8 Terrible Video Game Villains

[Frostbyte666]

3) Ah, Alduin. The fight's even worse if, like me, you've done all the other side quests before that point, because then you just stomp him. And can someone explain to me why he attacked the little outpost you were at at that exact moment? If he had waited just a few more seconds, he would have won. To this day, I have not come across a good reason for why he chose that point in time to make his return.

I like to think with Alduin that he only just got out the dimensional rift so is still a bit out of it, your dragonborn status is still dormant at this point so he can't exactly pinpoint which human is the dragonborn ergo decides fry them all let Akatosh sort it out. He just had a bit of bad timing being a bit too early.

OT: Yeah I pretty much agree with the list except Wesker because RE is cheese.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

3) Ah, Alduin. The fight's even worse if, like me, you've done all the other side quests before that point, because then you just stomp him. And can someone explain to me why he attacked the little outpost you were at at that exact moment? If he had waited just a few more seconds, he would have won. To this day, I have not come across a good reason for why he chose that point in time to make his return.

I like to think with Alduin that he only just got out the dimensional rift so is still a bit out of it, your dragonborn status is still dormant at this point so he can't exactly pinpoint which human is the dragonborn ergo decides fry them all let Akatosh sort it out. He just had a bit of bad timing being a bit too early.

That...is the best explanation I have ever heard. So until something better is offered, I choose to believe your story. Well done.

 

[LordLundar]

2) Um...is it bad that I have NO IDEA who that is, despite owning and beating the game? I mean, I can recognize all other bosses from VII, VIII, X, and X-2, and possibly a few from IX, but seriously...who?

No it's not bad. To be honest the only thing I remember about him was he was thrown at you in some vain effort to justify the crystal decoration on the title background. Neither he nor the crystal were mentioned (though apparently the crystal might be, if you go out of your way to find out about it) throughout the game. Then he's introduced in a manner that is best described as "we need something big an ominous for the final boss so here you go!" Hell, even Ozma had more relevance in the story and that is the optional superboss that is little more than an over sized superball.

 

[Random Argument Man]

Well, at first, Necron seems a very a "out of nowhere" boss. But if you read the "Fridge" page of Tv tropes, there's a few interesting theories. But then again, theories are theories.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

The sad thing is, they did this better in Final Fantasy 3. Xande had Kuja's same basic ideas, but you could get behind his mindset a lot easier and even sympathize with him.

Then The Cloud of Darkness highjacked the villain spot and Xande was completely forgotten.

That is true. FFIX as a whole just felt like a lesser retread of ideas done better in previous entries. People try to claim it "returned the series to its roots" but it didn't really get what made entries like IV and VI work. It just wasn't anywhere near as compelling as its predecessors and there's a good reason people don't bring it up as much when talking about the franchise.

 

[Spider RedNight]

HA I've only played one of these games; I don't PLAY games with bad villains. -looks around guiltily- Or it makes me look like a shut-in because I've only played one of these games. ANYWAY....

What, no mention to how COMPLETELY TERRIBLE Sofia Lamb was from Bioshock 2? I mean, I guess some could say she was a good villain but after Andrew Ryan (and to a much more disappointing extent, Frank Fontaine), she was just breathy, REALLY annoying, preachy, redundant and you didn't even have the option to kill her! It's like the end of Borderlands all over again.

 

[LordLundar]

Well, at first, Necron seems a very a "out of nowhere" boss. But if you read the "Fridge" page of Tv tropes, there's a few interesting theories. But then again, theories are theories.

Eh, the "Fridge" section is no different than someone saying "In my headcanon". It's little more than saying "I don't accept what I see so I'm going to try to rationalize it." In this case it still doesn't change the fact that Necron popped up out of the blue for "reasons".

 

[ChaoshadowZero]

All of the reasons Wesker is a terrible villain are also the reasons Wesker is a great villain.

My thoughts exactly.

Can't comment on the rest though; not played any of those games.

 

[Metalix Knightmare]

The sad thing is, they did this better in Final Fantasy 3. Xande had Kuja's same basic ideas, but you could get behind his mindset a lot easier and even sympathize with him.

Then The Cloud of Darkness highjacked the villain spot and Xande was completely forgotten.

That is true. FFIX as a whole just felt like a lesser retread of ideas done better in previous entries. People try to claim it "returned the series to its roots" but it didn't really get what made entries like IV and VI work. It just wasn't anywhere near as compelling as its predecessors and there's a good reason people don't bring it up as much when talking about the franchise.

It was still better than 8 though you have to admit.

 

[Metalix Knightmare]

Well, at first, Necron seems a very a "out of nowhere" boss. But if you read the "Fridge" page of Tv tropes, there's a few interesting theories. But then again, theories are theories.

Eh, the "Fridge" section is no different than someone saying "In my headcanon". It's little more than saying "I don't accept what I see so I'm going to try to rationalize it." In this case it still doesn't change the fact that Necron popped up out of the blue for "reasons".

Actually, the fridge section is more about things that don't really hit you until you've thought about it for a while. That said, there is no train of thought that will ever make me think Necron wasn't jus something the devs pulled out of their collective asses.

