2014's Greatest Video Game Villains

2014 turned out to be a fantastic year for video game releases, but none of their stories would be worthwhile without a great villain to drive them. Here's a look back at some last year's greatest, most ruthless, personalities that players learn to love, hate, or both.

WARNING: Some Spoilers Ahead

Chef Fujimoto - Octodad: Dadliest Catch

It's a special kind of personality that obsessively want to "out" a cephalopod disguised as a human being, but Chef Fujimoto takes it a few steps further. Not only does he want to reveal Octodad's true nature to an unsuspecting world and family, he wants to chop him up and eat him shortly afterwards. Taking for granted that Octodad is actually a fairly productive, albeit clumsy, member of society, the guy wants to kill and serve up sentient being in front of his family, thereby leaving the family fatherless and full of questions about nature. Not to mention whether or not eating sushi is a form of cannibalism. That's plain cold on so many levels.

Bloody Mary - The Wolf Among Us

Sadist? Check. Scary? Check. Powerful? Check. Bloody Mary from The Wolf Among Us is all these things and more. Acting as The Crooked Man's enforcer, and made from the stuff of nightmares, Bloody Mary is feared by almost everyone in Fabletown's underbelly. She can travel virtually anywhere or listen in through mirrors, and has a nasty surprise in store when a mirror is broken. She nearly kills Bigby in the game, which pretty much makes him angry for revenge. Although The Crooked Man might be the mysterious one in charge, Bloody Mary is the axe-swinging right hand that makes his hold over Fabletown's disenfranchised possible.

Pagan Min - Far Cry 4

So far as crazed, sociopathic, flamboyantly dressed dictators go, none can match Pagan Min. As the dissatisfied son of a drug boss, Pagan's ambitions drove him to greater heights. Eventually, he was able to gather the resources to fund a private army, take over the nation of Kyrat, and declare himself king. From there, he seeks to build one of the biggest drug empires the world has ever seen. However, he's quite ambivalent toward Ajay when he threatens to destroy everything Pagan has built, and even radios in with friendly advice every so often. It turns out, that outfit has some layers to it.

General Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse - Wolfenstein: The New Order

A genius and sadist in one, Deathshead truly earns his nickname. As a regular villain the Wolfenstein series, Strasse is the head of the SS Special Projects division. In The New Order, he's likely the one who developed the advanced technology that won the war for the Nazis. However, players are likely to remember him most for presenting Blazkowicz with the choice of which of his comrades should be tortured to death, making The New Order both a sci-fi war tale and one of long-awaited revenge.

Jonathan Irons - Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

War might be hell, but it pays well. Jonathan Irons may have earned his wealth and power by renting out his massive private army to other nations, but he envisions a future without war--or nations to declare them. With a Bond-villain-esque plan to rid the world of governments, and have the people looked after by his well-equipped soldiers instead, this is a character that might not have worked were it not for Kevin Spacey's likeness and excellent performance. With Spacey's acting skills, Irons becomes charismatic and memorable villain.

Nemesis - Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor

Spoiler Alert: It's disappointing, but The Black Hand of Sauron, along with both The Tower and The Hammer (Black Captains), are nowhere near as badass as they might appear to be. However, players should keep a close eye on the lower-ranking captains occupying Mordor and enslaving its people. Although they're not the ones in charge, they make up the Sauron's front line effort, and it's not uncommon to run into more than one at a time. Each has distinct abilities that grow each time they win a power struggle or kill the Gravewalker, and specific weaknesses to exploit. Not to mention, sometimes killing them once isn't enough. Once in a while, an orc will survive an attack and return as a Nemesis seeking revenge. War Captains are the biggest threats in Mordor due to their numbers, diversity, and knack for showing up when you least expect them.

William Carver - The Walking Dead: Season 2

In the world of The Walking Dead, rival survivor groups are often just as dangerous as the walkers, if not more so. William Carver, the leader of small enclave, looks after his flock with an iron fist. He'll do whatever it takes to keep his followers in line, whether it be cold-blooded murder or merely pounding a guy's face in with a walkie-talkie. Someone has to do it, right? As he tells Clementine, a leader needs a firm hand, and has to be willing to do bad things to ensure order. He beats people to a bloody pulp because he cares. Then again, he also learns that what goes around comes around.

Corypheus - Dragon Age: Inquisition

Spoiler Alert: You can't keep a demigod down. In the world of Dragon Age, Corypheus is the worst kind of evil. Not only is he supposedly one of the Tevinter magisters who entered the Fade to claim the Golden City (turning it into the Black City), thus causing the Blights and Darkspawn, he seems to be unkillable. That is, Hawke thought that he died in Dragon Age II, but he somehow made his way back, stronger than ever, in Inquisition. In addition to being a powerful mage, he has the allegiance of a number of powerful figures, commands an undead dragon that might be an arch-demon (or possibly a minor god, if any distinction can be made), and can beguile and controls Grey Wardens. Not to mention, his all-consuming goal is to get back to the Black City and wreak havoc all over again. Corypheus' millennia old plan wins out against all other villains' in 2014 for its sheer single-mindedness.