gaming Favorite Major Antagonist(s) in Video Games

[spas-ticShotty 3,584]

Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2. Pretty funny guy, I must say, even though he's a major dickbag. Funny how I got his mask after completing the game and it looks fucking wierd on Zer0 . Plus, he's got a DIAMOND PONY .

 

Then there's Killbane from Saints Row: The Third. Basically a macho Mexican version of Bane, except he wears a classy suit with a pretty intricate mask. Funny how if you manage to obtain that mask, and you taunt anyone, they instantly catch on fire . No wonder Killbane wears it. He's menacing, tall, yet somewhat humorous. He also likes to make references to ancient Roman and Greek stuff.

 

Last but not least, Vladimir Makarov from the CoD: Modern Warfare series. This guy is awesome for his sadisitic nature. Kills hundreds of civilians in No Russian (Have to blame the player on that, too), starts WWIII (Which didn't last long at all), kidnaps the president of Russia, and launches an invasion on Europe through ambushes of chemical attacks.

Edited November 8, 2012 by spas-ticShotty

[Retro*Derpy 3,191]

Dr. Eggman.

 

I mean he looks funny, and the thought that he makes massive empires that take lifetimes to make in the matter of a year or so, is also humorous.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

If he counts, Revolver Ocelot in his MGS3 appearance. Seeing him work those revolvers is awesome, he gets some funny moments in the outtakes too.

[SilverHeart 741]

I forgot to add two others.

 

Gwyn, Lord of Cinder from Dark Souls. Fighting and beating him was amazingly fun.

 

The other antagonist is Artorias of the Abyss, also from Dark Souls. Also an amazingly fun fight.

[Zygen 6,066]

hm... Well obviously bowser, but alot of people like bowser.

I also love GLaDOS, probably because I like the style of humor for the whole game though.

Count bleck in super paper mario for Wii was actually quite an interesting villian. I liked him to.

 

I can't think of anything else, I know theres more but nothing comes to mind right now(Funny how I forget most of the games I've ever played imdiately when I try to think of villans from games i've played )

[Evilshy 5,090]

Alex from Golden Sun is a big one. He almost never directly does anything, he instead manipulates everyone into impossible positions. He's also never the main bad guy, he's always behind the scenes, helping both them and you, subtly maneuvering everyone until they're forced to do something that will ultimately benefit him. He helps start the destruction of the world and then helps you save it just so he can be in the right place in the right time to benefit from it. He saves your life while aiding those who wish to take it, taking advantage of both sides so they end up doing what he wants. While his aim is generic enough (ultimate power), his methods are certainly a breath of fresh air in a world of RPGs dominated by antagonists who just go straight for ultimate power and have to be brought down by fighting them. Hell, he isn't even around for any of the 3 final boss fights in the series.

 

 

Another great one is Wyl from Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume. I can't really call him an antagonist, seeing as he's the player character, but he's certainly no good guy. His main aim is to get revenge on the Valkyrie, a Norse demi-God on whom he blames the death of his father (which caused his mother to go insane and his sister to die). He makes a pact with Mistress Hel (Norwegian Satan) who tells him how he can kill the Valkyrie; he has to take a feather from her wing that was left on his fathers body and bathe it in the blood of those close to him.

 

Most of the game revolves around playing both sides of a massive war so you can make friends and sacrifice them to the Plume later. The story of the war is quite well-done. When you take different paths, you see different sides of the same war; for example, early in the game, you meet two women who both claim that the other assassinated a certain nobleman and brought the country to the brink of war. You do eventually find out who really did it, but depending on how good or evil you are, the stories are presented in a way that makes you sympathetic towards one of the other.

 

Now, there are good and bad endings, where he kills the Valkyrie and is damned to hell, realized the faults in his goal and redeems himself, and a few inbetween, depending on how many times you actually do sacrifice your friends.

Anyway, it's simply an amazing game with a great story, great dialogue, great voice acting, and very unique gameplay. It's for DS, and is kinda hard to find these days, but so worth it

 

 

Finally, Gig, from Soul Nomad. I haven't actually beat this game yet (because I didn't bring my PS2 to college with me), but from what I've seen and read, it's awesome. The main antagonist is a demon called Gig, who is sealed inside your sword. There are these giant beings called the World Eaters, and the only thing powerful enough to kill them is the soul of the Demon King, Gig. So you, the main character, get to carry him around in sword form. He is constantly talking to you, tempting you to surrender your body to him, allowing him to escape his prison and return to the world. Not uncommon in games where you work closely with a demon sealed in something.

The difference about this game is that you can actually do it. You gain x100 (might be x1000, I don't remember) to all stats for the rest of the current chapter, but then he corrupts your soul and takes over your body, usually giving you a cool cutscene and the option to reload from before that particular choice. The game even labels which choices will result in a game over, because the creators intended you to watch them.

