Bowser, Ganon, The Reapers, Dr Robotnik. All iconic video game bad guys. Legends of the gaming industry! But not all villains reach such stature. In fact, the vast majority do not. Most of them have their brief moment of futility, never to reappear in any sort of cartoon, or comic book spin-off. So, in the interests in giving the little guys their moment in the sun, here now are 7 Lesser Known Video Game Villains:
The Yeti, SkiFree
Games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil: Nemesis were best known for having villains who would suddenly appear and attempt to murder you, snapping you out of your comfort zone and survival-horror malaise. Well, the original "suddenly appear and murder you" villain was none other than the Yeti from SkiFree. You'd be on your way to a great run, when suddenly the flailing stick-limbs and round body of death would zoom across the screen, consuming you in one bite, mocking you for playing a game that came free with your computer.
Dark Link, Zelda II
Sure Dark Link has made appearances in later games, but in Zelda II he's the end boss. Yeah, that's right. No Ganon. Or Ganondorf, or pig face Ganon, or whatever version of him you know. And since this is the lesser known of all the Zelda titles, that makes him a pretty unknown villain.
The Antarans, Master of Orion II
I know turn-based sci-fi computer games aren't the most popular genre of game anymore, but when this game came out in the nineties, it was the best. And the games great x-factors were the Antarans, the ancient alien race who would occasionally pop into your dimension, bomb someone's planet into the stone age, and then disappear. The most satisfying way to end the game was to build the technology required to go to their home planet, and get a little revenge.
Mario, Donkey Kong Jr
Thought we'd forget about your criminal past, eh Mario?!
Smithy, Super Mario RPG
The game that launched a long line of spiritual successors, the original Mario RPG featured the largest cast of new characters. This included making the choice to have Bowser become a playable character, joining his mortal enemy to battle Smithy, the very difficult, but rarely remembered last boss.
Some Guy, Some Arcade Beat ‘Em Up
Somebody gets kidnapped, only two hard-assed potentially-former criminals can rescue him/her. All these games had the same story, same nondescript bad guy who was way easier to beat with a second player.
Electronic Arts, Developer
Just kidding, we all know they're villains
Who else doesn’t get the credit they deserve? Let us know in the comments!
