DigitalBattle.com

Good villains are hard to come by these days, but the baddest villains make a place for themselves in our hearts, both of love and hatred. A classic example can be Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII: gamers love his coolness and style, while he is hated for being responsible for probably the most touching death scene in a game. Computerworld takes a look at the quintessential villains from games, listing the very baddest ones. Here’s a sample:

Across two millennia, the lives of 12 heroes become intertwined. The last hero’s ultimate objective: slay the first.

When the Eternal Darkness begins with players assuming the role of Pious Augustus, a Roman Centurion in the year 26 B.C., they don’t know that he will soon become the tool of the Cthulu-like ancient gods, setting in motion machinations that will take 2000 years to realize.

The possession of Pious makes him an incontrovertible foe to generations of chosen defenders as they fight to prevent a new dark age from descending upon the Earth.

Throughout the eras, Pious the Lich uses magic, weaponry and deception. One chapter of the game comes to a sudden conclusion in the depths of a hallowed cathedral, when the unholy Pious orders a monstrous guardian to simply flatten the player underfoot. Pious later assaults heroine Alexandra’s fragile emotional state by impersonating her deceased grandfather, perverting her memories of her only known family.

Throughout it all, gamers cannot deny their own complicity: They once were Pious and unknowingly set him down this dark path. It’s now their responsibility to put right what they have put wrong.