Top Killer Animals in Video Games

Posted August 16, 2010 - By Moye Ishimoto

Top Killer Animals in Video Games

Piranha 3D is hitting theaters this weekend, joining the ranks of legendary killer animals movies like Jaws, The Birds, Anaconda, Arachnophobia, Cujo, King Kong, Jurassic Park and so forth. With the amount of films featuring the deadlier side of the animal kingdom, you'd think Hollywood would already have an Academy Award or Golden Globe category dedicated to these beastly enemies. This weekend, we'll be treated to every swimmer's nightmare: a hungry school of sharp toothed fish with a taste for human flesh. Sounds like fun!

In celebration of this cinematical accomplishment known as Piranha 3D, we compiled the top killer animals that appear in our favorite video games, whether they're the annoying enemies you have to defeat in order to proceed to the next level, a hidden easter egg or just plain ferocious beasts that make you pee in your pants.

Top Killer Animals in Video Games

1. Resident Evil 5 - Zombie Dog

You know what's worse than a scary dog foaming at the mouth? A scary dog foaming at the mouth with half of its face torn off because it was infected with an experimental virus. Thanks, Umbrella Corporation. We've got enough problems with the world, and you decided to mess around with the canine population. At least the developers behind the Resident Evil games haven't equipped these beasts with machine guns or bombs, which would be the most unfair fight ever. Regardless, fighting off these vicious dogs can be both a headache and a fright.

Top Killer Animals in Video Games

2. Resident Evil - Neptune Great White Sharks

Speaking of Resident Evil and zombies, how about that freaky Neptune shark? Seriously, is there anything the Umbrella Corporation won't infect with their gross virus? Okay, maybe not...but a great white shark? They should have left these beautiful animals alone but then again, the sudden and surprising attacks by these zombie fish are pretty genius as a scare tactic, as Adam Sessler on X-Play can tell you.

Top Killer Animals in Video Games

3. California Games - Sharks

So, what is it about sharks? They harass us in real life (or is it the other way around?), they harass us in the zombie life, and they also harass us in the old school video game life. Does anyone here remember California Games from the late 1980's and 1990's? We have fond memories of maneuvering the beautiful blue waves along the California coast--or at least, attempting to until you wipe out and a second later, the shark appears to feast on your demise. Worst ending ever.

Top Killer Animals in Video Games

4. Alan Wake - Taken Birds

If you can handle the critters attacking you from the ground and the sea, then what happens when they come from the sky? Alan Wake features one of the most annoying enemies around: a herd of Taken birds who like to attack at the most inopportune moments when you have to wander out in the open. Like the other Taken, they can only be destroyed with light, which requires players to keep an eye on the entire sky and then wildly wave their flashlights around in order to fend off these birds. It's much less enjoyable than it sounds. I wonder what a Taken bird would taste like. Dark chicken meat?

Top Killer Animals in Video Games

5. Borderlands - Skagzilla

What do you get when you cross a lizard, a dog and the apocalypse? SKAGZILLA! Aside from being a horrible joke, the Skagzilla is the mother of all armored brutes with its ability to claw, pounce and attack you with energy beams to death. I don't know what we did to the Skagzilla first, but it's not very pleasant towards humans--and it's one boss that everyone eventually has to face in the Big Game Hunter mission. You've been warned.

Top Killer Animals in Video Games

6. Fallout 3 - Yao Guai

You can't have a list featuring the Skagzilla without mentioning the Yao Guai from Fallout 3! These mutant bears that wander the Wasteland serve as a reminder to the horrors of post-apocalyptic animals because wow, are these creatures ugly. Look at that thing. I can handle the zombie dogs while the Skagzilla is still kind of cool looking with those spikes, but the Yao Guai? I don't even know how to pronounce their names.

Top Killer Animals in Video Games

7. Red Dead Redemption - Cougars

Whether they're mutant, alien or zombie-fied, you can't compare deadly animals in video games to the wildlife roaming the plains and hills of Red Dead Redemption. Unlike Resident Evil or Borderlands, this game is actually based on some sort of reality--you know, a believable cowboy reality where getting shot multiple times is really no big deal. There ain't room for alien magic and post-apocalyptic mutants in this town! We've got real animals like those awful cougars who can kill anyone with just two swipes of their massive paws. Armed with speed and heft, these feline creatures are not to be messed with.

Top Killer Animals in Video Games

8. Red Dead Redemption - Bears

Cougars may be fast, but nothing is as deadly and dangerous as the bears in Red Dead Redemption...except maybe the Cougar Man. With their brute strength and immense size, grizzly bears can either be a skilled hunter's treasure chest or a massive pain in the neck. Of course, killing one with a knife will earn any gamer the proper bragging rights but in the meantime, dealing with these bears are a good lesson to stay far away from Mother Nature.

Top Killer Animals in Video Games

9. Diablo II - Cows

Cows are usually seem harmless, unless you're playing Diablo II and unearth the secret level of killer cows. Did we say killer cows? Yes, killer cows from Hell are all over this world that developers created for fans after a running joke and Internet hoax about a secret bovine level went wild. Venturing into this realm will introduce you to swarms of weapon wielding cows who aren't very happy to see you. Maybe they just need to be milked?

