura to punch so hard that all but one of his six arms implode. With one final, infuriated punch, Asura starts a shattering chain reaction that travels throughout Wyzens entire being, destroying him. It is, in a word, glorious.

the harder they fall

Those are our picks for the most terrifyingly large bosses. Did we miss any of the mammoth baddies that had you cowering in fear? Let us know which bosses towered over you--and how you managed to take them down.

And if you're looking for more big boss articles, check out The Top 7 Most ridiculous Mega Man bosses and The Top 7... Game enemies we (seriously) hate .