Villains are fantastic. I think we can all agree on that. For every gallant hero, there's a despicable villain ready to foil his or her plans. How dare they?! Well, they dare for the sake of daring. The reason people like villains is simply that we love hating someone, to have something to oppose, to be a hero, basically. That's why it's pivotal to have a villain that you CAN hate, or in some cases, even love. This is my list of 10 villains that I feel have left the biggest evil footprint in gaming history, so I don't expect many to agree with me, but I hope you can in some way relate to my choices and have fun while you're at it. Like always, I'm more or less limited to the games I've played. This excludes some great villains from this list, such as Kefka. One final thing should be mentioned: I'll try and limit spoilers to a bare minimum, but I can't guarantee that there won't be any. You have been warned. I won't stall any longer, here come my top 10 villains!

10. Ridley (Metroid series)

It's hard to exactly describe what makes Ridley such a great villain. He/she/it doesn't speak at all, has no personality and is basically your typical beast. However, this foe isn't normal in any way when you look deeper. For one thing, this evil flying beast killed Samus' parents, and after that fateful day, Samus has borne an intense hatred for Ridley. Ridley has also done his (I'll just refer to him as "him" for simplicity) part in trying to get rid of the amiable bounty hunter, even haunting her after his death in the form of Meta-Ridley. That is tenacious indeed. His legacy is large, having made an appearance in almost every Metroid game, but I feel his prime performance is his appearance in Metroid Prime. Everything, the setting, the music, the epic scale and feel, it's all so incredible. It is one boss fight you won't forget. For his pure evil tendencies, tenacity and incredibly cool design (come on, he looks awesome), Ridley deserves the number 10 spot for sure.

9. Sho Minamimoto (The World Ends With You)

Minamimoto is a very eccentric villain. He is, in a sense, the typical wild soul in a group of hooligans. He does things his own way, and loves it. From his avant-garde look on art to his flashy clothing, it's hard not to remember Minamimoto (though the same can't be said about his name). I think one sentence in particular makes him so hard to forget: "Listen up, hectopascals!" Of course, it makes no sense at all. Pascal is a unit of pressure while hecto- is the SI prefix for hundred. But it's the way he says it, like a sort of derogatory remark reducing the people around him to simple units, is what makes him so despicable, yet so funny and likeable. What he really is is a nerd. He's super-intelligent and his jargon isn't restricted to hectopascals. He literally is one of the coolest nerds in history, which translates to him being one of the coolest villains as well, at least for me. This is the truth, hectopascals!

8. Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda series)

At first glance, Ganondorf looks like the archetypal evil guy...and he is. However, there is a large difference between archetypal and stereotypical. Ganondorf is, for all intents and purposes, a greedy, evil, sadistic tyrant that knows of no good in his heart. However, if you think of how his life has been shaped so far, it becomes at least a bit more understandable why he really is so evil. Being born in a female-only tribe is tough. Being then expected to become king simply because of his gender is even tougher. Who knows how Ganondorf would have been if he had led a normal life? Maybe he would have been evil, maybe not. We will never know. At this point in time, Ganondorf is the embodiment of evil, both figuratively and literally. Having been defeated more times than you can count, he still comes back for more (I stopped thinking of the logic a long time ago). You always know there is an epic battle afoot when you see Ganondorf, and that is why he finds himself in the number 8 spot on this list.

7. Xehanort (Kingdom Hearts series)

It might seem unorthodox to put Xehanort as the villain, as opposed to the fake Ansem or Xemnas, but in reality, Xehanort is the one that started it all. Dabbling too much into the examination of hearts, he ultimately became a Heartless and left behind him a Nobody as well. The heartless is the fake Ansem from Kingdom Hearts, while Xemnas, leader of Organization XIII, is his Nobody. Quite a twist right there, eh? The reasoning behind my putting Xehanort on the list isn't because of his individual qualities; his altered forms are where it's really at. The fake Ansem (though you thought it was Ansem in the first game) is evil to the core, wanting to exploit kingdom hearts for his own use, controlling the dark. He is destroyed when it is revealed that kingdom hearts is, in fact, light. Xemnas is personally even cooler. He feels nothing, is nothing, but desires nothing more than to have a heart. He is willing to kill and slaughter to that effect, and he cares nothing for his fellow organization members. Interesting fact, though, take the X out of Xemnas, rearrange the letters and you'll get Ansem. The same can be done with Roxas (Sora), and the names of the other organization members can probably be deciphered in the same way. Interesting...but anyway, Master Xehanort is said to be the villain of Birth By Sleep, so it will be interesting to see how he develops as a villain. For now, though, he's just wickedly cool.

