Gamer Peak

The One Reborn: An Unskilled Guide

I’m usually so far behind the wave of excitement about a game. I still haven’t got around to Elden Ring, and shan’t be going near it until I’ve finished my backlog and the game is on offer. But with Demon’s Souls, I ended up jumping on that when it first emerged. I can’t remember why, but for once I was the “I was doing X before it was cool” guy.

It’s well known that playing any FromSoftware game gives you a confidence/ability boost for the next game. But for the One Reborn, I was more prepared thanks to a specific boss from Demon’s Souls.

Governor John Ratcliffe – Greatest Disney BBEG?

I’m a big fan of the Inexcusable Villain. It’s nice to have a “Thanos was right”, or a “Snap Out of It” type bad guy from time to time, but we’re saturated with them of late. We need our truly, inescapably Big Bad Evil Guys too. I had a friend state recently: “they’re aren’t any Marvel villains anymore, they are all on redemption arcs”. Which is interesting, sure, but we need Villains-with-a-capital-V too.

So it’s so lovely to revisit a man who is unashamedly evil. Who sings a full song about his own greed. Who hands a firearm to a teenager so they’ll murder a man for him. Who is still being evil when ever other person around him is telling him to chill out.

Rom, the Vacuous Spider: An Unskilled Guide

Who named you, Rom?

“Vacuous” checks out – sightless eyes, listless movements, living in an empty void.

“Spider” on the other hand, does not – having many legs does not make your a spider. Did you pick spider? Because it sounds cool?

Captain Hook– Greatest Disney BBEG?

Is Peter Pan one of the only Disney movies where the villain is actually less powerful than the protagonist? Peter may have the body of a child but the ability to fly immediately makes him a serious threat. If he ever picked up a bow, the pirates would be done for. In D&D, flying+range = a really dangerous low-level enounter.

But I digress, this is not a blogpost about how unfair the antagonist has it in Peter Pan. No, this is a much more important and academic question on whether Captain Hook would make a great Big Bad Evil Guy for your table top game. Though his threat level is a part of that discussion, so we’ll see.

Shadows of Yharnam: An Unskilled Guide

I was into my guides on the Chalice Dungeons, heading toward the DLC bosses, when I checked my notes and realised… I have missed some bosses in the middle! It happened when I took a break from writing; I came back and was writing drafts but not publishing, so it looks like I’ve somehow jumped from Vicar Amelia to Amygdala. So let’s fill in the gap.

I remember the DLC fight in Dark Souls that made me roll my eyes because it was “just three random dudes”. Yet when Bloodborne introduced me to a trio of evil NPCs I was on board. Perhaps it’s because their walk through the fog was a more impressive entrance, or because they were more in-keeping with the theme of the game area. It’s probably because this fight was less annoying.

Bill Sykes – Greatest Disney BBEG?

Sometimes, it’s clear from the outset that we’re not going to see a new 1st place Big Bad Evil Guy. What we have here, might be a contender for the Top 10. Bill Sykes is not here to take on Jafar, but he could handle a Hopper.

Hintertomb Bosses: An Unskilled Guide

I left Central Pthumeru quite optimistic. The third boss of both Chalice Dungeons have proved dicey but doable. My skill-less, chaotic, hack-and-hope play style had delivered me through the hard times.

But I’m a realist. I tempered my expectations for Hintertomb. Which meant I was pleasantly surprised when I not only made it passed another three bosses, but I did so on my first try for each of them.

I didn’t do it well, or with any amount of finesse, but I made it through…

Oh and if you’re doing this purely for the platinum trophy, skip! I didn’t realise this at the time, so this one was just for funsies.

Shan Yu – Greatest Disney BBEG?

This, I must remind myself once again, is not a popularity contest. I am searching for the best Disney Big Bad Evil Guy. The meanie that would be the most suited for your Table Top Role Playing Game.

So, as I approach Shan Yu, I must remember to be impartial. I’m fairly certain he will score well, but I shall put my very fond feelings for this bad guy aside.

Central Pthumerian Bosses: An Unskilled Guide

So you made it through the top layer of Pthumeru. Nice one. You’re doing good. This dungeon is on par with what you just went through. It’s tough, but doable. I can’t say the same for the next one. But we’ll get there.

Monsters, Inc. – Greatest Disney BBEG?

Following on from Meet the Robinsons, my book tells me that the next entry is ‘Mickey and Friends’. That’s multiple movies and technically there’s some villains in there, but they are just goofy versions (pun intended, hyuk) of villains in other works.

Next is Moana. There’s no Big Bad Evil Guy there. Monsters galore, and a great adventure, but no one’s stepping up to be the main bad guy in this adventure.

Which means I get to talk about Monsters Inc. This is an interesting one, because there’s definitely a bad guy in this, but they’re not fully filling the role of ‘villain of the story’. This is not an adventure tale or heroes’ journey. The villain(s) in this case aren’t nice people… monsters… but they only really fill the villain role because of actions taking by the protagonists.

It also strains the ‘Henchmen’ aspect of our little discussion here. The main protagonist is only loosely henching for the BBEG/mastermind, and has their own objectives and motives.

Spoilers ahead.