Significant amounts of video game play have led to this short list of the top ten villains in video games. In Part 1 of this article series Porky Minch (Earthbound), Andrew Ryan (Bioshock), Nemesis (Resident Evil), Jubileus (Bayonetta), and Magus (Chrono Trigger) all made the list either because they are classics that are without a doubt some of the best characters, or just extremely awesome in their fighting techniques. Polls to vote on battle pairings between heroes and villains will be posted on the Toonari Post Facebook page every week, so don’t miss your chance to have your comments and opinions in an article! You can also comment on this article to leave your vote.

Kefka Palazzo (Final Fantasy VI)

Kefka Palazzo is the main antagonist in Final Fantasy VI, whose appearance is that of an outlandish clown. He first works as a General for Emperor Gestahl, and was the first human to be infused with “Magetik” which granted him the ability to use magic but drove him completely insane. He brainwashes Terra (one of the main protagonists), he poisons the water by the Castle Doma (thus killing pretty much everyone in the Castle), and then becomes god-like enough to wipe out any who refuse to worship him.

He eventually becomes powerful enough to destroy the world. Kefka is a humorous villain, which is seen in his first appearance where he makes the men dust the sand off his feet when they are in the desert, not to mention his random dialogue such as “son of a submariner.” However, Kefka is revealed to be much more complex at the end of the game when it is suggested that Kefka wants to destroy everything because everything in life is passing. The player also gets the feeling that he has never had love, hopes, or dream.

GLaDOS (Portal series)

GLaDOS, short for Genetic Life-form and Disk Operating System, is not human; she is in fact an extremely advanced computer with complete control of the Aperture Science Facility. She is first believed to be just a guide for the player, Chell, but later shows her true colors when she attempts to kill the player. She is very manipulative, constantly coming up with excuses for the player not to attempt to kill her or to escape. She is also good at coming up with witty insults against the player (especially in Portal 2), often commenting about how the player is evil, fat, and adopted.

In both games her main goal is to kill the player; that is, until Aperture is taken over by Wheatley. Then her goal becomes taking over Aperture again and destroying Wheatley. She even agrees to work with the player in Portal 2, but this doesn’t, by any means, make her any less of a villain. Once she regains control she quickly moves on to more human testing which will most likely end in many casualties. Overall, this is one video game villain where players will enjoy the villain’s insults and may regret killing her.

Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda series)

The King of the Gerudo, wielder the Triforce of Power, and an accomplished sorcerer and swordsmen; Ganondorf  – or Ganon in his ‘demon form’ – is another villain everyone probably fought against during their childhood. However, unlike most villains from childhood games, Ganondorf is never silly or lighthearted; if anything, he is rather terrifying. Unlike many video game villains who make their presence known immediately, Ganondorf prefers to work from the shadows, often manipulating other villains or even the heroes to do his bidding.

The majority of the time the player is not even aware if Ganondorf is present in the game until very late into the game. His appearance does vary in the different games and even sometimes over the course of the same game. He seems to have two specifically different forms ,one humanoid and one bestial, usually looking a bit like a large boar and known as Ganon. Overall, this is a villain players anxiously wait to see!

Bowser (Mario series)

The fire-breathing Koopa King and generally the main villain of the Mario video games series, Bowser is most likely the first video game boss most players ever fought against. In simply kidnapping Princess Peach and taking over the Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser’s motivations normally are for domination or to lure Mario into a trap. However, in the Super Mario Galaxy series, his plans get even more grandiose when he plans to recreate the universe and dominate it.

He takes a much different turn in the Mario RPGs, such as the Paper Mario series, and the Mario and Luigi series. In these games he is not the primary antagonist and even acts as a playable character or main character and is seen as more humorous. Often seen in these games as a buffoonish bully who has a softer side, Bowser is a playful villain everyone will enjoying fighting against or fighting as.

