The perfect villain
When I play games with an antagonist in it, I look at his or her performance and what motivates him or her. What type of villain is he or she, is he or she a real by the book villain or a chaotic lunatic? With so many types of villains out there it´s often a suprise what you´ll get, but in certain games you can expect a certain type of villain. In a first person shooter you won´t see any demonic women in their underwear trying to eat your soul, but I wouldn´t object to that...
A villain can make or break a game? As much as you need a hero in a game (or movie for that matter), you also need a villain to even odds a bit. I mean it´s nice when for example you see Batman beating some henchmen but really you want him to fight against Joker, Bane or the Riddler. I think I´ve read somewhere that a hero becomes as good as the villains that oppose him (or her). I´m not the expert when it comes to this but I do think that there is truth in that, a hero with no villain to challenge him isn´t much of a hero. Of course not every hero has the iconic villain against him or her, sometimes it´s just some random guy or girl with some basic needs. When I play a game like Fable then I expect a villain that will be a challenge, not some blabbering douchebag like Lucien in Fable 2. Sure he´s evil, sure he has a role in the story but really where is my final battle? When you look at Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII then you know you´re in for a fight, but then again he´s probably one of the more popular villains.
What I like about villains is that they bring diversity, they add chaos to order and thus making things unstable. If everything goes right and there is nothing that disturbs the peace, then what is the point of playing a game? Oh sure there are simulations where you can fly a plane or do some farming, but games where you go on an adventure need a villain! The best games aren´t the one where you hate the villain, not it´s the games where you actually feel sympathy for the villain or maybe you secretly even like him or her. And let´s be honest, what´s not to like about a sexy villain? But seriously, a villain has about as much influence on the game as the hero does. Unfortunately the villain is usually the underappreciated role, but sometimes villains do get the credit they deserve. Sometimes because their voice actor is absolutely brilliant, for example Mark Hamill as the Joker is for me one of the best performances. But I must admit that Troy Baker (who did the voice of the Joker in Batman Arkham Origins) also did a great job. Also good writing can make or break a villain, if it´s all just boring textbook stuff then you might not be interested. But a villain that does something unexpected or just so evil, then sometimes you can´t help but be interested in this person. Of course at the end you´ll still stomp on his head, at least if you´re playing Mario!
A villain can make or break a game? As much as you need a hero in a game (or movie for that matter), you also need a villain to even odds a bit. I mean it´s nice when for example you see Batman beating some henchmen but really you want him to fight against Joker, Bane or the Riddler. I think I´ve read somewhere that a hero becomes as good as the villains that oppose him (or her). I´m not the expert when it comes to this but I do think that there is truth in that, a hero with no villain to challenge him isn´t much of a hero. Of course not every hero has the iconic villain against him or her, sometimes it´s just some random guy or girl with some basic needs. When I play a game like Fable then I expect a villain that will be a challenge, not some blabbering douchebag like Lucien in Fable 2. Sure he´s evil, sure he has a role in the story but really where is my final battle? When you look at Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII then you know you´re in for a fight, but then again he´s probably one of the more popular villains.
What I like about villains is that they bring diversity, they add chaos to order and thus making things unstable. If everything goes right and there is nothing that disturbs the peace, then what is the point of playing a game? Oh sure there are simulations where you can fly a plane or do some farming, but games where you go on an adventure need a villain! The best games aren´t the one where you hate the villain, not it´s the games where you actually feel sympathy for the villain or maybe you secretly even like him or her. And let´s be honest, what´s not to like about a sexy villain? But seriously, a villain has about as much influence on the game as the hero does. Unfortunately the villain is usually the underappreciated role, but sometimes villains do get the credit they deserve. Sometimes because their voice actor is absolutely brilliant, for example Mark Hamill as the Joker is for me one of the best performances. But I must admit that Troy Baker (who did the voice of the Joker in Batman Arkham Origins) also did a great job. Also good writing can make or break a villain, if it´s all just boring textbook stuff then you might not be interested. But a villain that does something unexpected or just so evil, then sometimes you can´t help but be interested in this person. Of course at the end you´ll still stomp on his head, at least if you´re playing Mario!
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