The Game Plan 03.14.08: The Greatest Video Game Villains...Ever (Part 4)

Posted by James McGee on 03.14.2008

I wrap of the villains series by shining the spotlight on the most hideous bad guys imaginable...gamers themselves


(Special thanks to Rod Oracheski for the spiffy new banner!)

For the past few weeks, I've been examining the greatest video game villains of all time. I've been telling you about nasty characters that developers have concocted over the years to counter-balance iconic heroes. I've been detailing all of the terrible things these game-makers have put protagonists and players through. There's no doubt that some of these guys have a real sadistic streak when it comes to cooking up awful acts of evil.

But truth, they say, is stranger than fiction. So it follows that some people have the innate ability to be far more evil than any storyteller could ever imagine. Part of a villain's general appeal is that they speak to the darker side in all of us, allowing us to live out our maniacal fantasy through them. Taken one step further, allowing players to actually take control of a dastardly character represents the ultimate in evil wish fulfillment. You get all of the jollies that come along with being the bad guy, but you get to skip all of the real-world consequences. The undeniable appeal of playing the villain is partially what inspires the fine folks over at Bioware—for my money, some of the greatest storytellers in the entire industry—to give players so much freedom of choice in their role-playing games. The title that really put them on the map with console gamers was Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, in which players can choose to follow either the Light or Dark Side of the Force. Both are viable options, and both tell a fine story, but in the end, can there be any doubt which path is more fun? So, for the final installment of The Greatest Video Game Villains…Ever, stand up and take a bow, dear reader, because YOU are the star of the show. I'm James McGee, and here's The Game Plan.


Question: What did those Sand People ever do to you? If you answer "Does it matter?" you're probably heading for the Dark Side.

A point that I keep coming back to in this column is that there are many different types of evil. Nowhere is this truer than in KOTOR, where all of the villainy's variations are present. The bad choices players can make range from minor cruelties all the way up to universe-shattering decisions (at this point, I should warn you that this column is positively chock full of spoilers, so if you haven't played KOTOR, be wary). The story at large is very much in keeping with the mythology of the Star Wars films, as players constantly confront the internal struggle between good and evil. Every decision made—whether it be which line of dialogue to choose or whether to slice down an innocent bystander—carries with it a Light or Dark side alignment. Ultimately, these decisions affect the outcome of the game, as players receive a different ending based on which side of the Force they wind up choosing. So even though you may be moving in the general direction of stopping Darth Malak (the game's official villain), it's possible to simply overthrow him and take his place as ruler of the galaxy. Rather than destroying the Star Forge (KOTOR's version of the Death Star—the ultimate, universe-conquering weapon), you take it for a spin yourself, and the game ends with your forces spreading fear and oppression throughout the galaxy. Whereas many games give you choices, KOTOR lets you fundamentally change the story's outcome, so that you can fulfill your ultimate power fantasies.

On your way to taking over the universe, you're faced with many choices that don't quite share the grandeur of the game's final outcome. On a smaller scale, players in KOTOR can elect to take the easy way out of any given situation. This usually boils down to intimidation, double-crossing, and killing first/asking questions later. Usually, these instances don't affect the "big picture" all that much (the immediate outcome is usually roughly the same as if you had handled the situation more judiciously), but they allow you to fill your pockets with credits and generally follow the easy path to success—both major no-nos in the Jedi Code. For instance, while visiting the familiar planet of Tatooine, you learn that some Sand People have been terrorizing the locals and may have some information that would be helpful to your quest. You could take the high road by finding an interpreter and reasoning with the chieftain, or you could simply sneak into their camp and slaughter every last one of them without bothering to hear their side of the story. Either strategy gets you the information you need, but guess which is more fun.

There's also the planet of Manaan, where you're faced with either killing a giant shark or destroying the underwater drilling equipment that sent it off on a tizzy in the first place. Considering the shark's habitat is being disrupted, the "right" thing to do would be get rid of the equipment, but it's just so much easier to pump poison into the water and watch the big beasty thrash around in agony. So what if you end up crippling Manaan's ecosystem in the process? You're evil! That's just what you do. These decisions may not change the course of history, but they'll make your journey a lot smoother, and let you indulge your inner Sith.


Using The Force to disrobe hottie passers-by? Yeah, definitely the Dark Side at work.

Lastly, and perhaps most disturbing (or satisfying, depending on which side of the Force you lean toward) are the inconsequentially sadistic acts you can perpetrate throughout the game. These situations won't greatly affect the story's outcome, or garner any rewards whatsoever, save a few Dark Side points. These choices are seemingly included just to see how nasty you are capable of being. Mission Vao (one of the allies you pick up along the way) has a brother who is, well, a loser, to put it bluntly. He's a lazy, lieing, nere-do-well who left his sister on the planet of Taris when he went off pursuing his latest get-rich-quick scheme. Still, he is family, and the Light Side thing to do would be encourage Mission to forgive him. However, you also have the option of poisoning her mind, taking every opportunity to remind her what a worthless oxygen-thief the guy is. Eventually, you'll have her convinced, and she'll want nothing to do with the guy when you finally cross paths. It doesn't benefit you in any way, except maybe giving you a reason let loose with a sinister chuckle as you watch their relationship crumble.

Maybe the worst act you can perpetrate in the entire game is killing off the cute little Gizka. These odd creatures infest your ship on Tatooine, and while they can be an annoyance, they're really harmless. The only way to get rid of them is to poison them or leave them with an unsuspecting animal-enthusiast on Manaan. A third option is just to kill the little buggers left and right. Killing one means two pop up in its place, so slaying them won't thin their numbers. On the other hand, you never have to worry about running low on victims. Again, taking out your frustrations on these defenseless creatures won't get you anything except a shift into the red on your Light/Dark meter, so the shameless slaughtering of Gizka offer up the most blatantly sadistic choice in the entire game.

In my first villains column, I said one of my considerations for compiling this list was how well a bad guy compliments their particular hero. While there are adversaries standing in your way no matter which path you take in Knights of the Old Republic, the worst case scenario sees you adopt the role of ultimate villain, so the situation is a little different than most games. However, the same rules apply—players themselves make the perfect villain in KOTOR because they balance not only other characters, but also their own possibilities. As evil as you can be in this game, it is also possible to strictly follow the path of Light. The most heinous, self-serving acts can be replaced by selfless sacrifices and die-hard adherence to the righteous ideals of the Jedi Code. The two extremes are there for players to have fun with—KOTOR is a role-playing game, after all, and it can be a blast to be bad. However, if you approach the game realistically—reacting to situations as you actually would—you can find out a lot about yourself. Whether you like what you see in the mirror…well, that's another story.

And with that, my examination of video game villains comes to a close. Next week, we go into the home stretch of the "Great Characters" series as I begin looking at anti-heroes—characters that blend the best of heroes and the worst of villains. It should be interesting, so stick around.