| 1 | ---- |
| 2 | * In ''VideoGame/{{A3}}'' has Varg, Homare's role from ''Last Planet'' play. Varg's illustration drop caused an uproar. A cool name, on top of having a transparent Coat Cape and a literal [[LaserBlade lightsaber]], with a PsychoticSmirk and TriggerHappy as the title. In the trivia lines in 5th Anniversary event, Varg is also said to have CombatClairvoyance ability. As a space police, Varg is like a reminiscent of Homare's [[AxCrazy Dewey]] from the stage shuffle...[[SubvertedTrope though in the actual play, Varg is on the good guy's side.]] [[spoiler:Though as the 5th anniversary story shows, he is rather rebellious against Grimm, his superior, and threatens him just so that he can participate in [=FORTF=] investigation.]] |
| 3 | ** Ryuga, another Homare's play character, from ''SK∞ the Infinity × A3!'' never loses in the skateboarding races even until the end of the play because he is just that StrongAndSkilled. There he makes condescending remarks about other skateboarder and provokes them into a "race," in which he will gladly deliver a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown, though he is said to pull a HeelFaceTurn by the end of the play. Ryuga also gets two major skateboarding duel scenes (pretty much most of the biggest skateboarding scenes in the play) to showcase how strong, badass, and violent he is, which just highlight his BloodKnight nature. |
| 4 | * ''Franchise/BaldursGate'': [[VideoGame/BaldursGate Sarevok Anchev]] and [[VideoGame/BaldursGateII Jon Irenicus]], despite each being the BigBad of their respective games, are two of the most beloved characters in the series. In addition to each being extremely badass and powerful physical threats, [[GeniusBruiser both]] are also [[MagnificentBastard supremely competent and charismatic villains]] with rich, complex backstories that give them a great deal of depth and tragedy. The voice acting by Creator/KevinMichaelRichardson and Creator/DavidWarner respectively also adds a lot to this. Amelyssan the Blackhearted, the BigBad of ''[[ExpansionPack Throne of Bhaal]]'' also gets this to a slightly lesser extent. |
| 5 | * ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps2'': Raul Menendez absolutely run on this, due to his charisma, being an AffablyEvil mastermind and finally a TragicVillain. He was even ranked #1 on Game Informer's list of top 10 villains of 2012. |
| 6 | * This is a common fanbase reaction to the Trauma Team in ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077''. They are meant to be an extreme example of how privatization corrupts a healthcare system; that rapid medical assistance is available to anyone who can afford their insurance packages, leaving anyone not privileged enough to have one to bleed out on the streets. Most fans acknowledge that is the case, but also think that the idea of a team of badass [[CombatMedic Combat Medics]] arriving via a flying ambulance and mowing down your would-be killers before evacuating you to safety is incredibly cool. |
| 7 | * The G-Man from the ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' franchise definitely qualifies. Always showing up in the life of Dr. Gordon Freeman to push him once again into center stage as a shining protagonist... If Gordon is always the unquestionable hero in these events, why do the "deals" he offers Gordon feel so Faustian? And the G-Man has shown us glimpses of godlike power - so what's the real game he's playing here? One thing's for sure - observing the G-Man's strange powers, and even just listening to his oddly inflected voice. Whatever is behind those enigmatic eyes...is certainly far from human... |
| 8 | * ''VideoGame/FarCry3'': Vaas Montenegro. Thanks to Creator/MichaelMando's [[EvilIsHammy hammy]] yet terrifying performance, the iconicity of Vaas solidified him for instant fan approval, and continues to do so now. And this is only complementing his badassery, [[BlackComedy his dark sense of humor]], [[WickedCultured his sophisticated nature]], and his incredibly iconic definition of insanity. You know that a villain is really compelling when many fans consider him a far better character than the protagonist himself. It certainly helps that he has more charm than Buck and Hoyt. |
| 9 | * Arguably ''the point'' of games like ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'', ''VideoGame/ScarfaceTheWorldIsYours'', and ''VideoGame/EvilGenius''. |
| 10 | ** Tommy Vercetti from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoViceCity'' is a perfect example. He's a BadassInANiceSuit and a BloodKnight. |
| 11 | ** Subverted with Niko Bellic from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV''. While he is a man who wants to get away from violence and crime, more than one NPC will be surprised by how effective he is as a ProfessionalKiller. |
| 12 | ** Johnny Klebitz from ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIVTheLostAndDamned''. He's a BadassBiker and OneManArmy with an epic 'stache. |
| 13 | ** ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' carries on the tradition. In particular, Trevor Philips is far and away the most [[AxCrazy psychotic]] of the three protagonists. He's also the most badass. |
| 14 | * The Xenomorph in ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'' is simultaneously terrifying and fascinating, both due to its unpredictability and remarkable adapting AI. Throughout the story, it puts the player through multiple, highly tense cat-and-mouse games, that will make the player fear turning every corner. In the minds of many, it successfully made the Alien genuinely scary again. |
| 15 | * The ''Franchise/BatmanArkhamSeries'' is naturally full of them, but three stand out among the rest. |
| 16 | ** The Joker for obvious and already documented reasons. He goes from funny to hilariously cliché. Then he dies. Then somehow he's even MORE funny. You have to see it for yourself. |
| 17 | ** Scarecrow for his show-stealing hallucination moments in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'', [[Creator/JohnNoble his awesome voice]], [[NightmareFace terrifying new look]] and [[TookALevelInBadass new]] [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] status in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamKnight'', as well as holding the distinction of being the only Batman villain in any media ''ever'' [[spoiler:to successfully unmask Batman to the world]]. |
| 18 | ** The Arkham Knight for being a savvy EvilCounterpart to Batman. |
| 19 | * For [[AntiHero a sufficiently loose definition of "evil"]], the gleefully sadistic, dominatrix-esque titular protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' has this in spades. The BigBad of the first game, [[spoiler:Father Balder]] actually manages this as well: while his general demeanor is that of a SissyVillain with [[FashionVictimVillain a truly hideous sense of fashion]], he's just so badass and [[AwesomeBosses/{{Bayonetta}} epic in battle]], especially with "[[AwesomeMusic/{{Bayonetta}} You May Call Me Father]]" for a theme song, that he [[AgentPeacock makes it all work]]. |
| 20 | * Looking back at ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'', many people were turned off by Ky Kiske because he's too much of a goody two shoes. Then, in ''Franchise/BlazBlue'', he's given an {{Expy}} in form of Jin Kisaragi, a twisted, erratic JerkAss whose unwholesome personality was nonetheless well-met by many fans, though he does become a case of "Morally Ambiguous is Cool" [[CharacterDevelopment post-CS]]. |
