From the sentience of Tetris to terrible Halo teammates, these video game experiences will make your blood boil.
This article comes from Den of Geek UK.
Do you fancy going on a journey through a few decades of video game frustration?
It was likely the first home computer most of us owned.
There was one really great thing about the Spectrum: the ease with which you could copy games.
(If that sentence confuses you, ask your great-great-great-great-grandparents to explain it.)
And sometimes, just sometimes, something even worse than that happened: the gamedidload.
Manic Miner (ZX Spectrum)
These days video games are total immersion experiences.
Back in 1983, things were simpler.
Unfortunately for our cursed generation,Manic Minerwas developed in the days before save-game checkpoints were invented.
Just one more game, Id snarl, and I dont even care if I win or not.
Once this games finished, I swear it…
I swear on all the gods in the heavens, Ill switch it off and vacate this bathroom.
Ah, what folly.
Frustration is built into the game.
Its what keeps you playing.
Its also what keeps you shouting things like: RANDOM?
How can it be RANDOM when thats the ninth square block in a row?
This is what youve wanted all along, isnt it, Game Boy?
To make me lose my temper and throw you across the room, smash you into the wall.
Oh, youd like that, wouldnt you?
Set during the American Civil War, you played as either the Yankees or the Confederates.
The army-on-army battles were the most fun, although not without their taste of unfairness.
As a human player, you could only control one unit at a time.
It was a bit like playing against Data fromStar Trek: The Next Generation.
When a computer opponent undertook the same mission, it always won and seemingly within about seven seconds.
I remember it well.
If you died which was often you returned to the very start of the game.
But then Im weird.
Ah, happy memories.
Theres a stunt car.
And you race it.
On a stunt course.
But as a human player, you couldnt, because the game was so painstakingly difficult.
Or perhaps its mastery required more effort and patience than this youngster could muster.
And damage was hard to avoid.
The kiss of death.
Before long you would come to the conclusion that foul play was your only viable option.
Only one small snag in that plan: its impossible, too.
For some reason, the CPU cars were indestructible and immovable.
Ultima 8 (PC)
I loved dwindling away my teenage years insideUltima 8slarge and rich gamescape.
But hey, to each their own, right?
Ill bet Crammond had something to do with this too!
Id cry, punching my mouse.
Unfortunately, our resolutions proved useless.
The system broke down.
There was a level called Facility where one of the respawn points was a vent above a toilet cubicle.
You cant put a price on that.
This colorful collection of pixels will smash up your kart no matter how hard you venture to avoid it.
How are you not meant to rage when one of those attacks you from behind?
Your anger is so powerful it could be measured in megatons.
It was, of course, never this reason: I was a little bit rubbish.
And dont get me started on people who sign up for a game and then stand there doing nothing!
