They were sixty-four. Now there are four left.
Together, G-Man, GLaDOS, Ganon and Bowser have taken out sixty-one villains. Dracula, Kane, LeChuck, Vaas, Sephiroth, Dog, Hitler and many (many!) more have fallen in the villain tournament that started a month ago. Now all that remains is for them to knock each other out. “Only”.
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GLaDOS meets Ganon, and G-Man meets Bowser. In other words: Valve versus Nintendo times two. The semifinals run through Thursday, but for the first time in the tournament, a loss doesn't mean it's over. Sure: you have to live with the disgrace, but the wounds must be licked quickly. After all, there is still a bronze medal to fight for. That duel will be decided during the weekend.
The battle for the gold takes place next week, and thus we will find out who is the world's best villain.
Sixty-four villains will become one, but the road to get there is via a number of matches: first the thirty-second finals, then the sixteenth finals, and so on. Half are eliminated in each round and in the end two finalists meet. The winner is the world's best villain. You choose who.
The picture on the right shows how things have gone so far.
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This has happened: With 80, 78 and 62%, GLaDOS took more than solid victories over Heihachi, Atlas and Dracula. LeChuck, however, offered to dance, but with 53% she took another victory in the quarter. Ganon had a scare hiccup in the sixteenth (51% against Kerrigan) but before that K. Rool (81%) was crushed and then Gaunter O'Dimm and Harbinger (62% times two.)
GLaDOS, or “Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System”, is wickedly relevant as she is an AI. There are those who claim that our AI fear is overblown. They obviously haven't met GLaDOS. She may lack any kind of conscience, but has all the more anger and bitterness under the hood. As much an artificial intelligence as an all-powerful goddess over her reality.
Famous games: Portal, Portal 2
Quote: “How are you holding up? Because I'm a potato.”
Gangster is Link's constant arch-rival i Zelda, and while his motives vary, they often include kidnapping Princess Zelda, bringing Hyrule to its knees, and seizing the triforce. In his classic Ganon form, he is literally a pig, but we also know him as Ganondorf in the Gerudo form. Then he's more human (but still a pig, honestly).
Famous games: Zeldaseries, most recently Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Quote: “Do not look away. You witness a king's revival. And the birth of his new world!”
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This has happened: It hasn't been really exciting for the G-Man in any match. (Legacy of) Cain mashed at 86%, The Butcher butchered at 69%. In the eighth and a quarter, Kane (61%) and Joker (58%) fought. Bowser has also done well. Purple Tentacle (77%) and Psycho Mantis (74%) were heavily whipped. Blizzard icons Diablo (54%) and Arthas Menethil (52%), on the other hand, got hairier.
G-Man is an enigma. He was in 1998 Half-Life and over a quarter of a century later, Valve continues to hold tight to the mystery. A brilliant move, which is really only trumped by the G-Man himself. Exactly how evil he is is debatable and what is really hidden behind the smooth suit and middle age wrinkles we don't know. Maybe that's an answer we'll never get. What we do know is that the G-Man is constantly present. Everywhere. Continuously. Maybe he's watching you right now?
Famous games: Half-Life, Half-Life 2, Half-Life: Alyx
Quote: “The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.”
Bowser have conquered, kidnapped and oppressed since the 1980s. Well, at least tried. That's the thing about Bowser – every time he puts a plan into action, Mario the Hurtball comes along. Sometimes even Bowser is forced to work alongside Mario and his friends. The humiliation! But after all, there is a heart in this Koopa King. We see it when he loses and we hear it thump when he (again and again) thinks Peach could be his wife.
Famous games: Super Marioat the latest Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Quote: “Hear this! I will kidnap Peach OVER and OVER until I pull it off! And no one can stop me!”
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Voting runs until Thursday 25/4. The weekend offers a bronze match.