Dormin (Shadow of the Colossus)

A disembodied entity promises the player, Wander, that he can bring back a girl named Mono from the dead if he takes down sixteen colossuses. The colossuses are large majestic creatures, the majority of them being basically harmless, which causes the player wonder whether it is right to slay these creatures. Once the player has taken down all the colossuses, Dormin then proceeds to possess the player, which causes a platoon of soldiers that was trying to prevent the death of the colossuses to shoot the player with arrows and be stabbed through the chest.

The entire time the player never sees Mono awaken, making everything the player achieved in the game look as if it was for nothing. Only after the player is destroyed does the player see that Dormin actually kept his promise and Mono is brought back to life. Even though Wander doesn’t fight Dormin in a boss battle, it doesn’t negate the fact that he manipulates all the events that occur in Shadow of the Colossus.

Now that you have a taste of the top ten villains, go vote in the polls on our Facebook page or comment at the bottom of this article. The villain pairings are: Andrew Ryan v GlaDOS, Kefka v Ganondorf, Magus v Dormin, Nemesis v Jubileus, and Bowser v Porky. Don’t miss your chance to contribute!

Jordan Fisher contributed significantly to the writing and research of this article.

The article Top Ten Video Game Villains of All Time Part 2 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

After much research (aka gaming) and discussion the top ten video game heroes and villains of all time have been decided by the gaming team here at The Toonari Post. Many reasons account for why these characters have made the list, ranging from their wide classical appeal to their incredibly terrifying skills.

Either way, this list features the worst of the worst. In upcoming articles, pairings of the best (or worst) villains will fight and the winner will be determined by polls on The Toonari Post facebook page beforehand. If you are interested in voting and cannot find the poll on Facebook, simply comment at the end of this article as to which character you believe will win. Also check out the follow-up article to this, “Top Ten Video Game Villains of All Time Part 2.”

Porky Minch (Earthbound and Mother 3)

First introduced in Earthbound as the highly obnoxious and cowardly friend, Porky soon shows his true nature when he is revealed to be the right-hand man of the main antagonist, Giygas. He shows up throughout the game to attempt to thwart the player as well as to thoroughly annoy him or her. What’s worse is that he taunts the player while he or she are battling Giygas and runs away before he can be taken down.

However, he is shown to be even more evil in Mother 3 where he is the leader of the Pigmask Army and attempts to access the Dark Dragon’s power so he can destroy the entire Earth. Porky does all of this because he has an extreme case of boredom. Unlike most villains whom players normally enjoy in some way – be it the battle with them or their personality – Porky was clearly created to be a villain for the player to openly hate. Overall, this is one villain that everyone loves to hate.

Andrew Ryan (Bioshock and Bioshock 2)

The founder and creator of Rapture, Andrew Ryan possesses a deep hatred of anything that gets in the way of man’s free will. Even though Andrew Ryan is not seen until the near end of Bioshock, the player does hear him a lot through radio transmissions and audio diaries. Once the character, Jack, arrives in Rapture, Ryan immediately begins attempting to kill Jack, believing him to be a government agent. Having little to no belief in ethics, because he believes they restrain mankind’s free will, he does whatever he has to, to try and kill Jack.

What’s more is that when it is revealed that Jack is actually Ryan’s son he calls the player his “greatest disappointment.” Even though Andrew Ryan is dead in the events of Bioshock 2 his audio diaries journey even further into Ryan’s history and ideals. While you might not agree with what Ryan has to say, one must admit that what he expresses is very interesting and thought-provoking. Overall, Andrew Ryan is a character the player will hope to hear again soon.

Nemesis (Resident Evil series)

A deadly stalker, Nemesis is named after the Goddess of Vengeance from Greek mythology. Nemesis is one of the most popular villains from the Resident Evil series, even having its name appear in the title of one of the games, Resident Evil: Nemesis. Nemesis is the result of a tyrant class zombie that has been infected with a parasitic organism, giving it increased intelligence and regenerative abilities. Throughout the entire game of Resident Evil: Nemesis, Nemesis stalks the player, Jill Valentine, attacking her with its rocket launcher and killing her if it touches her.

