Summary
With almost 8,000games and countless classics, the PlayStation 1 was not hurting for great games. And one thing that a great game needs is a great villain, which the PS1 was in no short supply of. But for all the much-deserved hype that villains like Sephiroth and Albert Wesker get, some PS1 villains that were just as compelling or nasty got lost in the tsunami of praise.
An underrated villain is one that did not receive the praise it should have. These villains may have appeared in famous games but were snuffed out by more successful titles in the same genre, or others may have simply been in fabulous games that didn’t manage to become household names. The unfortunate part of the PS1’s runaway success was that many of its most intriguing characters got left in the shadows of others, but these villains are still worth rooting against.
AsSilent HillandResident Evilclashed throughout the 90s in the horror genre battleground, it’s fair to say thatREmanaged to gain the upper hand in many ways, and one of them was via the villains. Perhaps the most often forgotten villain from not onlySilent Hillbut the entirety of the 90s was Dahlia Gillespie, the leader of the cult known as The Order, one that has deepties to the sinister town.
This charismatic commander of The Order is one of the genre’s most underrated villains, as her darkly alluring voice pulls listeners into her deeply unsettling intentions towards Harry’s daughter, Cheryl. This wicked woman is a haunting reminder of whatSilent Hillused to be, and she is one of the PS1’s most underappreciated villains.
While the PS1 is home to many antagonists that err on the side of serious and moral complexity, it’s Doctor Neo Cortex fromCrash Bandicootthat often gets forgotten in the annals of PS1 villainy. The maniacal evil scientist is introduced as the creator of Crash himself, born out of the Evolvo-Ray in order to lead his army.
Unfortunately, Cortex hasn’t been recognized as much among his PS1 peers. Others have gone on to be megastars, with villains like Sephiroth even appearing in spin-offsfrom other companies, but Cortex has been sadly relegated to C-level status. It’s unfortunate because his unflinching villainy and delightful cheesy dialogue are some of the best of the era.
These days, it’s hard to say that Lara Croft has a nemesis. TheSurvivor Trilogyfocused on her strugglesagainst Trinity, but that group wasn’t as compelling as it perhaps could have been. One thing that may be missing was a singular entity for Lara to fight, which is exactly what she had during the PS1 era with Jacquline Natla.
WhileTomb Raideritself broke new ground by having a female protagonist, it did just as much by having a well-written and competent female villain. Natla has a brilliant sense of charm about her, which makes her primary plan to perform a twisted natural selection event on humanity all the more devious.
Despite being one ofthe PS1’s best games,Parasite Evedidn’t quite reach the level of success that Square wanted. As a result, the series has been long forgotten with seemingly no signs of a return, leaving the lead antagonist, Eve, sadly unappreciated.
Influenced by the Mitochondrial Eve theory, where all humans descend from a singular woman, she terrorizes hero, Aya Brea, throughout the game. Her haunting transformations over the course ofParasite Eveare frightening and beautiful all at the same time. Eve is one of the PS1’s most unique and intriguing villains.
Vagrant Storywas one of the PS1’s most fascinating titles, butit sadly did not survivethe still ongoing wave of hype thatFinal Fantasy 7created. The flood of JRPGs meant that many, includingVagrant Story, weren’t played or even seen by most PS1 owners, which is a shame, as they missed out on one of the console’s best villains in Sydney Losstarot.
Sydney is the leader of a cult known as Mullenkamp, one that he has complete control and dominance over. His followers are devoted to him completely, as evidenced by just how charming he can be, even just speaking in text boxes as opposed to having a voice actor. Sydney doesn’t get near the amount of praise he deserves as one of the PS1’s most fascinating villains.
In aFinal Fantasygame with as many amazing characters asFF9has (especially themain party and supporting cast), it’s not hard to imagine how a character like Kuja would be forgotten. Indeed, otherFinal Fantasygames on the PS1 would have villains like Sephiroth and Sorceress Edea that would become mainstays in the franchise, but Kuja was destined to be pushed out of the spotlight.
This all-powerful mage is initially presented as a shadowy figure behind the scenes but emerges in one ofFinal Fantasy 9’smost chilling moments as he begins to stoke the fires of war. Kuja’s dialogue is some of the best of any villain in the franchise, as his elegant words hide a true monster underneath.
