The only option is to lose

[Mikkaddo]

You know what I'm talking about. The part of the game where you find a boss, and you're all pumped up and ready, and then they just steamroll you, and THEN you realize that it was a "Supposed to lose" battle. I don't really remember what game had this that really bugged me, but it's gotta be annoying if I remember how annoying it is. Also, has anyone lost and then reset the game during one of these before you fond out due to it being the default reaction to losing a boss battle? And how about boss battles that you have to survive, but you can't win? I actually remember one of these. Megaman Blue Moon. Shademan. Ugh. That smug little... Oh! your turn guys!

There's quite a few of those actually, pretty much EVERY boss battle in Parasite Eve 2 is that way since ammo is expensive and there's VERY FEW recurring battles. And the game is STILL an RPG! at least Parasite Eve 1 had enemies drop ammo, and had all the guns go from the SAME ammo . . . of course that one also had a much more turn based feel.

Come to think of it Parasite Eve 1 was ALSO full of boss battles you had no way to be prepared for if you didn't know it was coming first too.

 

[diamount]

Ninja Gaiden Sigma had one of those, that big demon guy in the samurai armour. I've seen some skilled players on youtube take him down to half health where in the cutscene you lose regardless.

 

[Pargencia]

I liked the first Leon fight in Kingdom Hearts. Hes very powerful for the level you at, but if you're good, it is possible to defeat him. Sora ends up about to land the finishing blow, then passing out due to exhaustion. Story remains the same, but Leon suffers the indignity of getting his ass kicked.

Yep, and he gives you an Elixer a little later on (pretty useful at that point in the game). Loved the way that played out.

OT, let's see... Demon's Souls? I'm sure someone's beat the first boss by now, but it really is a major pain to do. Unless you're playing on Easy mode (Royalty class), that is. But even then, one screw-up and you're finished.

Generally speaking, I'd love for some game, maybe an RPG, to have an easter egg cutscene that triggers when you beat a boss you're not supposed to. Something humorous, like him running home to Daddy and crying about it. And then having Daddy take care of it, by killing your whole party in 1 hit (and moving the plot along).

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

The Sorrow you have no idea what I was like when I told how to win. I really felt like killing myself just so I could personally kill the Sorrow in the world of the dead.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Halo reach, wasn't totally sure what was going on once I'd finished my final objective so I just went covenant killing. Lasted about 15 mins or so on heroic difficulty before the inevitable.

This was the only 'supposed to lose' battle that I actually liked because it's done so well. You fight as hard as you can and, even though you can only delay the inevitable, it still feels like you fought a good fight rather than just getting made into a ***** for the purpose of the story. It also makes your death about a million times more affecting than if you'd just got to watch a 5 minute end of game cutscene.

Other than that, I tend to hate them although the occasional 'you can't win, but you can survive' ones are good. It's surprising how exhilarating it can be when you just drop all pretence of trying to harm your opponent, and just run around like a headless chicken, dodging their attacks going "JESUS FUCK SHIT FUCK!!!"

 

[Just_A_Glitch]

"Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World" has a fight you are supposed to lose...

Spoiler

If you want the good ending. You have to lose the fight against Lloyd and Marta at the end, otherwise you get the shit ending(s).

That actually was my favorite fight of the game.

 

[Zetatrain]

Mega Man X

At the end of the first level you Vile and totally whoops your ass. However, before he can finish you off, Zero comes in to bail your ass out.

Apart from that I really can't think of any other one.

 

[dogenzakaminion]

That doesn't bother me so much, it's made to make the scene more immersive, so you can feel how strong an opponent is. What I really don't like is when I am clearly winning and can get through the fight, the cutscene starts where I'm getting my ass handed to me and I'm sitting there yelling at the game to stop playing movies and let me own his ass.

 

[Blindswordmaster]

That's nowhere near as bad as when you win a fight in the game, and then they make you loose in a cutscene.

 

[JasonKaotic]

It only annoys me when I burn through healing items along the fight. So if it's obvious you're not supposed to win it's cool, but if I'm cowering on the floor controller in hand, with no healing items left and only one guy left in critical health, only to carry on going after he dies, bad things happen to my controller.
...In my imagination.

 

[Kurokasumi]

Ah yes I remember those from Disgaea 2.

Hilariously though if you did beat the boss you get an alternate ending seeing as you screwed with the story.

Hah, yeah I remember when I had most of my characters around level 900 and kicked the hell out of Etna on your first encounter. That ending was great.

