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.

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The music of Final Fantasy has become the life work of Japanese composer Uematsu Nobuo. Between Final Fantasy I – IX, Uematsu was the main creative force behind the music of the series, and he created benchmarks and broke ground that few other game series have lived up to musically. Here are the top ten most important musical moments in the Final Fantasy franchise.

10. Final Fantasy – Preludes and Victory Themes

Little connects the various worlds and stories of Final Fantasy games but one familiar recurrent element is the title screen music known as preludes, the battle music, and the victory fanfares. The preludes are always a form a light harp music of crystalline delicateness, winding up and down like the never-ending tale of the Final Fantasy worlds. The battle music is dark and exciting, reminding you of your struggle against whatever forces of evil are at work in that world.

The victory fanfare is, as one would expect, a cheerful horn-blast followed by a sort of marching melody. The value of these is that for a series with precious little to tie it together, these melodies provide the necessary familiarity for the player to stir up those feelings of anticipation and achievement from previous titles. Without them, it just wouldn’t be Final Fantasy.

9. Final Fantasy II – Overworld

An odd choice, perhaps, but the overworld theme for Final Fantasy II is where Uematsu began writing music based on elements of the story rather than simply the generic MIDI music of the original Final Fantasy. FFII is one of the first RPGs to have more than a perfunctory story, with dark undertones, twists, character deaths, and betrayal. It remains one of the few truly dark overworld themes within the series.

8. Final Fantasy V – Clash on the Big Bridge

A variation of this song (also known as Battle with Gilgamesh) also features in FFXII when fighting against Gilgamesh, the only truly recurring character in the Final Fantasy franchise. Gilgamesh travels through the Rift between Final Fantasy worlds, popping up in many of the games between V and XII.

As the only recurring character (“Cid” is a different person each time and chocobos aren’t really characters per se), he holds a special place in the heart of fans of the series. This music has become his theme, and is well suited to his somewhat goofy, bumbling personality.

7. Final Fantasy IV – Dreadful Fight

This song spans all the feelings you might have had while playing through the “dreadful fight” towards the end of FFIV–it’s energetic, intimidating, climactic, hopeful. Memorable music for a memorable battle, Uematsu’s work really speaks for itself here.

6. Final Fantasy VI – Dancing Mad

A piece fitting of Emerson, Lake, & Palmer (an influence, by Uematsu’s own admission), this sprawling, epic tune sets the mood for the final boss fight in Final Fantasy VI, one of the most highly regarded entries in the entire franchise. The opponent is Kefka, a psychotic jester-mage come god bent on destroying the world. One of the most familiar, memorable, and defining moments of the franchise, this music is a perfect fit for the four-part final battle against an unhinged god.

5. Final Fantasy VI – Aria di Mezzo Carattere

This song is part of a full, actual opera written for Final Fantasy VI by Uematsu. It has been performed live several times, with lyrics sung in Japanese, English, or Italian. This is one of the first songs written for a video game intended for live dramatic performance, and shows Uematsu’s seriousness about the music of Final Fantasy. The four-part opera scene in FFVI is one of the most iconic, memorable moments in Final Fantasy history, accompanied by some of Uematsu’s best work.

4. Final Fantasy VII – One Winged Angel

There’s a good chance this is the most epic final boss battle music there has ever been. Psychotic, megalomaniacal, and lumbering with power, this song plays all through the final boss fight of FFVII (in which, at one dramatic moment, a comet plows through each planet in the solar system and then lands on your team… wow). There are many reasons for the fervent group of Final Fantasy fans claiming FFVII is the best in the series; the epic final boss fight and its music is one of them.

3. Final Fantasy VIII – Liberi Fatali

This orchestrated opening cinematic was an awesome spectacle to those awaiting the sequel to FFVII. Square had clearly learned from their success with VII, and wanted to make the cinematic sequences look even better, and make the music even more powerful. While VII felt like an experiment into the third dimension, VIII and its music have a more self-certain air to them, which shows through in this composition.

2. Final Fantasy VII – Aerith’s Theme

A beautiful and tragic song for a beautiful and tragic character, this is one of the most memorable pieces of music from Final Fantasy VII. Aerith’s Theme is played at multiple points throughout the story, deepening the emotional connection between the player and the characters. This is a great example of Uematsu’s music truly enhancing the gaming experience in a way dialogue cannot.

1. Final Fantasy IV – Theme of Love

A wonderful piece of music to match the moving and layered story of Final Fantasy IV. One of the subplots of FFIV is the development of a love relationship between Rosa, the white mage, Cecil, the lead character (who undergoes a transformation from black knight to paladin), and his friend Cain, the dragoon.

Cain watches from a distance as the relationship between Rosa and Cecil develops, keeping his peace out of respect for his friend and shame for his actions during the game. Theme of Love serves as a leitmotif for this developing relationship throughout the game, and it is so well-loved that it is actually taught to children in Japanese elementary school music classes.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.flickr.com/photos/el_finco/

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