Darth Vader versus Sarah Kerrigan. It's the final countdown.

The Fearsome Four fought a bloody and gruesome battle the likes of which haven't been seen since last year's All-Time Greatest Game Hero. And while some of you may be thinking that a world with no heroes is no place for you, you must realize that nobody knows what it's like to be the bad man. To be the sad man. To be the All-Time Greatest Game Villain.

Actually, very soon, that will change. One of the final two villains will know what it's like. One of these two villains will murder for freedom--stab the opponent in the back, women and children, a coward's attack. The other will run to the hills, presumably for his or her life. And for you, the readers of GameSpot, the fates of these two archvillains hang in the balance. For the other villains in this competition, their time has come--here, but now they're gone. Only two remain.

Which character will claim the title of All-Time Greatest Game Villain? And who stands to win this contest's prizes and new achievements.? Only time will tell, and your voting, will tell.

What?? Me…lose?! I'll see to it that the princess will always be in another castle!

The Evil Eight have squared off in very hard-fought battles that were excruciatingly close…so close that they were almost impossible to call. Yet somehow, four of the mightiest game villains in history have survived and stepped out of the chaos and into the light. Or, darkness. Yes, that sounds better. The Fearsome Four are the last remaining villains in this contest, and their fates…are in your hands.

On to the penultimate battle! History awaits!

• The Joker vs. Kerrigan - A battle between the Clown Prince of Crime and the Queen of the Blades. Both impressive-sounding titles, but only one will walk out the winner.
• Darth Vader vs. General RAAM - The student, and slayer, of Obi-Wan Kenobi now faces his toughest challenge yet--a giant alien boss who lugs around a turret the way most soldiers carry a rifle.

The competition is quickly drawing to a close, but there is still time for you to win fabulous prizes and new achievements. Cast your vote now on the site or on your iPhone at iphone.gamespot.com to vote remotely by clicking on the banner.

How could this be? I, the great Dr. Wily…DEFEATED??

The preliminaries are over. Wild cards? Firmly in the rearview mirror. Now the real competition begins. Only the strong survive and these 16 are among the strongest, most fearsome, and most well-known villains in all of video game history. And they're getting all their villainous weapons and dirtiest tricks ready for the fight of their wicked lives.

• Albert Wesker vs. Ganondorf - In this matchup: The evil traitor of the Resident Evil series vs. The would-be conqueror of Hyrule.
• The Joker vs. Arthas Menethil - In this matchup: The Clown Prince of Crime vs. The first death knight of Azeroth.
• Darth Malak vs. Diablo - In this matchup: The evil Sith lord of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic vs. The lord of dungeons and randomly generated loot.
• Andrew Ryan vs. Darth Vader - In this matchup: The man who tried to build an undersea paradise and failed vs. The original Star Wars villain.
• Sweet Tooth vs. Kerrigan - In this matchup: Twisted Metal's fiery clown vs. The Queen of Blades
• Bowser vs. The Master - In this matchup: Mario's archenemy and scourge of the Mushroom Kingdom vs. The mutant mastermind of Fallout.
• General RAAM vs. Shao Kahn - In this matchup: Gears of War's alien warlord vs. The sledgehammer-wielding emperor of Mortal Kombat
• Dr. Breen vs. Wario - In this matchup: The turncoat scientist who sold Gordon Freeman up the river vs. Mario's evil counterpart who will do anything, even develop his own video games, to make a buck.

The gauntlet has been thrown down and these bad guys are ready to throw down in a battle for the ages. Cast your votes now--fabulous prizes and new achievements await you. iPhone users can head over to iphone.gamespot.com to vote remotely by clicking on the banner.

What a waste! All those people I hadn't killed yet.

Ugh. We're not going to lie to you. That was ugly. The Sinister Sixteen round of competition was the toughest, most competitive round yet and had some very, very close calls. But the bloody business of the day is over, and only eight--eight elite, evil enfants terribles--remain. And they aren't done yet, because the Evil Eight round begins now, and your votes will determine these villains' fates, even as they cut their ranks in half.

