Summary
While many games on the previous gen had featured 3D settings and voice acting, the PS2 featured increased storage space that allowed for more life to be injected into these characters. As they often do, villains knew how to take advantage of the situation and gave themselves every opportunity to become the best the industry has seen. Villains were able to go from terrorizing the heroes through text boxes and occasional voice actors on the PS1, to experiencing the full range of emotions that the upgraded hardware of the PS2 offered.
But while the PS2 may have been able to stake its claim as the best-selling video game console of all time with one ofthe greatest software libraries ever, some of its best antagonists remain largely forgotten. As the PS2 is home to some of the greatest games of all time, it was hard to stand out on a console that featured villains like Xehanort fromKingdom Heartsand superstars like The Boss fromSnake Eater. But even with all of their villainous peers standing in their way, they were still just as compelling and intriguing as their more famous counterparts.
Killer7is easily one of the most underrated games of its generation, as it forms the basis of the Capcom Five, a collection of games designed to boost hardware sales. WhileKiller7was relegated to being mostly forgotten, its main antagonist Kun Lan suffered the exact same fate.
The leader of a terrorist organization known as Heaven Smile, this sharply-dressed and brilliantly written villain never quite got the credit he truly deserved. His creator,the legendary Suda51, would eventually go on to create even more fascinating villains, but Kun Lan remains one of his most forgotten and fabulous creations.
Drakengardwas a series that never quite managed to achieve the recognition it deserved, but its creator Yoko Taro would go on to evengreater success with theNieRgames. These muted results meant that one of the PS2’s greatest villains, Manah from the firstDrakengard, went sadly under the radar.
Manah is a member of the Cult of the Watchers, commanding an entire army and making use of powerful telepathic abilities. This sneering, pint-sized antagonist is one of the PS2’s most forgotten villains who would later become the protagonist of the second game.
Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturneis one of the PS2’sgreatest and most challenging RPGs, but the focus always tends to be on the demons and monsters when it comes to villains. Characters like Lucifer tend to get the most of the mind share, but Hikawa is easilySMT3’sgreatest and most underappreciated villain.
As the one who organizes and sets the events of Conception, the world-ending event that jumpstarts the story ofNocturne, Hikawa isn’t often given the credit he deserves. His devil-may-care attitude and excellent dialogue make for a fantastic enemy, but one that often gets passed over on theSMTvillain hierarchy.
Afterthe firstSilent Hillgame, Konami took the franchise in a different direction for the sequel and ultimately left the cult storyline surrounding The Order in the shadows. But the third game brought that back in full force, introducing the newest leader in the form of Claudia Wolf.
Clashing with one ofSilent Hill’smost popular protagonists in the form of Heather Mason, Claudia has been lost in the shuffle of other great villains from the series like Pyramid Head. But her motivation and disdain for humanity has driven her to create a new paradise. Through a brilliantly subtle performance by Donna Burke, Claudia remainsSilent Hill’smost tragically forgotten villain.
In terms of PS2 games,Rule of Rosemay be the one that gets forgotten the most. This deeply disturbing and morally complex survival horror game is one that deals with someincredibly dark subject matterbut does so in a very classy way. One of the best examples is the way it handles its lead villain, the deceptively innocent Wendy. Introduced as a little girl who is the only source of positivity towards player character Jennifer, Wendy is presented as something truly innocent in a world full of evil.
Her turn and reveal as the villain is one of PS2’s greatest moments, but one that is unfortunately not as popular as it could be due toRule of Rose’sobscurity. The controversy and low sales put Rule of Rose in an awkward position, as it failed to achieve the status of its peers. Despite all that, Wendy remains one of the PS2’s most fascinating and sadly forgotten villains in a game that is in desperate need of a remaster of some sort.