 

[Silvanus]

Agreed a hundred times on Wesker, a character I never understood the mounds of love for. He's so immensely try-hard "cool", and his plan makes no damn sense even with a surface reading.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

I also have to agree with Wesker... And +6[footnote]+1 for each of the films. Yes... that includes the one that hasn't even been filmed yet![/footnote] because of the RE films! Literally some of the most hilarious bad acting I can remember!

 

[Random Argument Man]

Well, at first, Necron seems a very a "out of nowhere" boss. But if you read the "Fridge" page of Tv tropes, there's a few interesting theories. But then again, theories are theories.

Eh, the "Fridge" section is no different than someone saying "In my headcanon". It's little more than saying "I don't accept what I see so I'm going to try to rationalize it." In this case it still doesn't change the fact that Necron popped up out of the blue for "reasons".

Someone already mentioned the "It's not really hitting you after you think about it" definition of Fridge. I can though see your point of view. Most of the time though, the tropers will call bullshit on half-ass rationalizations. However, some series's charm often come from Fridge logic. Have you ever watched Rick and Morty? At first, it seems like a silly show, but with fridge logic, it becomes an intense character or plot study.

 

[TerranV]

The game tries to explain that Necron is basically Kuja's fear of death personified, but yeah, it doesn't really work when he didn't even have prior buildup or any real plot relevence after his appearance.

Actually I think the implication is that Necron is the true form of the Iifa Tree.

Spoiler

When you enter the tree and fight the Soul Cage it claims that it has forseen its own end and its not at that time. Later when you meet Garland he claims that the true purpose of the tree is to steal Gaia's "flow of souls" and transfer it to Terra and that "killing" Soul Cage did nothing to stop this because the tree is just it's physical form.

When Kuja destroys the Crystal he kills Zidane's party as well. However with Terra destroyed the Tree can't send them anywhere and with the crystal destroyed it concludes that all life seeks oblivion and therefore life all is meaningless. So if anything I'd say Necron's defeat highlights the story's central theme: Life seeks to live.

Another fun connection is that he uses Exdeath's Grand Cross move and in FFV Exdeath was a tree that gained sentience after being possessed by an evil spirit.

 

[TerranV]

I think that particular theory was jossed by the Ultimania.

Ah poo.
Well I guess they don't completely contradict each other. Kuja's attack on the crystal is still what motivates Necron either way.

But yeah I still wouldn't call him the game's villain by any stretch.

 

[Extra-Ordinary]

Hey now, I like RAAM and Wesker and the Human Reaper.

RAAM kicked my ass up and down that train a lot. Yeah, sure, he kind of looks like all the other Locust minus being a little bit taller and has a nice coat, but he's no softie. He's big, he's tough, he can control the Kryll, which normally tore apart Locust and human alike, and when he's not using a weird-lookin' sword, he's wielding a turret like a rifle. Those things are usually mounted[/], he's carrying it with one hand.

Wesker, I haven't played all the games so I can't defend him very well, I just thought the fights were cool to watch.

The Human Reaper, yeah, sure the fight itself was pretty simple, hit the weak spots, but you know, simple doesn't always mean easy. Maybe this speaks to my skill level rather than the boss itself but I was playing on Normal and he wasn't so soft. Especially considering that he wasn't even complete yet; he was pretty tough for being just a skull, two arms, and a ribcage. "You haven't even seen my final form" seems rather appropriate here.

 

[Evonisia]

If you want a bad Halo villain, I'd say the Diadact was worse than Guilty Spark. At least with Spark you have to aim; the Halo 4 boss battle is a QTE.

Agreed, no villain in the Halo universe is worse than the Didact. At the very least Guilty Spark made for a good villain in the first game (and I'd argue he isn't even a villain in Halo 3). 'tis a shame, I think the three Prophets and Tartarus made for good villains in Halo 2.

OT: I also disagree on RAAM. All RAAM needed was the look, his presence and that final fight is simple (it's Tartarus' fight from Halo 2) but effective. He's holding a freaking Troika cannon with his bare hands, commanding the creatures that served as the major horror aspect of Act 2 and he does not seem to die. He's a perfect fit for his game.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Oddly, I hated Wesker as a villain in RE5, but I loved him as a villain in "Code Veronica".

I think the mystery just had a lot to do with it. He shows up out of nowhere, you don't know where he's been or who he now works for, he's somehow super strong and fast, and I still remember the scene where Chris punches him and knocks his glasses off, and he looks at him with his new, creepy red cat eyes. Great scene.

Also disagree on RAAM. None of the other Locust really spoke much either, and his mere presence actually made me want to learn more about him. Likewise, I thought the Human Reaper at the end of ME2 was great. The entire point was that it was a single Reaper that wasn't even close to completion, yet it still took a squad of the greatest heroes in the galaxy to destroy it. Plus he was just cool looking.

I'd also nominate Hoyt Volker from "Far Cry 3" as a terrible villain. It wasn't that he was a bad villain; he was perfectly serviceable. It's just that Vaas stole the show so much that it was a big let-down when you find out that Vaas isn't really the big bad, and there is this other, much less impressive guy actually calling the shots.