| 21 | ** There is the matter of Hazama, a.k.a. Yuuki Terumi, who's taken the role of the BigBad of the series. He's an arrogant {{Troll}} who's even ''more'' abrasive and mean-spirited than Jin and has more or less fucked up the lives of everyone in the series, most of all, [[spoiler:[[TheWoobie Noel]], when he transforms her into Mu-12]]. Fans love him because he's [[LaughablyEvil funny]], handsome, and [[BadassLongcoat a cool dresser]]. |
| 22 | ** Although over time, people somehow got sick of Terumi being constantly pushed to attention and looking too invincible nearing [[InvincibleVillain Boring Invincible Villain]] status. On the other hand, this title now goes into his partner Relius Clover, who's not as pushed to attention, but remains a LargeHam, composed, a cool dresser, rugged, and just as depraved as Hazama (or even more). |
| 23 | ** However Terumi becoming a separate playable character form Hazama [[PopularityPolynomial made fans love him again]], mostly due to the fact that he took Hazama's personality and threw any and all restraints aside. [[spoiler:And then the fourth game boosted it even further when he ''kills'' the coolest good guy, Hakumen, and then reveals he's actually a literal ''god'']]. |
| 24 | ** Nine and Izanami as of the fourth game got into this. |
| 25 | * The ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' series always has fiendishly enjoyable Evil campaigns. |
| 26 | ** Especially in ''Red Alert'', the evil is served with a generous side of LargeHam. The Soviets are supposed to be the "bad guy" faction, but they have psychic troopers, tesla coils, the best tanks in the games, Kirov airships, spider-like terror drones, mind-controlled giant squid, battle-bears, and nuclear missiles to spare! |
| 27 | ** Yuri's faction ''Red Alert 2'', while its [[GameBreaker overpowered]] status has its usage in multiplayer frowned on, fans agree that its gimmicks make it fun to play as and many fans were disappointed that it didn't get its own campaign, so many of the mods to the game, in addition to balancing the faction, focus on giving it one. |
| 28 | ** Starting in ''Tiberian Sun'', Nod had much cooler outfits than GDI, and in Tiberium Wars, they had cooler looking vehicles. This is somewhat offset by the fact that Nod has a tendency to favor looks over practicality. GDI's ground vehicles tend to be better, and their soldiers actually look like soldiers, while Nod's look like a bunch of, abeit cool looking, KKK rejects. |
| 29 | * The five members of [[spoiler:the original Ad Astra]] in ''VideoGame/CriminalCaseTheConspiracy'' are often lauded as some of, if not ''the'' best villains in the whole series, being a group of very threatening individuals with distinctive personalities and motivations that ''don't'' cross into the GenericDoomsdayVillain territory like most previous main antagonists do, to the point they're shown to [[CriminalFoundFamily genuinely care]] [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes about each other]] in spite of how evil they manage to be. The fact they significantly appear throughout the whole game (as opposed to most villains in the series who only show up during their respective StoryArc), making them a looming danger long before you learn of their existence and a source of ParanoiaFuel during the districts they start taking the spotlight, certainly does help. While some of the members are more popular than others (with [[spoiler:[[BigBad Rozetta Pierre]]]] and [[spoiler:[[AffablyEvil Joe Warren]]]] generally being the fan-favorites, [[spoiler:[[ImmoralJournalist Louis Leroux]]]] and [[spoiler:[[CorruptCorporateExecutive Julia Brine]]]] the least liked, and [[spoiler:[[AxCrazy Christian Bateman]]]] falling somewhere around the middle), the group as a whole is definitely among the most popular antagonistic factions in the series for how threatening and surprisingly well-developed they are. |
| 30 | * In ''VisualNovel/{{Demonheart}}'', all of the major characters and romance options are evil to some extent, and the good seeming characters are quick to lose the protagonist's respect, turn out even worse than the cool bad guys, or meet an untimely death. |
| 31 | * Used quite a bit the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series. Dante's enemies (primarily his EvilCounterpart, his brother Vergil) are pretty darn cool, but Dante still generally mops the floor with them with style. |
| 32 | * If [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go2SMXxE-8Q#t=2m29s this]] video is of any guideline, Baal from ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}} 2'' counts. His brothers Mephisto and Diablo himself also qualify |
| 33 | ** Through not exactly a villain at the moment(but perhaps will be a antagonist an X-Pack), the KnightTemplar Angel Imperius from VideoGame/DiabloIII seems to be heading in this direction given his badass armor design and [[spoiler:the short but badass fight between him and Diablo at the beginning of Act IV]]. |
| 34 | * ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' characters believe in this trope, but it ends being subverted when an actual villain appears as they also turn out to be too much of a {{Jerkass}} to apply to this trope. |
| 35 | * Practically the point of ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'', where you are the Dark Lord who builds his eldritch underground kingdom and throws adventuring heroes in [[ColdBloodedTorture torture]] chambers. Remember: Evil is Good. |
| 36 | * ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': Mohg, Lord of Blood. He's practically a checklist of evil design traits; he's a HornedHumanoid who has YellowEyesOfSneakiness and sharp teeth, wears BlackAndRedAndEvilAllOver, wields a trident, uses (and invented) BloodMagic, [[EvilIsHammy chews all sorts of scenery]], gets black wings in his second phase, leads an organization that invades and kills people for the glory of an Outer God, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick is in love with his younger half-brother and kidnapped him to become his consort]], et cetera. The fandom still loves him for his badassery, bombastic demeanor, and his cinematic, challenging-but-fair boss fight. |
| 37 | * Go into any forum currently discussing ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' and you'll find at least person who loves the [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Thalmor,]] elven supremacists with impeccable fashion sense. |
| 38 | * ''VideoGame/TheEvilWithin'' has two examples; |
| 39 | ** Ruvik, the game's main antagonist. Ruvik wields a set of badass RealityWarper powers that allow him to decimate enemies as long as he's not JustToyingWithThem. Combine that with a sadistic MadScientist personality and a chilling performance by Creator/JackieEarleHaley and he stands out as a highlight of the game. |
| 40 | ** The Keeper, a menacing boss who pursues enemies with horrific abandon and even shows points of huge cleverness such as killing itself to exploit its own method of respawning. It's unsurprising that it got PromotedToPlayable in a DLC, and that playing as it in said DLC is pure CatharsisFactor compared to Sebastian's own vulnerability. |
| 41 | * ''VideoGame/TheEvilWithin2'' has [[CulturedBadass Stefano]] [[FaceOfanAngelMindOfaDemon Valentini]]. Stefano is often considered the coolest villain, being a LoveToHate psychopath whose theme of mostly normal environments corrupted by his gruesome artwork is more uniquely nightmarish and disturbing compared to Theodore's more genre-typical motifs of torture dungeons and FireAndBrimstoneHell. |
