Specific parts in games you dread

[Emperor_Jim]

There are a couple I can think of, both for the NES.

In Ninja Gaiden 3, the last level was full of enemies and each time you got hit, you'd lose 3 energy bars or fall into a pit. If you took too long, the timer would run out just before the last boss room. To add insult to injury, if you died at any point in the battle with the boss' 3 forms, you had to go back to the beginning of the substage. Worse, if it was your last life, you had to go back to the beginning of the level!

The other game many people have played. I'm sure you all know this scene well:

[Needle]

Heh, level 3 in Life Force is one of my favorites, but I;ve just played the game so many times that within some deep unconscious memories in my head seem to know exactly when the fire pops out.

Battletoads is the first game that comes to mind. Originally the Turbo Tunnel was the stage I dreaded. Once I mastered that, it was definitely the Snake Pit. Once I found the shortcut out of the pit, it was the dreaded sewer system stage. It just made me scream and scream and scream...

Also, Level 8 in Blaster Master is not even FUN compared to the rest of the game. There's one part in the tank where the platforms are bright pink, and you're avoiding spikes and beetles coming from all directions. It always upset me that when you retrieve that "Wall II" powerup, your ship actually becomes more difficult to control. I'd end up rolling into spike pits continuously. Oh, the agony...

[Dr. Morbis]

Two that I used to fear but have subsequently mastered are:

Bubble Bobble NES: level 57 where the space invaders are shooting down and you can't get up easily to kill them (blow tons of bubbles into centre then hop on them and wait for them to slowly rise).

TMNT NES: final hallway of the last level. It used to be a massacre resulting in turtle soup. The trick is to stop the second a hovering laser guy comes on the screen. He will move back and disappear then you can continue... lather, rinse, repeat.

[atomicthumbs]

Aside from the half-hour loading time in Soldier of Fourtune for the Dreamcast, this I dread the most....


That Damned Gummi Ship

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I'll speak up for the old school games here.

Return Of The Jedi: Death Star Battle (Atari 2600) - that horrible interlude between when you finally nail the Death Star core and it blows itself to bits - you know, when it's shucking debris and fireballs every which way. Damned if I don't always die here - on the very, very rare occasion that I don't, it's a cause for a mighty war whoop. Now I see why Lando Calrissian lead out that big "yeeeee-haaaaaa" in the movie.

Pick Axe Pete (Odyssey2) - making that life-or-death run-then-leap into the door after snagging a key. It's less of an issue if I've got a pick axe, but I tend to hang around the top of the screen - so I'm usually defenseless. Let me make this clear for anyone playing this game - you must jump toward the doors, not walk into them. Failure to do so will result in me having no sympathy for you otherwise.

Attack Of The Timelord (Odyssey2) - y'know those little green spiky bombs that skullface chucks at you? The ones that roll toward you on the ground instead of just detonating instantly? I hate those bastards. With the white-hot passion of a billion suns, I hate them. Anymore, I make it a point to knock those little killers out of the sky before they hit the ground and trundle my way - it's an achieve-at-all-costs mission for me, because they're damn well gonna cost me if I let them land.

[Sotenga]

There are a couple I can think of, both for the NES.

In Ninja Gaiden 3, the last level was full of enemies and each time you got hit, you'd lose 3 energy bars or fall into a pit. If you took too long, the timer would run out just before the last boss room. To add insult to injury, if you died at any point in the battle with the boss' 3 forms, you had to go back to the beginning of the substage. Worse, if it was your last life, you had to go back to the beginning of the level!

The other game many people have played. I'm sure you all know this scene well:

Another one of my most hated scenes in video games! F**KING PROMINENCES!!!!!

I mean, you really don't get a lot of warning before they flare up. I often lose all of my lives on this stage. It's probably the reason why I have yet to beat Life Force without using the Konami code.

[Oobgarm]

Level 8-3 in Super Mario Bros.

I STILL HAVE NOT BEATEN SMB DAMN YOU HAMMER BROS.!!!!

[atomicthumbs]

Level 8-3 in Super Mario Bros.

I STILL HAVE NOT BEATEN SMB DAMN YOU HAMMER BROS.!!!!

Dude... Take your time (but not too much time) in 8-1/8-2 and do your best to stay Fire Mario. It's the easiest way.



Or just run at top speed like a freaking psychopath and hope you get lucky!

[Darth Sensei]

Bubble Bobble NES: level 57 where the space invaders are shooting down and you can't get up easily to kill them (blow tons of bubbles into centre then hop on them and wait for them to slowly rise).

I forgot Bubble Bobble. BB 1 & 2 have some maddening levels.

Also, the Bushido Blade 1 "Attack too fast and you are dishonorable." aspect is annoying. When I first played it I didn't have the instructions so it was difficult to figure out what I was doing wrong.

Adventure for Atari- Getting stuck in walls while dealing with the bat. Arrgh.

D

[Neil Koch]

Neil Koch wrote:
One bit that comes to mind is level 7-1 of Revenge of Shinobi. There is one jump that you have to use ninja magic to make and even then you have to hit it perfectly. That's the only part of the game where I die.


Ugh, isn't that Chinatown (can't remember?) There's a jump off a street light onto a rooftop (or vice versa...) that I never have made yet, so that's where I'm stuck in the game.

Actually that jump isn't the one I was talking about, that one is annoying but at least you don't die if you miss and it is possible to do it without using ninja magic. If you use the jumping magic you can easily make it from the lightpost.

Here's another one -- the "Checkpoint Charlie" mission in GTAVC. I've played through the game several times but this is the only mission where I have to do it about 20 times before passing it. Those speedboats handle like crap.