10 Best Video Game Boss Speeches
A great villain monologue writes itself into history.
We've come a long way from X-Men Arcade's "Welcome to die" from Magneto, or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's "What is a man?" schtick.
The days of Resident Evil's laughable dialogue are [mostly] behind us, what with games now churning out scripts and vocal deliveries on par with HBO and Hollywood. Yes, narrative in gaming is big business now, and players want that engagement.
And who better to deliver it than the villains?
When the primary antagonist can deliver a speech on par with Apocalypse Now, or the surprisingly-prophetic rise of meme culture, players are onto a winner. Or how about being told that the protagonist's actions have all been orchestrated, blurring that line between good and bad for all you've done. You monster.
They don't all have to be Laurence Olivier-levels of acting, however. There are some comedic rants that stick with players, offering a few belly laughs before being offed in storytelling fashion. The mark of a good villain, as we know, is to go down in style, be it for narrative gut-punches or slapstick sucker punches.
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Spoiler warning. Some of these are end game scenes.
10. Far Cry 2 - "The Harder You Beat A Man, The Taller He Stands"
The Jackal, Far Cry 2's antagonist, is a curious one. Most of the time, the villain is trying to kill you. They may wax lyrical before doing so, but that comes as standard.
They don't, usually, patch the protagonist up after they catch malaria upon arrival to their base of operations. Goes against the modus operandi somewhat.
The Jackal is different, even to the point of justifiable in his actions. Well, to an extent. Throughout the adventure, we're told the Jackal is playing both sides for profit in the arms trade.
But as the story progresses, players begin to see that he's actually working to save the civilians, whilst letting the two warring factions take each other out.
To pinpoint one exact speech would be a disservice, so instead the video above is a summary of the Jackal's intent throughout. It may be heavy on the Heart of Darkness vibe, but that aside, it adds some great humanity to what could have been a standard Far Cry villain.