Summary
Villainous organizations have been a part of video games for a long time, as a large-scale group of antagonists working together against the protagonists can do an excellent job of upping the scale and threat level. And due to the number of different video game genres that are out there, there’s a healthy amount of variety between these organizations, as many of them have massively different goals that they’re looking to achieve.
Whether it’sUmbrella’s quest for scientificperfection and dominance at the cost of everything else, or Shinra’s mission to drain the planet of all its resources due to corporate greed, villain organizations in games have a long history of using force and might to win. These organizations have ranged from massive, multi-billion dollar corporations to small, almost cult-like groups, making life miserable for some of gaming’s greatest heroes.
Who Wants to Live Forever?
Your Mission: Assume the role of Cate Archer, a beautiful but deadly operative working for UNITY – a super secret organization fighting to free the world from the clutches of H.A.R.M. From tense subterfuge to in-your-face combat, No One Lives Forever ups the ante for plot-driving, 1960’s-influenced spy action with killer weapons, vivid international locations and deadly arch villains. Equipped with an arsenal of powerful weapons and ingenious gadgets, you must unravel a mystery that will lead you halfway around the world in a desperate search for answers.
Try not to blow your cover…or your cool.
• 15 missions across 60 levels. Unique situations worthy of any super spy – skydive from a plummeting airliner, fight off killer sharks and explore twisted jungles!
• Ride motorcycles and snowmobiles through vast, realistic landscapes and environments rich with texture and detail.
• Choose your weapons carefully: an AK-47 assault rifle and a 9mm silenced automatic or an M79 grenade launcher and a silent but deadly crossbow with sniper scope.
• Use stealth to take down the enemy from a distance or charge in with guns blazing.
• Smart enemies move and react with striking realism. Watch them seek cover, respond to suspicious sounds or launch coordinated attacks.
• Multiplay for up to 16 players. Take your chances in an all-or-nothing Good vs. Evil multiplayer game or go head-to-head in deathmatch mode. Choose from over 30 different characters.
Led by a man known only as The Director, H.A.R.M. is the key antagonistic force seen in theNo One Lives Foreverseries, a pair of spectacularfirst-person shooters from the 2000sstarring super spy Cate Archer. After lurking in the shadows during the first game, The Director takes center stage in the sequel,A Spy In H.A.R.M.’s Way, and the organization becomes much more fully formed as a result.
Drawing from James Bond and other spy media,No One Lives Forever’s use of a wide-reaching criminal organization with a charismatic leader is spot-on in its spoof of the genre. H.A.R.M. makes use of elite agents, advanced weaponry, and subterfuge to gain world dominance, challenged at every turn by Cate. This nefarious spy group is still one of gaming’s greatest villain organizations and is long overdue for a return to the spotlight.
Cerberus briefly appears inthe firstMass Effectgame, but they don’t become full-fledged villains to Commander Shepard until the sequel, where the player comes face to face with its leader, The Illusive Man. Their impact on theMass Effectuniverse is crucial, as The Illusive Man plays a major part in Cerberus' abandonment of the Alliance, all while the group begins experimenting on the Rachni and furthering an anti-alien, human supremacist agenda.
Cerberus' conflict with Shepard takes center stage inMass Effect 2, as The Illusive Man’s creation of the Lazarus Project allows the war hero to survive a Collector attack at the beginning of the game. This rich, complex relationship helps to further cast Cerbrus in a fascinating light, as their desire to keep humanity at the top, no matter the cost, makes them endlessly compelling villains. Add in just how charismatic The Illusive Man is, and you’ve got a villain that is still one of the industry’s best.
Despite its name, the Healing Church is anything but, as this group from FromSoftware’sBloodborneis easily one of the nastiest organizations to ever exist in video games. Founded by Laurence, the First Vicar, theHealing Church discovered the Old Bloodand slowly went mad over time, resulting in their methods evolving into human experimentation and a deadly war with Castle Cainhurst that resulted in the Vilebloods being driven into the depths.
InBloodborne, the Healing Church is one of the many nefarious forces working against the Hunter, as they are ultimately responsible for the curse that left Old Yharnam in shambles. The Hunter’s quest sees them come into conflict with numerous members of the Church, including the deranged Micolash and Vicar Amelia, as the player’s descent into darkness is hampered at every turn by this sinister cult.
The Patriots are first introduced inMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, but within the confines of the entire saga, they have been pulling the strings since the early 1970s, when they originated as the Philosophers. Founded by Zero and Ocelot, the acquisition of a large slush fund put together by the world’s greatest superpowers allowed The Patriots to become the fully formed group of supervillains they would later become.
Seeking to control the flow of information and write history to serve their own needs, The Patriots would enact dangerous acts of violence and cloning, showing zero empathy or concern about what their actions could lead to. The Patriots are a fascinating group, as their dark deeds are not confined to a single game, but rather stretch across decades of history, bringing them into conflict with multiple generations of heroes. They are a unique, massively threatening group of villains that has had a direct influence on the events of nearly every game in theMetal Gearseries over the past 25 years.
Max Payneis a game that brilliantly combines true crime with an element of surrealism and dark humor, showcasing just how innovative the developers at Remedy are.The tragic tale of Max Payneand his descent into darkness is still one of the most incredible stories in gaming, and when it came time to put a face to the ones behind Max’s suffering, they pulled from Norse mythology for the aptly named Aesir Corporation.
Casting the insidious Nicole Horne, played by writer Sam Lake’s mother, as its figurehead, Aesir figures into all the events that unfold inMax Payne. They are ultimately responsible for the murder of Max’s family, as well as the distribution of the drug Valkyr onto the streets of New York, racking up a litany of horrific offenses. Nicole Horne is a fabulous lead villain, as her sinister voice and cold-blooded attitude make her the perfect one to lead Aesir.
Founded in the late 1960s by the trio of Oswell Spencer, James Marcus and Edward Ashford, the Umbrella Corporation is one of the most iconic villain organizations in the industry and has remained a prominent force in theResident Evilseries since 1996. Their hideous experiments on humans and the creation of the T-virus led to a global outbreak, the result of which saw Raccoon City wiped off the map and the world thrown into chaos.
Umbrella’s villainy has targeted every protagonist in theResident Evilfranchise, even in the wake of their dissolution after the events ofCode: Veronica,as companies like Tricellformed in the aftermath and continued their experiments. Their dark history has influenced the entireResident Evilfranchise, as they were responsible for an unthinkable amount of death and destruction over the years, solidifying them as one of the deadliest fictional organizations in video games.
Final Fantasyhas routinely used its stories to explore themes and topics that affect humanity, and with the seventh mainline entry, Square created what is still the most legendary evil organization in gaming.The Shinra Electric Power Companyfirst appeared inFinal Fantasy 7, where they are shown as a sprawling megacorporation with interests not just in money, but in the very soul of the planet itself.
Their greed and lust for more power drive their ambitions, as they have built towering structures designed to suck mako energy, the very lifeblood of the planet, to power their experiments and continued quest for the Promised Land. Their utilization of mako is horrifying to think about, as they used it to create supersoldiers and much darker experiments, while also using fear and paranoia to cast Avalanche as eco-terrorists and start a war with Wutai. They are the worst of the worst, using money and power to marginalize their citizens to profit off their misfortune, easily making them the worst villain organization in video game history.