| 42 | * Jack of Blades from ''VideoGame/{{Fable}}'' may [[spoiler:murder your mother and blind your sister among other things]]. However, being one of the few well-voiced characters in the game, the first BigBad in the series, and just generally an all around badass [[spoiler:HumanoidAbomination[=/=]EldritchAbomination]], he earns this status. He easily ranks as the best villain in the series. |
| 43 | * The Enclave, specifically in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}''. They have badass suits of PowerArmor, guns, and are lead by an AffablyEvil WellIntentionedExtremist (who is voiced by Creator/MalcolmMcDowell). |
| 44 | * The Institute in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}''. They're scheming bastards prone to killing and replacing innocent people, performing unspeakable scientific experiments, and generally maintaining a "MurderIsTheBestSolution" policy towards wastelanders. But their RaygunGothic CrystalSpiresAndTogas, a massive contrast to the dirty, post-apocalyptic wasteland of the rest of the game, their genuine WellIntentionedExtremist goals, and the discovery that [[spoiler:the Sole Survivor's son was raised as one of their own and has become their leader]], combine together to make their WeCanRuleTogether offer ([[FactionSpecificEndings which the player is free to accept]]) ''very'' tempting. |
| 45 | ** Conversely, the new Brotherhood of Steel [[BaseBreakingCharacter could be seen as this]]. On one hand, they have genocidal tendencies towards Synths, ghouls, super mutants and other non-humans with [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazi-like fanaticism]], but [[JerkassHasAPoint on the other hand]], most of these are AlwaysChaoticEvil monsters anyway (it's the Brotherhood's refusal to acknowledge a few ''aren't'' that makes it a KickTheDog from them). Whether the Brotherhood of Steel qualify as evil is arguable, but what isn't is that they're ''awesome''. Knights clad in T-60 power armour, fleets of Vertibirds, [[spoiler:a CoolAirship, and they've even rebuilt Liberty Prime!]] |
| 46 | * Kotomine in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''...well, he's cool enough that the fact he has a mullet ceases to matter. Possibly helped along by every scene contrasting him to Shirou. The other BigBad, Zouken, is not cool. Or likable. Or, well, tolerable. You just kind of want him to hurry up and die already. Helped by the fact that Kotomine really knows how to talk; it's hard to be bored of his often long speeches. Most of his speeches have very little to do with him being evil or evil in general. |
| 47 | * Pick a ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' game, go ahead, pick one. To recount some of the more famous examples: |
| 48 | ** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV Golbez]]: a BlackKnight EvilSorcerer with a BadassCape and an OminousPipeOrgan for his theme, which often plays [[CutscenePowerToTheMax in cutscenes]] when he [[CurbStompBattle casually swats your party members aside]]. Oh, and he's a baritone to boot. [[spoiler:Even in sequels and spin-offs which deal with him after he is freed from his mind control, he remains very badass, keeping his magical powers and occasionally swapping out his black armor to be a BarbarianHero with a {{BFS}}.]] |
| 49 | ** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI Kefka Palazzo]], the LaughablyEvil FountainOfMemes MonsterClown who became a god, caused TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt turned into a NietzscheWannabe, and decided to destroy all existence, {{Laughing Mad}}ly all the while. He's been called the ''Final Fantasy'' incarnation of ComicBook/TheJoker, and this is in no way a bad thing. |
| 50 | ** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]]: A FallenHero with a completely unflappable and stylish demeanor, [[WhiteHairBlackHeart silver hair]], a BadassLongcoat, [[CoolSword a cool]] {{BFS}}, the ability to spam {{Sword Beam}}s, and his theme, which is full of OminousLatinChanting. He became a God too (almost), but even if he didn't quite make it, he gets to keep [[PowerGivesYouWings a lone black wing]] as a reminder. |
| 51 | ** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX Kuja]]: May be a bit of a BaseBreakingCharacter with his [[ViewerGenderConfusion effeminate]] [[AgentPeacock appearance]], but damn if he didn't have flare. Among other things, he tanks a blast from Bahamut and comes away with only a minor scratch, pulls the rug out from under, kills, and replaces the BigBad ([[spoiler:who also created him]]), [[ApocalypseWow destroys a planet]], very nearly [[RetGone reality itself]], making him perhaps the most successful Final Fantasy villain next to Kefka, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking walking around referencing plays]] as if he were in one. Oh, and he has one of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3dw74XNavI greatest lietmotifs in the series]]. |
| 52 | ** [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV Ardyn Izunia]]: While there's a considerable BrokenBase regarding changes made to the fifteenth game's story, the one thing fans near unanimously approve of is making Ardyn Iznuia the new BigBad. He's the enigmatic yet stylish chancellor of Niflheim, has a mysterious backstory and strange powers, drives a CoolCar, and constantly speaks in a tone of voice which is somehow both oily and suave at the same time. He gets the [[LaughablyEvil best lines]] in the game, makes no pretext in hiding how evil he is, and is a MagnificentBastard whose schemes tend to go off without a hitch. He's also [[spoiler:a man turned into an immortal HumanoidAbomination from all the daemons he's absorbed into himself, which just helps make him CreepyAwesome as well.]] As the cherry on top of his cake of evil, he also stars front and center in the game's final DLC campaign, in which players take control of him and raise high hell! |
| 53 | ** ''All'' the bad guys in ''Dissidia'', including the three above. There's [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX Jecht]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyI Garland]], who is an AdaptationalBadass, [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyII The Emperor]], who proves RankScalesWithAsskicking, and [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyV Exdeath]], [[LargeHam who is]] [[FountainOfMemes just Exdeath]]. |
| 54 | * Apollyon from ''VideoGame/ForHonor'', thanks to being an absolutely badass BlackKnight DarkActionGirl with a delightfully hammy WarIsGlorious philosophy. Her awesome fight scenes, villainous intelligence, scenery-chewing voice acting in certain scenes and challenging and exciting boss fight also help. |
| 55 | * Kratos from ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' is an excellent example, as his ''very'' anti-heroic tendencies make him a more interesting character. He's a complete badass. though in a subversion, some fans fond his progressively worse actions in the sequels made him hard to root for. |
| 56 | ** Ares, to a certain extent, though he is not so cool as Kratos due to being such a despicable character. He has ''cool'' [[FlamingHair hair, that seem to be made of fire.]] And his armor?? Man, best armor in the franchise! |
| 57 | ** Zeus in the sequels, probably the only one of the villains besides Ares to get much of following since A, the major antagonists besides him and Ares don't have much personality, or even screen time, and B, he's the [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership king of the gods and shows why]] since he fights [[GoodOldFisticuffs barehanded]] in a series where nearly everyone else uses some sort of weapon, and defeats a titan while human sized. |
