Who is your favorite videogame villain?

(Image credit: Gearbox)

How would we measure good without evil? I suppose by contrasting it with neutrality or inaction, but that's an unhelpful answer. By setting our heroes up against villains, of course! Batman has the Joker, Holmes has Moriarty, The Flash has, um, Reverse-Flash. But what about our videogame protagonists?

Who is your favorite videogame villain? Here are some of our favorites, let us know yours in the comments below.

Samuel Roberts: Every character who ever calls you in GTA Online

If you thought your pals in GTA 4 were needy, then holy crap, in GTA Online they have nothing better to do than bother you. This is clearly to indicate to the player that there's plenty out there to go and do in Los Santos—each one is linked to a task—but I just want Simeon to stop calling me. Phone calls take up a bit too much time in GTA Online, as even during the heists Lester and other characters need to keep calling you about stuff. That's the price of having a protagonist that never speaks, I suppose. 

Shaun Prescott: Spelunky's shopkeeper

The Spelunky shopkeeper isn't a villain per se, but he is if you try to rob him blind. And you should, nay, you must, especially if he has a jetpack. I love the Spelunky Shopkeeper. The way he prances around when he's antagonised, firing shotgun shells blindly at all and sundry. But what I love most about the Spelunky shopkeeper is the utterly bonkers music that plays when he's pissed off. Just listen to some of these drum fills, does it not make it worth ruining your run just to hear them? I want his theme played at my funeral. 

Tyler Wilde: Kane from Command & Conquer

Kane from Command & Conquer, because he's right. I refuse to elaborate. 

(Image credit: LucasArts)

Fraser Brown: Me, in Knights of the Old Republic 2

I made Atton cry, turned everyone to the Dark Side, went down every evil path imaginable and came out the other end wondering if Obsidian needed to be put on a watchlist or something. I played a bad dude in the previous game, but going Sith in the sequel just seemed more horrible. Pangs of guilt aside, it's excellent. Obsidian's probably the best when it comes to this stuff. Tyranny in particular is great at letting you play a more complex villain if you want to, with motivations that go beyond the RPG tropes of just being a dick or killing everything.

(Image credit: Blizzard)

Tim Clark: Anyone who plays Priest in Hearthstone

There is no bigger group of degenerate time wasters in all of gaming. "Greetings", "Greetings", "Not quite what was planned", "Greetings", "Thank you". No one emotes like Priests, not even Hunter mains. And yes I know Priest is dumpster tier right now, that's not the point. Priest is an utterly loveless, steal-yo-stuff class, seemingly self-destructively designed to increase the game's uninstall rate in the same way that a global pandemic will boost sales of travel tissues. Also fuck the Inner Fire combo particularly.

(Image credit: Gearbox)

Jody Macgregor: Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2

For all the reasons explained here. Although Shodan is a close second.

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