The Escapist Presents: Escapist On: Frustrating Gaming Experiences

[Seamus8]

ROFL!! Megaman rage, there was always something about waiting for a platform that could make you jittery and toss off your timing. I remember Brightman's level on MM4, since it had no momentum conservation, being particularly bad.

I have to side with Mr Funk on power outages being one of the most frustrating things of all time and always crop up at the most inopportune times. I wonder how much money Belkin or other power backup companies have made on impulse buys by frustrated gamers.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned ever quicksaving themselves into a corner without knowing it at the time, or in the games where QS and QL are being mashed with such droning fequency that you mistake one for the other and either load after an amazing feat of timing and poise or save your game in a just-before-death situation and have to start over... Oh the horrid horrid memories.

 

[Adinoman]

I've got one:

I was trying to go for the Speedrun and Time Trial Achievements in Mirror's Edge. Maybe i just suck at the game but MY GOD you've got to hit the buttons JUST RIGHT and land in EXACTLY the right spot and even then you only get like 2 damn stars at best! And if you screw up once, for even ONE INSTANT, you are completely screwed on a good score. I can't tell you how many times ive almost launched my controller through my tv in a blinding storm of fury.

 

[Cosplay Horatio]

My most frustrating game now is Lego Batman. I find that I have no choice but to play the hero side of the missions in order to unlock the villains missions. I also can't get all the Bat Canisters and Power Blocks unless I play as and unlock The Joker. I don't want to cheat by unlocking him with a code either cuz it's my first playthrough and my nephews hog the console on the weekend.

 

[legolas23]

Star Wars Force Unleashed. OH GOD. BALARKLASDAGKLJHAkhsakdjhaskjh!!!! I don't know how many times I threw down the controller in a fit. I hated that game so much!

The Star Destroyer bit took forever, I just couldn't frigging pull the ship down. The on-screen prompts were LYING TO ME. I did what they said and it wouldn't work. I ended up just mashing on the sticks and it finally crashed down but oh god. I hated that so bad.

The annoying part was the waves of TIE fighters. If you just missed one or two on a run, and had to take more time to shoot the rest down, the stupid Star Destroyer would be almost completely back to its original position. The part of the game I'd been eagerly awaiting was the part of the game that made me want to throttle the designers with something painful.

That scene's actually surprisingly simple once you understand a few basic things. Namely:

1)Whenever the master guy who's name escapes me tells you to "pull it out of the sky", anything between that and when you stop is permanent. No matter how much it turns, it's never going to go back up, so there's always progress being made, even if it's minute

2)Ignore the on screen prompts and just make the point aim at Starkiller's head.

The master's name is Rahm Kota, just for clarification. I'd also like to add something to this little aid section: The TIEs are annoying, sure, but relatively easy if you are good with timing. If all you do is grab the barrel you can charge with Force Lightning and fling at the TIEs, it'll take alot longer then just zapping them with Force Lightning as they pass, or even ripping one out of it's flight arc. These are possible if you wait, and notice the flight pattern of the TIEs. When one was about to circle back, it passed me, whereupon I grabbed it out of it's arc and flung it at another TIE. It was beautiful, but required patience on my part...and I found that aspect fun for some reason.

As for a really frustrating gaming experience, I'd have to say Biolizard's boss fight in Sonic Adventure 2. Not the final, kickass, one where Shadow and Sonic go Super Saiyan...I'm talking the one before that, where the player must defeat Biolizard as Shadow. The lizard's skin is impervious to attack, you can't go up the tail, and even the eggs that aid you in getting up to his weak point can hurt you if you aren't fast enough...and that's not to mention when you get thrown into the air and dozens of them surround you...

 

[maximara]

Aww, thats the first time i've seen some of you guys. <3 Susan Arendt^^

And I can relate to the re-speccing just for a raid thing, *sigh* Molten Core... the guild wanted me to re-spec to frost cos they were low on DPS classes and I was pom-pyro for pvping, then they all get at me for SUCKING as a frost mage, despite having nevert done it before..

Which is primarily why I will NOT change my spec--no matter what. Also Raiding has gotten to the point taht anyone who does it knows that you just can't change specs like that and expect it to work and any serious raiding guild KNOWS that.

 

[maximara]

My frustrating moment was when I just got Halo Wars and for about a week I was playing the story. A week or so later, I decided to give online multiplayer a try. The third match I get in to, I'm fighting players with the highest rank possible in that game, who do nothing but mass produce a single cheap unit like the warthog or the banshee and then rush before you can even begin to produce your own units.

And who thought it was a good idea to give Regret his shield right when he comes out. Soo many times players online would build the temple right when they start so he can quickly come out. Then immidently rush to the enemy's base and use his overpowered special to quickly decimate the place. You cant really fight back because his shield is too strong and hard to drain. And if you are able to get rid of his shield he can simply teleport back, recharge, and repeat his rush. It really ruins the game for me.

This is much the way the old Warcraft games went for me. Most opponents would send in peasants to build a tower and you lost a lost of men getting rid of the thing and then the their forces came over stomped on your head. It got so bad I simple stopped playing Warcraft online until WOW came out.

 

[Stylish_Robot]

FORGOT ONE!

Anyone who's ever played GTA: San Andreas knows what I'm talking about: Supply Lines

 

[jimduckie]

yeah the gta sa dance mission was a pain , i wanted to steal the van or at least use the tow truck to tow it , and mercs2 button mash to hijack a vehicle was bullshit and then theres escort missions i hate them with a passion , if ya can't defend yourself don't ask to escort you

 

[krtprime]

I can think of a few examples of frustration from my youth, but the first one I ever recall that made me throw my controller in frustration was Level 6-2 in the original Ninja Gaiden for NES. 6-1 & 6-3 were no problem, but that level in-between really made me mad.