 

But the best part, and the part that prompted me to buy the game in the first place? The post game.

After you beat it, you can restart the game and choose to go full evil, letting Gig take you over from the start. Instead of a game over, the story plays out, showing what would happen if you had simply given in to pure evil from the beginning. I haven't played this yet, but from what I've read, it's awesome

[CinemaBrony 1,276]

Mine's probably Andross from Star Fox 64. He used to scare the crap out of me when I was a kid. I remember that I used to intentionally destroy all my spare lives just so I wouldn't have to face that freaky disembodied head again; that is until I eventually got over it and finally starting playing the game the entire way through.

[Megas 27,744]

Liquid Snake is my favorite villain from anything ever, I mean the guy was able to survive a both a freaking chopper and giant robot exploding, the guy was just persistant yet cunning, on top of having a badass voice and a great line

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97cgoxpVBcQ

[Antismurf9001 1,271]

Kefka Palazzo is my number one hands down.  He's the only villain that I've seen where you actually fail to defeat him initially.  Kor from Jak II was pretty cool too.  His boss fight was a huge pain, but other than that he was interesting.

[Pony Joe 583]

Dr. Breen and the Advisors from the Half-Life 2 games.  The former because, despite his antagonistic nature, his actions are easy to understand given his circumstances and the latter because they're just so damn creepy.

 

 

 

 

[Rolls Royce 606]

I'd have to say Gruntilda from Banjo Kazooie, how can you not see her as a great, creative villain?  She has a scheme that I've never seen before, kidnapping Banjo's sister, Tooty, and transferring her beauty to herself, leaving Tooty a hideous monster.  Also, she's just plain funny, it's the only time I've liked someone talking in rhymes.  Now I really want to play that game again.

[Admiral Colt 61]

 

Sovereign from Mass Effect.

 

Mass Effect is amazing because almost every part of the game has a backstory. The universe is so massive, and everything is explained.

 

Sovereign and the reapers were scary because nobody knew anything about them.

Fellow Mass Effect fan I see. Well mine is a character from that as well. Kai Leng from Mass Effect 3. He has the love to hate feeling about him. He reminds me of an evil Adam Jensen. Also I hated him the most out of any villain just because of how he taunted you and bested you at every turn. He got under my skin and was one of the most satisfying kills in gaming that I've done to date.

[concertoldham 140]

Definitely Seymour from Final Fantasy X is up there.

Ganon is a must.

I love Kefka from Final Fantasy VI.

Majora.

Ansem/Xemnas/Master Xehanort from the Kingdom Hearts Series.

Wiegraf Folles from my favorite game, Final Fantasy Tactics.

Gol and Maia from Jak and Daxter.

 

I'll have to think of more...

[Doctor-Whooves 288]

I'm assuming this is a trick question, as none of you have mentioned the greatest villain/major antagonist of all time. Sephiroth.

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

For whatever reason, my friend and I can't help but crack up whenever we see Albert Wesker from Resident Evil 5. His style is so stupid and cliche and some of the things he does are more hilarious than menacing. Granted, I understand that no-one else sees him that way.

 

I also find Seymour from FFX really amusing because his whole appearance is mind-blowingly ridiculous: varicose head vanes, giant blue hair antlers, weird claw hands, loosely belted kimono with exposed torso, etc. Also, the first time you fight him, it's a big deal, but by the fourth time, it feels like it's just Team Rocket showing up to get their asses kicked again. Oh, and he had a really stupid plan backed by a completely flawed and self-contradictory philosophy. Granted, I still love FFX, and it may well be the one game that I've spent more time playing than any other.

 

As for legitimately good villains, I'm really having trouble trying to think of a good one that isn't too obvious (eg. ganon or bowser). Andrew Ryan in Bioshock is a pretty solid villain, and I don't want to spoil the ending for those of you who haven't played it, but the other villain who comes in later is good, too. Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2 is awesome, of course, but I think that kind of goes without saying. 

 

Actual spoiler if you haven't played Assassin's Creed III up to where Connor comes in:

I haven't gotten very far in Assassin's Creed III yet, but so far Haythem Kenway (I'm probably spelling that wrong) and Charles Lee certainly have a lot of potential as villains.

 

Edited January 23, 2013 by Alex-Kennedy

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

Albedo from Xenosaga, especially Xenosaga I. A perverted lunatic with delusions of grandeur. If you didn't hate or pity that man with a passion by the end, you had no soul.

 

And I knew people were going to say Sephiroth, but in the grand scheme of things he was not that great a villain. He was a nice-looking fellow and a brilliant boss fight, but his character made no sense to me.

