By: Nik Aberle

Every game has a different storyline and different factors driving that storyline, but all games have one factor in common. That one factor is the bad-ass whose music or voice sends chills up your spine when you hear it and you know what's about to happen. Each villain is different and each has it's own way of doing things. To make this list they have to have done something either extremely evil, have a truly dark and deprived past, or simply make the player soil themselves when they make their appearance.

*Honorable Mention: Dr. Neo Cortex/Uka Uka – Crash Bandicoot Series

Dr. Neo Cortex goes by many names and of course like all mad scientists has the grandeur of world domination. To help him in his conquest he creates many different creatures, Crash for instance, to help him but much to his chagrin they don’t want to help. During his conceptualization, the Naughty Dog Team, creators of the game, stated that they envisioned him as being a madman, and they meant it. While it always seems like he’s one fry short of a happy meal, he does a great job of starting chaos and keeping it that way. And while it’s hard to figure out who has more control, him or Uka Uka, it is evident that the duo deserve at least an honorable mention on the list.

*Honorable Mention: Kerrigan -- Starcraft Series


For someone who starts out as an ally of the player, this soon-to-be evil "Queen of the Blades" makes the list as an honorable mention. Although she did use massive amounts of mind control and back-stabbing to get where she got, I would probably do the same after my own race leaves me to get killed and who knows what else by the Zerg forces. After mutating into what we all know and love her for she begins to first eliminate the Protoss, and then in Brood Wars to basically dominate all, and win. While many of our villians may come back multiple times and seem to have an infinite number of lives, she is the only one on the list that actually wins.


*Honorable Mention: Darth Malak -- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic


In what many gamers, critics, and myself think of as the best RPG on the Xbox, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic also has a pretty evil bad guy. Of course anyone familiar with Star Wars knows that to be THE Sith Lord one has to be extremely evil, but this guy makes most dark jedi look like Obi-Wan. The first the player sees of Malak is what lands him on this list. He doesn't just choke someone, or pull a Vader and kill his admiral, he orders the destruction of an entire planet in an attempt to kill one person. And while the Deathstar does this as well, doing it to kill one single person earns him the honorable mention.

*Honorable Mention: M. Bison -- Street Fighter Series
 
This madman bent on ruling the world also goes by the name Vega, but regardless of what you call him he’s still a bad guy to the core.  Doing many things that we would consider ‘unethical’ in today’s world to get his way and gain more power; he makes the honorable mention list for his determination to master his “Psycho Power” and kill everyone in the process.  If his scheme would have been more diabolical and evil instead of what seems like the delusions of a nut he would have been in the Top 10, instead he lands at the head of the honorable mentions.

10. Diablo – Diablo, Diablo II

The Lord of Terror definitely lives up to his name by inspiring fear and terror in all who dare to challenge him. In the first installment of the game he resembles that of a red humanoid with horns that spews fire, but seems to grow a tail and animalistic behavior in the second installment. Regardless of what form he is in he can still destroy all in his path. Apart from being straight from hell, he earns his spot by not only surviving the first game, but unleashing his brothers along with many other things upon the world in the second installment. He would definitely destroy the entire World of Warcraft and Starcraft if ever given the chance, and he would take down every last level 70 with him.

9. Albert Wesker – Resident Evil


In what has become one of the corner stones of the Playstation and horror games in general, Resident Evil has a character who betrays his own forces for his betterment; and not a simple betrayal, but one that leads them to be experimentally tested on. All who’ve played the game know this man as Wesker; the always elusive and secretive leader of S.T.A.R.S. And while he looks pretty sweet with his slick hair and sunglasses, he seems to have pretty much no feelings and only cares for himself. His betrayal is what lands him on the list, and while many may think he deserves a higher spot, the fact that he got killed by one of the men he betrayed lands him the number nine spot; regardless of the fact that he continually shows up in sequels, he definitely gets royally messed up in the first game.

8. Dr. Albert W. Wily – Mega Man Series

The main antagonist in the Mega Man series and the original mad scientist bad guy; he paved the way for those more well known, such as Dr. Robotnik and Dr. Neo Cortex. Depending on which version of the game you have, he is either Dr. Lights rival or assistant, but either way he becomes jealous of Dr. Light for winning the Nobel Prize. He is an evil little man fueled by greed, madness, and rage knowing that Dr. Light achieved something that he hasn’t and the fact that he can’t seem to destroy Mega Man, the last thing standing between him and his world domination. He earns his spot for being an all around bad guy as well as programming robots to do his evil bidding and messing with their emotions in the process.