There was the one fight against Alkaid in .hack//G.U. vol 1 that she wrecked you, even though this angered me greatly since I vastly out leveled her but I was required to lose for plot advancement.
Another one I can remember is Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation when the Strigon(correct name?) team force attacks in the first level. They apparently supposed to be highly skilled and OP but I took down at least 10 of them but the game kept bitching at me to "Obey orders and fall back." Only ended up taking out there leader 13 missions later anyway.
I know I have done more I just can't recall any. In Phantasy Star Universe I can't remember if I fought and lost against that CAST leader guy or was just stopped in a cutscene from doing the battle at all.

One thing I have noticed though, is in these battles where the main villain shows up, kicks your ass hardcore, when you fight them again near the end of the game, they never fight with nearly the same ferocity or use the same skills they did when they beat you into the ground in the beginning.

 

[subjectseven]

Definitely not a fan of these. The ones I can remember are in Final Fantasy X, Legend Of Dragoon and there may have been something in one of the Zone Of The Enders games. It just makes you want to reset and do it again without busting your ass and wasting items to survive.

What I find worse, is in JRPGs when the boss is extremely and unusually hard, making you think that it's going to be a 'supposed to lose' scenario. Sure enough, you lose, and then you see 'Game Over' all over the screen accompanied by the most saddening music that you'll ever hear in your life. Most notably, the defeat welcomes frustration as I will now have to spend the next day or two grinding out some serious levels.

 

[ScarletRider]

In the beginning of Zone Of The Enders 2, I knew I wasn't going to win. Granted, during the battle itself, I was able to hold my own, even whittle him down steadily. IT WAS WINNABLE! Until the cutscene. X_X

 

[Aprilgold]

I liked the first Leon fight in Kingdom Hearts. Hes very powerful for the level you at, but if youre good, it is possible to defeat him. Sora ends up about to land the finishing blow, then passing out due to exhaustion. Story remains the same, but Leon suffers the indignity of getting his ass kicked.

I remember that, I was pissed off at Leon at that EXACT moment, also Sora, what a *****, you ALMOST WON A SUPPOSED TO LOSE FIGHT, DON'T FAINT NOW YOU PUSSY!

I think my favorite is the first boss in Demon Souls where you can kill him, get some good loot, OR you die and don't get shit.

 

[Sokarred]

The first Tales of Symphonia, the first time you run into Ygndr... whatever the Final Bosses name was. Dragged the fight out for over an hour and used 90% of my items before I finally died and found out it was a supposed to lose. I felt better though when I beat him in the real fight severely under leveled

 

[2733]

I just played Record of Agarest War zero, and there are a couple in there that you get a bunch of points if you win and then you get the same cut scene. which is particularly funny when you crush the boss like an ant in 2 rounds only to have your characters panic and run.

 

[Best of the 3]

I've had them before, one annoying one I remember (I can't remember the game though) was a fight I was supposed to lose, not after using up all my potions, weapons, spells and all my resources trying to win it. Game could have told me I was gonna lose.

Dick move game, dick move.

 

[Broken Blade]

I liked the first Leon fight in Kingdom Hearts. Hes very powerful for the level you at, but if youre good, it is possible to defeat him. Sora ends up about to land the finishing blow, then passing out due to exhaustion. Story remains the same, but Leon suffers the indignity of getting his ass kicked.

I remember that, I was pissed off at Leon at that EXACT moment, also Sora, what a *****, you ALMOST WON A SUPPOSED TO LOSE FIGHT, DON'T FAINT NOW YOU PUSSY!

To be fair, I think he gives you an Elixir later on if you beat him. A lot earlier than you'd get otherwise, I think. And it was still a fairly challenging fight, even if I'd leveled up quite a bit on Destiny Islands.

Oh, I remember one WORSE: the battle of the 1000 heartless in KH2. You've just torn through a literal army of Heartless, defeated them almost terrifyingly easy thanks to action commands and only being attacked by weaker ones, and then a cutscene later you're about to get your butt handed to you by a handful of mook Nobodies. I could have handled them. Then again, to be fair, Sora had just fought one thousand enemies in a single battle, by himself. So? I'll let that one slide.

As for my other experiences, I think there was one in Devil May Cry 3, when you battled Vergil for the first time. I recall there were a few boss battles like that in Rogue Galaxy, but those did it a bit better: it was on a timer, and if you out-lasted the timer you got rescued, and you also got rescued if you got beaten. There was no way you could beat that boss in the time given (like, three to five minutes or something like that), and he hit so hard at that stage that the whole battle was basically a lot of running around avoiding his attacks.

Oh, and Sonic '06 had a few of those, I think, but I've only seen LPs and really, I'd expect a game that bad to have boss battles like that.