Today's miniboss has already been covered rather thoroughly by the amazing Chad once before, but that won't stop me from doing a second article about the ridiculous boss fight that ensues. The enemy is a demonic choo-choo train who carries the souls of the departed to the other side. This ain't no "Little Engine That Could," this is more like "The Polar Express" straight to hell. It is, of course, the aptly named Phantom Train.

The Phantom Train is one of the most memorable encounters 16-bit gamers will face. But why is this? Is it because you're fighting a train? Is it because it was so unexpected? Or, maybe, it is because Sabin can somehow suplex the friggin' thing? Personally, it is for all of these reasons and a few others. The lead-up to the boss fight is simple and classic -- you need to fight your way to the front of the train and put the brakes on this runaway train that's never goin' back. Along the way, you'll encounter all sorts of ghosts and ghoulies, and even an imposter swordsman who is almost worthy of his own Miniboss Monday for being so easy.

As you reach the end of the train and are about to bring this thing to a screeching halt, the train itself performs an epic cockblock of sorts, basically saying "You wanna stop me? You gotta fight me first, moron." Well isn't THAT just freakin' great?

(Hit the jump to save a dolphin. Do it for Chad.) 

Today's boss is actually one of my personal favorites from the previous generation of consoles. Meet Rawk Hawk, the undisputed champ of the Glitz Pit from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Right out of the gate, you'll notice that our bird-brained bruiser pays homage to many past professional wrestlers; Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage to name a few. Yup, Rawk Hawk sure is one high-testosterone heavyweight with a fan following the size of Ron Workman's bar tab.

But, as with every great angle (that's wrasslin' talk for "storyline") we need a young upstart to challenge the undefeated champion with a huge, branching backstory to go with it. Voila! Enter The Great Gonzales! Yes, that is seriously the name Mario is given as his wrestling name. Not exactly the best name to give an Italian plumber from Brooklyn, but it'll have to do.

Our story begins in the lowly depths of the minor league locker room from which our hero The Great Gorgonzola (a more fitting name, if you ask me) must battle his way through the ranks to advance up the ladder until he inevitably fights Rawk Hawk. But wait a second, why the hell are we here in the first place? Let me back up and explain for those of you who haven't played PM:TTYD. 

(Hit the jump to lower gas prices by $0.000001 -- I mean, continue reading.) 

Today's long-overdue Miniboss Monday is brought to you lovingly by the letter "F." The letter "F" can stand for many things, but today, we'll focus primarily on one word in particular: frustration. Yes, frustration is something all gamers the world over are rather familiar with, but this is no normal boss we're talking about here. This is downright digital blasphemy that defies all gaming conventon -- this is Dugog, the first (and hardest) boss in Puzzle Quest.

Let that sink in for a moment. He is the first boss who is literally the hardest in the game. How many other games in recent memory follow this ass-backwards gaming model? None. Dugog is literally the reason most people give up on Puzzle Quest far sooner than they should. But why is this? Let's take a closer look at our twin-headed nemesis.

In celebration of the holiday shopping season kicking into high gear, I thought it would be rather fitting to bring forth an unwaivering miniboss of sorts that plagues all who purchase games and the systems needed to play them on. Yes, I am talking about Money. Money makes the world go 'round, and according to Pink Floyd, it's a hit. But some of us out there feel our wallets lightening and our bank accounts emptying recently with the slew of top-notch games being released week after week. What's an average gamer supposed to do?

Like it or not, everyone wants your money, kid. $60 here for a game, $10 there for downloadable content for said game, and maybe even another $40 for an extra controller to play with a buddy. Within a matter of minutes, the once humble sales total has now jumped quite a bit, hasn't it?  Wait until next week when another title you forgot about comes out, and you're left with pennies in your pocket and a goose-egg in your checking account.

Though Money is a formidible foe in the gamer's heart, there are many ways to escape its suffocating grasp. I won't get into specifics, but we all have our own personal ways of saving some coin while still getting what we wanted. Sometimes, though, Money just can't be defeated and we must succumb to its unrelenting torment.

What about the rest of you? How are your wallets (and your spirits) after the onslaught of awesome that has been the past few months? Found a loan shark? I might just need one to make it through this holiday. 

What's big, fat, royal, and can't seem to find proper fitting boxing trunks? King Hippo, of course! King Hippo is easily the most recognizable fighter from the original Punch-Out!! on the NES besides Mike Tys-- I mean, Mr. Dream himself. Oh, I'm sure the bandage-punching memories are coming back to you now, aren't they?

Hailing from the mysterious "Hippo Island" in the equally mysterious "South Pacific", King Hippo is a rotund rumbler with a mouth bigger than NamelessTed's restraining order rapsheet. Before you even have a chance to take a swing at the big guy, he's already slandering your mother and talking about how he slept with your sister last weekend. Granted, I'm only guessing at this, though I'm pretty sure that's what his grunts mean.