However, that is not the only reason Nemesis is on the list. Nemesis is a terrifying villain. Throughout the entire game there are only a few safe rooms in which Nemesis cannot find the player but beyond that it is always stalking the player and can show up at any moment. Therefore the player always has the thought in the back of his or her mind that Nemesis is out there waiting for his moment to strike. Overall, this is one villain players will not be looking forward to seeing again.

Jubileus (Bayonetta)

Jubileus is the final boss in the game Bayonetta, a game from the creators of Devil May Cry. In the game Jubileus is also called ‘the Creator’ and is the physical embodiment of Divine Will. The main protagonist and title character, Bayonetta, is trying to prevent the resurrection of Jubileus, who has been put into a deep slumber, because her resurrection would upset the balance of dark and light. Jubileus, whose name is related to the world jubilee, is incredibly powerful, although since the process of her resurrection is prevented partially by Bayonetta and her allies, Bayonetta is able to destroy her.

The only way that the player is able to fully ensure that Jubileus is defeated is by summoning an equally dark character, Queen Sheba, and having the demon throw Jubileus into the sun. Bayonetta then must destroy the remaining statues of Jubileus so that she can never be resurrected again. Ultimately, Jubileus makes the list because of her exceptional powers and incredible resistance/regeneration.

Magus (Chrono Trigger)

Originally born Janus, Magus was the crown prince of Zeal, a culture of super-powerful wizards from 12,000 BC. Transported through time as a child to 600 AD, he quickly establishes himself as a villain of that era, a demon-like king; in fact, he is literally called Demon-King in the Japanese version of the game. He is originally the main antagonist of the game, although he is defeated in the first half by the protagonist, Chrono. He is then sent back through time to 12,000 BC and becomes the adviser to his mother, the queen, although his identity is never revealed.

His adult-self becomes known as the Prophet and he summons the next villain of the game Lavos, who ends up destroying his entire civilization and sending his childhood self forward in time. Once Magus realizes that he is the one responsible for the destruction of his people and his time-travel as a child, he repents and will actually join the player’s team if they decide to not kill him. Magus normally fights via the mastery of all elements of magic and a scythe.

Now that you have a taste of the top ten villains go vote in the polls on our Facebook page or comment at the bottom of this article. The villain pairings are: Andrew Ryan v GlaDOS, Kefka v Ganondorf, Magus v Dormin, Nemesis v Jubileus, and Bowser v Porky. Don’t miss your chance to contribute to a great set of articles!

Jordan Fisher contributed significantly to the writing and research of this article.

The article Top Ten Video Game Villains of All Time Part 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Much research and long debates by The Toonari Post gaming team have led to this short list of the top ten heroes in video games. In Part 1 of this article series Solid Snake, Master Chief, Samus Aran, Link, and Mario all made the list either because they are classics that are without a doubt some of the best characters or just extremely awesome in their fighting techniques. Polls to vote on battle pairings between heroes and villains will be posted on the Toonari Post Facebook page every week, so don’t miss your chance to have your comments and opinions in an article! You can also comment on this article to leave your vote.

Megaman (Megaman series)

Known as Rock or Rockman in Japan and the creation of Dr. Light; Megaman’s objective is to fight against Dr. Wily and his growing army of robots. He was originally a robot lab assistant named Rock who was transformed into Megaman by Dr. Light to stop Dr. Wily.

Despite being a robot Megaman possesses a great deal of humanity and is able to distinguish between right and wrong. Often he is confronted with enemy robots that seem too powerful for him to overcome, but his pure intentions and determination will always come through in the end. He does not fight for personal glory which is shown through his refusal to compete in an Annual Robot Tournament to prove which robot is the strongest. Overall this is one hero who is more than just another robot. His main method of battling is by stealing the powers of his defeated enemies, which he is able to do through several different methods depending on the game or television show.