[LunaTheGoodMoon 5]

W ho is your favorite villain who plans a major role in a story of a game, and/or has showed up with quite a few scenes in multiple games of that title?

 

Bowser, Dr. Wily, Ansem, Ganon, and many other villains fit this.

 

 

My fav villain of all time is Dracula from Castlevania. I particularly love the Dracula from Curse of Darkness because of the badass toccata that plays when you battle him.

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

I forgot to add two others.

 

Gwyn, Lord of Cinder from Dark Souls. Fighting and beating him was amazingly fun.

 

The other antagonist is Artorias of the Abyss, also from Dark Souls. Also an amazingly fun fight.

Okay, first of all, if I hadn't already been told how Dark Souls ended, I would be really mad that you spoiled Gwyn turning out to be a villain. Second of all, I actually heard that Gwyn was really anticlimactic, because you could kill him with a few well-placed counters if you're as high a level as you should be by that point.

[Agent505 661]

In no particular order...

 

Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2, who doesn't love a cocky arrogant bad guy who is funny, and at the same time - evil? 

Would General RAAM from Gears of War count? If so, him. Just...look at him, so much boss in one character - he doesn't even NEED dialogue. 

Anndd i'd probably have to say Tatarus from Halo 2. He played a good role, being used the way he was - yet still believing he was the all mighty chosen one. Not to mention that final boss fight on Legendary that was intense. 

[Alex Kennedy 1,228]

Fellow Mass Effect fan I see. Well mine is a character from that as well. Kai Leng from Mass Effect 3. He has the love to hate feeling about him. He reminds me of an evil Adam Jensen. Also I hated him the most out of any villain just because of how he taunted you and bested you at every turn. He got under my skin and was one of the most satisfying kills in gaming that I've done to date.

Really? Kai Leng?

 

He doesn't do anything except brag. It's like Thane said, he should be ashamed; all it took to stop him from assassinating his target was one terminally ill Drell. Then when he fights you on Thessia, he just calls in a gunship to do his job for him, and even with it, he can't beat you in a fight, so he just collapses the building and runs away. Then he has the audacity to send you a message saying that "even your best wasn't good enough to beat me", like he totally owned you in that fight. Finally, when you confront him in the cerberus base, he's less of a threat than the reinforcements he calls in. Oh and by the way, if you need to call in dozens of troops to beat three guys, you're not much of an assassin, are you.

 

By the way, you say he beat you at every turn, but as I recall, he beat you exactly once (on Thessia), and he basically had to cheat to do it.

[Lateon 589]

Most of my favorite villains are reiterations in this thread, but I'll mention them anyway:

 

- Ganon, Legend of Zelda

- Metroid Prime/Dark Samus, Metroid

- The Reapers and the Illusive Man, Mass Effect

- The Lich King/Arthas Menethil, World of Warcraft

 

Now for some originals:

 

-Dr. Neo Cortex, Crash Bandicoot

- Ghetsis and N, Pokemon Black and White. I'd like to expand on this a bit. These two characters actually made me feel tense and want to stop them before their plans came to fruition, and I actually felt like I failed the entire world when I lost against Ghetsis for the first time (freaking level 54 Hydreigon, what the hell, dude!). No other Pokemon game has evoked such feelings in me.

- Illidan Stormrage, World of Warcraft

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

Cyberdemon from Doom.

 

Emperor Griffin from Dark Cloud 2

 

That goddamned dog in Duck Hunt

 

The ghosts from Pac-man

 

Missingno. from Pokemon

[weegeez 150]

Bowser, a villain of so many different personalities, and I love him for it. For major Mario titles like SMG or SM64, he is a a damn 10 foot dragon turtle that breathes fear into your soul

 

In you typical mario RPG, he's a hilarious, dimwitted, egotistical, yet oh so lovable villain, or sometimes even a partner and in the most recent M&L title, the main character. 

 

He can also play tennis, golf, football, hockey, kart racing, just about any sport, and he can do it well.

[Just A Guy 39]

I have to say Lavos...

Need to beat that guy, all the 15 different ways, just to be happy and unlock the goddamn 15 ends...

Someday... I hope...

[SilverHeart 741]

Okay, first of all, if I hadn't already been told how Dark Souls ended, I would be really mad that you spoiled Gwyn turning out to be a villain. Second of all, I actually heard that Gwyn was really anticlimactic, because you could kill him with a few well-placed counters if you're as high a level as you should be by that point.

 

I don't usually use counters, it really depends on your build. My build was mainly strength with some faith. I also mainly use greatshields...so no countering for me. I had also thought it was pretty obvious from the intro when you start a new game that he is evil, if it wasn't...mea culpa.