The Top 25 Video Game Villains of Every Subtype Imaginable

[netizen]

Frank Jr from Arm Wrestling that featured Bald Bull as Mask X.

 

[CC13]

Frank Jr from Arm Wrestling that featured Bald Bull as Mask X.

It is indeed Frank Jr.! How did an arm-wrestling Frankenstein's monster claim the title of #25 Nintendo villain? Set your arm down on the arm wrestling table to find out:

25. Frank Jr. (Arm Wrestling)
Developed & Published By: Nintendo
Platform: Arcade
Year of Release: 1985

Few video game companies are less shy about looking back to their past than Nintendo. From the inclusion of Mr. Game & Watch in Super Smash Bros. Melee & Super Smash Bros. Brawl to reviving the Kid Icarus series with Kid Icarus: Uprising after a 21-year hiatus to reimagining Donkey Kong with the Donkey Kong Country series, Nintendo have used their voluminous back catalog both frequently and well. However, one area of their vast oeuvre has largely been ignored–namely, their surprisingly enjoyable arcade legacy. Although Nintendo internally developed a total of 27 arcade games from 1973 to 1985, only Radar Scope, the original Donkey Kong trilogy and the original Mario Bros. receive very much attention at all, with Radar Scope mostly being infamous as 'that arcade game Nintendo made before Donkey Kong that nobody played' among American gamers, the Donkey Kong arcade games being overshadowed by the aforementioned Donkey Kong Country series and Mario Bros. being mostly forgotten in favor of its super sequel. This is a real shame, as it means that countless gamers over the years have missed out on the Space-Invaders-by-way-of-Robotron action of Sheriff, the high-flying thrills of Sky Skipper, the first two games in the Punch-Out! series and, of course, Arm Wrestling.

Arm Wrestling was Nintendo's last internally developed arcade game, as the company had started to transition away from its arcade and Game & Watch offerings in favor of focusing on its incredibly popular Family Computer or Famicom, which would arrive in North America in 1985 as the Nintendo Entertainment System. The gameplay shares many similarities with the Punch-Out! games, being essentially a series of reflex-intensive puzzles in the form of arm wrestling matches. You push back against your opponent by pressing the Bonus button, but when they start making odd faces, you have to push right to catch them off guard, then waggle the controls back and forth to stun them and then collect the icons that appear over your opponent's head, with money icons adding to your score and exclamation points spotting a letter in P-O-W-E-R; completing P-O-W-E-R allows you to take the offensive, pushing your opponent's arm back and pausing the timer for a few moments. The first one of you to push the other's arm flat against the table wins, but if the timer hits 1:00, your opponent will win by default.

To take your place as arm wrestling champion, you must outmuscle 5 varied opponents: a cowboy named Texas Mac, a sumo wrestler named Kabuki, the mysterious Mask X, a young girl named Alice (who does not wrestle you directly, but rather uses the robotic Ape-3 as a proxy) and, finally, Frank Jr.; in addition, there are two bonus rounds in the first run through the game, during which you must attempt to catch a bag full of money, which adds 50,000 points to your score should you succeed. Texas Mac and Kabuki aren't much to write home about, but things get a little more interesting once you reach Mask X. When I said 'interesting', I really meant 'blatantly against the rules of arm wrestling', as Mask X will start trying to headbutt you once you have him at a disadvantage; however, if you can dodge his flagrantly illegal attack, you can immediately start overpowering him or, if he's nearly, start pulling away his mask, revealing the Punch-Out! opponent Bald Bull underneath. Alice's cheating is even more egregious–when you have almost defeated Ape-3, a magnet will appear at the right side of the screen; you must grab it when it comes within your reach, after which use it to remove Ape-3's right shoulder, thus winning the match, or else Ape-3 will use the magnet's power to overpower you and steal away your victory.

However, both of these opponents' shenanigans pale in comparison to Frank Jr. He will frequently put up his left hand and call out "WAIT!!" If his arm is up when he says "WAIT!!", he will do a normal attack, but if his arm is down, he will instead breathe fire at you, which is an automatic loss if it hits you. Should this occur, you get to see Frank strike a a big ol' man-candy pose in a blue Speedo (no, really). Dodge the fire to the left to counterattack and eventually overcome this highly unconventional arm wrestling champion. After this, the game repeats with harder versions of the same opponents, though Kabuki is absent after the initial run.

