By definition, every protagonist needs an antagonist( it
is a symbiotic relationship) and since video games are the only medium I
know of that allows you to actually be the protagonist we wouldn’t be
very worthy of our titles without some kick-ass enemies to scare,
enrage, and torment us whilst simultaneously endearing us through sheer
badassitude, or their identifiable, or even esoteric qualities. So here
are my selections for the best video game villains.
5. Harbinger:”Mass Effect 2”
Easily the most annoying villain on the list; the reaper known as Harbinger manages to appear at possibly the most inconvenient times to attack and berate you without ever actually appearing as himself. Instead he possesses the collector generals thus possessing the drones, so while you may feel relieved or accomplished after shooting the puppet, those feelings are gone when you realize you haven’t even seen what’s holding the strings.
4. Bob Page: “Deus-Ex” franchise
While most villains aspire to world domination Bob Page has actually obtained it,after all, he managed to summit the hierarchy of “The Illuminati” and that wasn’t even enough to tame his lust for power. Instead of resting on his laurels, page sought to deify himself be embodying the technological singularity, and may have succeeded, depending on which ending you chose.
3. Pyramid Head: “Silent-Hill” franchise
Pyramid Head was the first antagonist that actually managed to scare me simply by being in the same room! Seriously. The concept artist who designed him deserves a medal for his uncanny ability to make geometry terrifying. Aesthetics aside everything this guy (and I use this term loosely) does is simply horrifying; from the awkward way he kills you to the way he will probably defile you after he kills you (hypothesis based off empirical evidence from various mannequin scenes) On top of that he turns out to be the living embodiment of your guilt, so by the end of this game you could have been literally and metaphorically F$#@ed by the scariest monster in the game. Think about that next time you hear sirens go off.
2. Glad0s: “Portal” series
My personal favorite, Glad0s is as menacing as she is likable. The fine folks at valve did a fantastic job writing her seemingly as a more humorous but equally diabolical version of Hal ( pardon the “2001: A Space Odyssey” reference) over the course of the two games she manages to impart a dark yet intelligent comedic tone to the game and manages to win us over despite providing the player with a constant barrage of belittlement and numerous attempts against their life …….and she can sing
1. G-man: “Half-Life” series
Perhaps G-man’s most interesting quality is the sheer amount of ambiguity surrounding the character. You never actually fight him, you never know when he’s going to show up, and you have no idea who he is. In-fact their are whole websites dedicated to uncovering his identity. But by far his most nefarious attribute is his capacity to manipulate. Throughout the whole series, no matter who you are playing as, everything action you take seems to fit seamlessly into his scheme. During the course of the game you spend so much time thinking about his comings and goings that you lose focus on the aliens THAT ARE INVADING EARTH. Think about it, he (probably) shares your objective in stopping the combine, yet the average player spends more time worried about the threat he poses than the combine. That takes a powerful performance……or at least a creepy voice.
-Ron
5. Harbinger:”Mass Effect 2”
Easily the most annoying villain on the list; the reaper known as Harbinger manages to appear at possibly the most inconvenient times to attack and berate you without ever actually appearing as himself. Instead he possesses the collector generals thus possessing the drones, so while you may feel relieved or accomplished after shooting the puppet, those feelings are gone when you realize you haven’t even seen what’s holding the strings.
4. Bob Page: “Deus-Ex” franchise
While most villains aspire to world domination Bob Page has actually obtained it,after all, he managed to summit the hierarchy of “The Illuminati” and that wasn’t even enough to tame his lust for power. Instead of resting on his laurels, page sought to deify himself be embodying the technological singularity, and may have succeeded, depending on which ending you chose.
3. Pyramid Head: “Silent-Hill” franchise
Pyramid Head was the first antagonist that actually managed to scare me simply by being in the same room! Seriously. The concept artist who designed him deserves a medal for his uncanny ability to make geometry terrifying. Aesthetics aside everything this guy (and I use this term loosely) does is simply horrifying; from the awkward way he kills you to the way he will probably defile you after he kills you (hypothesis based off empirical evidence from various mannequin scenes) On top of that he turns out to be the living embodiment of your guilt, so by the end of this game you could have been literally and metaphorically F$#@ed by the scariest monster in the game. Think about that next time you hear sirens go off.
2. Glad0s: “Portal” series
My personal favorite, Glad0s is as menacing as she is likable. The fine folks at valve did a fantastic job writing her seemingly as a more humorous but equally diabolical version of Hal ( pardon the “2001: A Space Odyssey” reference) over the course of the two games she manages to impart a dark yet intelligent comedic tone to the game and manages to win us over despite providing the player with a constant barrage of belittlement and numerous attempts against their life …….and she can sing
1. G-man: “Half-Life” series
Perhaps G-man’s most interesting quality is the sheer amount of ambiguity surrounding the character. You never actually fight him, you never know when he’s going to show up, and you have no idea who he is. In-fact their are whole websites dedicated to uncovering his identity. But by far his most nefarious attribute is his capacity to manipulate. Throughout the whole series, no matter who you are playing as, everything action you take seems to fit seamlessly into his scheme. During the course of the game you spend so much time thinking about his comings and goings that you lose focus on the aliens THAT ARE INVADING EARTH. Think about it, he (probably) shares your objective in stopping the combine, yet the average player spends more time worried about the threat he poses than the combine. That takes a powerful performance……or at least a creepy voice.
-Ron
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