Alucard (Castlevania series)

The half-human son of Dracula who fights alongside the Belmont clan of vampire hunters, he is Alucard. Even though he is part vampire and Dracula’s son, he takes up arms against his father because of his mother’s death and his promise to his mother to not hate humanity. Alucard’s mother begged him not to be bitter at her death when she was hunted down and killed by humans who believed her to be a witch.

Alucard listens to his mother’s wishes and seeks out the current member of the Belmont clan, Richter Belmont, in order to help him. Alucard’s determination to protect the humans that hate or fear him, as well as stop his own father, is what keeps players playing. His powers and abilities also give the player a new and different way of playing the Castlevania series.

These new abilities turn what had been a game where only weapons such as a whip, knives, holy water, and other human attacks were used into a game where the character had the ability to turn into a bat, a fireball attack, fog, and other vampire skills. Overall, Alucard is a hero who, though not a playable character in many of the Castlevania games, was certainly a memorable one.

Kratos (God of War series)

Kratos was a barbarian who fought in the name of Ares and was a good fighter. When he was about to die he prayed to Ares to save him, which then backfired. Ares tricked him into killing his wife and daughter, which led Kratos to hate Ares. Kratos decided to kill Ares for revenge, but when he does Kratos becomes the god of war, taking the place of Ares. In later games Kratos kills almost all of the other Greek gods, including Zeus, his own father. Kratos fights with two twin swords that are chained to his arms and with magic that is given to him by either the Olympian Gods or the Titans, depending on the game.

Agent 47 (Hitman series)

Agent 47, also known as Mr. 47, is the main character of the Hitman series of video games. He is a cold sociopath killer who always gets the job done and never gets caught. He is a genetically enhanced clone and hired gun for the International Contract Agency. Trained from birth to be an efficient killer, Agent 47 was born to be bad, making him an anti-hero.

Although he is a ‘hired gun’, his services are usually rendered to deliver justice where injustices have been done. Thanks to his training and genetic enhancements Agent 47 can remain calm in every situation and can use any weapon or vehicle accurately and proficiently; due to these enhancements he also has a great amount of endurance and can live through wounds that would be fatal to a normal person.

Dante (Devil May Cry series)

Dante is the son of the demon, Sparta, the only ‘good’ demon who stands up against other demons. Dante spends his time killing demons and resolving his family issues with his brother, Virgil. Dante is half-human and kills demons because his deceased father also killed demons, making it strange family tradition. He uses a giant sword, two magical guns, and several other kinds of weapons. In later games of the series he uses his father’s sword.

Now that you have a taste of the top ten heroes go vote in the polls on our Facebook page or comment at the bottom of this article. The hero pairings are: Samus v Link (don’t tell Zelda), Solid Snake v Agent 47 (there will be a lot of sneaking), Master Chief v Kratos, Mario v Megaman, Alucard v Dante. Some of these heroes were featured in the article “Top Ten Heroes of All Time Part 1.” Also keep a look out for the “Top Ten Villains of All Time” articles; you definitely won’t want to miss it.

Jordan Fisher contributed significantly to the writing and research of this article.

The article Top Ten Video Game Heroes of All Time Part 2 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

After long debates and much playing the top ten video game characters of all time have been decided by the gaming team at The Toonari Post. Some of them made the list because of their classic appeal or maybe because they are just incredibly awesome characters. Either way, this list features the best of the best and is also the beginning to a series of articles in which the best of the best fight each other to the death.

In these upcoming articles, pairings of the best heroes and the best villains will fight and the winner will be determined by polls on The Toonari Post facebook page. If you are interested in voting and cannot find the poll on Facebook simply comment at the end of this article as to which character you believe will win. Also check out the follow up articles to this one “Top Ten Video Game Heroes of All Time Part 2,” “Top Ten Video Game Villains of All Time Part 1,” and “Top Ten Video Game Villains of All Time Part 2.”

