Written by: Stoo

Date posted: August 5, 2005

Following on from our item on gravelly-voiced heroes in gaming, here’s a look into some of our favourite nefarious villains.

 

Admiral Tolwyn

As Seen In: Wing Commander I-IV

A disapproving commanding officer in the first couple of Wing Commander games, Tolwyn’s behaviour takes a more sinister turn as the series progresses. No longer content with unleashing vein-popping fury at each and every one of your well-intentioned but off-mission sojourns (probably because you keep saving the day at the same time), by the end of Wing IV he’s at the centre of a pseudo-fascist plot to bring down the Federation. The presence of the ever-unhinged Malcolm Macdowell in the role can only help this transformation.

Evil rating: * * *

Clovis

As Seen In: Blade Runner

Never trust a well-dressed replicant. Clovis may not feel like crushing his creator’s skull with his bare hands, but then he’s an altogether more calm and collected character than Roy Batty. This is the man who quotes William Blake’s “The Tyger” while slaughtering the inhabitants of a pet shop (and yes, this does include a tiger). Not the ideal man to canvas support for the replicant cause, methinks.

Evil rating: * * * *

Lechuck

As Seen In: Monkey Island I-IV

Lechuck may not be the most efficient bad guy in the world (how difficult can it be to eliminate a cowardly loser like Guybrush Threepwood?) but you’ve got to admit that he’s certainly got staying power. Whether in ghost, zombie or demon-zombie form, he always comes back for more. Extra baddie points for the flaming beard and evil laugh, but ultimately his narrow aims of eliminating a love-rival in order to win the heart of a woman count against him.

Evil rating: * *

Purple Tentacle

As Seen In: Day of the Tentacle

You can’t beat a bad guy who wants to “TAKE ON THE WORLD!” Drinking dangerous toxic waste might not be good for most of us, but for tentacles, it opens up a whole new world of opportunities. New arms, and a smarter, more aggressive outlook on life mean no more sitting round in Dr. Fred’s house all day. It just goes to show what you can achieve if you ignore the advice of wussier, greener friends.

Evil rating: * * * *

Shodan

As Seen In: System Shock 1 and 2

The Artificial Intelligence known as SHODAN is the absolute ruler of her domain, Citadel Station. She had the crew either exterminated or converted into her cyborg servants, and now is turning her attention to the rest of humanity. She’s heading for Earth with delusions of Godhood, a relentless hatred for squishy humans, and terrible weapons with which to devastate the planet. You’re the only thing left stopping her, so very alone amidst the dim corridors of Citadel, and her cyborgs are coming to hunt you down.

Oh, and its your fault she went insane in the first place.

Evil rating: * * * * *

Walton Simons

As Seen In: Deus Ex

In the dystopian near-future of Deus Ex, Simons is the head of FEMA  and thus supposedly a Good Guy leading the reponse against terrorist attacks. Or at least that’s what the public are supposed to think. However Simons is also a class-A Sinister Bastard, with a scarily soft-yet-threatening voice and a fondness for executing prisoners. Plus he’s quite chummy with power-mad billionaires, and why exactly does he have authority over UN forces? Personally, I’d trust the guy about as far as I could throw him.

Evil rating: * * * *

Sephiroth

As Seen In: Final Fantasy VII

Handsome and slightly androgynous, Sephiroth has traditionally had quite a following amongst gamers. Probably rivalling SHODAN on this list for sheer insanity, Sephiroth’s convoluted past and discovery of his true origins have left the former super-soldier pretty mentally twisted. Now he’s out to raise himself to godhood, and badly hurt the planet itself in the process. However, not before he’s sufficiently tormented his old comrade-in-arms Cloud, the hero of the game.

Still, at least he loves his mum.

Evil rating: * * * *