| 58 | * ''VideoGame/{{Helldivers}} II'': Unlike the Terminids which are fairly bog-standard space bugs, the Automatons are a more sophisticated enemy who have their own pseudo-communist society, a [[RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver slick black and red aesthetic]], their own [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5KOgaE3FG4 marching song]] and the sympathetic motive of [[fighting to avenge their Cyborg creators]]. They are shown using anti-ship cannons to destroy Super Earth Destroyers in orbit, and [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Helldivers/comments/1b1pdtn/defeat_at_malevelon_creek/ infamously inflicted a total defeat on the player base at Malevelon Creek]]. This has led to the Automatons being treated as something of a badass WorthyOpponent by the fanbase. |
| 59 | * ''VideoGame/Injustice2'': |
| 60 | ** The game's version of ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, thanks to excellent voice-work is one of the scariest takes on the character. The fact that it's a perfect fusion of his original Silver Age appearance and shtick (complete with impenetrable shields) and the DCAU (the "collect all knowledge and destroy the prototype" plan) makes it a perfect AdaptationDistillation. |
| 61 | ** This Scarecrow gets a large amount of this from fans for being essentially Freddy Krueger in the DC Universe. It helps that he is played wonderfully by Creator/RobertEnglund who gives him some great biting dialogue and his visuals are phenomenal and CreepyAwesome. |
| 62 | ** Par the course for the character, ComicBook/{{Darkseid}} also got this treatment specially for his awesome booming voice which is accompanied by no shortage of [[BadassBoast signature boasts]] and his cool Super Move. |
| 63 | * The Helghast of ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}}'', with their ''Jin-Roh'' inspired battle armor (the {{Custom Uniform}}s of which are [[http://psnow.es/uploads/images/artwork/general/KZ2_HG_Radec.jpg extra-awesome]]), sympathetic back story, and a leader that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGy6SEEXcJA gloriously feasts on ham]]. Every time a sequel is announced, the fanbase hopes they'll finally be able to play as them in single-player mode...and then they get stuck playing the painfully generic loud-mouthed American soldier guys of the ISA again, killing legions of people much cooler-looking than you. |
| 64 | * Name one original ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' villain that isn't ''awesome''. Especially the various incarnations of [[BigBad Xehanort]]. ''Especially'' Xemnas. It helps when you're Creator/NorioWakamoto dual-wielding red [[strike:lightsabers]] [[LaserBlade ethereal blades]]. |
| 65 | ** Riku also qualified when he appeared in the [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI first game]]. |
| 66 | * It is primarily for this reason that ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' and similar games have an evil option. KOTOR is further helped in this regard, since ''Franchise/StarWars'' villains are generally among the most badass characters in all of fiction. |
| 67 | ** This is acknowledged in the second game, where the opening screen shows one of the various Sith Lords of the game. Go bad enough, and your character will replace them after you complete the game. |
| 68 | ** The King of KOTOR [[XtremeKoolLetterz Kool]] himself - the psychotic, [[ChaoticEvil homicidal]] HK-47 assassin droid. "Definition: 'Love' is making a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope." He is far and away the single most beloved character by the meatbags playing the games, even though he's regarded as among the least useful in gameplay. |
| 69 | ** Both KOTOR games actually provide especially good foundations for this. In the first game, you're playing an [[spoiler: amnesic Sith Lord]], and if you decide to reclaim your former glory, characters will acknowledge you as such. And KOTOR II just takes it up a notch. This time, you aren't technically on a mission to be the hero, so it's not even expected of you. In this game, you get to wear a black BadassLongcoat, teach your companions the way of the Dark Side, cut your way through small armies like a knife through butter, take out entire ambush teams of mercenaries with a single Force Storm, [[CurbStompBattle curbstomp]] ''Jedi Masters'' in a duel, [[AwesomenessByAnalysis steal their techniques]], then suck up their power for yourself...and that's all ''before'' you get Force Crush, [[PurposelyOverpowered against which there is no defense!]] The Light Side path may have more plot exposition, but the Dark Side one is definitely the cooler one. |
| 70 | ** ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' also has a Dark Side path for this reason, even for the Republic side. Yes, you can pretty much do a [[Franchise/MassEffect Renegade Shepard]] run as a Republic Trooper, be an underworld thug as a Smuggler, and go full Anakin Skywalker {{Expy}} KnightTemplar on the Jedi paths. If you do a dark side ''Imperial'' run, you're even more of a puppy-kicking, manipulative, brutal monster...but wow, you can certainly look cool doing it. And even if you go light side Imperial, you can still benefit from being a badass Sith Lord/secret agent/assassin for hire while still maintaining your real-life moral compass. |
| 71 | *** It's lampshaded in-game by Kira (a Jedi Knight companion) : "Have you seen what the Sith are wearing ? It's like every fashion designer in the galaxy went over to the dark side". |
| 72 | ** Also from ''Franchise/StarWars'', ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefront II'' has you playing as the 501st Legion in the "Rise of the Empire" story mode. Needless to say, after the Evil Empire rises and the 501st becomes evil, they're still awesome. |
| 73 | ** Another ''Star Wars'' example: ''VideoGame/TIEFighter''. Darth Vader is your ''wingman.'' That is all. [[note]]Granted some view that as turning your character into a TheWoobie since Vader is [[BadBoss one of the meanest bosses ever]].[[/note]] |
| 74 | * [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Ganondorf]], in all four games he appears in. |
| 75 | ** Ghirahim in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' proves himself a deadly EvilCounterpart to [[TheHero Link]] that can fight him on equal terms in a sword fight, and anybody else that tries getting in his way gets flattened. |
| 76 | * Do you see the cool, black, [[SpikesOfVillainy spiky]] barrier jacket of ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'''s Chrono? That's [[TheArtifact an artifact]] from his days as a villain in the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen original]] ''Nanoha'' [[TheAnimeOfTheGame mini-scenario]] included in the ''VideoGame/TriangleHeart3SweetSongsForever'' [[{{Omake}} fanbox]]. |
| 77 | * ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'': |
| 78 | ** BigBad [[FusionDance Ultron-Sigma]] has been well-received as a very cool and threatening villain with one of the best designs and voices in the game. Inflicting an utter CurbStompBattle on the heroes at the start of the story and having a flashy fighting style does help his badass credentials quite a bit. |
| 79 | ** Thanos -- for his epic fight against Ultron-Sigma, [[spoiler:managing to break the Reality Stone with his bare hands, and stealing Ryu's Satsui no Hado to make Lady Death pay for treating him like an UnwittingPawn]]... all while speaking in the smooth baritone of Isaac C. Singleton Jr. and generally being, well, ComicBook/{{Thanos}}. Even despite him being shackled early on. |
