What are heroes without their counterparts? Nothing really, if you ask me. Conflict only arises when there are two clashing/opposing views. Without villains conflict does not exist and without conflict, nothing is learned, nothing is gained, nothing really happens.
A hero can never be truly valued without a villain, making the antagonist absolutely necessary in any sort of narrative.
What really makes them shine are their villains.
Having said that, here are five of the villains we all love to hate from games that we’ve played over the years.
Vaas Montenegro
(Far Cry 3)
Bearing close resemblance to the Joker, Vaas portrays tons of dark humor, mercilessness and of course is completely insane. Despite the fact that he is a total maniac, he’s still feels like a guy I can watch sports with.
Many contend that Vaas should have been the final villain in the game. Honestly it takes a while to try and recall who the final villain even was in this game. Ubisoft went to the extent of portraying Vaas on the cover of the game instead of the protagonist, which really only begs the question why Vaas wasn’t the final villain.
The moment before Vaas throws Jason off a waterfall, he delivers a monologue on insanity. At this point you realize that this villain is no ordinary villain. He suddenly becomes classy as you’re exposed to this poetic side of him. And the very next moment he throws Jason off the waterfall to his death.
The thing about Vaas is his contradictory, brutish, violent and dangerous nature. His brazen attitude and flair for language is really what makes him even scarier. Also the fact that he doesn’t need to be buff or anything to through his weight around.
After Vaas was killed off in the game and his term with Ubisoft came to an end, he got a contract with EA Sports and now features in their FIFA series as Arturo Vidal.
Vaas posing as Vidal. He’s always been a camera hog
The Joker
(Batman Arkham Series)
It would be considered be a sin if ever a list of villains was made and it didn’t have The Joker mentioned in it. True as it may be, the Joker is widely known as a comic villain but the character’s reinterpretation in movies and games have more than left a lasting impression on the world.
The Joker’s most defining trait has to be his malevolent and twisted sense of humour. He has no interest in money and strives in destroying the Dark Knight’s ideals and foundations. The Joker cherishes the rivalry he has with Batman, which in essence has made his life more interesting and entertaining.
It’s not certain what illness The Joker exactly suffers from, he shows symptoms of borderline personality, hysteria, narcissism and schizophrenia. He is capable of being calm and rational one moment and the next instant revert to his hysteric state.
The Joker our favorite all time villain as much as he is Batman’s archnemesis. To learn more about the Joker and his beginnings, read the article about Joker being the ultimate super villain.
Bowser
(Mario)
Probably one of the first villains we can consider a timeless classic. When you think of video game villains, you instantly think of this spiky shelled, flame-throwing turtle with a bad habit of kidnapping princesses and making a mess over at Mushroom kingdom.
He’s one of the older villains on the gaming scene as he’s kinds stuck around since the golden days of gaming. We’ve got to give him props for managing to intimidate despite being hopelessly incompetent.
But you’ve got to admit that things would be a bit boring without Bowser around. Mario wouldn’t get to look like a hero if he couldn’t save Princess Peach and wouldn’t get that good time lovin’ that we all know he got when he finally saved her.
Slender Man
(Slender: The Arrival)
Not many know of this gaming character. In fact, if I’m being completely honest, I didn’t know this character existed outside this game, rather is a fictional supernatural character that originated as an internet meme created by Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen in 2009.
It is usually depicted as resembling a thing, unnaturally tall man with a blank and featureless expression and in a black suit. Stories revolving this character involve him stalking, abducting or traumatizing people, mainly children. In the game, facing him causes the camera to glitch and distort. intensifying as the player gets closer which eventually results in death of the player. Slenderman just had to make this list, also because he kinda never dies. Even if you finish the objectives in the game, he always gets you in the end.
GLaDOS
(Portal 1, 2)
Where do you even start with this one? Perhaps with a generic line about how we all aren’t surprised to this character on this list. Also I can speak for all of us when I say that her presence in both Portal titles is what makes the games enjoyable, really she is the reason why Portal gathered so much affection and attention.
Isn’t GLaDOS quite like George RR Martin? Both of them are known for destroying the one thing you have any emotional attachment to. But that’s exactly what makes you come back for more, right? This beloved AI has more of a character than most other gaming characters we come across.
Ever needed classes in coming up with kickass burns? I’d suggest GLaDOS.
Here’s one of my favorite —
“Well, I’m back. The Aerial Faith Plate in here is sending a distress signal.”
“You broke it, didn’t you.”
“There. Try it now.”
“Hmm. This Plate must not be calibrated to someone of your… generous… ness. I’ll add a few zeros to the maximum weight.”
“You look great, by the way. Very healthy.”
If you think any other could have made this list, do let me know in the comments below haan. I swear I read them….from time to time……whenever I remember……never.
You can see Vaas opposing the referee’s decision. Probably about to start the insanity monologue any minute now