Originally Posted by
BetaWolf47
This. The Gradius series is pretty much ruined for me because of that.
I'd like to toss in a frustrating instance to a game that's a few generations later than everything mentioned here: Donkey Kong 64. Very well balanced platformer with great level design when you first start. Then, to be able to beat the game, you have the unfair challenge of having to beat the original arcade Donkey Kong twice on one credit (3 lives), just to earn a stupid token that unlocks a door to the final boss. Doesn't matter how good you are at the rest of Donkey Kong 64, if you aren't a pro at a game released 15 years prior, you cannot beat the game no matter what.