# What are the most frustrating segments of video games you have ever played? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 10, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788 "2010-08-10T03:36:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/41 "2010-08-10T23:55:49Z")
Also, the boss battle vs. the Dragon God in Chrono Cross. It had timed it back in 2000 when this game was new. It used to take me about 14 minutes to get to the part where I died every time. I actually beat it with one player alive, with minimal HP left, with his last remaining spell, which was the equivalent of a level 1 weak spell. Here it is in a video. It’s quite long, so it’s 2 Youtube videos. [Dragon God Part One](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riPoGjZyIxo) [Dragon God Part Two](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR5-EsWEIzk) Great game, though. Love it. I’ve played it through 3 times using the same save over again and have gotten all characters. Love that game. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/42 "2010-08-10T23:57:22Z")
> [@](#): > > :eek: That better do a shitload of damage. It does, but I stopped using him because of how long it took. I’d rather just deal out the damage myself. His damage per time is worse than my main characters. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/43 "2010-08-11T02:24:35Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Also, the boss battle vs. the Dragon God in Chrono Cross. > > It had timed it back in 2000 when this game was new. It used to take me about 14 minutes to get to the part where I died every time. I actually beat it with one player alive, with minimal HP left, with his last remaining spell, which was the equivalent of a level 1 weak spell. > > Here it is in a video. It’s quite long, so it’s 2 Youtube videos. > > [Dragon God Part One](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riPoGjZyIxo) > > [Dragon God Part Two](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR5-EsWEIzk) > > Great game, though. Love it. I’ve played it through 3 times using the same save over again and have gotten all characters. Love that game. Wow, I haven’t played that game in so long I completely forgot about that boss. Great soundtrack, though. I’ve actually got a Korean bootleg CD. And I loved that battle system and wish it had made it into other games. I am willing to bet that I am the only person on this board that ever played Thousand Arms (though I wouldn’t be completely surprised to be wrong.) While I loved the idea of a dating sim bolted onto an RPG when I bought it (and the game had some great pack-in extras), it got quite tedious after a while and I never finished it. The game just seemed to really bog down once you needed to spend a lot of time dating all the different girls to improve your weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/44 "2010-08-11T12:51:23Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > > [@Mahaloth](#): > > > > Also, the boss battle vs. the Dragon God in Chrono Cross. > > > > It had timed it back in 2000 when this game was new. It used to take me about 14 minutes to get to the part where I died every time. I actually beat it with one player alive, with minimal HP left, with his last remaining spell, which was the equivalent of a level 1 weak spell. > > > > Here it is in a video. It’s quite long, so it’s 2 Youtube videos. > > > > [Dragon God Part One](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riPoGjZyIxo) > > > > [Dragon God Part Two](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR5-EsWEIzk) > > > > Great game, though. Love it. I’ve played it through 3 times using the same save over again and have gotten all characters. Love that game. > > Wow, I haven’t played that game in so long I completely forgot about that boss. Great soundtrack, though. I’ve actually got a Korean bootleg CD. And I loved that battle system and wish it had made it into other games. Yeah, Chrono Cross is one of the all time best soundtracks to games(Okami is another). I love Chrono Cross. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/45 "2010-08-11T13:27:16Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > I found the part in _Okami_ on the _Wii_ where you have to help the old man with his dance to restore a tree extremly frustrating. There’s virtually no room for error because doing the brushstrokes with the Wiimote successfully can be tricky. I had to try that part dozens of times before I got it right, and each time you fail the cutscene starts from the beginning. [Here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY9ShiZDeaQ#t=2m26s) the part in question. Yeah, and it’s funny. The first playthrough, I had exactly the problem you said. It took me umpteen tries to get it right. The second playthrough, BAM! Got it in one. Even I was shocked. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/46 "2010-08-11T13:35:32Z")
> [@Page\_Fault](#): > > What? Nobody is talking about Battletoads for the NES? The game that was literally impossible to beat in 2-player mode? Particularly the 3rd level scooter cave jumping board. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/47 "2010-08-11T14:56:47Z")
Fighting against the gunship in Soldier of Fortune: Payback. I have a feeling if anyone else ever played this game, this would be where they stopped. An attack helicopter with endless armor, ammo and rockets buzzes around blasting you in a village full of enemies. You have to fight on the run and constantly duck for cover while slowly, slowly peeling the paint off the helicopter with your assault rifle. I didn’t find the RC plane in San Andreas all that hard. Does it give you more fuel if you’re playing on PC or something? I thought the mission was easy, especially since I could just land the plane and creep up on my enemies. The next Zero mission after this one is a real bitch. It’s also worth noting that the Zero missions are not game-critical. All you get for completing them is money from his shop. Flying school and driving school in San Andreas are just stupidly hard. There was also a mission where you had to chase a jet with a prop plane that was no fun. Also trying to bike ride up the ramp of a cargo plane as it takes off and while pricks are throwing barrels at you. That one required a few restarts. That stupid dancing on the beach mission where all you need to do is steal a van but you have no choice but to impress a girl with your dancing skills first. Every single mission with Catalina. Saints Row 2 had a boss battle in which you had to use a sword against an opponent even though you carry an arsenal on your back. Attack a split second too soon and he grabs you and tosses you, dealing considerable damage in the process. Attack too late and either the same thing happens or he just splits your melon with his dual swords. To add to the fun, he taunts you constantly (but keeps saying the same things over and over) and will sometimes call in a few more lackeys to attack you. Frustrating. The bank robbery missions in GTA: Vice City and GTA4 were both stupidly difficult for all the messing around you have to do beforehand and for how easy it is to fail the mission because you suddenly have to battle every cop in the city while defending your friends who have no understanding of the word “pathfinding”. Vice City also had the Auntie Poulet mission in which you had to be a sniper in a gang battle. The Haitians and Cubans are having a big melee and you’re supposed to snipe off the Cubans. It’s very hard to do because everyone is moving, the Cubans fight hard (they have an advantage in numbers and weapons) and because if you miss, you probably just plugged someone on your team. The only good thing about the mission was that you didn’t have to go very far to restart it. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/48 "2010-08-11T16:47:41Z")
> [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > The battle on the Collector ship in Mass Effect 2 on Hardcore or Insanity difficulty levels. There’s very little cover, and what little you do have Harbinger can easily kock you out of. Meanwhile the scion on the moving platform is constantly killing off your companions. I just beat this on Insanity. Reave is your friend. > [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](#): > > This, this and thousand times this. Mass Effect 1 had one fight that teleported the party in the middle of an empty space devoid of cover during the stupid cutscene and once the actual fight started in 2-3 minutes, you could die in 5 seconds if you didn’t run to the right cover right away. ME1 combat was otherwise easy, and I wouldn’t have minded harder fights, but having to watch a longish time when my supposedly veteran soldiers blithedly walk into an ambush like stupid civilians and then die in a few seconds just made me soooo mad. Takes me back, it does. If I’m thinking of the right one. “Do you think Benezia is involved?” Gah! ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/49 "2010-08-12T18:44:10Z")
Pharoah, a city-building game city in Ancient Egypt. I beat every mission on Hard difficulty, and decided to try Very Hard. You don’t have access to all the types of buildings in the first few missions, which makes it impossible to get a house to evolve high enough to complete the second or third mission. On lower difficulty levels there’s no problem, but on Very Hard you need to build entertainment to get the houses to high enough level - and they just plain aren’t available. Yes, they shipped the game with one level that was impossible to beat for a very simple reason that would have been apparent had they actually tried to beat it. I was looking forward to a real challenge from the game after generally having very little trouble on Hard. I wasn’t expecting it to be impossible. Now, you could just reduce the difficulty for that mission, and raise it for the subsequent ones, but after that I was sorta not interested to see if they fucked any other prerequisites up. Master of Magic had an Impossible difficulty setting. And it wasn’t due to at least one game-breaking strategy. But that’s another thread. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/50 "2010-08-12T18:49:16Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > Master of Magic had an Impossible difficulty setting. And it wasn’t due to at least one game-breaking strategy. But that’s another thread. Did the computer still put their field armies _one square outside_ their cities on Impossible? ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/51 "2010-08-12T20:02:39Z")
Getting to the end of the Hall of Records in The Neverhood. Why, yes, I am olde, how did you know? ::slinks away:: ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/52 "2010-08-12T20:58:07Z")
The final screen in The Force Unleashed on the DS. