Resident Evil 6 – Derek C. Simmons
Frustrating Boss Fights That Almost Spoiled a Great Game
The Resident Evil series has become the unofficial king of frustrating boss fights in recent years (with Resident Evil 7 thankfully eschewing the trend). In Resident Evil 6, you fight a man called Derek C. Simmons (pro tip: if you’re naming a scary boss, maybe Derek isn’t the way to go). Sorry that’s actually a lie, in Resident Evil 6 you fight Derek C. Simmons five times. The first encounter is enough to put you off boss fights for good, as you unload round after pistol round into the sort of inside-out bull form of Derek while balancing on top of a train. He quickly returns though, this time as a giant scabby dinosaur who fills the screen and shines a light on the game’s less than stellar camera controls. You’ll sigh in desperation as Leon is yet again trampled over by dinosaur Derek, until you get lucky and land a shot into one of his eyes.
You’d think this would be the final form of Derek, I mean where do you go from dinosaur really? The answer is giant chicken, obviously. Once again you’ll battle the camera (the true boss of Resident Evil 6) as you shoot ol’ bird-brain in his sturdy thighs until he predictably dissolves back into man-Derek. Man-Derek is keeper of the quick-time events so you’ll have to enter a dull action sequence/rhythm game in order to best him, something which is rarely fun in any game, period. Finally, Derek will transform into a building-sized fly and suck out any enthusiasm you might have left for the game. your frustration will peak after you’ve finally killed him and realise that there’s still more to come. More wrestling with the camera, more mindless shooting, but thankfully, no more Derek.