Arm Wrestling represents the end of a proud legacy that has since been overshadowed by even greater achievements. Nintendo's reticence about this part of their history is odd, but there may be an explanation. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ikegami Tsushinki, a Japanese manufacturer of television and broadcast equipment, worked as a subcontractor on a number of Japanese arcade games, including several Nintendo releases. After Nintendo released Donkey Kong II, they were sued by Ikegami Tsushinki for having made improper use of the code for Donkey Kong in so doing; the case resolved in 1989, with Nintendo and Ikegami Tsushinki reaching an out-of-court settlement in 1990, the terms of which are unknown. A Retronauts column on Nintendo arcade games speculated that those terms might be part of the reason why Nintendo's arcade games have so rarely come home (the last Nintendo-produced port of Donkey Kong was as part of Donkey Kong 64, which was released in 1999). Personally, I am uncertain how much stock I put into this theory, but either way, I hope that Nintendo acknowledge the arcade game roots of their modern-day success sooner rather than later.

Next Time on The Top 25 Nintendo Villains: This bounty hunter ain't no dog!

 

[netizen]

let's avoid the gannondorf again, and take a wild guess with The Devil from Devil World?

 

[CC13]

let's avoid the gannondorf again, and take a wild guess with The Devil from Devil World?

No, that's not quite right. Here's another clue: the game I have in mind was the second in its series to see an official Western release.

 

[CC13]

No, that's not quite right. Here's another clue: the game I have in mind was the second in its series to see an official Western release.

Hang on just a sec—I completely botched who I had next, so I'll go and change the clue to refer to the proper #24 Nintendo villain. Meanwhile, here's a follow-up to the new clue: the last release in the series the next villain hails from was released in 2010.

 

[netizen]

So 2nd western series clue is poop this round yeah? Cause that really messes with the other 2 clues, especially with the "new" edited one.

So new guess is Star Fox 64 3D, and the villian is Venom with the boss being Andross.

 

[CC13]

So 2nd western series clue is poop this round yeah? Cause that really messes with the other 2 clues, especially with the "new" edited one.

So new guess is Star Fox 64 3D, and the villian is Venom with the boss being Andross.

The 'second Western' clue actually technically still applies, now that I think on it. Star Fox 64 still isn't the right game, though. Here's a second follow-up to the new clue: the protagonist of the series was one of the first high-profile female video game protagonists.

 

[netizen]

[/B]: This bounty hunter ain't no dog!

Here's another clue: the game I have in mind was the second in its series to see an official Western release.

the last release in the series the next villain hails from was released in 2010.

The 'second Western' clue actually technically still applies, now that I think on it. Star Fox 64 still isn't the right game, though. Here's a second follow-up to the new clue: the protagonist of the series was one of the first high-profile female video game protagonists.

Mother Brain ?
metroid series obviously

 

[CC13]

Mother Brain ?
metroid series obviously

It's Metroid, all right, but not Mother Brain. Think of who the final boss was at the end of the second game in the series and you will have your answer.

 

[netizen]

Metroid Queen

 

[CC13]

Metroid Queen

That's the way! How did this terrible titaness take the #24 spot on this countdown? Read on to find out:

24. The Queen Metroid (Metroid II: The Return of Samus)
Developed & Published By: Nintendo
Platform: Game Boy
Year of Release: 1991

Metroid is currently in a strange position in Nintendo's vast array of franchises. The first game is considered a flawed, but classic, game, while Super Metroid and Metroid Prime are both hailed as untouchable classics on their respective consoles. However, the looming specter of Metroid: Other M casts substantial doubt on the future of the franchise. Whether out of disappointment at Samus' submissive portrayal, anger at having to 'unlock' power-ups you technically already had on your person or frustration at the 'unskippable cutscenes' (which actually can be skipped, but only after beating the game), Other M has come in for its share of flack form the gaming community & press. Similarly, Metroid II: The Return of Samus sits strangely in the run of the Metroid series. While usually considered a very good game, it often is criticized for having a much less open world than either the first or third games in the series, as well as the cramped feeling that Samus' very large sprite gives the game world. However, it did bring its own innovations to the table, some of which have become important parts of how Metroid works even today.

The most important gameplay addition that The Return of Samus added to the series was undoubtedly save points. The original game had long, unwieldy passwords, which were relatively common in the days before battery-backed RAM saves were common, but thoroughly outdated even back in 1991. Precise shooting also became much easier, thanks to Samus' newfound abilities of shooting while crouching & straight down whilst in the air. However, the most noticeable change the game brought was to the appearance of Samus' Varia Suit. The original Metroid had Samus turn pink once she equipped the Varia Suit, but the Game Boy's monochrome display did not allow for this, so instead, the design team gave Samus large pauldrons upon her acquisition of the Varia Suit; this design choice has persisted throughout the series, even being Samus' default appearance in the Metroid Prime trilogy, where she starts out with the Varia Suit. The game also marks the debut of the triple-shooting Spazer Laser Beam and the enemy-piercing Plasma Beam, as well as the Space Jump, which allow Samus to perform multiple mid-air jumps; all of these have gone on to become staples of the Metroid franchise.

Metroid II's other major contribution was to Metroid lore. The game is one of only two to show the entire Metroid life cycle (the different types of Metroids you fight are simply different stages of this cycle). The brute fact of knowing that Metroids have a life cycle helps to establish the Metroid universe as something more than just your playground and the Metroids as more than just 'those aliens what I pump missiles into', which is the sort of subtle worldbuilding that has helped to establish Metroid as one of Nintendo's more 'serious' franchises. The ending also contains one of of the pivotal moments of Samus' character, which I feel it prudent to not get into here for spoiler-related reasons.

As to the Queen Metroid herself, you fight her at the end of the game and she proves a worthy opponent indeed. To do any real damage to her, you must stun her while her mouth is open after she lunges at you by firing a missile down her gullet. If you feel exceptionally brave, you can try planting a bomb in her stomach, but you will lose energy VERY quickly from her stomach acid, so time is very much of the essence here. This is a quick way of dealing with the Queen, though, so do bear it in mind if your energy is high.

Metroid has had its ups and downs, especially recently, but there is no longer any reason for Metroid II to be considered one of the downs. The players and critics both appear to agree with me on this one, as Metroid II averaged 4.5/5 from reviewers and sold well enough to be a part of Nintendo's Players' Choice lineup on the Game Boy, with a GBC remake also being in the works at one point. With Metroid II now available on the 3DS eShop for a paltry $3.99, there is absolutely no reason not to take a look for yourself at this intriguing step in the evolution of one of Nintendo's most time-honored franchises.

Next Time on The Top 25 Nintendo Villains: Mamma Mia! The Martians are-a straightening the Tower of Pisa!

 

[CC13]

Next Time on The Top 25 Nintendo Villains: Mamma Mia! The Martians are-a straightening the Tower of Pisa!

OK, I'll admit this clue could have been a bit clearer–what Nintendo game involves both Italians and space aliens? If you still need more help, then know that the villain I had in mind was degraded to a world boss in his game's sequel.

 

[CC13]

OK, I'll admit this clue could have been a bit clearer–what Nintendo game involves both Italians and space aliens? If you still need more help, then know that the villain I had in mind was degraded to a world boss in his game's sequel.

What is it with me and #23 being my unlucky number (I had similar struggles with Flotsam in the last list)? Here's a big clue for you guys: the franchise the correct game hails from had its license applied to two pinball machines in 1992.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Tatanga, from Super Mario Land.

 

[CC13]

Tatanga, from Super Mario Land.

Thanks for the assist, Sean! I had started to fear that I'd have to simply move on without a correct guess. In any event, how did the alien overlord of Sarasaland take the #23 spot? Enquire within and all will be revealed:

23. Tatanga (Super Mario Land)
Developed & Published By: Nintendo
Platform: Game Boy
Year of Release: 1989

By 1989, Mario had firmly cemented his legendary status. With four of the NES' best platformers to his name (even if one wouldn't come stateside for a another year and another would have to wait until 1993 for an official North American release), Mario's star shone brighter with every release. Thus, it was only natural that Nintendo's rising star should help them lead the charge for their first dedicated handheld console. The result was a fun, if overly short (clocking in at a paltry 12 levels), platformer that laid the groundwork for every handheld Mario appearance since.

The plot of the game, as per your standard 2-D platformer conventions, is simple enough: the evil alien warlord known as Tatanga has hypnotized the residents of Sarasaland and kidnapped Princess Daisy so as to marry her. Why he couldn't simply hypnotize her as well is never explained, but either way, Mario must save the day in a land similar to, yet also noticeably different from, his beloved Mushroom Kingdom. Anyone who played one of Mario's earlier adventures should have no trouble acclimating to most of what Sarasaland has on offer, from warping into hidden areas through pipes to stomping on most enemies to dispatch them, but the operative word here is, as you may have guessed, 'most'. Several major differences help Sarasaland stand out from Mario's usual stomping grounds (no pun intended).

The most superficial of these is that instead of 1-Up Mushrooms, you collect hearts (or 100 coins) to gain extra lives. This is due to the limited color palette of the original Game Boy. On the NES, 1-Up Mushrooms could be differentiated from Super Mushrooms by color, but this could not be done on the Game Boy, so instead, while mushrooms still make you super, only hearts can give you extra lives. As previously noted, this mechanic would carry on into the successor Wario Land series, though hearts would function more like coins for purposes of acquiring lives.

A more important difference is that Sarasaland substitutes Superball Flowers for Fire Flowers. The Superball functions much like the familiar Fireball, but it bounces around much more, which allows for tricky shots that you could not do with a standard Fire Flower. Be careful where you shoot, though–you can only have one Superball on screen at a time, so if you get it caught in an endless loop, you'll have to wait several seconds for it to disappear before you can fire again. Also, they are the only safe way to dispose of Bombshell Koopas and the only way to destroy Pionpis, so they are immensely useful throughout the game.

However, the most radical change to the Mario formula is seen in stages 2-3 and 4-3, where Mario takes to a submarine (the Marine Pop) and a WWI-era biplane (the Sky Pop), respectively, into battle for an unexpected shift from a platforming game to a side-scrolling shoot-'em-up. Though fairly cut & dried, these segments represent the beginning of Mario's exploration of almost every video game genre known to man, including RPGs, kart racing, mascot fighters, edutainment & pinball, amongst others. As 4-3 is the final stage of the game, this means that the final boss battle against Tatanga and his robotic spaceship Pagosu takes place in the Sky Pop, as if to try and break Super Mario Land off from the main Super Mario series. However, Tatanga must not have had enough from the Sky Pop's infinite supply of missiles, as he returns in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the level boss of Space Zone, where he can be dispatched with three well-placed stomps; he apparently learned his lesson after that, as he has never bothered the Mario Brothers since.

Super Mario Land may seem dated by modern standards and it kind of is, but we can see the roots of where Mario would go in later games. As my examples above showed, Gunpei Yokoi understood exactly how to make Mario work on the small screen, with a phenomenal strength for working around technical limitations, a willingness to riff on elements that series veterans had long since become familiar with and the ability to take Mario to forms of gameplay he had never seen before. As Shigeru Miyamoto was largely Yokoi's protege, it seems likely that he learned those principles from Yokoi and has applied them to our great delight for many years. Others may come to resent the Mario games, but though I do think Nintendo could stand to diversify their output somewhat, I wouldn't wish a video gaming world without Mario on anybody.

Next Time on The Top 25 Nintendo Villains: Now where'd I put my Rolling Shield?

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

Assuming you want the main villain and not the actual one with the Rolling Cutter, Dr. Wily from Mega Man.

 

[CC13]

Assuming you want the main villain and not the actual one with the Rolling Cutter, Dr. Wily from Mega Man.

I actually meant to say Rolling Shield, not Rolling Cutter. Either way, though, the not-so-good doctor is a Capcom-owned character, despite Mega Man's announcement for SSB4 (though I do think Nintendo would treat him better than Capcom have these past few years). Here's a follow-up on the corrected clue: the game I have in mind has been re-released on the Game Boy, GBA & DS and also as part of the Nintendo Mini Classics line of LCD handhelds.

 

[Sean DonCarlos]

No wonder my guesses are coming out of left field: I thought you were ranging over any villain in any game that had ever appeared on a Nintendo platform. Had I known you were strictly staying with Nintendo's own villains, I could have spared you the Ultima-related guess a while ago.

Unfortunately, since you've corrected your clue, I no longer have any idea what you're talking about with this one.

 

[CC13]

No wonder my guesses are coming out of left field: I thought you were ranging over any villain in any game that had ever appeared on a Nintendo platform. Had I known you were strictly staying with Nintendo's own villains, I could have spared you the Ultima-related guess a while ago.

Unfortunately, since you've corrected your clue, I no longer have any idea what you're talking about with this one.

Actually, I don't think Ultima II ever appeared on a Nintendo platform. Exodus, Quest of the Avatar and Warriors of Destiny all received NES ports, while The False Prophet was ported to the Super NES, which also received the two Runes of Virtue titles. Anyway, I ought to have expected some confusion of this sort with these lists, since most people don't think about video games in quite the terms I do. Let's see if I can't also clear up a little more confusion on our next villain: the villain I have in mind makes an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a certain character's Final Smash.

Also, I would like to take a moment to announce that I will run a mystery list alongside my fourth main list. To be told what it is, you'll need to score 3 points before the end of The Top 25 Western Console & Arcade Game Villains of the 1990s, while anyone who scores 7 points will have their own take on the mystery list posted alongside mine and anyone who scores 10 points will also have their commentary on my list posted with each entry. Those of you who have scored an aggregate of at least 3 points should hear from me shortly...

 

[netizen]

Rolling Shield still points to Mega Man. But as you say that's a Capcom franchise.