The Critical Frog`s 10 Favorite Video Game Bosses: #2

#2: Psycho Mantis (Metal Gear Solid)
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Yep, THERE he is. Of course he has a high spot on the list. Hey, I brought it up twice. I said I`d put Mantis on the list and here he is. Got an issue? No? Good.

A rolling Doug Stone gathers no negative reviews.

Really, what can I say about Psycho Mantis that hasn`t been said by all the critics before me? Ask anyone who knows anything about good bosses, even those who haven`t played MGS, and they will probably tell you about the sheer lunacy and infamy that is Psycho Mantis. Where to begin, where to begin....

When you enter the area, he possesses your teammate Maril, insults your sexuality for refusing the hypnotized girl`s offers of love, and then asks you to place your controller on the floor to demonstrate his powers. He causes it to vibrate if you put it on a hard surface and proceeds to read your mind by telling you what video games you recently played by reading your Gamecube memory card. If you didn`t understand how he did this, it was actually really freaky.

Depends-which Castlevania are we talking about here?

During the fight, he continues to display his evil powers by making pictures behind him laugh, turning invisible, throwing things at you with his telekinesis and blacking out your TV screen. He was also able to avoid every move you threw at him by reading your controller unless you broke his control by switching controller ports. How many people playing this would have guessed something like that? I sure didn`t.

One other thing worth mentioning is his defeat: Mantis`s mask is removed and his hideous face is revealed. He also explains his viewpoints on life and why he uses his powers for evil. It`s actually a very deep conversation and sheds light on Psycho Mantis`s personality- he seems like someone who once had it all, but then lost it and feels the need to channel his hatred onto others, like someone fallen from grace.

But not even 4th wall powers can stop Snake.

Another thing worth mentioning about him is his counterpart, Screaming Mantis from MGS4 (Mantis is also a decent battle, but nothing good enough to make this list). Screaming can summon the spirits of the dead to help in battle, and at the end of the fight Psycho Mantis appears for one last haunt. He tries to read your mind again, but is stopped....not by your superb gamer mind or Snake`s pure badassery, but by your advanced Playstation 2 hardware.

"Hey, remember when I freaked you out as a little kid? Let`s do that again!"

There`s not much to say here, primarily because I`d end up sounding like practically everybody else. Let me just say that I`m yet another critic proclaiming his brilliance. This is the fight that inspired The Sorrow. Even many years after this game`s release, no boss has ever gotten closer to absolutely shattering the fourth wall between gamers and reality. But if this guy is so spectacular, what can possibly beat him?

Another boss from the Metal Gear Solid series, of course!