| 80 | ** Jedah. He's generally considered to be one of the best-produced characters on the roster, thanks to his ''Darkstalkers'' movelist translating well, an awesome trance remix of his old theme, and a LargeHam performance thanks to Creator/DavidKaye. |
| 81 | * As evil as they are, you have to admit the Reapers from ''Franchise/MassEffect'' are pretty cool. They're unfathomably advanced squid-shaped spaceships with apparently no desire beyond killing everyone every few thousand years because, hey, why not? |
| 82 | *** Plus [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Banshee their]] [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Brute indoctrinated]] [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Cannibal slave soldiers]]. |
| 83 | ** Despite being slavers, pirates, murderers and generally scum, the [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Eclipse Eclipse]] and [[http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Blue_Suns Blue Suns]] [[PrivateMilitaryContractors mercenary gangs]] do have great taste in armour. |
| 84 | ** Saren is definetely an evil FourStarBadass. So is DarkActionGirl Tela Vasir. |
| 85 | ** Harbinger. Especially its [[EvilSoundsDeep voice]], [[SuperpoweredMooks its ability to turn a mook into a fireball throwing monster with a barrier around it,]] and the fact that it is ''very'' smart. |
| 86 | ** Party members aren't above this: [[spoiler: Morinth]] and Zaeed. |
| 87 | ** The [[spoiler: heretic]] geth. |
| 88 | ** The [[TheChessmaster Shadow Broker]]. He can kick some serious ass, and he has a {{BFG}} and a ''shield''. |
| 89 | ** Cerberus has [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120715083826/masseffect/images/e/e4/Cronos_station_docking_bay_entrance.png some]] [[http://cft2.igromania.ru/upload/articles/291/145507/04.jpg very]] ''[[http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/3024/phantomt.jpg very]]'' [[http://images.wikia.com/masseffect/images/0/01/Cerberus_dragoon_smash.png cool]] ([[ArtificialBrilliance and smart]]) {{Mooks}} |
| 90 | *** The Illusive Man gets a special mention. Not only is he a TheChessmaster, leader of a Pro-Human terrorist organization, he's also voiced by Creator/MartinSheen, and ''brought Shepard back from the dead''. |
| 91 | ** Illusive Man's [[TheDragon right hand man]] Kai Leng, is a bit of a BaseBreakingCharacter in this regard, as he's seemingly intended to come as off as badass EvilCounterpart to Shepard, but some fans outright hated him since the bulk of his success in fights comes CutsceneIncompetence on the heroes part, his supposed [[FlatCharacter lack of personality]] out side of being a colossal {{Jerkass}}, and being a textbook example of a FlunkyBoss where the enemies that come to help him are what actually result in the fight's difficulty, and the only thing keeping the player from killing him early a lot of the time is JokerImmunity. |
| 92 | ** Renegade [[PlayerCharacter Shepard]]. The [[DeadpanSnarker dialogue options]], the [[BloodKnight actions]], the [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] and [[GoodScarsEvilScars scars]]. The interrupt prompts that lead to some cool moments, including [[DestinationDefenestration shoving a person through a window]]. That said, [[GoodIsNotSoft Paragon Shepard]] is no slouch themselves. |
| 93 | * Daveybird from the ''Creator/RandleSimRacing'' mods is the host and organizer of the RSRA league, and can be pretty corrupt in his officiating and driving style, and is a villain for those storylines. He clearly cheats, and imposes rules that slow his competitors down, all so he can take the glory. But he's still adored by fans, and he loves that role as well as his heroic side. |
| 94 | * ''VideoGame/MasterDetectiveArchivesRainCode'': The true BigBad, [[spoiler:Makoto Kagutsuchi, CEO of Amaterasu Corporation, is the homunculus clone of the WDO's Number One. As a result, he's also an extremely precise strategist and manipulator who plays his cards right and decides when it's most appropriate to personally take action for himself. The entire game pretty much hinges on his plan to lure the Master Detectives to Kanai Ward, as without his lures, they wouldn't have been gathered there in the first place, but as for why he gathered them there? He used them as ''pawns'' so they would oppose Yomi and allow Makoto the opening to overthrow him from his position as director of the Peacekeepers, and the detectives in question were none the wiser that it was his true goal all along.]] |
| 95 | * Almost each ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' game has a QuirkyMinibossSquad that ends up stealing the show. This is especially the case with FOXHOUND, the Cobra Unit, and The Winds of Destruction from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' respectively. As for main villains, Liquid Snake from ''Solid'', Senator Steven Armstrong from ''Revengeance'' and overarching villain Revolver Ocelot all have massive fanbases. The Boss from ''Snake Eater'' is highly downplayed as while she is an antagonist and almost universally viewed by the fanbase as one of the biggest badasses in the series, [[GoodAllAlong she's not really evil at all]]. |
| 96 | * ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'': |
| 97 | ** Ridley, a highly intelligent and bloodthirsty [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Space Dragon]], menace to the Galaxy and Samus' ArchEnemy. While his Space Pirate lackeys are merely just darkly comedic buffoons, he still manages to assert himself as one of the most dangerous adversaries Samus has ever known. [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic And then there's his incredibly catchy theme music]]. |
| 98 | ** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'': Dark Samus, thanks to her great design, incredible boss fights and credible threat level, is considered one of the most effective villains in the franchise. |
| 99 | ** ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'': Raven Beak for his extremely intimidating design, being a supreme badass and, by extension, delivering one of the [[AwesomeBosses/{{Metroid}} best boss fights in the series]], the novelty of him being a downright ''evil'' [[BirdPeople Chozo]], and the sheer impact that he has on ''Metroid'' lore, [[GreaterScopeVillain being one of the main causes of nearly every conflict in the series]]. He's also the only villain to make [[TheStoic Samus]] go into a full [[UnstoppableRage blind rage]], with only Mother Brain even coming close to having the same impact on her before. |
| 100 | * ''Franchise/MortalKombat'': With an abundant cast of both good and evil, one prominent example would be the [[YourSoulIsMine soul sucking sorcerer Shang Tsung]]. With his [[SoftSpokenSadist creepy yet charming personality]] and [[EvilGenius diabolical intellect]], the original BigBad of the series has been described by the creators as the franchise's "symbol of evil". |
| 101 | * ''VideoGame/NintendoWars'': Sturm is well-liked by fans for being an imposing EvilOverlord with one of the deadliest and most imposing Super CO Powers in the game. Sure, he's not a very complex antagonist, but going up against him brings about a specific feeling of terror unique to video game villains. |
| 102 | * ''VideoGame/NocturneRPGMaker'': All three of the vampire Ancestors in this game qualify. |
