Villains are more often than not the difference between a good game and a great game.
Before we reveal the best (worst?)
More importantly, hes a sly bit of commentary about the role of extreme violence in video games.
Hes that rare gaming villain that makes you feel genuinely guilty for the things you do.
Or so it seems.
Its a terrific twist that really spices up the gameplay.
Bernard Boo
23.
The Player Tyranny
There are many games that cast you as the villain with varying levels of success.
Obsidian EntertainmentsTyrannyhas long been one of the most noteworthy expectations to that rule.
InTyranny, you play as a servant of Overlord Kyros.
Instead, you must often find ways to carry out Kyros orders as you see fit.
Can you even tell the difference anymore?
Few other games have dared to allow you to craft such as compelling servant of evil.
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21.Ridley Metroid Series
Heres the thing: theres really not a lot to Ridley.
Theres no deep emotional backstory or motivation to speak of here.
Ridley is pretty straightforward, and hes better off that way.
Metroid istheOG moody sci-fi game, and Ridley fits the series dark, atmospheric milieu like a glove.
The strength of Ridley lies in his design.
Defined by existential dread and deception, hes not a traditional video game villain in the least.
Theres no bloody, drawn-out final showdown between he and Shepherd in the physical sense.
Its an intimately violent spectacle of hand-to-hand combat that is unlike anything seen in the Kratos previous adventures.
And the next two encounters with the tattooed psychopath only up the ante from there.
Jeremy Davies performance as Baldur is incomparable.
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18.
Steven Armstrong Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
The presumption of good intentions is a corrupted politicians greatest weapon.
Some, of course, are there to only serve their own interests.
Steven Armstrong is such a person.
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17.
The Would you kindly?
Sure, the architecture of Rapture is pretty to look at.
But its the fact that theyre gnarled extensions of one mans tortured psyche that makes the game so intoxicating.
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16.
What separates The Master from a pack of spiritually similar villains is how you interact with it.
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15.Shang Tsung Mortal Kombat Series
Is there a more sadistic video game villain than Shang Tsung?
He chokes people to death and eats their souls at the same time, all the while cackling away.
Theres something distinctlyviolatingabout his brand of sorcery.
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14.Micah Bell Red Dead Redemption 2
Lets be real.
Micah Bell isnt just one of the greatest video game villains of all time.
Hes one of the best-written, rendered, and performed villains in Western fiction, period.
Hes a manipulating, lying, disloyal bastard who sells his soul in the most despicable ways imaginable.
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13.Tim Braid
Ah, Tim.
Anti-heroes are one thing, but Tim…Tims something else.
But boy, does the final act turn that trope on its head.
At the center of it all is the character we thought was just another platformer hero, Tim.
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12.
Few of those minions are more terrifying than Frau Engel.
The sheer joy she takes in those acts makes her that much easier to truly hate.
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11.
Still, you cant deny the primal terror of this creatures presence and form.
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10.
Handsome Jack Borderlands Series
Handsome Jack presents an interesting dilemma for this discussion.
His disdain for pretty much anyone who is not him is rivaled only by how much he loves himself.
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9.
As the series evolved, though, so did Dracula.
Through it all, Dracula relentlessly terrorized the Belmont clan members who were destined to battle him.
Its that relentlessness that makesCastlevanias version of Dracula such an incredible foe.
Nobody pulled this look off better than Wesker.
Theres an inherent experiential quality to the games first-person perspective that heightens Vaas presence as well.
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6.
SHODAN System Shock Series
2001: A Space Odysseyfirmly established the now-popular idea of a villainous computer system.
Such an antagonist has become the perfect modern villain in many ways.
They are obviously without humanity, yet they are often born from our hubris.
Its a fear that feels more pressing at the dawn of a new age for AI technology.
Its not just that SHODAN is a clearly evil operating system rather than a hopelessly logical one.
Its not even the power of her chilling voice.
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5.
As a human, Arthas committed and justified horrible deeds in the name of saving his people.
From a narrative standpoint, Arthas is one of the great heel turn characters in video game history.
The scope and impact of his rise and fall remain one of Blizzards most powerful storytelling accomplishments.
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4.Bowser Super Mario Series
It needs to be said: There is no Mario without Bowser.
No iconic legacy, no zillion copies sold, no blockbuster movie.
So much of the series humor, charisma, and cool factor comes from King Koopa.
while providing some of the most epic boss battles in gaming history.
The gameplay is just that ingenious.
That arc alone is enough to put her firmly in the greatest villains pantheon.
Hes a complete nut job: a nightmarish symbol of pure, psychotic evil who garners no sympathy whatsoever.
Hes a straight-up badass.
A muscly, intimidating, beat the hell out of you badass.
He and Links one-on-one clashes are beautiful in a nebulous way thats difficult to put a finger on.