6. Arthas (Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and Warcraft III: Frozen Throne)

One thing is having a memorable villain. Another is making him first be a hero before becoming corrupt. A whole other level is playing as the character throughout the transformation. That is Arthas, the once courageous knight in Warcraft III. He is on a quest to get rid of a dangerous plague that makes dead bodies become zombie-like creatures, endangering anyone in vicinity. After killing Kel'Thuzad, the one who was distributing the plague amongst the people, he follows his leader, Mal'Ganis. On the way, they hear of a cursed sword called Frostmourne, which Arthas desires to have. When found, he offers his soul for the sword and, unwittingly, becomes a Death Knight. This starts a cataclysmic series of events, which almost spells the end of the world as you know it. His transformation is swift and ruthless, and absolutely unforgettable. He starts off as a likeable guy, but then becomes one of the most ruthless villians of all time. You can imagine my disappointment when the follow-up was World of Warcraft *shudder*

5. Andrew Ryan+Frank Fontaine (Bioshock) (SPOILERS)

I decided to go with both of them because they just aren't the same together as they are apart. They are much like Yin and Yang, in eternal battle with eah other for the ultimate power: control over Rapture. You are led through the game with the soothing voice of Atlas, a man you feel you can trust. After all, his family is in peril, why would he lie about that? Little do you know that this "Atlas" is in fact Frank in disguise, using you to get to Andrew Ryan. After the BIG twist, you end up killing Andrew and doing everythingFrank wanted you to do. However, after some turmoil, you finally get to make Frank pay for what he's done, and boy does it feel sweet. I've talked a lot about Bioshock, I think it is one of the most engrossing, well-written, atmospheric and brilliant stories of our time, and how the gameportrays the characters, their struggle, the ebb and flow in their conflict, it's almost poetry, to be honest. These villains are just superb in every way. If you don't like them...you are weird.

4. Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII+spin-offs)

To be fair, I haven't played much FF7. However, I'm completely aware of the story, and have played almost every spin-off and in every one, Sephiroth just oozes cool. With his insane sword, flashy do and weird clothes, he sticks out like a sore thumb. He starts off as the typical soldier, stoic, to the point and deadly. However, when he discovers he is just an experiment created by Hojo from the cells of the alien life-form Jenova, he cracks. He goes insane, burns his home town to the ground and goes on a killing spree, with total global destruction as a goal. Pent-up rage, anyone? He is one of the most symbolic villains in gaming, and it helps to have one of the coolest boss themes ever, One-Winged Angel. However, where I first saw Seph was not in FF7, it was as a secret boss in Kingdom Hearts. The boss is just the definition of epic. Insane attacks, awesome music, bucketloads of HP, it's all unforgettable. For all of the reasons above, Sephiroth deserves the highly prestigious 4th place.

3. Bowser (Mario series)

It may be weird to put Bowser above Sephiroth and the Bioshock duo, but I just love this guy. Shockingly enough, he is one of the most human villains I've seen in a game. He's far from perfect, he keeps making mistakes and even ends up helping his archnemesis Mario. He never relents in his endless pursuit of kidnapping Peach, and it can almost be called psychosis, really. When you think about it, in the beginning, why would Bowser want to kidnap Peach? There's no king (why isn't she queen, anyway?), so there's no ransom. Is it just to be with her? That freaks me out a bit. But his tenacity, his charm and humor really make him a unique villain. It's in the Mario RPGs where he really shines, showing his comic sides along with his (rarely) smart side. He really has grown both as a villain and a character, and I hope he just keeps on evolving even further. Bowser forever!

2. Liquid Ocelot (MGS4 (2 and 3 to some extent)) (SPOILERS)

Being old AND cool is a difficult thing. However, both Old Snake and Liquid Ocelot pull it off with gusto. Throughout the MGS series, both Liquid and Ocelot are a pain in Snake's side. Always in the way, it ends up with Ocelot fusing Liquid's hand onto himself, gaining Liquid's mind in the process. Weird? Yes. Awesome? Definitely. In MGS4, he goes for complete domination of the world, by taking down the Patriots. However, the revelation near the end of the game puts everything into a new light. In the epic final fight with Liquid Ocelot, he takes off his coat, revealing one normal hand and one...robotic hand? Yes, Ocelot never actually fused Liquid's hand to his body (meaning he never actually got his mind taken over by Liquid). Instead, Ocelot sacrificed all to adopt Liquid's psyche through repeated hypnosis, to get close to target people and take down the corrupt Patriots, and ultimately track downthe delusional Major Zero, and find Big Boss. I won't go deeper into the storyline (which I feel is the best in gaming history, personally), but the extent to which Ocelot goes to reach his goal is extraordinary. He sacrifices everything for the greater good, feigning villainy to the point of being almost pure evil. That is devotion, and he is more than worthyof the number 2 spot.

1. Seymour Guado (FFX) (SPOILERS)

"Well, if you are offering your lives, I will have to take them!" Seymour is my favorite gaming villain for a number of reasons. For one, he is an absolute psychopath. Not just a simple one, he is delusional in more ways than you can imagine. Having killed his father, slaughtered Maester Kinoc, led everyone to believe that you are heathens and dangers to society and died four times (the fourth being the last), he is crazy through and through. Every battle with him is a combination of action and dialogue; Seymour tries reasoning with you, showing that your actions are futile, that you are just pawns against the threat of Sin. His ultimate goal is to BECOME Sin, therefore being granted the power to destroy all of Spira. At first, he comes off as a kind, intelligent summoner, who also wishes to abolish Sin. But his dark, twisted past isn't kept hidden for long. He is a constant threat, for instance weilding the soul of his own mother as an aeon (the disturbing beast that is Anima), and despite his bizarre physique, clothing and hair-do (not to mention the color of his hair), he is more imposing than most other villains out there. I feel he is a lot like Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. He's subtle, yet his appearance and performance is unforgettable. It can really only be described as delicious. Add to that the mesmerizing but infinitely disturbing voice he has, and you've got a villain to remember. For all of these reasons and more, Seymour is my all-time favorite villain in gaming history.

I hope you enjoyed this list of mine. I'd love to get feedback on what your favorite villains are in the comment section! I bid farewell for now. Adieu.

-Calvinsora