Top 10 Memorable Video Game Villains (Part 2)
As I mentioned in part 1, there are far too many memorable video game villains to simply make a list of just 10 of them. Even though I’ve managed to compile another list I still struggled and feel as if I missed out a number of excellent bad guys which is undoubtedly great credit to the medium. So, here is part 2 of video games most memorable villains (at least in my opinion anyway).
10 – Psycho Mantis (Metal Gear Solid)
“From the moment we’re thrown into this world, we’re fated to bring each other nothing but pain and misery.”
Metal Gear Solid is packed with memorable bad guys, each with their own unique encounters that require differing strategies. In my opinion, the most memorable of those battles is that of Psycho Mantis. He can read YOUR mind, which means that he can tell what button you are about to press on your controller, thus he is able to react perfectly and your weapons are useless. The way to get around this is plug a second controller into the system and use that one to fight him once the words “HIDEO” appear on the screen.
09 – Gruntilda (Banjo-Kazooie)
“Come to me my little pretty. You’ll soon be ugly, what a pity.”
Gruntilda Winkybunion, more commonly known as Grunty, is an evil witch and the primary antagonist of the Banjo-Kazooie series. She has appeared in every game in the series yet, causing trouble for her arch-enemies, Banjo and Kazooie. She is one of four sisters; her other sisters are Brentilda, Mingella, and Blobbelda.
08 – Seymour Guado (Final Fantasy X)
“Life is but a passing dream, but the death that follows is eternal.”
In Final Fantasy X, Yuna sets off on a pilgrimage to defeat Sin, and Seymour tries to get close to her. His plan is that Yuna will use him to defeat Sin, and thus ten years later, Seymour would be reborn as the next Sin. He reasoned that Spira was trapped in a never ending cycle of death, and the only way he could stop it would to be to kill everyone, thus easing them from their pain.
When Tidus and the group first fight him, they kill him but Seymour returns as an unsent, a dead person that wasn’t “sent”, so he cannot be killed, but a summoner can “send” him to get rid of him. He eventually kidnaps Yuna and takes her to Bevelle where he is able to marry her, though she and her guardians escape after defeating his Natus form.
07 – Kane (C&C)
“He who controls the past commands the future. He who commands the future, conquers the past.”
Kane is the seemingly immortal leader and mastermind of the terrorist organization the Brotherhood of Nod and the main antagonist in the Command & Conquer series. Kane himself believes he is a prophet, and debatable he has qualities of a prophet, including that he wants to liberate the third world from the Imperialist oppressors of the GDI. He strictly believes Capitalism causes Imperialism and Fascism, which is followed by oppressing the third world for the betterment of few people.
06 – GLaDOS (Portal)
“So, how are you holding up? Because I’m a potato.”
GLaDOS, aka the Genetic Life form and Disk Operating System, is the main antagonist of the 2007 first person puzzle game Portal, and the secondary antagonist-turned-supporting protagonist in the sequel, Portal 2. She was promoted as the second game’s main antagonist, but this turned out to be a misinformation campaign to hide the true main villain…..
05 – Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2/pre-sequel)
Handsome Jack is the main antagonist in Borderlands 2. He is a ruthless, cruel leader and a self-proclaimed “Hero”. He also stole the credit for defeating the entity that resided in the Vault from the original vault hunters form the original game. Handsome Jack wants to find and activate the Warrior, so he can get rid of all “criminals” on Pandora and rule the land for himself.
04 – The Joker (Arkham Franchise)
“Welcome to the madhouse, Batman! I set a trap, and you sprang it gloriously! Now, let’s get this party started!”
The Joker is the main antagonist of the Batman: Arkham video-game franchise. Specifically, he is the main antagonist of the 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum, the true main antagonist of its 2013 prequel Batman: Arkham Origins, the secondary main antagonist in the 2011 video game Batman: Arkham City, and the later true secondary antagonist in Batman: Arkham Knight.
He was voiced by Mark Hamill in the 3 Rockstready games, with Troy Baker providing dialogue for Arkham Origins and Assault on Arkham.
03 – Dr Robotnik (Sonic Franchise)
“I hate that hedgehog!”
Dr.”Eggman” Robotnik is a mad genius bent on world domination and the main antagonist of the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. The Doctor has slowly become more of a “grey morality” character who will ally with his sworn enemy Sonic the Hedgehog when he feels the need to do so. Though he is a fairly untrustworthy ally and views Sonic as a worthy opponent, but also a thorn in his side that must be eliminated, when the hedgehog messes with the doctor’s plans. Dr. Eggman also has a short temper whenever his plans are foiled.
02 – M. Bison (Street Fighter Franchise)
“This place shall become your grave!”
M. Bison is the leader of the Shadaloo organization. He is the main antagonist of the Street Fighter franchise starting from his debut in Street Fighter II as the main antagonist. He is the main antagonist in most adaptations of the games as well, such the live-action film and a variety of TV shows.
01 – Ganondorf/Ganon (The Legend Of Zelda Franchise)
“Ganon… this beast was once of the Gerudo… Once human. He was called Ganondorf! King of Darkness; ancient demon reborn.” – Zelda
Ganon is the central and most recurring villain in the Legend of Zelda series. He is the reincarnation of Demise and the mightier form of Ganondorf. Ganon is the King of Evil of the Zelda universe, who rules over the Dark World and seeks the to claim the world as his own. He is locked in permanent conflict with the primary protagonists Link and Princess Zelda throughout history.
And there you have it, 20 memorable video game villains! Have I missed any out that you fully expected to see?