| 103 | ** Reviel, the VillainProtagonist of the game, is a TallDarkAndHandsome DualWielding MagicKnight BloodKnight who tends to be the monster in MuggingTheMonster scenarios. And unlike most RPG protagonists, he can [[DungeonBypass break down]] puzzle-locked doors and barriers with his brute strength alone. He was also once known as a [[TheDreaded "Satan"]] to mankind for easily slaughtering all human civilization that he comes across. [[spoiler:As an inversion, he arguably becomes even cooler after his HeelFaceTurn, where he tanks a villain's strongest spells at point blank range in order to protect the village and still comes out on top, albeit with help from Luna.]] |
| 104 | ** Ristill might be the weakest of the Ancestors, but she proves to be a clever schemer and a MadScientist who comes up with ways to make up for the power discrepancy. She also has a past-paced boss theme that really highlights how frantically difficult she is after she uses Maxwell to gain an infinite supply of mana. Even Khaos notes that her ability to create existence from nothing is a potential StoryBreakerPower, which is proven true when her ability renders his CombatClairvoyance useless. |
| 105 | ** Khaos is a BadassBookworm who managed to discover how to control time and space, among other magical concepts that he studies. He's also the most powerful of the three because he knows how to apply his vast knowledge to combat, as shown when he uses time-based spells to give himself extra turns and predict the future. Better yet, the latter spell replaces the ordinary battlefield with a purple space, magic circle platform, and spinning gears in the background. [[spoiler:The evil part is downplayed because he used to be the Ancestors' TokenGoodTeammate and is only the main antagonist because he wants to control time and space to bring his lover back.]] |
| 106 | * The homely Sligs from ''VideoGame/{{Oddworld}}''. Perhaps it's the combination of [[ArtificialLimbs slick cybernetics]], glowing [[ElectronicEyes red visors]] and [[KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter standard issue rifles]]. If evil can be sexy (and each to their own), the fact that they shoot at you on sight is [[TheMasochismTango just gravy]]. |
| 107 | %%* Also, the ''VideoGame/{{Deception}}'' games. |
| 108 | * Admit it: even after you find out that his [[spoiler:cluelessness and uselessness]] was a disguise, you can't help but love [[spoiler:Adachi Tohru]] from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}''. The reveal that he was the Killer all along actually added to his appeal as a character. His tendency to switch between LaughablyEvil and [[TheSociopath delicious evilness]] makes him both entertaining yet [[AxCrazy intimidating]] in the eyes of the fanbase. |
| 109 | ** The Shadow Selves in 4 and ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'' are also pretty freaking cool, especially in their giant monster forms. |
| 110 | * ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': |
| 111 | ** While supposedly [[AlwaysLawfulGood no Pokémon is truly evil]] (with even the bad guys' Pokémon [[MyMasterRightOrWrong just following orders]]), many of the most popular Pokémon are those who act in defiance of that: |
| 112 | *** Tyranitar and Hydreigon, a Franchise/{{Godzilla}}[=/=]Tyrannosaurus Rex and a King Ghidorah/Hydra Pokémon respectively. Both of them are ''extremely'' savage and destructive, are Dark-types who use ''actual'' [[CastingAShadow darkness powers]] as compared to [[CombatPragmatist most other Dark types]], and their BST of 600 makes them comparable to some legendaries in terms of power. (Unsurprisingly, they're both in the OU tier.) |
| 113 | *** Additionally, there's [[MagikarpPower Gyarados]], [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Salamence]], [[ThreateningShark Garchomp]], and [[SpiderTank Metagross]]. While not Dark-types, they're just as savage and deadly as Hydreigon. |
| 114 | *** Houndoom is a Dark-type literal HellHound and one of the more popular Pokémon. |
| 115 | *** And of course, there's one of the best-known and most powerful "evil" Pokémon, [[EnsembleDarkhorse Mewtwo]]. Beyond being ''the'' original GameBreaker, its depiction in [[Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie the animé's first movie]] (in which he openly slaughtered humans and tries to annihilate all life on Earth) remains popular among fans. Even in the games, Mewtwo's Pokédex entries repeatedly emphasise that of all Pokémon, [[BloodKnight it has the most savage and uncompassionate heart]]. |
| 116 | *** By far the most popular "shiny" Pokémon coloration belongs to Charizard, already an enormous EnsembleDarkHorse. In its shiny form, it gets an evil-looking black color scheme with blood-red wings and sinister red eyes (this form was actually depicted as a [[CastingAShadow Darkness-type]] in the TCG in one card, and the card is one of the most sought-after and ridiculously overpriced cards today). |
| 117 | *** Unlike Reshiram and Zekrom, Kyurem is a truly evil (or at least corrupt) Pokémon by nature that [[ImAHumanitarian eats humans]]. And it's a giant [[AnIcePerson ice]] [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]] that can absorb Reshiram or Zekrom to switch forms and become more powerful. |
| 118 | *** Genesect, an apex insect predator from the Paleozoic period, can be interpreted as an evil(er) counterpart of Mewtwo; being revived by [[AnimalWrongsGroup Team Plasma]] and cybernetically enhanced (such as attaching a ''laser cannon'' to it) to be the strongest Pokémon ever. |
| 119 | *** [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Yveltal]], the gigantic bird-like Destruction Pokémon, screams this trope. |
| 120 | *** Malamar, Dark/Psychic squid Pokémon, which unlike the above Pokémon, [[DarkIsNotEvil who aren't always evil]], is an AlwaysChaoticEvil [[DarkIsEvil Pokémon that is using mind control as they plot world domination]], especially as seen in the anime. [[CreepyAwesome Malamar's fans wouldn't want it any other way]]. |
| 121 | *** Incineroar, the fully-evolved Fire-type starter from ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon''. It's an extremely manly Fire/Dark bipedal tiger with the personality of a {{heel}} wrestler, complete with a championship belt made of fire. While it's a BaseBreakingCharacter (quite fittingly for its status as a heel), it has fans that love it a lot, many of which are in the {{bara}} community. This also applies in-universe, as its "bad guy" act makes it popular with children. |
| 122 | *** Necrozma is an all-black prism creature that steals light from worlds and, like Mewtwo before it, is abnormally cruel and savage in battle, laying waste to areas with lasers and ripping foes apart with its claws. It even [[spoiler:has a OneWingedAngel state with higher stats than [[PhysicalGod Arceus]]]]. And the kicker? Unlike all the other Pokémon examples, it's the BigBad of [[VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon a mainline game]], where it openly has an agenda of its own with no Trainer or mastermind pulling the strings. |
| 123 | ** A lot of the evil organizations such as Team Rocket can be this with their stylish uniforms, cool hideouts, and intimidating Pokémon teams. More specific members of the teams who count are : |
| 124 | *** Giovanni is ''the'' DiabolicalMastermind of the franchise. He's intelligent, suave, AffablyEvil and is even [[GracefulLoser graceful in defeat]]. Its taken even further in his return in ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'', whereupon he wields a Mewtwo that can ''Mega Evolve'' and very nearly succeeds with his plan to become a MultiversalConqueror. |
| 125 | *** From ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' we have Cyrus the leader of Team Galactic who is an OmnicidalManiac but damn if doesn't ooze badassness. |
