Highlights
- Some video game villains fail to be interesting or entertaining, bombarding players with jokes and clichéd taunts that quickly become tiring.
- Villains like Ardyn Izunia from Final Fantasy 15 and The Rival in the Pokemon series are underwhelming and annoying, making players want to mute their TVs.
- Characters like Hermes in God of War 3 and the Calypso Twins in Borderlands 3 are intentionally annoying, but lack the charm and appeal of their predecessors.
Some people don't know when to shut up. That applies to countless characters in entertainment, video games included. For a large portion of gaming villains, their gimmick involves taunting the heroes. These characters can work, but only if they're interesting or entertaining.
Sadly, a number of villains miss that mark. They may bombard players with jokes and jabs which don't land. On the other hand, they might opt for the clichéd approach of monologuing about their own superiority. Both types are tiring. These villains are not only underwhelming, but they make even the most devout fans want to mute the TV.
6 Ardyn Izunia - Final Fantasy 15
It figures at least one Square Enix villain would be on here. These guys love to monologue, especially in the Final Fantasy series. However, none are more grating than Ardyn Izunia, the evil chancellor from Final Fantasy 15. He constantly leads the heroes from one place to the next, shaking off their suspicions with vague hints and smug retorts about how trustworthy he is. His "slimy aristocrat" routine quickly gets old, which would be bad enough.
Unfortunately, it ascends a new level of annoyance when Noctis infiltrates the imperial capital. He runs around a series of hallways for about two hours, with Ardyn making fun of him the whole way. Since the hero is separated from his friends, he has nothing to offset the sickening taunts. As a result, the villain's condescending tone drills into players' skulls, tainting the entire experience.
5 The Rival - The Pokemon Series
Boyhood rivalries are often petty. That's something that Pokemon captures well, for better or worse. The rivals in these games--particularly the first generation--make it their mission to top the player character. The Pallet Town punk frequently interrupts fans on their journeys to issue an impromptu challenge. Before the battle even starts, he brags about how his Pokemon are tougher. Once he loses, he makes up some excuse and promises to win next time. Rinse and repeat.
It's repetitive seeing him recite the same song and dance. It's even worse given his confidence is entirely unfounded. No matter how many times he loses, he repeats the same immature insults. Players can only wish for a worthier counterpart, as their rival is more pathetic than Team Rocket from the anime. That's no small feat.
4 Hermes - God Of War 3
The gods in the God of War series are thoroughly undeserving of worship. That goes double for Hermes, who's intentionally annoying. The messenger god blessed with super speed, he's the Road Runner to Kratos's Wile E. Coyote. Suffice it to say, he fulfills that role and then some.
Hermes may only appear briefly in God of War 3, but he makes sure players hate him as much as possible within that time. His snotty attitude would get on anyone's nerves. He ridicules Kratos for being so slow, even singing the odd song about killing his family. It's as tasteless as it is tuneless. The routine is like nails on a chalkboard. Thankfully, the God of War catches up and cuts the twerp's legs off. Arguably, fans would be just as happy taking his tongue. The only villain who's even come close in annoyance is Heimdall from Ragnarok.
3 The Calypso Twins - Borderlands 3
Handsome Jack was the scene-stealing villain of Borderlands 2, so the following game attempts to recapture that charm with two wacky baddies instead of one. The problem is that Troy and Tyreen Calypso have all the verbal digs and evil schemes yet none of the appeal. Jack's pettiness and gallows humor had a certain self-awareness about it, but the same can't be said for these siblings.
The Calypso twins come off as a couple of insipid teenagers. They hurl childish comments left and right, and the dumbest things amuse them to no end. They then grind every scene to a screeching halt to express that amusement--usually as part of a topical live stream gimmick. It's more frustrating given how--being too stupid to tie their shoes--they only hamper the heroes because the plot demands it. Thus, they gloat over a victory they didn't earn, giving them all the merit and hilarity of a playground bully.
2 Guilty Spark - The Halo Series
Given how unpleasant he is in Halo, Guilty Spark turning out to be a villain shouldn't be a surprise. This little guy houses a human consciousness within a robotic monitor, meaning he has the intelligence of the ages and the arrogance of a snooty professor. He supposedly wants to help Master Chief through his adventure. To players' chagrin, though, that help consists of talking to him like a toddler. The high-pitched voice doesn't help. Of course, it's worse when his true intentions reveal themselves.
Once Guilty Spark unveils his genocidal nature, he goes on several long-winded lectures about how terrible organic life forms are and why it makes sense for them to die. The casual tone leads one to believe it's meant to be darkly comedic, but the creators never go all the way with this approach. Thus, he's neither menacing nor amusing. Because of that, his pseudo-intellectual speeches feel like wastes of time until players reduce him to scrap.
1 GLaDOS - The Portal Series
That feeling amplifies with Glados. The Portal baddie is basically a more insufferable version of Guilty Spark. That's not only down to the similar appearance, but the demeanor.
The mechanical pest takes every chance to ridicule players for their ignorance. The plethora of puzzles provides the perfect opportunity for such jabs. The developers clearly meant the gimmick to be ironic, but it soon crosses the line into genuine irritation. Enduring an endless barrage of rude remarks from a conceited character isn't funny; it's just distracting, demoralizing, and obnoxious. Fans would like nothing more than to portal her out of their hair.