Spoiler Warning:
This article explores the heroes and villains of gaming and so often treads ground that has a lot of potential spoilers. Each section is titled so if you reach a game you haven’t played and would rather avoid spoiling it for yourself then you’ll know where to skip ahead.
The Dichotomy of Good and Evil
Video games have given us a pantheon of heroes and villains that stand as icons in our favoured medium. There have been titanic clashes, diabolical schemes and long standing rivalries. In a way rarely seen in other storytelling forms, our heroes and villains last through the years being reborn or at least remembered in new incarnations or instalments. Today we’ll be looking at some of the greatest characters, enemies and conflicts in gaming history.
Mario vs. Bowser (Super Mario Bros.)
Where to start? With the obvious of course! If there’s a seemingly perpetual rivalry in the world of gaming it is that of Mario and Bowser. Forever swapping blows over the fate of the Mushroom Kingdom and Princess Peach, these two have been around since long before the beginning of modern gaming. They are an unlikely pair; who would have thought an overweight plumber would ever come to be the nemesis of a large fire breathing turtle? However odd they may seem in their origins, they’re as natural as air today and they’ve battled in every arena from space spanning galactic conquest to the driving circuit. What would the world be like without these two and their eternal struggle?
Jack vs. Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine (Bioshock)
Bioshock features a unique hero/villain relationship, not to mention one of the most elegantly placed twists in gaming history (or narrative history for that matter). Andrew Ryan makes for a powerful character, with actor Armin Shimerman’s voice echoing throughout the hallways of Rapture from the get go, Ryan is always present and makes for a dominating force in the game. To finally meet the man and see him so defeated as he struggles to accept his son’s enslavement is an emotionally powerful moment. Perhaps more engaging still is the revelation of Frank Fontaine’s manipulation of both Ryan and Jack as he reveals himself to be the puppet master behind the player’s actions, having used the trigger phrase “would you kindly” to dish out instructions throughout the game. Never before or since has a game so cleverly highlighted the controlled nature of a player’s actions in the objective based first-person shooter.
Chell vs. GLaDOS (Portal)
Another silent protagonist contrasted with a very vocal villain. The relationship between Chell and GLaDOS may be held up mostly by the latter character, but without the “dangerous, mute, lunatic” at the other end all that sadism would be wasted. GLaDOS shines as one of the most well written villains in recent memory. Her unique brand of calm malice and passive aggressive taunting masks an AI character with more psychological complexity than most human ones. The Portal series marries humour with peril so expertly that you’ll often wonder why you’re in hysterics over an insane AI that’s desperate to end your life (painfully). Portal 2 took the formula further with the addition of the similarly hilarious Wheatley, a complicated moron who contrasted well with the delicate machinations of GLaDOS by bringing his own brand of danger and brute force into the mix.
Sonic vs. Dr. Robotnik (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Another classic of the gaming world, Sonic the Hedgehog has been around almost as long as Mario. Sonic is also engaged in a timeless battle with an enduring nemesis; Dr. Robotnik (or Eggman, as he is known in far away lands) has made for a cunning and often very unpleasant villain. Treading slightly darker grounds than Mario, Sonic’s enemy makes a habit of stuffing furry forest animals into machines to be used as batteries for his robotic armies. Racing from mushroom filled forests to sprawling cities, Sonic goes toe to toe with Robotnik’s plans using his trademark speed.
Gordon Freeman vs. The Combine (Half Life 2)
Since 2004 Dr. Freeman has faced a more organised and insidious force than the rampaging aliens of Xen he battled in the original Half Life. The Combine makes for an intimidating enemy in Half Life 2, with the propaganda of their puppet Dr. Breen echoing through the tattered walls of City 17. A pan-dimensional empire that genetically repurposes the fauna of conquered worlds (in this case, us) as local peace keeping troops; it’s hard to imagine a threat more vast or encompassing than the Combine. The presence of the invaders is felt everywhere in Half Life 2 and its sequels; from the eerily silent playgrounds to the infested beaches. Who better than physicist Gordon Freeman, a refreshing change from the usual soldier archetype, to quash their plans?