| 126 | *** From ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', there's BigBad PsychopathicManchild, N ([[spoiler:something of an AntiVillain with [[AbusiveParents serious daddy issues]]), and, by extension, his [[PlayingWithFire Reshiram]] (in ''White'') and [[ShockAndAwe Zekrom]] (in ''Black''). (The opposite dragon is yours to use and therefore "heroic" in its respective game, however.)]] Theres also Ghetsis who is quite intimidating and has some cool pokemon like Hydregion as well as Colress from ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' who is a MadScientist with a lot of flair and style. |
| 127 | *** From ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' we have [[spoiler:Lysandre for his very ravishing appearance, fitting for being a boss of Team Flare, a team whose goal is to attempt to make the world more beautiful by comiting genocide on humans and Pokémon alike]]. |
| 128 | *** In [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]], Archie and Maxie receive major redesigns and rewrites from the originals, pushing them out of being fairly {{flat character}}s. with Archie looking more like a cool pirate and being a FriendlyEnemy, while Maxie is stoic and intelligent, but also quite Adorkable and likable. |
| 129 | *** From ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' we have Guzma who while a ruthless gang leader and [[spoiler:Lusamine might be a child-abusing psychopath]], but both have been extremely well-received by the fan community. The former's [[MemeticMutation memetic lines]] and the latter being [[spoiler:a [[KnightOfCerebus terrifyingly effective villainess]]]], as well as both having [[TragicVillain surprisingly depressing backstories]] certainly helps matters. |
| 130 | * Jean Descole from the VideoGame/ProfessorLayton series was most likely created with this trope in mind. He is a MalevolentMaskedMan who combines almost [[BadassInANiceSuit all]] [[CoolMask the]] [[PrettyInMink over the top]] [[BadassCape clothing]] tropes and actually ''pulls it off''. And his coolness gets amplified in the movie ''Anime/ProfessorLaytonAndTheEternalDiva''. |
| 131 | * And then there's [[Franchise/ResidentEvil Albert Wesker]]. He just became cooler and crueler throughout the series. |
| 132 | * From ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilVillage'' : |
| 133 | ** Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters have been praised for being charismatic and showy antagonists with a well-liked vampire motif. [[spoiler: Alcina turning into a ''DraconicAbomination'' probably helps with that.]] |
| 134 | ** Heisenberg has got praise for being an entertaining and well-designed villain with his showy, loud yet affable demeanor. [[spoiler: Even though he can be quite an AntiClimaxBoss, the battle against him is a great visual spectacle.]] |
| 135 | ** Donna Beneviento might not be much of a character on her own, but fans praise her section for being extremely terrifying and using NothingIsScarier to great effect in making the player feel helpless and isolated. |
| 136 | ** Salvatore Moreau in his mutated form is arguably the toughest of the Four Lords, boasting one very damaging attack as well as high endurance against even the most powerful weapons at Ethan's disposal. Coupled with the section in which he stalks you through the water, he makes for one of very tense boss encounter. |
| 137 | * VideoGame/{{Robopon}} has this with the BigBad, Dr. Zero. [[http://www.rpgfan.com/pics/robopon-gba/art-char-01.jpg Just look at him]]. |
| 138 | * ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'': Every chapter ends in an EvilerThanThou CoupDeGrace. Almost everyone kisses the Protagonist's ass by complimenting his/her murderous psychosis. Arguably the coolest character in the series so far is unrepentant mass murderer Johnny Gat. |
| 139 | * The reason [[Franchise/SonictheHedgehog Dr. Eggman]] is so popular is because of this trope. Seriously, he can make damn near ''whatever'' type of machine he wants for any situation and his various evil lairs tend to be among the best levels in the series, in addition to his various boss fights. His AffablyEvil LargeHam tendencies also play a large role, in that despite being a villain, he is such a jovial and over the top guy that you can't help but love his antics. You can only imagine how elated fans were when Sega ''finally'' stopped shafting him in favor of whatever MonsterOfTheWeek he had unleashed and finally let him shine as a villain. |
| 140 | ** Eggman ''himself'' seems to be a believer of this trope. In ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', if you choose Eggman's voice for the menus and go to the Chao Garden in Stage Select, instead of saying "select your character" like nearly every other voice option, he says "heroes are wimpy". |
| 141 | ** This trope may be partially the reason why [[EvilTwin Shadow]] started off as such an EnsembleDarkhorse as he has had nowhere near the good reception ever since his transition to AntiHero. |
| 142 | * Nightmare in the VideoGame/SoulSeries. His armor is damn cool (with [[VideoGame/SoulcaliburVI the sixth game]] giving him a BadassCape), he carries a {{BFS}} as big as he is, and is just [[LargeHam oh so delightfully hammy]]. He's even the SeriesMascot (even [[MascotVillain appearing in the Project Soul logo]]), for goodness sake! |
| 143 | %%* ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' |
| 144 | * Gig from ''VideoGame/SoulNomadAndTheWorldEaters''. He comes off as a threatening badass even though he's a SealedEvilInACan most of the game, along with having by far the funniest moments in it, though in an odd case of this trope he's on the hero's side. |
| 145 | * ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'' provides a hilarious inversion. Fan-favorite [[spoiler: Kenny [=McCormick=]]] turns out to be the FinalBoss and one of the main villains (by way of an AssPull), but what kind of character is he playing? An EvilOverlord? A roguish AntiHero BlackKnight (which should come to mind when you think of [[spoiler: Mysterion]])? [[spoiler: Nope, a [[WholesomeCrossdresser pretty princess]]]]. |
| 146 | * Among ''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}'' fans, their favorite villain is typically Luca Blight from the second game. First signs of it, he's unit in the war sections is by far the best in the game. When it finally comes around time to kill him, despite him not having a major rune or some source magic like other major villains in the series, he still proves to be [[ThatOneBoss an incredibly difficult fight]] where he takes on [[RasputinianDeath three different parties in quick succession, takes hundreds to the chest, and finally]] TheHero [[RasputinianDeath finishing him off in a duel after he's half dead]]. His whole DyingMomentOfAwesome cemented he's spot in this trope. |
| 147 | * ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': |
| 148 | ** Bowser, despite his VillainDecay and [[GoKartingWithBowser penchant for competitive sports]] over the years, is still a giant, [[SpikesOfVillainy spiky]], [[BreathWeapon fire-breathing]] turtle-dragon, and winning a one-on-one fight with him as a pudgy plumber will always be satisfying - and yet, he's still a powerful menace when he needs to be, especially in the main Mario platformers. ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story]]'' seems to play to this, where the big bad spiky dude is the main character (even if he ultimately has to save the Mushroom Kingdom) and, rather than being merely a comedic ButtMonkey, he's shown as a HotBlooded badass when he needs to be, and still gets plenty of hilarious scenes. Subsequent ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' installments run with this trope and depict Bowser as a much smarter and more menacing villain than in previous RPG's, all while keeping him as the LaughablyEvil BoisterousBruiser fans know and love. This trope was more-or-less acknowledged in the E3 trailer for ''VideoGame/MarioParty10'', which features a "Bowser Party" mode where one player controls Bowser and gets to wreak havoc on other players. |
| 149 | ** [[VideoGame/SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins Wario]], to the extent where he even got [[VideoGame/WarioLand his own spinoff series]]. A greedy badass treasure hunter who despite his [[StoutStrength size and pudgy shape]] pummels enemies to oblivion with his bare hands, is immortal (at least in Wario Land II and 3) and actually uses his immortality to his advantage by doing stuff like ''setting himself on fire to burn enemies and destroy certain blocks'', and happens to own a [[VideoGame/WarioWare minigame company]]. |
| 150 | ** [[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi Fawful]]. [[VideoGame/PaperMario Dimentio]]. Pretty much every villain in the franchise, to be honest. Cool technology and weapons? Check. Best lines in the series (especially Fawful)? Check. Look awesome? Also check. There's a reason many of the other bad guys end up being the EnsembleDarkhorse. |
| 151 | ** Dimentio gets special mention for being a frighteningly competent and ruthless villain for a ''Mario'' game. Sure he may [[FauxAffablyEvil crack funny one-liners]], but he's still a psychopathic [[TheChessmaster chessmaster]] who [[spoiler:successfully sweeps the FinalBoss role out from under the game's ostensible main villain]]. It's telling that even though he only appeared in one game, he still has plenty of fans clamoring for him to make a return. |
| 152 | * ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'': Arguably the most popular pre-scripted empire among players is the warmongering and human-supremacist [[LostColony Commonwealth]] [[ANaziByAnyOtherName of Man]]. Combined with MostWritersAreHuman. |
| 153 | ** Regarding custom empires, [[HumanityIsSuperior human supremacist]] technocracies and [[HumansAreWarriors militaristic empires]] (in the vein of the [[Film/StarshipTroopers Terran Federation]] or the [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Imperium of Man]], [[HumansAreMorons minus their constant]] IdiotBall and DoingInTheScientist tendencies) are very popular. Fanatic Purifiers and other genocidal empires also are popular for players on low-spec machines. |
| 154 | * In ''VideoGame/TerraInvicta'', one of the fandom's favorite faction is Humanity First. Humanity first are ruthless {{Absolute Xenophobe}}s who not only fight the AlienInvasion, but commit terrorist attacks against fellow humans who they perceive as "alien sympathizers". However, their ruthlessness opens up new tactical options, [[LaughablyEvil their leader's brusque and down-to-earth nature gives them some of the best quotes in the game]], and [[TheExtremistWasRight their initial suspicions about the aliens prove correct]], so they're still quite beloved. |
| 155 | * ''VideoGame/ThingThing'': [[VillainProtagonist Project 154]] may be a sociopathic mass murderer, but he is easily one of the most badass characters in flash gaming. |
| 156 | * All of the most popular factions in ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'' are the evil ones. You have the batshit CrazyIsCool Greenskins who live for a good fight against anyone, you have the [[DarkIsEvil sinister]] and blood and power-hungry Vampire Counts and their armies of undead puppets and horrifying monsters, you have the clad-in-black armour and extremely badass Warriors of Chaos, and you have the insane, braying Beastmen who want nothing less than the complete destruction of all civilisation. The absolute king of this trope however is Norsca: imagine a faction of hardass, seven-foot-tall, daemon-worshipping vikings with an army built around maximum killing power, and an array of monstrous creatures that rival the Vampires. You can even [[EvilerThanThou usurp Archaeon as the Everchosen]] and pledge yourself to one of the four Chaos Gods to gain a bunch of special benefits. Norsca is by far the most popular faction in the game, and all the better because it is effectively an entire officially sanctioned homebrew faction created for the game, and the whole faction is [[ContinuityNod filled to the brim with obscure elements of the setting's lore]]. |
| 157 | * Many people prefer to play as the Horde in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' because of this trope.%%Although the Tauren [[TokenGoodTeammate might not count]].%%Why? |
| 158 | * Arthas from ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'', after his FaceHeelTurn into a Death Knight. Sadly, with [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft Wrath of the Lich King]], he suffered a HUGE deal of VillainDecay. |
| 159 | * [[MadMathematician Sho Minamimoto]] from ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'' is easily one of the game's most popular characters due to his [[CrazyIsCool eccentric personality]], his formidable powers and his [[spoiler:Taboo form]] that somehow manages to make him look even more badass. |
| 160 | ** Likewise, Megumi Kitaniji has quite a few fans due to his [[SinisterShades sinister but charming design]], [[TimeStandsStill cool abilities]], and MagnificentBastard ways, as well as due to the revelation that [[spoiler:all his villainous actions were done out of genuine love for Shibuya]]. |
| 161 | * Id from ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}''. Oh, what's that? You want a reason why? Ok, [[http://whatdoesgodneedwithastarship.com/71whoops.png here's ONE.]] |
| 162 | -->'''Id''': Well ''that'' was interesting. But [[ColonyDrop dropping a battleship on me]] ''is'' cheating. [[ThrowABarrelAtIt Take it back...]] |
| 163 | * ''{{VideoGame/Cuphead}}'''s King Dice is a Cab Calloway expy with a perpetual grin, a catchy VillainSong, and a suit. |
| 164 | * An InUniverse example in ''VideoGame/MadWorld'': During Jack's fight with [[EvilCounterpart Kojack]], Kreese, one of the two announcers, roots for Kojack, shamelessly declaring that "evil makes everything better!" |
| 165 | * ''VideoGame/SpiderManInsomniac:'' |
| 166 | ** '' VideoGame/SpiderManPS4:'' |
| 167 | *** Mr. Negative got this reaction, with many finding his aesthetic, design, gimmick, and story quite cool and impressive. |
| 168 | *** Tombstone and his surprisingly deep characterization made a major impression despite his small presence, and many enjoyed his affable, charismatic, and surprisingly deep turn. |
| 169 | *** Of course, [[spoiler:Dr. Octopus]] is always cool, and many have heaped praise on the story and characterization as well as presentation of this classic villain in this game. |
| 170 | ** ''VideoGame/MarvelsSpiderMan2:'' |
| 171 | *** This incarnation of Venom is being hailed by fans and critics alike as one of his most intimidating, scary and badass versions seen in media. TheJuggernaut portrayal of Venom is capped off by what's considered a great performance by the Film/{{Candyman}} himself, Creator/TonyTodd. |
| 172 | *** Kraven the Hunter manages to be one of this Spider-Man’s most cunning and badass foes. [[spoiler:His GracefulLoser acceptance death also was rather positively received by fans and considered rather cool.]] |
| 173 | |
| 174 |
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