Bioware has already announced that Mass Effect 4 is being developed, but the original trilogy is far from over. On Tuesday Nov. 27, Bioware will be releasing the Mass Effect 3 downloadable single-player expansion, Omega. The new DLC will see the return of Mass Effect 2's criminal space station and fan-favorite Aria T'Loak, the pirate queen of Omega.
Omega has been taken over by one of Cerberus' "most accomplished and brilliant agents, General Oleg Petrovsky." Hopefully, Petrovsky will become a great villain in the ME universe. Mass Effect has also had some of the best villains in video games. Here is our list of the top five villains in the original trilogy:
5. Matriarch Benezia: She is a powerful Asari biotic and the second-in-command to Saren Arterius in the original Mass Effect. She is the first boss battle in the series and is pretty tough to take down. She has some Sith like powers that can freeze Commander Shepard and his squadmates in place and she has a squadron of Asari Commandos at her disposal. Did I mention she is Liara's mother? Benezia is under the indoctrination and brainwashing of the Reaper Sovereign and is attempting to resurrect the Rachni, an evil race of insect creatures that are legendary in the series' lore. While killing Benezia isn't as sad as the potential deaths of Legion or Wrex, it is sad knowing that the Reaper succeeded in corrupting a productive member of Asari society and the loving mother of Liara.
4. Kai Leng: The assassin who killed Shepard's friend and former squadmate, Thane Krios. Leng isn't a strong character in the video game acting more as a henchman than an actual major antagonist. But who doesn't love a badass futuristic ninja, who would fit in perfectly with Storm Shadow and Snake eyes in the GI Joe universe. I wasn't a big fan of the character in Mass Effect 3, but he did provide the game with an annoying villain that gamers wanted to defeat. Killing him was one of the most satisfying experiences I had in the series.
3. Harbinger: The main villain of Mass Effect 2, Harbinger controls the entire race of Collectors and can turn ordinary collectors into supercharged pain in the behinds. When a Collector is possessed by Harbinger, they are endowed with a damage absorbing barrier, enhanced durability, and the ability to fire biotic attacks and fireballs. In Mass Effect 3 he personally leads the invasion of Earth and takes out the Hammer strike team in the finale scenes of the game. Harbinger is responsible for the capture and destruction of many human colonies in ME2. Harbinger's also attempted to make a deal with the Shadow Broker to gain possession of Commander Shepard's body following the destruction of the SSV Normandy by the Collectors in ME2.
2. The Illusive Man: Many will argue that the Illusive Man is the best villain in the Mass Effect Trilogy, but I liken him to the Emperor in film series "Star Wars." He is manipulative and hides behind the scenes often using his henchmen and resource to accomplish his evil goals. So although he may be one of the ultimate sources of evil in the universe, he is not as haunting as my number one choice. He is an alien xenophobe and humanist with a mission to make humanity ascendant above all other races in the galaxy. He has his hands in almost every aspect of the galactic community. By the end of ME3, the Illusive Man is one of the scariest characters ever. He begins to perform indoctrination experiments on human refugees fleeing from the Reaper invasion. He turns the colonist into Cerberus controlled husk and hopes to do the same with the Reapers. The man formerly known as Jack Harper is one sadistic and troubled soul.
1. Saren Arterius: If the Illusive Man is Darth Sidious, then Saren is the Darth Vader of the Mass Effect Universe. He is the powerful right hand of the Reaper starship, Sovereign. Saren begins the game as an infallible hero of the Council and an agent of its cause. He is a zealous defender of galactic order, who is eventually corrupted by the power of his position. Even when Saren was considered a "good guy," he was ruthless and brutal in his methods. In Mass Effect, Saren commits gruesome crimes against the different alien citizens of the galaxy and uses them for experiments much like the Illusive Man. Saren's introduction is memorable, as he murders his old friend and fellow Spectre, Nihlus Kryik in cold-blood. He also finds the cure for the genophage and attempts to create an army of mindless Krogans to help the Reapers in this cycle's harvest. But the real reason he tops the list is because no matter how much you want to hate the guy, you kind of like him.
Who are your favorite villains in the series? Comment in the section below and check out our list of the five best squadmates here and the five best missions here. Watch the "Mass Effect Trilogy" trailer below...
