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Top 5 Video Game Villains of All Time

Top 5 Video Game Villains of All Time

If you had a chance to jump into the Star Wars Battlefront beta last week, then hopefully you had the chance to play with or against the Dark Side’s very own Darth Vader. Vader has been one of the silver screen’s baddest villains since debuting in 1977. After watching several videos of the beta, as well as EA’s latest gameplay trailer, I couldn’t help but think where Vader might land among the top video game villains of all time. In true Cheat Code Central fashion, let’s take a look at the Top 5 Video Game Villains of All Time.

Vaas Montenegro (Far Cry 3)

Vaas Montenegro (Far Cry 3)

Far Cry 3 wouldn’t have been such a stellar title without this unpredictable psycho. Upon first being introduced to Montenegro, players learn that he’s absolutely lost his mind through not only the crazy garbage that spews from his mouth, but also through his brutal actions. Murdering captivates, killing the secondary protagonist in a slow manner, and just a general sense of wicked destructiveness, places Vaas among our top ranks. “Run, Forrest, Run,” is the only line you’ll ever need to remember when stacking this maliciousness nut-job up against the rest of gaming’s bad dudes.

Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda)

Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda)

Ganondorf, from just about every Legend of Zelda title, is a lot like Freddy Krueger in the sense that he is nearly impossible to defeat and always seems to come back bigger and stronger. My first encounter with the terrifying brute came during The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time . Not only did he disrupt the beautiful equilibrium contained within Hyrule, but he also struck fear into nearly every character he encountered – even the Golden Goddesses of Link’s homeland. I can remember battling this evil punk in several Legend of Zelda games, but he always seemed to come back every year with heated vengeance and an even more vicious plan for destruction.

GLaDOS (Portal Series)

GLaDOS (Portal Series)

GLaDOS, or her government name “Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System,” is that evil genius from Portal 1 and 2 that reminds us of the crazy ex-girlfriends we had during high school. She is the epitome of an evil video game villain in her cruel, and often hilarious, straightforward demeanor in telling players exactly what’s on her mind. Her twisted sense of reality and attempts to guilt-trip players into feeling bad for her, provides the perfect platform to bash her electrons in when the times comes. Perhaps the most sadistic aspect surrounding GLaDOS is that players actually feel a sense of loss when they ultimately destroy her – so much for avoiding a messy breakup, literally.

Andrew Ryan (BioShock Series)

Andrew Ryan (BioShock Series)

Andrew Ryan is the definition of an evil villain in the purest form when gamers get a taste of his diabolical ways in both BioShock and BioShock 2 . Aside from having others do his dirty work for him, the characterization of Ryan was both genius and straight up scary. After his failed utopian experiment that killed thousands, Ryan locked himself deep within the underwater city known as Rapture. His only defense, the insane genetically modified citizens of a failed realization that never quite came true. To top it off, Ryan uses the main playable character, Jack, to carry out one final act of twisted control – the plotted demise of himself.

Vladimir Makarov (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Series)

Vladimir Makarov (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Series)

Our top spot is nabbed by a controversial character that still gives me chills when I think about him. We are, of course, talking about Vladimir Makarov, who was first introduced during Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and was primarily responsible for the start of World War III that overlaps into Modern Warfare 3 .

Makarov is the definition of pure evil and his calculated sadist mindset sent gamers into a frenzy during the mission, “No Russian.” The mission takes place in Zakhaev International Airport where players team up with Makarov and his crew of evil goons to gun down hundreds of innocent civilians within the airport. The mission was both mentally twisted and emotionally difficult to navigate through. Makarov never even batted an eye from start to finish and rightfully takes the top spot of most evil video game villain of all time.

Honorable Mentions: Kefka – Final Fantasy VI , Dr. Breen – Half Life 2 , The Joker – Batman Arkham Series, Bowser – Super Mario Series.

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