Video game villains often loom large over their works. This is because they typically have a pivotal role in the gameplay and story, driving the plot with their villainous actions and ideally providing an epic challenge in their final boss fight. Well-liked games typically have well-liked villains, but this isn't always the case.
Sometimes, a game is good, even beloved, despite its villain. Whether a game's gameplay is strong enough to stand alone, other characters pick up the slack, or the story manages to succeed even with a weak village, there are terrible villains at the heart of great games.
10 343 Guilty Spark Is The Most Irritating Character In Halo
There are three enemy factions in the original Halo: Combat Evolved: the Covenant, the Flood, and the Sentinels. Despite the former two being far more pressing threats, they have no identified leaders within the narrative. Instead, the figure most actively working against Master Chief is 343 Guilty Spark, the Forerunner Monitor, and ally-turned-enemy.
Halo is one of the most iconic shooter games ever, and its simplistic story is well-liked. Guilty Spark, however, irritates players in every scene, even before he turns on Master Chief. With an annoying voice, a tendency to insult the player at every turn, a generally off-putting demeanor, and being far less impressive than the other villains, he is one of the least-liked characters in the franchise.
9 Fire Emblem: Awakening Is A Low Point For Villains
The storytelling of Fire Emblem games is usually fairly simple, but with an emphasis on character over intricate plotting. As a result, the series has created several well-liked villains, including Arvis, the Black Knight, and Nergal. However, in Fire Emblem: Awakening, weak villains compound many players' frustrations with the story.
In particular, Grima comes across as a generic evil dragon abomination that is evil for the sake of it, with no depth. At the same time, Validar is such a melodramatic and motiveless character that few can take him seriously. Even Walhart, the game's most popular villain, is divisive because his entire section of the game is seen as unnecessary.
8 The Collectors Pale In Comparison To Mass Effect's Other Foes
Mass Effect 2 is often considered the best game in the Mass Effect series, having more refined gameplay than the original without the contentious story of Mass Effect 3. It has a lot to recommend it, from its story to its characters to its gameplay. However, the game stumbles in one fundamental area: a compelling villain.
The Collectors – having never been mentioned before – make a strong first appearance by killing Shepard, but then disappoint from then. Being a much more minor threat than the galactic-level apocalypses of the other games in the trilogy and causing several illogical plot twists, they fail to make a lasting impression.
7 Mark Jefferson Proves An Underwhelming Surprise Villain
For much of Life is Strange, the villain appears to be Nathan Prescott, the student who kills Chloe in the original timeline and is implicated in the disappearance of Rachel Amber. Nathan is a surprisingly fleshed-out character, with the player able to learn about his struggles, substance abuse, and reluctance in his villainy.
However, the game's actual antagonist is revealed to be Mark Jefferson, the seemingly-sympathetic photography teacher. Capturing Max and giving a lengthy, somewhat cartoonish lecture, he reveals himself to be nothing more than a misogynistic serial killer lacking entirely in depth. The twist fails to make an impact, and many fans think Jefferson falls flat as a villain.
6 Micolash Combines Minimal Story Presence With An Annoying Fight
FromSoftware games tend to take a more minimalist approach to storytelling, but show in games like Elden Ring that they can still produce contemptible villains. The closest thing Bloodborne has to an outright villain is Micolash, Host of the Nightmare and leader of the School of Mensis.
Micolash has some ironic love from fans due to his melodramatic voice acting and unconventional design. However, he is also introduced late into the story, with a plan that can never succeed, and a boss fight that alternates between him running away and spamming one-shot moves. Compared to the more unknowable cosmic threats, Micolash is a disappointing villain.
5 Alduin Is Entirely Anticlimactic
The central plot point of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is that the mighty dragon Alduin has returned, bringing his nearly-extinct race back with him. He makes an impressive showing early in the game, laying waste to Helgen. However, he all but disappears after that, becoming largely absent from the plot and fading too far into the background.
Alduin remains a vague and background threat who is spoken of often, but actually does very little. Coupled with a design that fails to stand out from the game's many other dragons, and a pair of very, very easy boss fights, Alduin fundamentally fails to do much to make gamers like him as a villain.
4 Talbot Tries Far Too Hard And Makes No Sense
In keeping with its over-the-top stylings, the Uncharted series tends to have colorful, melodramatic villains who hit right with fans. However, one who misses the mark for many is Talbot, the secondary villain of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. Compared by many to an attempt at a Bond villain, he manages to be too superior and built-up without any real payoff.
The game tries to hint that there is something interesting and mysterious about him, with him constantly disappearing and reappearing as if by magic, without ever explaining why. As a result, he looks like an empty attempt at making a cool villain without putting in the effort.
3 President Eden Is Literally Recycled Talking Points
Fallout 3 is a game beloved for reigniting the Fallout franchise and taking it in a bold new direction with its gameplay, complete with a large game world full of things to do. However, its main storyline is more contentious, particularly its seeming villain, President John Henry Eden of the Enclave. The player doesn't meet Eden in the flesh, but he can often be heard talking about his plans on the radio.
Towards the end of the game, Eden is revealed to be nothing more than a computer saying the same things repeatedly, acting as the nominal head of the Enclave. He is easily taken down, having nothing more interesting to add. Even the game's other central villain, Colonel Autumn, fails to stand out as memorable or interesting.
2 Albert Wesker Hits Too Close To Bad B-Movie Villains
The plot of the first Resident Evil intentionally takes after B-movies, designed to be cartoonish and comedic while retaining some genuine scares and plot twists. Its major reveal is that Albert Wesker, STARS' leader and one of the game's more important NPCs, is actually a traitor, working with Umbrella.
However, this twist is all there is to Wesker. He has few interesting personality traits, even worse voice acting than the rest of the cast, and a largely non-sensical plan. The aim seems to be to have Wesker take on the most endearing traits of B-movie villains, but he also manages to take the worse aspects.
1 Dragon Age: Inquisition Stumbles With Corypheus
Although not the most universally-beloved game in the Dragon Age series, Dragon Age: Inquisition still has a devoted fanbase, and has much to recommend it. Its central villain, Corypheus, is not one of those things. A returning antagonist from Dragon Age 2, Corypheus has potential, being an important figure in the series' backstory, but squanders it.
His personality and motives in the game are generic and weak, largely restricted to threats of doom and a desire to become a god. He is one of the most basic villains in the franchise, and a low point in the game's story. It's telling that the game's best-received DLC, Tresspasser, focuses on a different villain entirely.