The 47 Most Diabolical Video-Game Villains of All Time (Page 6 of 7)
- March 05, 2008 16:45 PM PST
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5. The Ghosts (Pac-Man series)
The Ghosts (Pac-Man series)
At the sunrise of video game history, you weren't human unless Pac-Man fever was driving you crazy. And it didn't matter if you were a carpenter, a politician or a kid with dreams of a virtual future, your life's goal was to escape those wascally ghosts-Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde-long enough to get a new high score.
They never rested, never slowed, and just got faster and faster. Even kids crafty enough to learn the fabled patterns (many of which could be found on the inside record sheath of Buckner & Garcia's Pac-Man Fever album) realized there was a point at which the ghosts became impervious to Pac's power pellets. The things that really got eaten in this game? Your quarters.
4. Ganon (The Legend of Zelda series)
Ganon (The Legend of Zelda series)
Like teenyboppers returning to the mall as their ritual Mecca, gamers flock back to the land of Hyrule every few years to experience a new epic adventure as Link, the young hero who must save a world freshly corrupted by the evil Ganon. Almost every Legend of Zelda game pits you against Ganon, or Ganondorf in some cases, a vicious tyrant who has corrupted the magical powers of the legendary Triforce of Power and unleashed darkness upon the land.
Usually depicted as a humanoid powermonger who also takes a boar form, Ganon is given different backstories in every Zelda game. As the wielder of the Triforce of Power, Ganon has caused mayhem in his mad thirst for power, and the young hero Link must follow his footsteps and uncover his path while collecting the remaining two Triforces (Courage and Wisdom), and then confront Ganon in a battle for the fate of the land. The series' consistently strong writing keeps Ganon fresh in each tale, while introducing new mythologies and plot devices, including time travel in titles like A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time.
3. Psycho Mantis (Metal Gear Solid)
Psycho Mantis (Metal Gear Solid)
This brilliantly-designed villain was crafted to be so powerful that he could break the fourth wall and reach out to the player, transcending the barrier between player and game avatar. This is the kind of out-of-the-box game design that propels titles like Metal Gear Solid to become classics.
In an eerie twist, Psycho Mantis, a shady telekinetic and telepath with roots in both the FBI and KGB, seems to take over your game console during your confrontation. He reads your memory card, analyzing which games you've been playing and how many times you've saved, and then even makes your screen go blank in a way that feels like your VCR has gone awry. This chilling effect makes it feel like Psycho Mantis is watching you, the gamer, and the battle takes on a far more personal gravity. If only more game designers gave thought to breaking the fourth wall or challenging our standards for interfacing with games-then those inebriated college kids would really have something to ponder.
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- May 29 2008 at 04:52:11:AM PST
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gamepro ur the shizzz.... BUT WHERE THE HECK IS LAN DI FROM SHENMUE!!!! ANYBODY WHO HAS EVERY PLAYED THIS GAME WAS DYING TO KILL THIS GUY!!!!!!
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Hmm. Why wasn't Al Mualim from Assassin's Creed in the list? I mean, Al Mualim, acting as the master of the assassin's guild, has the "hero" Altair assassinate 9 men who are a threat to him and his grand scheme in taking over the known world, basically, and then turns the entire assassin's guild against Altair, trying to kill him. He basically will kill anyone that is a threat to him, even though he may of claimed he was doing it for "peace", he was truly out for his own gain. I can also agree with a lot of the places bad guys in this list got... Nemesis deserved a bit higher, as the thing just wouldn't die and it scared the living crap out of you when it jumped through walls, or windows, or doors at you. Seeing the Pac-Man ghosts on this list though, I thought that was a great addition as other "Greatest Bad Guys of All Time" lists I've read through don't have them. Also, Hogger, the "bad guy" from World of Warcraft wasn't exactly hard to kill, if you're kind of smart. If you're about it's level, it's simple enough to take out, if you know when to heal. And Sephiroth being at number 2, behind Donkey Kong, is a damn fine placing for him. Donkey Kong, despite he was a cowardly ape, was one of the first bosses in gaming history, and I'm sure all gamers at heart remember him well.
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Arkanol dude u got some skills all of my comments together arent that long.
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I just think it's wrong that half the list came from the Final Fantasy games. I, personally, hate those games. I just think the whole premise of them is stupid. Most of the story is pretty unoriginal, too. You can only take so many "kid who's parent(s) were killed and he grows up to save the world from tyranny and avenge all he lost"
But yeah, like Arkanol said, where's Al Mualim? Where's The Combine? The Covenant? Frank Fontaine? Saren? Imran Zachaev, even? But ALL Final Fantasy enemies is pointless.
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DONKEY KONG???? you've gotta be fucking kidding me. where the hell is THE STROGG from the quake series???? pfft. donkey kong.
the strogg should easily be number 1. the most fearsome enemy race in all of video game history. and the makron. damn.
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