Mario (Mario series)

The mustachioed Italian plumber who protects the Mushroom Kingdom and is always trying to save the Princess from the Koopa King, of course, has to make it onto this list. While there is not too much to say about Mario’s personal beliefs since he is a silent hero and fairly simplistic, he has still had a huge impact in video games. Mario is the first video game hero that most children play as since Mario has appeared in over two hundred, family-friendly games.

However, you shouldn’t sell Mario short (even if he is). Certainly in the majority of his games he is just rescuing a princess, but in other games he’s been known to save the Mushroom Kingdom and even the Galaxy. In every case he is definitely on par with hero status.

Mario has had many different incarnations, but in almost all of them his attacks include jumping on his opponent, shooting fireballs, hitting enemies with his raccoon tail, and becoming invincible for short periods of time. However, without the special drops of fire flowers, feathers, and stars that Mario might find in a random block, Mario is fairly powerless in comparison to some of our other heroes.

Link (Legend of Zelda series)

The Hyrulian Hero of Time who protects both the Kingdom of Hyrule and the world, Link is another hero many children played in their childhoods. Though each game features a different Link than the one before (whether he is a descendant of Link or from a parallel universe), he still is essentially the same character. Normally Link uses his sword, bow and arrow, boomerang, and bombs. Although Link is another silent hero he is often very expressive – especially in his newer releases – and players can still get a feel for his character.

Link is not above helping others and often participates in side quests to help people that are unrelated to his main quest. He is a courageous and kind-hearted character who always does his part to help anyone in trouble. He’s the Legendary Hero and the Hero chosen by the Gods he’s Link the Hero of Time.

Samus Aran (Metroid series)

Samus Aran is one of the few female characters to make it onto this list and the bounty hunter who has taken on both Space Pirates and the energy-draining parasites, Metroids. Samus was a Galactic Federation soldier who defected and became a bounty hunter. She is the chosen one to wear the armor of the Chozo, an ancient, bird-like race of super powerful individuals. The suit she wears is a one of a kind; she also receives upgrades for the armor in the ancient temples of the Chozo.

In the majority of the Metroid series Samus is portrayed as a silent no-nonsense warrior who spends most of her time in her heavily armored bulky suit that can shoot missiles and beams. Being one of the first and most famous female video game characters is reason enough to be on this list. Overall Samus is a hero that men and women alike can enjoy playing. Samus has many different attacks and moves such as her abilities to roll up into a ball, plant bombs, and use her blaster for an arm; a seriously powerful and well-‘armed’ character.

Master Chief (Halo series)

Master Chief is chosen by an AI program, Cortana, as the luckiest of all Spartans. He is a faceless warrior fighting against the Covenant and uses guns and grenades to win his battles – that is, when he can’t just steal an enemy tank or other hardware. Despite, being a relatively new video game and literary character, Master Chief has become very recognizable as a video game icon.

He is portrayed as a loyal soldier always following orders given to him without question and even remaining quiet when others show obvious signs of distrust towards him. According to Steve Downes, the man who voices Master Chief, the character’s personality and speech pattern were supposed to be modeled after Clint Eastwood.

Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid series)

Solid Snake is the code name for a spy who tries to prevent the end of the world from destruction. In the game there are terrorists who are trying to destroy the world and build giant mechanoids called Metal Gears which Solid Snake attempts to stop. Solid Snake must battle not only the giant Metal Gears but also the terrorists who are trying to stop him. Although Solid Snake fights in the game he is also known for his use of stealth and cunning. His weapons of choice include guns as well as pornography which he puts down to distract enemies.

Now that you have a taste of the top ten heroes go vote in the polls on our Facebook page or comment at the bottom of this article. The hero pairings are: Samus v Link (don’t tell Zelda), Solid Snake v Agent 47 (there will be a lot of sneaking), Master Chief v Kratos, Mario v Megaman, Alucard v Dante. Some of these heroes will be featured in the follow-up article “Top Ten Heroes of All Time Part 2.”

Jordan Fisher contributed significantly to the writing and research of this article.

The article Top Ten Video Game Heroes of All Time Part 1 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.