Ash vs. Gary (Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow and Firered/Leafgreen)
Okay, so many will quite rightly argue that Ash and Gary from the anime are distinct from the characters Red and Blue in the games, but lets be honest- they were based on them and their names are somewhat better for the characters. Gary is ever the exploiter of the unprepared in Pokémon; if you train your team well you’ll likely never have a problem with Gary, but rush ahead too quickly and he’ll surprise you. An obnoxious little boy may not be the most intimidating of foes but he certainly was irritating. “Smell ya later!”
Shepard vs. Saren and Sovereign/The Reapers (Mass Effect)
So, some upstart Spectre (elite special ops agent) has turned rogue and he’s bumping fists with an ancient group of AI bad guys called the Reapers, you’ve heard this one before right? Well you’ll start taking these bad guys a bit more seriously when you find out that a Reaper is a two kilometre long capital ship that can waste an entire fleet. Mass Effect opens with a slow paced narrative that pits you against Saren, the aforementioned unruly Spectre, who you’ll soon want to put down for his arrogance alone. Things soon scale up, however, and Saren takes second stage to the enormous Sovereign, vanguard of the Reapers. Another enemy that falls under the “seemingly unstoppable” banner, the Reapers make for an epic foe. Thankfully Shepard is as hardcore as elite space soldiers get and is backed up by a diverse group of allies.
Cloud and Sephiroth (Final Fantasy 7)
Over the years Square have tinkered with and changed these characters and they’ve become something of a good/evil stereotype. This is a shame, given the complexity of their relationship in the original FF7 back in 1997. One of the most noteworthy aspects of the original story is the vast difference in power between the two characters. Cloud is a psychologically broken man who has adopted the background and credentials of a dead friend to help mend his mind. Meanwhile Sephiroth was once a hero and the most skilled warrior on the planet. Falling into insanity, Sephiroth only gains strength as the narrative unravels, while Cloud must face his own demons before he can rise to the outward challenge. It is the contrasts between these characters that make them such great enemies.
Solid Snake and Liquid Snake (Metal Gead Solid)
Liquid Snake is one of those fantastic action villains who just won’t die. You blow up his chopper, you fire rockets at him, you shove him off a towering mech-walker, you empty entire magazines of machine gun ammo at him and he just doesn’t stop. The brotherly clash of Solid and Liquid makes for a great conflict that only intensifies throughout Metal Gear Solid. Not to mention that wonderful sunglasses moment. “Have at you Snake!”
The Master Chief and The Covenant (Halo)
Zealous religious maniacs always seem to make for an exciting enemy, throw in an interstellar empire built on that religion and you just can’t lose. The Covenant, while effectively faceless in the original game, is a great enemy mostly because of their diversity. From Grunts to Elites, there is a wide range of interesting species to be found in the ranks of the Covenant. With the arrival of the Prophets as the leaders of the Covenant in Halo 2 and the voice acting of Terrence Stamp in Halo 3, the Covenant only gained personality as the series continued. The Master Chief, rigged up in his armour and energy shielding, is ideally suited to combating this impressively well conceived foe.
Link and Ganondorf (The Legend of Zelda)
Another timeless classic, Zelda has been around for a while but the battle between Link and Ganondorf has remained largely the same (much to our glee). Ganondorf, originally the leader of the Gerudos, is a powerful sorcerer with seemingly endless minions to send Link’s way. Featuring some physical changes from game to game, Ganondorf’s motives remain steady- steal the Triforce and conquer Hyrule. Contrasting Ganondorf’s evil is Link, a humble but highly capable boy of shifting origins. Sporting an iconic array of tools and weapons, Link is always up to the task. With The Skyward Sword just around the corner, we can look forward to seeing Link and hope to see Ganondorf again this year.
GDI and The Brotherhood of Nod (Command and Conquer)
If there is a strategy with substantial heroes and villains, it’s the Command and Conquer series. GDI represent your typical peace keeper force; iron jawed generals provide completely over the top briefings on missions to combat the sinister Brotherhood of Nod. It’s in this latter faction where the characters really shine though, with cheesy villainy being rife. Joseph D. Kucan portrays the enigmatic leader Kane, acting as a focal point for the world in which the action takes place.