Top Killer Animals in Video Games

10. Animal Crossing - Tom Nook

Raccoon Tom Nook may be your first friend when building your home in the Animal Crossing series, but I'm still counting him as a deadly video game animal. He may not outwardly harm you with rabid bites, sharp claws and weapons but this cheap bastard can take you out financially! As the owner of the village store, he both inflates the price of the household items you need but gives you only a small fraction of its worth when you try to sell things. What's even worse is that he also owns all of the real estate in the area, meaning that in order for you to upgrade your house, you can only go through this monopolizing jerk. He's a video game loan shark and I advise you all to stay away from him!

What killer animals from video games would you add?

Tags: Features, Videogames

Comments

Newest First

Displaying 1–19 of 19

NyxCrawler

Dude, no Koopa Turtles? I've been battling these things since I was five years old!

Posted: August 22, 2010 8:50 PM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
Tokano

The Tom Nook part gave me a good laugh...Then I instantly started looking for my Wii Controller.

Posted: August 22, 2010 6:13 AM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
Spybreak

Josh damn those cougars freaking suck. Especially trying to knife them for that little challenge lol. Same goes for the bears and having to knife them. Luckily it was easier once you shot them with the buffalo gun. Seriously though I had 10 freakin' bears spawn in the location I was at, it was just nuts.

Posted: August 18, 2010 11:29 PM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
drh1975

What about the Varren in the Mass Effect series? I know they're not the most dangerous beasts in gaming, but they are just so damn annoying. And yes, the bears and cougars in RDR are just evil. So are the Yao Guay, but the Deathclaws are worse.

Posted: August 17, 2010 5:03 PM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
goldbar

Where is the double headed cerberus thing from GoW 3? I would have gotten my platinum trophy 24 hours sooner without that thing in the way.

Posted: August 17, 2010 2:51 PM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
LeDuc725

My money is on the Cerebal bore from Turok 2 for the Nintendo 64. Sure it's you weapon but anythign it attacks will have it's head explode

Posted: August 17, 2010 11:59 AM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
dbeam308

"As the owner of the village store, he both inflates the price of the household items you need but gives you only a small fraction of its worth when you try to sell things."

I didn't realize Tom Nook owned a Gamestop?

HI-YOOO!!

Posted: August 17, 2010 10:51 AM | Reply | Report

+2 thumbs up thumbs down

3 Replies
d_dirdy

I hate Tickers. Because the look like bugs and because they blow up. I hate being shot down only to blown up afterwards by a ticker that just happens to be always running by before my teammates try to get me back up.

I also hate the amantitortise (the one with the chains around their ankles) from FFXIII. Because they kill my characters in one hit and even if they survive you have to switch to the Combat Clinic Paradigm to heal everyone before they get finished off by another stomp or a quake attack. And what's worse is that you rarely get something, even if you have 3 or 4 collector connoisseur equipped

Posted: August 17, 2010 9:21 AM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
V_Translanka

No dog ever compares to Shadow's doberman of death Interceptor from Final Fantasy VI. That little guy was insanely overpowered very early in the game. He is easily the most powerful being this side of the DBZ universe...>_>

Posted: August 17, 2010 8:00 AM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
DukeOfNYaNumba1

I thought that scary ass bear with rabies from Condemned 2 deserved a spot in the top 10

Posted: August 17, 2010 5:21 AM | Reply | Report

+3 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
ConradPrynne

Don't forget the sword-wielding dogs in Ninja Gaiden 2 (And Sigma 2). In a pack those things could cause irritating amounts of frustration.

Posted: August 17, 2010 1:35 AM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
Tommytsunami

What about the annoying birds in the Scott Pilgrim vs the World game?

Posted: August 16, 2010 11:32 PM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
deadclownin

do we not count the bird things from gears of war 1 that kill u as soon as you touch darkness cause they are worse then everything on this list

Posted: August 16, 2010 8:51 PM | Reply | Report

+2 thumbs up thumbs down

1 Reply
drug_x

im surprised the chickens from zelda arnt mentioned, those guys are ruthless

Posted: August 16, 2010 8:07 PM | Reply | Report

+2 thumbs up thumbs down

1 Reply
Wozman23

Deathclaws made the Yao Guai look like a puppy. The cougar did take me by surprise. I was just minding my own business picking flowers when one came out of nowhere.

Also, the BMX and rollerskating in California Games was awesome.

Posted: August 16, 2010 8:01 PM | Reply | Report

+1 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
XxgarycorexX

I'm not too sure a deathclaw would be considered a animal.

Posted: August 16, 2010 7:55 PM | Reply | Report

+2 thumbs up thumbs down

1 Reply
JDarkley

Condemned 2 Bear > Red Dead Redemption Bear.

Posted: August 16, 2010 7:50 PM | Reply | Report

+4 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies
Bigburito

how could you mention the Yao Guai and completely forget the Death Claws?!? sure the Yao Guai were difficult at first but they became weaklings when the first Death Claws appeared and made me shat myself in pure terror! and they backed it up with incredible speed and power! heck they even had their own city to themselves!

Posted: August 16, 2010 7:50 PM | Reply | Report

+4 thumbs up thumbs down

4 Replies
Muggy

What, no raving rabbids?

Posted: August 16, 2010 7:46 PM | Reply | Report

+4 thumbs up thumbs down

0 Replies