Hit the jump to read on and watch the original fight.

Today's Miniboss Monday is one of my personal favorites and is an extremely memorable fight for many who completed Super Metroid back in the day. Crocomire is by no means a difficult or exciting opponent to fight, but what makes him so great and memorable? There's a simple answer to that one -- his inevitable death.

Ol' Croco is a fairly straight-forward opponent. All you need to do is shoot missles down his throat when he opens his yapper and he'll move back a few steps. Lucky for you (and unlucky for him) there's a conveniently placed lava pit just a few yards behind the eight-eyed foe. Push him towards it, and break out the popcorn for one of the more gruesome deaths in the 16-bit era outside of Mortal Kombat.

Here's the kicker; once Crocomire takes his soothing lava bath, you will notice air bubbles drifting off to stage left. "Jinkies!" Velma exclaims. Obviously, this subtle cue would tell you to follow as something just isn't quite right. Upon reaching the end of the corridor, the spiked wall falls to bits and one of those "Oh SNAP!" moments takes hold of you -- the skeletal remains of Crocomire lunge at you. Both this moment and the epic death scene before it solidify Crocomire's fight in the back of our minds even to this day.

Do you remember facing Crocomire for the first time? I certainly do. That's all for this week's MBM. Got any suggestions or ideas to contribute for future Miniboss Mondays? Be sure to send 'em in to us at tips@destructoid.com.

Hot off the release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for every console on the market, I bring you one of gaming's more subtle minibosses. Yes, I am indeed referring to the dreaded Orange Fret Button. Many pinky fingers have been slaughtered and many songs have been failed due to this silent killer. Even now, there are thousands of people screaming in united agony trying to nail some of those solos in "Through the Fire and Flames" on Expert. Why? Mostly because of the fatal fifth fret -- a button which single-handedly gave the Guitar Hero series an actual level of difficulty.

Some of you out there might feel that today's miniboss is a joke. A simple, orange, plastic button. Nothing more, you say? I think not! The Orange Fret is unlike any of its four colored brethren. It feels miles away from the rest. It is unrelenting, unforgiving, unflinching and indiscriminate to the lives it takes and the souls it consumes. Sure, anyone and their grandmother can beat songs on Easy and Medium, but the moment you first took the plunge and attempted Hard mode, everything changed.

Many have worked tirelessly to perfect their slide. Others try best to use the old "Go Go Gadget-Pinky" technique. Regardless of what style is chosen, the difficulty of the Orange Fret Button is undeniable.

What about you, Destructoid community? How well did you fare the first time you and the Orange Fret tangled? More than likely, it wasn't very pretty.

(This logo has been brought to you by bluemeep. Also, bears -- Mother Nature's natural born minibosses.)

Today's Miniboss Monday is one that is near and dear to my heart. For those of you who weren't around last year, I used to have today's miniboss as my editor icon. Yes, I am indeed speaking of Death himself from the long-running Castlevania series.

Death has made an appearance in most (if not all) Castlevania titles dating all the way back to the days of Simon's Quest on the NES. Since then, he has been reinvented and rethought over and over again (including a final boss appearance in Lament of Innocence.) It's strange, really. Whenever a new Castlevania title gets announced, I get curious as to where Death will make his appearance and how much badassitude he will have this time around.

Regardless, I have included three memorable iterations of Death in his prime after the jump! 

(This super-sweet logo is brought to you by the artistic vision of MrJunko. Head over to his community blog and check out his other works.)

Today's Miniboss Monday is a special one, to be sure. I've rounded up three -- yes, three -- memorable bosses for your pleasure in penance for my absence these past two weeks. We've got an enormous eight-bit enemy, a dangerously dynamic delightful demon, and a sadisticly scary sword-swinging scoundrel

Abundant alliteration aside, these three bosses are extremely diverse and I'm sure at least one of them will strike a nostalgic chord with you, no matter what type of gamer you happen to be. Classic gamers? You're covered. RPG fans? Check. Frustratingly hard boss fight cravers? You bet!  We've got it all!

Act now while supplies last! Don't delay, hit the jump today!

First off, I would like you all to gather 'round and behold my new article, just as a proud father would show pictures of his newborn. Miniboss Monday is dedicated to the memorable struggles in gaming, both of the mini and not-so-mini variety.

To kick things off right, I've chosen one of the most notorious baddies out there who made us scream like little schoolgirls when we first encountered him. The Butcher's blood-curdling quip "Ahhh, fresh meat" haunts many gamers to this very day. Do you remember the first time you stumbled upon his room?

Hit the jump for a bloody walk down miniboss memory lane.