The Evil Eight are on deck and prepared to do battle. Do not keep them waiting. And do not, under any circumstances, show the slightest hint of mercy.

• Ganondorf vs. The Joker - In this matchup: The bandit who would be king vs. the pale-faced scourge of Gotham
• Diablo vs. Darth Vader - In this matchup: The lord and master of the bottom of the dungeon vs. the "I find your lack of faith disturbing" guy
• Kerrigan vs. Bowser - In this matchup: The queen of the Zerg army vs. the commandant of the koopa army
• General RAAM vs. Dr. Breen - In this matchup: The terror of Gears of War vs. the traitorous figurehead of Half-Life 2

Yes, there are prizes for winning this contest. Yes, there are new achievements out there for you to win. But this contest has gotten a lot closer, and the stakes are much, much higher. Cast your vote on the site or on your iPhone at iphone.gamespot.com to vote remotely by clicking on the banner.

I don't understand… how could you have done this? You weren't meant to be so important… and now you think to destroy me? How dare you, insect?

The first leg of this odyssey is finally over. The preliminary skirmish has ended. The first chapter of this tale has drawn to a close. The chips have fallen where they…did.

And on an entirely unrelated note, round 1B of GameSpot's All-Time Greatest Villain has ended, and now the battle has been well and truly joined by eight more finalists.

Behold, the victors of round 1B:

• Kefka Palazzo
• Sweet Tooth
• Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde
• Sarah Kerrigan
• The Shredder
• Bowser
• Heihachi Mishima
• The Master
• Captain Qwark
• General RAAM
• Jon Irenicus
• Shao Kahn
• Team Rocket
• Dr. Breen
• Wario
• Akuma

Are you ready for the next round of voting? This time, the stakes are higher. Yes, the hopes and dreams of many have already been dashed, but that means even richer prizes await those who pick the best brackets. Behold, the next round of competition!

• Albert Wesker vs. Mother Brain - The treacherous rogue S.T.A.R.S. operative is bringing the Killer 7 with him to do battle with the brains behind the planet Zebes' criminal operations.
• Ares vs. Ganondorf - The original god of war squares off against the legendary bandit lord of Hyrule. Can the Triforce of Power prevail against godhood itself?
• Donkey Kong vs. The Joker - Rest assured, Donkey Kong has a whole mess of barrels ready for his epic encounter with the Clown Prince of Crime. Hey there, monkey! Why so serious?
• Psycho Mantis vs. Arthas Menethil - The evil psychic of the Metal Gear Solid series can read minds…but can he prevail against the Lich King when Frostmourne is brought to bear?
• Darth Malak vs. M. Bison - One has no lower jaw. One wears a vaguely bus driver-like hat. Both are masters of mystic evil powers.
• Dr. Wily vs. Diablo - Dr. Wily! The guy's a friggin' genius! But can he conquer the lord of all left clicks, Diablo himself?
• Andrew Ryan vs. Kane - Both men are fanatics. Both men truly believe they have a vision for a better world. In a sense, both men are winners. But to put it another, more accurate, way, only one of these megalomaniacs will be the winner.
• GLaDOS vs. Darth Vader - The manipulative artificial intelligence GLaDOS stole all of our hearts just by lying to us about pastries. Yet she faces the dark lord of the Sith, Force choker of those who lack faith, and utterer of "Noooo's," Darth Vader himself.
• Kefka Palazzo vs. Sweet Tooth - Admit it. You knew this match was coming. Evil clown squares off against evil clown in this epic (but brightly colored) matchup.
• Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde vs. Sarah Kerrigan - Whether or not you gobble them up, these four ghosts from Pac-Man keep coming at you. Will the Queen of Blades' psychic powers and dominion over the Zerg swarm prevail against these iconic video game villains?
• The Shredder vs. Bowser - The leader of the Foot Clan has trained his martial arts skills for years for this fight…against the scourge of the Mushroom Kingdom himself, Bowser.
• Heihachi Mishima vs. The Master - The toughest 70-year-old man in video games brings his spiky hair and thunderous fists into battle against The Master, a nightmarish creature whose perfect vision of the future involved nothing less than total extermination of the human race.
• Captain Qwark vs. General RAAM - The glorious Captain Qwark is overjoyed at winning round 1 and ready to rumble with the biggest, baddest soldier in the Locust army.
• Jon Irenicus vs. Shao Kahn - See how weak you are. See how you fall to their muscle and skill. Jon Irenicus takes on the undisputed lord and master of Outworld. Shao Kahn will accept the gifts offered to him!
• Team Rocket vs. Dr. Wallace Breen - Team Rocket has Meowf loaded up in a Pokeball and they're ready to take on the scientist and bureaucrat who surrendered the Earth to the mysterious Combine.
• Wario vs. Akuma - In this corner, a villain with a big mouth, sticky fingers, and a totally sweet mustache. And in this corner, the raging demon of the Street Fighter series. Round 2. Fight!

