IGN: Top 100 Videogame Villains

Not quite sure how old this article is, but I found it while browsing. It's pretty interesting, especially who they choose for the top, number one villain.

Take a look.​

 

Listening to Slipping by chance while reading this was amazing.

Though they completely failed in this list. They chose villains everyone played, not the best villains. Screw that...

 

I think GlaDOS being number one was perfect. She's not your typical villain, she's not overly whored by fans and once you defeat her you feel kinda sad since she was such a unique villain that was with you throughout the game. Gotta love her personality. <3

Wasn't surprised by 4, 3 and 2 villains. And to be honest, I thought Kefka should've been closer to the top. Oh well.

 

I have to agree. GlaDOS was wonderful.

They chose villains everyone would know about. In fact, tons of them were there just because they wanted to include popular games. Games like Fire Emblem were not mentioned, nor was The Legend of Dragoon, or, indeed, Armored Core. Why? Many of the villains they chose did not even have personalities. What criteria were they rating by?

 

Gary Oak, Seifer, Shadow Link, Carmen Sandiego(seriously?), Nemisis, Ares, Liquid Snake, Team Rocket(what?), Zeus(he wasn't really bad. Just paranoid), Kessler, Darth Malek(didn't that game just come out though?), Darth Vader(who didn't see this one coming?), Joker(.....), Kefka, Wesker, Dr. Wily, Dr. Robotnik(aka Eggman), Sephiroth, Ganon/Ganondorf, Bowser.

These are all of the people that I know from this list. Although, I'm amazed that Bowser was #2. I don't really see him as all that great of a villain. Sephiroth, Kefka, and Ganon have done way more than him in less amount of time. I'm actually surprised they put those like Gary Oak, Carmen Sandiego, and Team Rocket on there. Team Rocket is a joke except in the show, and I can't really see Gary as a villain

 

Hmm I don't think Fassad from Mother 3 was on there by any chance?

 

Ugh, come on guys. Incredibly poor form to include multiple entries from the same series (God of War, Bioshock etc), villains whose primary appearances aren't in video games (Darth Vader, Joker), and generalized entities like zombies and the Nazis.

Other than that, pretty predictable list. Nice to see Seph and Gdorf place high, very nice to see Kefka place lower than Seph. A number of series deserved to be represented that weren't, but oh well... Not the most offensive list I could imagine, and they seemed to be trying their best to pay respects to the old and new generations alike, so kudos for that.

...So I guess everyone knows about Evil Otto, huh?

It's not just about personality. Games are not just interactive forms of other media, and to frame them that way is limiting. Many of the villains on the list placed as they did because of the atmosphere around them; the build-up to, and confrontation with, which are just as important as the villain's character in a video game.

That said, it was still a bit disappointing. WHERE THE F#@$ IS NINEBALL?!

 

There were exceptions, but not many. They did a bad job.

If a game is not an interactive form of a story, then it has no villain. This is akin to calling one team the villain in a sport. If it does not translate into another medium, then it does not have a plot and is based solely on game play. Does the champion team at the top of a Madden game qualify as a villain because of the buildup? I think not.

 

You misunderstood. Video games are not just interactive forms of other media. Film and literature both tell a story, but they have their own unique strengths and weaknesses; video games are the same way. You can't tell me that the impact of a villain is not helped by the trial and struggle to reach him, and further by the fight he puts up when you finally get there. It's intrinsic in other story-telling forms; it's just more pronounced in video games, since the player takes the burden on himself.

Take Akuma, for example. He has only as much personality as he needs to set the framework for a battle with him, and the rest is all atmosphere. The locale is foreboding, the climb a rough one, and the final challenge formidable, sometimes absurd. If you spend long enough embroiled in combat with him, you can forget where you are. All you see are those blazing red eyes... Defeating him is an honor, a rite of passage for many a fighting game player.

The terminology is, perhaps, misused. It would be more appropriate to refer to them as antagonists, as some of them don't fulfill a traditional villainous role--Hell, it's hard to call some of them villains. But "antagonist" isn't nearly as snappy or familiar. At least they didn't call them all bosses.

 

That is what a lot of them did. If they had called them bosses, I would have been less harsh. When I think of a villain, I think of a character, a person. Not an achievement to be overcome, not a battle to be won, but the character itself. Most of this list was not based on that, and for that I am not forgiving.

 

...

 

I lol'd so, so hard at Tom Nook being on there. Because it's kind of true.

And to be a KotOR geek, Malak did not deserve to be so high (#33) on here. ._.

hahahahahahahahahahaha no
He was honestly a pushover once you figured out how to stop him from his life draining. And tbh he wasn't really too nefarious in the game.

 

I'm glad to see Saren from Mass Effect on here. Even though I barely care because IGN sucks.

 

Oh, yeah; now we understand why I hated Animal Crossing. You do not even get to kill Nook at the end of the game. What game of game is that?!

 

...

 

I never got that far to find out.

 

GLADOS as a number 1 villain is interesting...
I mean, I think there are plenty of other good villains who deserve the number 1 slot, but then again... GLADOS is so awesome, I say why not?
She gave us hope with cake and then tried to crush our dreams...
truly evil...
Although, allying with her when she was a potato was fun. XD

 

That last part should be spoiler tagged.
But I agree with this. I'm surprised Vader isn't higher actually, what with being a very iconic figure when you think Villain. Ah well, I suppose they must have based it on something.
Ganondorf I'd have raised higher too. I mean, that guys never stays down. How many plots has he hijacked now?

 

Pretty sure I typically play as a Counselor, actually. c: Healing Force powers + Destroy Droid are your pals, sometimes your Force depletes but then you just got to run around for a bit.

 

Spoiler

Honestly, what really seals it for me in GlaDOS's case is not featured in the game proper, so I almost feel like it's cheating to cite it as a reason for liking her. The sentiment is there, if not the words themselves. She is deeply disturbed. The sparse characterization she receives from the Caroline dialogues doesn't quite help that. It's not even a question of forgiving or not forgiving; whatever she was before, she's a monster now. To set up something so wholly detestable as the antagonist is not only bold--in this day and age of sympathetic villains galore--but effective.

Yeah I must be a bad Consular then, no surprises here. I hate that they make you choose between physical, force, or skills. I'm a Spellsword damn it, I need BOTH to function properly D: