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The Top 25 Video Game Villains of Every Subtype Imaginable
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<blockquote data-quote="CC13" data-source="post: 142890" data-attributes="member: 1151"><p>That is indeed what I was going for! What makes Dark Matter such an imposing for for everyone's favorite one tough cream puff? Read on to find out:</p><p></p><p>12. Dark Matter (Kirby's Dream Land 2)</p><p>Developed By: HAL Laboratory</p><p>Published By: Nintendo</p><p>Platform: Game Boy</p><p>Year of Release: 1995</p><p></p><p>Since its inception in 1992, the Kirby series has been known as a kinder, gentler sort of platformer than most of its fellows in the genre. Though 100% completion often proves a daunting task, simply getting to the end of the game is rarely a difficult feat (though odds are good that you will end up getting a bad ending unless you achieved the aforementioned 100% completion). This lighter and softer brand of gameplay is well-represented in the aesthetics of the games themselves, from the pink puffball himself to the usually upbeat soundtrack to the series' minor health items taking the form of sweets. Even the enemies rarely look threatening, with common enemy Waddle Dee even taking up the fight alongside Kirby in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, with spear in hand and bandana on brow.</p><p></p><p>However, the big bads of the Kirby series prove a major exception to this pattern. Starting with Kirby's Adventure, Kirby has faced off with a panoply of eldritch abominations, including Kirby's Adventure end boss Nightmare, Milky Way Wishes machinator Marx, needle-wielding sorcerer Yin-Yarn from Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby-splitting fiend Necrodeus from Kirby Mass Attack. However, one force stands above the rest for their tenacity, their disturbing appearance and their sheer ruthlessness: Dark Matter.</p><p></p><p>What makes Dark Matter stand out among Kirby's crowded rogues' gallery? It all starts with their wonderfully disturbing base design, with a single unblinking eye peering out from a blob of inky blackness. HAL wasn't done yet, though, as this design gets an even more unnerving tweak when you fight Zero Two at the end of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. Initially, Zero Two takes an angelic form, but once you wail on him for a bit, the to-be-expected form of a single all-seeing eye makes its appearance. As if a single floating eye weren't creepy enough, somebody at HAL Laboratory decided it would be a great idea to have Zero Two's eye be crying tears of blood.</p><p></p><p>In addition to a memorable design, Dark Matter are also known among Kirby fans for their deviousness. Dark Matter only makes their presence known if pressed, preferring instead to possess another character and work through them. King Dedede was the Dark Matter's victim of choice in Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby's Dream Land 3 and a secondary possession victim in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, but in that game, the Queen Fairy of Ripple Star, who was the one who sent Ribbon out to find you in the first place, is the primary victim and can only be freed from her possession by collecting all 72 Crystal Shards, which enables Kirby to blast the possessed Queen with a ray of light that drives Zero Two and his Dark Matter out of her.</p><p></p><p>Finally, Dark Matter have faced Kirby more than any other antagonist, with 3 confirmed canonical appearances under their belt: Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land 3 and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. In addition, Dark Matter may also have links to up to 3 other titles in the Kirby series. Many fans of the Kirby series also link Dark Matter to Kirby's Return to Dream Land, theorizing that one of them possessed the final antagonist of that title, while the official 20th anniversary Kirby guidebook released in Japan strongly suggests that Squeak Squad final boss Dark Nebula may also be a part of the forces of Dark Matter. Finally, the original Dark Matter makes a return appearance in Kirby Quest, an RPG-themed Kirby Mass Attack sub-game, where he is the final boss.</p><p></p><p>Why has Dark Matter proven so enduring? In many ways, they represent the opposite of what Kirby stands for. If one thinks about where the inspiration for Kirby's signature power-copying ability came from, the most likely answer is that the concept of a child playing dress-up. Masahiro Sakurai clearly intended for his audience to view Kirby as an innocent, childlike figure, with Kirby: Right Back At Ya! even making him almost infant-like by making him almost entirely non-verbal. Furthermore, as Kirby can easily discard an unwanted power to acquire a new one, the spirit of the two is largely the same–that is to say, trying on new identities without needing to feel particularly attached to any particular one. Therefore, it stands to reason that Dark Matter stands for the mysterious, frightening ways of the adult world, even possessing the power to make Kirby's friends act in ways he knows they normally never would.</p><p></p><p>So far, this all should be pretty straightforward, but here's where things get interesting. Why, precisely, would a childlike Sugar Bowl like Popstar draw so many forces representing the adult world to it? Though one can scarcely say for certain, one distinct possibility is that those forces are after Kirby himself...but why would that be? Could Kirby possibly have once been part of Dark Matter? Such a proposal may seem outré, but it would not be without precedent—in Kirby's Dream Land 3, Gooey, the Player 2 character, is canonically a former minion of Dark Matter. Furthermore, it would explain both the source of Kirby's powers and his surprising amount of volition for such a childlike, even infantile, entity.</p><p></p><p>What does this all add up to? Since we already established that Dark Matter are a stand-in for the seemingly terrifying adult world from a child's perspective, then if Kirby is a deserter from Dark Matter, then that means that he wants to return to a more childlike state. If Dark Matter are still pursuing Kirby, then that means that they do not approve of his desertion. Thus, the pieces fall into place: the 'point' of the Kirby series, so to speak, is that, however much lip service society gives to the notion of rediscovering your inner child, the world will give you grief for actually going ahead with that, but if you do go ahead with it, the gains in adaptability and insight will easily mad up for any negative societal consequences you might face.</p><p></p><p>Thus, we see why Dark Matter have achieved such a lofty place in the halls of Nintendo villainy. With a solid design, effective scheming, several appearances and undertones to their games that resonate with many older Nintendo fans, Dark Matter make a strong showing and reign supreme amongst Kirby's antagonists.</p><p></p><p><strong>Next Time on The Top 25 Nintendo Villains</strong>: I HAVE FURY!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CC13, post: 142890, member: 1151"] That is indeed what I was going for! What makes Dark Matter such an imposing for for everyone's favorite one tough cream puff? Read on to find out: 12. Dark Matter (Kirby's Dream Land 2) Developed By: HAL Laboratory Published By: Nintendo Platform: Game Boy Year of Release: 1995 Since its inception in 1992, the Kirby series has been known as a kinder, gentler sort of platformer than most of its fellows in the genre. Though 100% completion often proves a daunting task, simply getting to the end of the game is rarely a difficult feat (though odds are good that you will end up getting a bad ending unless you achieved the aforementioned 100% completion). This lighter and softer brand of gameplay is well-represented in the aesthetics of the games themselves, from the pink puffball himself to the usually upbeat soundtrack to the series' minor health items taking the form of sweets. Even the enemies rarely look threatening, with common enemy Waddle Dee even taking up the fight alongside Kirby in Kirby's Return to Dream Land, with spear in hand and bandana on brow. However, the big bads of the Kirby series prove a major exception to this pattern. Starting with Kirby's Adventure, Kirby has faced off with a panoply of eldritch abominations, including Kirby's Adventure end boss Nightmare, Milky Way Wishes machinator Marx, needle-wielding sorcerer Yin-Yarn from Kirby's Epic Yarn and Kirby-splitting fiend Necrodeus from Kirby Mass Attack. However, one force stands above the rest for their tenacity, their disturbing appearance and their sheer ruthlessness: Dark Matter. What makes Dark Matter stand out among Kirby's crowded rogues' gallery? It all starts with their wonderfully disturbing base design, with a single unblinking eye peering out from a blob of inky blackness. HAL wasn't done yet, though, as this design gets an even more unnerving tweak when you fight Zero Two at the end of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. Initially, Zero Two takes an angelic form, but once you wail on him for a bit, the to-be-expected form of a single all-seeing eye makes its appearance. As if a single floating eye weren't creepy enough, somebody at HAL Laboratory decided it would be a great idea to have Zero Two's eye be crying tears of blood. In addition to a memorable design, Dark Matter are also known among Kirby fans for their deviousness. Dark Matter only makes their presence known if pressed, preferring instead to possess another character and work through them. King Dedede was the Dark Matter's victim of choice in Kirby's Dream Land 2 and Kirby's Dream Land 3 and a secondary possession victim in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, but in that game, the Queen Fairy of Ripple Star, who was the one who sent Ribbon out to find you in the first place, is the primary victim and can only be freed from her possession by collecting all 72 Crystal Shards, which enables Kirby to blast the possessed Queen with a ray of light that drives Zero Two and his Dark Matter out of her. Finally, Dark Matter have faced Kirby more than any other antagonist, with 3 confirmed canonical appearances under their belt: Kirby's Dream Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land 3 and Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. In addition, Dark Matter may also have links to up to 3 other titles in the Kirby series. Many fans of the Kirby series also link Dark Matter to Kirby's Return to Dream Land, theorizing that one of them possessed the final antagonist of that title, while the official 20th anniversary Kirby guidebook released in Japan strongly suggests that Squeak Squad final boss Dark Nebula may also be a part of the forces of Dark Matter. Finally, the original Dark Matter makes a return appearance in Kirby Quest, an RPG-themed Kirby Mass Attack sub-game, where he is the final boss. Why has Dark Matter proven so enduring? In many ways, they represent the opposite of what Kirby stands for. If one thinks about where the inspiration for Kirby's signature power-copying ability came from, the most likely answer is that the concept of a child playing dress-up. Masahiro Sakurai clearly intended for his audience to view Kirby as an innocent, childlike figure, with Kirby: Right Back At Ya! even making him almost infant-like by making him almost entirely non-verbal. Furthermore, as Kirby can easily discard an unwanted power to acquire a new one, the spirit of the two is largely the same–that is to say, trying on new identities without needing to feel particularly attached to any particular one. Therefore, it stands to reason that Dark Matter stands for the mysterious, frightening ways of the adult world, even possessing the power to make Kirby's friends act in ways he knows they normally never would. So far, this all should be pretty straightforward, but here's where things get interesting. Why, precisely, would a childlike Sugar Bowl like Popstar draw so many forces representing the adult world to it? Though one can scarcely say for certain, one distinct possibility is that those forces are after Kirby himself...but why would that be? Could Kirby possibly have once been part of Dark Matter? Such a proposal may seem outré, but it would not be without precedent—in Kirby's Dream Land 3, Gooey, the Player 2 character, is canonically a former minion of Dark Matter. Furthermore, it would explain both the source of Kirby's powers and his surprising amount of volition for such a childlike, even infantile, entity. What does this all add up to? Since we already established that Dark Matter are a stand-in for the seemingly terrifying adult world from a child's perspective, then if Kirby is a deserter from Dark Matter, then that means that he wants to return to a more childlike state. If Dark Matter are still pursuing Kirby, then that means that they do not approve of his desertion. Thus, the pieces fall into place: the 'point' of the Kirby series, so to speak, is that, however much lip service society gives to the notion of rediscovering your inner child, the world will give you grief for actually going ahead with that, but if you do go ahead with it, the gains in adaptability and insight will easily mad up for any negative societal consequences you might face. Thus, we see why Dark Matter have achieved such a lofty place in the halls of Nintendo villainy. With a solid design, effective scheming, several appearances and undertones to their games that resonate with many older Nintendo fans, Dark Matter make a strong showing and reign supreme amongst Kirby's antagonists. [B]Next Time on The Top 25 Nintendo Villains[/B]: I HAVE FURY! [/QUOTE]
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