Get ready for a whole new round of competition and cast your votes for the next battle. Prizes and new achievements await! iPhone users can head over to iphone.gamespot.com to vote remotely by clicking on the banner.

Geese Howard didn't fall. He jumped! And he'll be back…you jerks!

The first part of the first voting bracket has drawn to a close and fully half of the original game villains selected to compete have been culled, like so much chaff from wheat. Yet the survivors of the competition will be given the grandest of accommodations--a far cry from sleeping over the garage, like so much Fonzie!

To recap, the winners of round 1A include:

• Albert Wesker
• Mother Brain
• Ares
• Ganondorf
• Donkey Kong
• The Joker
• Psycho Mantis
• Arthas Menethil
• Darth Malak
• M. Bison
• Dr. Wily
• Diablo
• Andrew Ryan
• Kane
• GLaDOS
• Darth Vader

And now, the following matchups are open to voting right now!

• Kefka vs. Dr. Funfrock - The thriller, killer clown of Final Fantasy VI squares off against the evil lord of Twinsun.
• Carmen Sandiego vs. Sweet Tooth - The world's greatest jewel thief steps into the arena with a man so evil that he's on fire! Literally!
• Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde vs. Adrian Ripburger - The ghosts of the Pac-Man series battle it out with the sinister corporate raider from Full Throttle.
• Kerrigan vs. Gruntilda - What will happen when the Zerg-powered, psychic Queen of Blades locks horns with Banjo-Kazooie's archnemesis, the evil, rhyming witch Gruntilda?
• The Shredder vs. Lavos - Tonight he may very well dine on turtle soup, but he squares off against Chrono Trigger's elemental force of evil.
• Bowser vs. Master D - The big bad boss of the Mushroom Kingdom readies his fiery breath and devastating hammers to do battle with the lord and master of Bionic Commando. Who will be the damned fool here?
• Heihachi Mishima vs. Lance Vance - Can the head-butts of a 70-year-old grandpa defeat the slick-talking, two-timing ways of a 1980s drug dealer?
• Kain vs. The Master - The evil vampire lord Kain rules the blighted realm of Nosgoth. But the Master's grand schemes will turn the world into a mutant-filled wasteland where humans are extinct!
• Captain Blue vs. Captain Qwark - It's captain versus captain in this captivating matchup. Which of these should-have-been-good-guys-but-really-aren't will come out on top?
• Sephiroth vs. General RAAM - It's the murderous man with the fabulous hair versus the giant alien who challenges Delta Squad to out-and-out warfare. It's possibly coming later to a pay-per-view event on your local premium TV channel but is on-demand for you to vote on right now!
• Jon Irenicus vs. Lan Di - The angry archmage of the role-playing odyssey Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn prepares to do battle with the mysterious man who murdered Ryo Hazuki's father. Will either man discover where Chinese sailors hang out?
• Shao Kahn vs. Officer Tenpenny - The emperor of Outworld is bringing his huge muscles, giant sledgehammer, and killer laugh into battle with the crookedest cop in all of San Andreas. Get that chalk outline ready.
• Revolver Ocelot vs. Team Rocket - In this corner, the dastardly superspy who came to be infused with the essence of Liquid Snake. In the opposite corner, the nightmare of every Pokemon monster trainer. Fight!
• The Guardian vs. Dr. Breen - The archenemy of Ultima's Avatar is the evil that lurks in the hearts of men. And he squares off against the man who sold out the human race in Half-Life 2.
• Wario vs. General Lionwhyte - Mario's evil doppelganger wants fame, power, and money, money, money, but he butts heads with General Lionwhyte, who only wants to crush his enemies--and not mess up his own awesome hair.
• LeChuck vs. Akuma - The ghost pirate LeChuck be so evil that he still dogs the footsteps of Guybrush and Elaine to this day…but those who step into the ring with Akuma usually see one blinding flash of light before ending up on their backs.

Pick up your sword and shield and put on those thinking caps, because aside from fabulous prizes and new achievements, the greatest prize of all, bragging rights, has yet to be claimed. Don't have time to scrutinize your brackets closely? Head over to iphone.gamespot.com and cast your vote remotely by clicking on the banner.

At last, the first round of GameSpot's Greatest Game Villain competition has finally begun. Right now, 32 of some of the biggest and baddest evildoers out there are engaged in single-elimination battles for their right to continue, with their success hinged on your votes!

Now is the moment of truth for your bracket. The first rounds have the most number of matchups, but success could put you well on your way to winning fabulous prizes and an achievement.

Round 1a continues until Monday, August 30, so vote now on the following matches:

• Albert Wesker vs. Dr. Robotnik
• Geese Howard vs. Mother Brain
• Ares vs. King Bohan
• Vergil vs. Ganondorf
• Donkey Kong vs. Death Adder
• The Joker vs. Alma
• Purple Tentacle vs. Psycho Mantis
• Arthas Menethil vs. The Origami Killer
• Darth Malak vs. Giygas
• Cervantes vs. M. Bison
• Dr. Wily vs. Dr. Nefarious
• Andross vs. Diablo
• Andrew Ryan vs. Cyberdemon
• Kane vs. Sinistar
• GLaDOS vs. SHODAN
• Dracula vs. Darth Vader

Be sure to come back on 8/30 for the next batch of battles, and good luck!

We will be closing bracket submissions at noon PT on Thursday, August 26, so be sure to get your brackets done by then. Also, it's probably worth giving your bracket another look to make sure you completed it (with tie-breaker values included--read more about tie-breakers in the FAQ). Here's how you can tell if your bracket is 100 percent done:

• If the big red button in the middle says "Save," you are not done. This means your bracket is incomplete and you can only save it for later editing.
• If the big red button in the middle says "Submit," you have a completed bracket and can submit it. Make sure you hit the button at least once.

On Thursday after we close the brackets we will launch the head-to-head Battle pages, which you may recognize from last year. All voting will take place on these pages. We plan to launch the voting sometime in the afternoon, after we've cleared a few technical issues and ensured that voting will go off without a hitch. Voting will end for each round at noon on the date listed in the calendar, and we will open up voting for the following round several hours later in the afternoon after we verify the vote counts.

Get Behind the Villains

Don't know your Kane from your Kain? What has one evil artificial intelligence got over another? What's a Lavos? If you find yourself asking these questions, (1) be ashamed and (2) get some answers in Behind the Villains! This comprehensive feature briefs you on all 64 villains vying for the title of the All-Time Greatest Game Villain and features images of them at their best (or is it worst?).

Remember that though you may have already filled out your bracket (you did fill out a bracket, right?), you can still make changes to it until voting begins on August 26. If you were unaware of just how deeply, disturbingly evil Purple Tentacle was, well…now you know! And knowing is half the battle.

To find out more about our motley crew of evildoers, access our feature directly or click on the "more info" link next to each villain on the bracket page.

Image Campaign Kit Contest

Are you a diehard Team Rocket fan, and do you want to show it off to the world? Want to spread the word about just how evil Giygas is? Get involved in our image kit contest!

This epic-rarity achievement could be yours!

Entrants have the chance to win the Greatest Game Villain Malevolent Monet achievement for their submission, but even if you're not the creative sort, take a gander at everyone's work--you might find something you want to use!

Update: We've updated the description of the Competition Crusher achievement to better clarify how to unlock it.

So you've checked out our complete list of villains and you've created your bracket because, after all, Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde are the villains the Internet needs right now but not the ones it deserves. You're all excited about the fabulous prizes you will surely win*, but you're wondering what else there is. Wonder no longer!

Below is a list of the astonishing achievements you stand to unlock by participating. Only GameSpot members are eligible for these, so make sure you're signing in to the site to earn them! But you already knew that, having already filled out a bracket, right?

Greatest Game Villain Bouncer
Because we can't just let anyone in. This user voted in the All Time Greatest Game Villain wild card round to help determine the final ten villains to join the battle royale.

Greatest Game Villain Henchman
Hey, everyone's got to start somewhere. These loyal minions created a bracket to guess at who is the most vile of them all. Let's hope they don't get caught betting against their overlords! This achievement will not be awarded until the bracket building phase is complete.

Greatest Game Villain Miniboss
From villainesque to full-blown villainy. Your loyalty proven by ranking in the top 1000 among your sniveling competitors, your new job is to wait in the middle of the level for an unsuspecting hero, like a boss.

Greatest Game Villain Supreme Overlord
Baddest Freakin' Overlord In The Entire Cosmos. This champion of dark darkness proved the immenseness of their eviltude by securing the highest score through a complex series of backstabbing and do-badding.

Greatest Game Villain Evil Genius
A true villain completely defeats their foes, both physically and mentally. Whether you're a sentient AI released from your moral constraints or simply the greatest criminal mastermind to ever hack the planet, your bracket has never seen defeat.

Greatest Game Villain Malevolent Monet
Awarded for absolutely terrifying brushwork. These evil artists won the user fan kit competition. Read more.

Greatest Game Villain Loyal Minion
Amplifying word of mouth by motivating influencers in the social graphspace. These faithful servants helped to spread the word about the Greatest Game Villain competition by sharing their votes or brackets by Facebook…evilly.

Greatest Game Villain Staff Subjugator
They have fallen before you like blades of grass on mowing day. This evildoer defeated the Dark Lords of GameSpot at their own game, throwing the Internet into unbalance and threatening all. Good job!

Greatest Game Villain Baleful Bracketologist
Because brackets are hard. This master bracketeer managed to correctly predict the outcome each battle in the first round. Inconceivable!

Greatest Game Villain D-List Evildoer
You did bad, kid, but not bad enough. This junior class henchperson managed to pick the overall winner, but scored less than 100 points in the competition.

Greatest Game Villain Competition Crusher
Keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. No one is safe from this card carrying caitiff, who defeated all of their friends in a contest of points in GameSpot's Greatest Game Villain. You must have more than ten friends to qualify.

* You're not actually sure to win any prizes of any degree of fabulousness, but you've definitely got a chance!

Who is the most vile, most sinister, most evil of them all?

10 new warriors have entered the ring!

Now that you’ve determined the final participants (Darth Vader, Psycho Mantis, Diablo, Sweet Tooth, Vergil, General RAAM, Mother Brain, Lavos, Akuma, and The Cyberdemon) through preliminary voting, we have a complete list of 64 masters of evil and GameSpot’s All-Time Greatest Game Villain competition can move on to the next phase--bracket creation!

We’ve seeded the battlefield, and your mission is to predict the outcome of each round by adding the winners to your brackets. In a battle of outright villainy, who is the greatest of them all? Final Fantasy’s Kefka or Sephiroth? System Shock’s SHODAN or Portal’s GLaDOS? Command & Conquer’s Kane or Blood Omen’s Kain? By the time we’re finished here, we’ll know once and for all, so go create your bracket today!

In this economy, the Doctorate of Evil program continues to be as popular as ever.

Don’t forget that you’re going up against GameSpot staff members who will be creating their own (surely perfect) brackets. Can you do better than us? Not likely! But even if you don’t (you won’t), fabulous prizes, bragging rights, and an array of special achievements await participants. Check the complete FAQ for more information.

So go forth to the Greatest Game Villain bracket page and fill out your bracket. Which villains will rise and which shall fall? The choice is yours!