Games you love to hate...
Everyone has those games, those games that bring the memories of joy and happiness. You think back to the time you played them and a smile breaks out across your face. Suddenly you remember why you stopped playing this piece of joy.
Happiness turns to anguish and this moment of joy turns into sheer rage. But wait, this time will be different, this time you have a plan. You have done your research and studied every aspect of the game. Material has been read, internet has been surfed and pre-game rituals have been followed. The game starts, one life down already, rage building.
Join 'Fossil Gamer' as he talks you through some of the classic games that make him get a little bit angry.......
Super Mario Bros 3 (NES)
The first one on my list is a NES legend. Super Mario Bros. 3 is my nemesis, it is my holy grail, and it will not defeat me. I could write about how gorgeous this game looks and how well it plays but we have heard it all before haven’t we? Super Mario Bros. 3 brings rage in the bucket loads for me.
World 1 goes past without a single hitch; World 2 is smashed as quickly as 1. Some tricky levels in World 3 but nothing to worry about then the rage, then comes World War 4.
Lives are falling quicker than a stock market crash and you have the urge to throw console, game and T.V. out of the window. The game goes back on the shelf but it can’t sit there for long. Just one more game, this time it will be different.
Alleykat (Commodore 64)
Next on the list is one of Andrew Braybrook’s creations from the golden era of the Commodore 64.
You may or may not be aware, Alleykat is an overhead space race scroller. Each season consists of monthly races which have different landscapes to race across. The race tracks feature many obstacles each with differing difficulty but every time I play it the difficulty must be stuck on rock hard.
The game looks lovely and the simple concept is one you can’t help but adore. The thing is that I just can’t master the mechanics of the game. The game goes back on the shelf but it can’t sit there for long. Just one more game this time it will be different.
Another World (Amiga)
Another game I love to hate is Another classic game from Another gaming format. Why is he using the word Another loads of times? Because the next game is Another World.
The mixture of cinematic cut scenes and action pack levels makes this game irresistible to put down. The sheer anger comes when you get past a very difficult point in the game (which is every level) but then die at few moments later only to spawn back before the really hard part.
Grrrr! To add salt into the wound you can’t get past the really hard bit again. Back to the original checkpoint, what the actual hell!!!
Aaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!! The game goes back on the shelf but it can’t sit there for long. Just one more game this time it will be different.
Pac-Man (Arcade)
The last game is a weird choice and people will disagree with me but please understand this is games we love but make your blood boil.
The big yellow power pill eating machine is my favourite game character of all-time. Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde are my favourite villains in any video game. The simple Pac-man sounds and gameplay makes me smile every time I hear and see it.
The way the ghosts can second guess my every move turns a mild man into a rabid mad man with the blood lust rage of a blood starved vampire. Surely the game is cheating me, I am not that bad of a player. What makes the rage worse is the like of Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe who make this god damn game so easy. But as normal, the game goes back on the shelf but it can’t sit there for long. Just one more game this time it will be different.
RGG's Final Thoughts...
I know for a fact that anyone reading this will have had those rage quit moments that are followed up by a realisation that you know you can beat it, so back in the console the game goes and off you plod once more to prove to yourself and the world it can be beaten. Maybe when I was younger I would happily sit there even if it took hours to get past the bits that frustrate me now but then when your younger time has no real meaning does it? As an adult I have other things to do and god-dammit I will get these games done on my timetable.
These are just a handful of games that bring on gaming rage but the truth is that the majority of games will anger during the time you play them. After a while that anger turns into burning ambition and it becomes a retro game badge of honour to finish a game you have battled for years. We all love to hate them but as a retro gamer you will always come back begging for another kickin'.
- Fossil Gamer