Boss Fight - Evil MC (Smash TV, 1990)

Over the course of this series I've tried to pick the more interesting bosses to threaten the progress of arcade goers over the decades, be it one of the earliest bosses, a controversial boss, an iconic boss, a down-right crazy boss or whatever. This month I've gone for one of the most unexpected bosses, the Evil MC from Midway's gloriously over-the-top twin-stick shooter, Smash TV.

Video games are often inspired by Hollywood and in 1990 Midway took a whole host of movies based on violent game shows -- not least Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic Running Man -- to create Smash TV. The object of the game was simple: You are a contestant on the titular Smash TV game show. In order to win cash and prizes you have to blast your way through wave after wave of mutants, robots and monsters.

At the start of each wave the show's MC scrolls into the top corner of the screen, with a top-heavy bimbo on each arm and says, "Good luck. You'll need it!" As you progress through the game and take down each boss, Mutoid Man, Scarface and Die Cobros, you have no way of knowing what faces you at the end. When the host himself turns up as a giant humanoid tank, spitting bloody eyeballs at you, the pay off is brilliant -- even if he is very similar to the first boss. As you take him down, you take him apart, limb-by-limb, each of which fires off him all direction. After him limbs, you blast off his shirt, leaving him in just a spotty vest. Next to go is his head, but bizarrely that doesn't stop him. After that you finally blow up the blody, only to find there's a second head on top of the tank and the eye-blasting

In terms of unexpected boss encounters, few can top this surprise. Check out the video below to see the Evil MC in action.

Incidentally, Smash TV is yet another example of a game or movie being set in a far flung future year that is now history. In this case, all this carnage and disregard for human life is supposed to take place in 1999.

MTW