As the old adage goes, a hero is only as good as their villains, and that’s been proven true over and over in gaming. Every hero needs an imposing figure to overcome, preferably something players have never faced before, since figuring out how to defeat them is most of the fun. Of the many games coming out in the next year, we’ve chosen to spotlight the most intriguing, terrifying, or flat-out weird new adversaries you’ll be battling. Hopefully this feature will help you prepare for the inevitable battle.

You’ll fight them in: God of War: Ascension

Ascension is Kratos' sixth game, and over the course of the last five he’s pretty much murdered the entirety of Greek mythology. Who's left for him to tear apart in his next adventure? How about The Furies, a group of goddesses that predate even the Titans? Much like Kratos, they burn with righteous anger, dead set on destroying those they have judged unworthy. Each eerie incarnation of vengeance is determined to destroy Kratos, but given the fact Ascension is a prequel, we're going to bet on the future God of War surviving.

You’ll fight them in: BioShock Infinite

Big Daddies, those hulking creatures of the BioShock world, might be the most well-known enemies of the last decade, but their counterparts in BioShock Infinite hope to do them one better. The Handyman matches the Big Daddy in stature and tenacity, but these powerful brutes are far more nimble. Hunting leads across the floating city of Columbia, Handymen use their gorilla-like size and climbing abilities to leap across the many platforms of the embattled township. We’re hoping we can take them down by shooting their exposed hearts; otherwise we’re in for some real trouble.

You’ll fight them in: Dead Space 3

Dead Space has a well-established tradition of crafting horrifying, misshapen creatures, a practice the franchise’s developers have expanded on in the next series entry. For example, there’s Nexus, the Godzilla-sized beast that closed out the E3 2012 demo for DS3. The attacks of protagonist Isaac and his co-op partner Carver have little effect on its outside, and the demo seems to end with what appeared to be a hideous death animation of Isaac being eaten by Nexus. Instead, Isaac awakens inside the beast where the battle resumes, only this time it's against Nexus' organs. We feel pretty safe in saying this enemy has the most dangerous intestines of any character on this list.

You’ll fight them in: DmC: Devil May Cry

No matter what your personal politics may be, most would admit that cable network Fox News can be pretty scary when it wants to be. The upcoming Devil May Cry reboot takes advantage of that fear mongering with one of Dante's newest enemies, Raptor News. . News host Bob Barbus (think Bill O'Reilly mated with Glenn Beck) uses the airwaves to spread lies about Dante, calling him (among other things) a terrorist and sexual deviant. Eventually, Dante finds his way inside the cable channel to battle the hellish demons controlling Raptor News, ostensibly to shut the network down. Of course, the idea of the real Fox News being controlled by Hell is purely fictional, right?

You’ll fight them in: Resident Evil 6

Resident Evil has a history of unstoppable, unkillable mutations chasing you throughout a game, and Resident Evil 6 appears to have its own in the form of Ustanak. First seen in the early Eastern European stages chasing down partners Jake and Sherry, direct attacks barely slow down his relentless pursuit. Outfitted with a clawed, robotic right arm that contains a chain gun, Ustanak is also equipped with a little cage on his back for holding prisoners. At some point in the game, he faces four of RE6’s heroes at once, but we have our doubts that they could take him down even if they were all holding rocket launchers.

You’ll fight them in: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

Homer Simpson once conjured the terrifying idea of a dog that shoots bees at you, but we dare say Kojima Productions has invented a more menacing canine. LQ is a robotic, intelligent dog sent to kill spin-off star Raiden. He intends to do that using his collection of weapons that includes a rail gun and a chainsaw tail. He appears to be one of the earlier bosses in the game too, as a recent trailer implies the robo-dog teams up with Raiden down the line, perhaps even as a controllable ally. And that’s about the only way to make us more excited for a dog with a chainsaw tail.

You’ll fight them in: BioShock Infinite

America's Founding Fathers are all over gaming right now. Take George Washington for instance. Not only is he a supporting character in Assassin's Creed III, but his imposing robotic doppelganger is one of our favorite upcoming enemies in BioShock Infinite. Like a delightfully demented, malfunctioning castoff of Disneyland's Hall of Presidents, this mechanized Revolutionary War general is hunting down BioShock Infinite's leads, Elizabeth and Booker. Will he successfully chop them down like so many cherry trees before them?

You’ll fight them in: Far Cry 3

It’s rare when a villain overshadows a hero in a game, but that’s been the case with Far Cry 3 since it first premiered. The Mohawk-wearing, sociopathic militia leader Vaas has been the most prominent figure for FC3 since it was announced, even featuring prominently on the box art. He intends to control a tropical island through whatever means necessary, and FC3’s hero is out to build his own army to stop the nutcase. Vaas is so twisted that his own sister is out to kill him, but can you defeat this insane monster without becoming equally warped by violence?

Who are you looking forward to killing in upcoming games? We're dying to read your thoughts in the comments.

Want to know more about the future of gaming? Check out the 20 biggest games still supposedly coming out in 2012 and read our E3 2012 important stuff awards.