7. Ganon/Ganondorf -- Zelda Series

The all around bad guy of the Zelda series; a villain who plays many different roles in many different games and assumes many different looks, all of which are evil to the core. In the game he even has the title “The King of Evil” and he lives up to that name. He is responsible for such things as kidnapping the princess, sending his minions to kill her nursemaid, and touching the Triforce with ‘blood stained hands’ while making his wish, thusly turning the Golden Land into the Dark World. He always seems to come back from being defeated and even rises from the dead a few times; this constant perseverance to do evil, and even take a sword in the forehead for what he believes, lands him the number seven spot.

6. Psycho Mantis -- Metal Gear Solid


This maniacal, psychotic and all around weird creature is supposedly human and can use many psychic powers to mess with Solid Snake. One of his best tricks, which will be remembered forever by anyone who went up against him, was his ability to activate the rumble pack of your controller, read your memory card and make comments about the actual player of the game, such as how often they saved, other favorite games and more. He then makes the players screen go blank except for the word “HIDEO” in the corner in an attempt to make the gamer think something is wrong. One of the first characters to have any direct interaction with the real-life player, his ‘abilities’ earn him the number 6 spot.

5. Nihilanth -- Half-Life


One of the greatest first person shooters of all time, and the game that spawned the best mulit-player FPS of all time, Half-Life, also has one of the greatest ‘villains’ of all time. While it may not be human, it is still diabolical in its ways and definitely a mastermind behind all that happens, the intelligent force behind the invasion of Earth. The Nihilanth is fought on the planet Xen dozens of stories up in a little cave. This creature resembles a deformed fetus that floats in the air with legs it does and cannot use, as well as a third arm protruding from its chest. The image of this thing alone would give children nightmares, but when you take into consideration how much planning it’s done to take over Earth, the damage it has already inflicted on Earth, and the fact that it’s the only thing holding the rift between Earth and Xen open, it’s easy to see why it gets its spot on the list.


4. Bowser/King Koopa -- Mario Series


Whether your jumping on his head, throwing fireballs at him, or racing him down a track this destructive dino does all he can to ruin your day and have his way. Raised by Kamek to be an evil, nasty little Bowser’s first move in his attempt to take over the Mushroom Kingdom is to of course kidnap the princess. But, when the plumbers come and try to take her back he unleashes his seven koopalings onto the kingdom to try to stop them. Even though he gets the shaft in every one of the games, this turtle/dragon hybrid is the energizer bunny of villains, he keeps going and going and no matter how much lava he gets dropped in, he simply refuses to stay down. His perseverance as well as his nasty disposition earns him the number four spot.

3. Sephiroth -- Final Fantasy VII


This guy is the ultimate bad-ass; he has the looks, the weapon, and the skills; as well as a very dark past with a side of psychosis. To everyone who’s played Final Fantasy VII, they recognize him instantly as well as his theme song, “One Winged Angel” which still brings back memories for me when I hear it. He not only kills the purest, most innocent character in the game, but does it simply so he can summon a huge meteor to consume the planets life-force, allowing him to travel the cosmos as a god. In the final confrontation he assumes two different forms, before assuming his human form and facing Cloud one on one. He then gets his ass handed to him, but is still one of the best villains of all time for his intricate storyline, unwavering dedication to his mother and his goals, and the ease with which he dooms the entire planet.

2. Shang Tsung -- Mortal Kombat Series


Someone who consumes souls, accesses their knowledge, and assumes their form is definitely worthy of being one of the top villains of all time. Anyone who’s played Mortal Kombat has undoubtedly come into contact with this outstanding sorcerer who’s skills are practically unmatched. He became the champion of the Tournament only to lose his title to Kung Lao, which makes Lui Kang number one on his hit list. Throughout the series he is always involved with the bad-guys but still seems to always come out on top. Even when people think he’s dead his soul is saved and he rejoins the living, or remains dead and still kicks the crap out of people. Having the abilities he does, a never ending penchant for evil, and a soul-eating lifestyle gain Shang Tsung the number 2 spot.

1. Kefka -- Final Fantasy VI


Yes, the number one villain of all time is a clown; but don’t let his appearance fool you. While he may be a coward, a liar, and a colorful clown, he is also evil incarnate. While most villains who try to destroy the world fail, Kefka successfully poisons a large number of people and in essence does destroy the world. The first to have an experimental infusion tested upon himself, Kefka turns into a sociopathic nihilist bent on gaining power for himself regardless of what it will cost the world. Even though Espers are very rare and endangered, they are very strong sources of magic and Kefka has absolutely no problem abusing and killing them to make him stronger. One of the first video game villains to truly have a personality and not be some distant figure the player is trying to beat, Kefka’s psychotic behavior, heartless actions, and depraved ambitions earn him the reputation as the number one villain of all time.

Hopefully in the near future game creators will be able to create more villains as influential as these; villains that shake the player to their very core and fill them with emotions they didn't know they could have towards a video game. When this happens the game truly comes to life for the player and it's not just another game they mindlessly play through, but rather an experience of immense proportions that they will never forget.