Almost every gamer who adores combat loves an excellent first-person shooter. The first-person perspective, thrilling action, and beautiful graphics engross all of us in a gun and weapon-centric environment. Iconic FPS games like Call of Duty and Halo offer incredible examples of the capability in this sub-genre of games. Not to mention the lengths the developers dare to go to entertain us.
Besides these exciting aspects, it's thanks to the lore and story that make these characters and events memorable. And, of course, with any great story, there are unforgettable villains. These antagonists carry secrets and complex backstories that add to the combative focus of these games. Within the chaos, who stands out the most?
10 The G-Man (Half-Life)
It's heavily theorized in the Half-Life community whether The G-Man can be considered a villain. His mysterious nature and secretive backstory make us believe that something evil must lie underneath. It's unclear what his motivations are, but there's no doubt his actions were behind the conflicts in Half-Life.
The G-Man (and his employers) were the cause of the Resonance Cascade which started the Combine takeover of Earth. Yet, strangely, he overthrew the Combine twenty years later. Because of this, it's hard to determine if The G-Man is a true villain. He's still utterly intimidating, however.
9 Khan Maykr (Doom Eternal)
An alien queen with horrifying plans to take over hell and enslave countless mortal worlds is criminal enough. Khan Maykr is a Lovecraftian-esque species with an appearance that's as haunting as her motives.
Khan is the mastermind behind the invasion of Earth in Doom Eternal. She views humanity as unworthy of living, seeing herself as a god who should benefit the Maykrs. When Doomguy steps in to stop her, she tries to wipe out humanity entirely. Reaping souls and wanting everyone to bow down to her, Khan's sinister actions shouldn't be taken lightly.
8 The Gravemind (Halo)
This parasitic hivemind, and leader of the Flood in Halo, isn't aware of its villainy. There's a debate that it may not be evil, as it follows what it's known to do its whole life. But this doesn't erase the consistent threat it poses to the Halo universe.
The Gravemind is an unstoppable force that wants to consume all intelligence and the entirety of the universe. It's also theorized that it caused Cortana's descent into villainy, as the trauma of it consuming her stayed in her mind. Gravemind may only have brief appearances, but its impact is horrifyingly memorable.
7 Ash (Titanfall 2)
Ash is a tragic villain as her deceitful acts caused her consciousness to be put into a robotic body forever. She worked with the Apex Predators to get a rare element, Branthium, for personal use. Ash extracted it from a black hole and betrayed Horizon (her mentor), leaving her to die there.
Ash tried to keep the Branthium all for herself but was later stabbed and badly wounded. She then requested to be put into a simulacrum (the robotic body). Ash's trauma of "dying" ultimately changed her. She became power-hungry and cold, seeing enemies as mere toys to experiment on.
6 Oryx (Destiny)
As the founder of The Hive, Oryx is a frightening villain with compelling lore. Oryx killed his sisters, who ran The Hive with him, to use their power and kill Akka (a Worm-god). This was to get the ability of "Take," transforming Oryx into a Taken king to control the will of others.
When you face Oryx, you realize how terrifying he is. After you kill his son, Crota, Oryx tries to find you and get revenge. Oryx wants to erase those who show any signs of weakness. Swallowing the darkness surrounding him, he stops at nothing to survive.
5 Frank Fontaine (BioShock)
** SPOILERS FOR The BioShock Series AHEAD **
On top of being Andrew Ryan's archenemy, Frank is one of the main antagonist of the BioShock series. He is a man of pure evil, his menacing actions being nothing but ruthless. From chemically transforming girls into little sisters to killing Elizabeth after she helped him, Frank is a sinister human being.
Frank had an ultimate goal to take over Rapture, and he succeeded by faking his death and posing as a friendly man named Atlas. He befriended Jack and manipulated him into killing Andrew Ryan (his father). Frank's quest for power ultimately caused the downfall of Rapture.
4 Handsome Jack (Borderlands)
Handsome Jack is more than just a pretty face. He wasn't always the homicidal figure we see in Borderlands 2, as he was once an ambitious man with extensive ideas. Forced to murder someone who betrayed him, it transformed Jack as he got a thrill from killing.
Revenge feels extra sweet to Jack, and it excites him to kill those he sees as evil. His warped morality makes him think he's a hero. Deep inside, we know he's a misguided man. But, with his powerful resources, Handsome Jack is a ruthless leader who wants to rule the land of Pandora.
3 Vladimir Makarov (Call Of Duty)
Vladimir is one of Call of Duty's most infamous villains. He was behind the infamous Zakhaev International Airport mission, where you were forced to kill innocent people to stay undercover. His direct act of terrorism was an attempt to get international attention in hopes of starting World War 3.
He cares little for human life and wants to bring the Soviet Union back to its former glory. With little regret in killing thousands to achieve his goals, Vladimir is outright heinous. He tends to focus on his opinions and values rather than having any sense of ethics or morals.
2 Frau Engel (Wolfenstein)
The encounters with Frau in Wolfenstein: The New Order have you witnessing the trauma that would change Frau forever. When we see her again in The New Colossus, it's clear that she's transformed into a portrait of pure evil. She's attentive to Nazi ideologies and violently punishes those who dare to go against her values.
Frau is a leader and a stone-cold killer above everything. Seeing her methods of killing make some of the most harrowing scenes in the entire Wolfenstein series. She is sadistic as inflicting harm on her camp prisoners entices her, boosting her ego and mighty power.
1 Alma Wade (F.E.A.R. Series)
We want to feel sympathy for Alma, as she wants revenge on Armacham Technology for murdering her. Because of their inhumane experiments and secret projects, Alma is corrupted and inflicts mortifying actions with no limits.
In some way, it's understandable why she's a destructive figure. As a child, she was tortured to benefit a corporation and died in the process. On the other hand, we feel very little remorse due to her acts of assault on those that she sees as a threat. It doesn't matter if they've genuinely wronged her, which makes her the definition of a wicked villain.