18 Greatest Video Game Villains Of The 2000s

3. Saren - Mass Effect

Easily one of Bioware's greatest creations, the first Mass Effect's campaign to bring renegade agent Saren to justice is a plot worth revisiting just to see how many different outcomes you can get out of his encounters. The story goes that after Saren becomes a Spectre (the elite operatives patrolling the galaxy) he then appears to defect and turn rogue, aligning himself first with the A.I.-controlled Geth and later the universe-toppling Reapers. The best bits come with deciding just how much of his good nature is left in there and how much was being mind-controlled by the Reapers all along, making for a great dynamic whenever you have to face off against him, and allowing for a moment in the final fight where you can convince him to shoot himself rather than give in to the indoctrination without a fight. Saren just commanded the screen whenever he was around, you took one look at that battle-scarred face and knew he was a force to be reckoned with, and like every 'Our agent's gone rogue' story, the way everything plays out across the galaxy allowed him to become an instant favourite.
 
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Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.