Of Clash of Chaos 2

Clash of Chaos 2: Dr. Despair's Revenge is one of those games whose plot is so incredibly stupid that it's no wonder gamers love it. The title character, having survived his apparent demise at the end of the first installment, returns to his dark stronghold and plots to turn everyone into zombies and take over the world. The player controls Lady Claudia Hawk, an aristocratic adventurer with a cybernetic eye, as she fights her through a pyramid, from which she retrieves the Amulet of Ra, and then through a temple in the jungle, from which she obtains the Staff of Quatzequatal, before using those artifacts to defeat Dr. Despair in his lair. The gameplay is straightforward- two obstacle courses of sorts, a third in the form of an assault on the villain's tower, and a boss fight at the end, interspersed with cutscenes. The graphics are early 3D, so they're quite crude by today's standards. But the game's still popular.

The majority of the game's characters tend to keep to themselves more than most, though they'll mix with the crowds from time to time. The good doctor himself, though, is a bit more sociable, even if he is rather reserved. Oh sure, his design is over the top. A black coat, pants, shoes, and top hat, an expressionless facemask of silver, blazing red eyes, an ornamented cane, a cybernetic right arm; think a steampunk character crossed with a mad scientist and a tiny bit of your standard sword and sorcery villain and you've got a good idea of his appearance. And yet, after hearing that calm, melodious voice of his, and observing his demeanor, one might still be hard pressed to recognize the cackling, one-dimensional madman who spouts off all those clichés in the actual game. If there's anything I have to give Dr. Despair, it's that he's both intelligent and a good listener. I know I've rattled off a few times to him about various things. Every single time, he's listened calmly, without interrupting me, before wishing me well. He never complains about procedure, either.

If I could just get him to talk more, I think I might enjoy this character's company. But then, he does seem to prefer to go his own way more often than not. And I'm sure he has plenty to do.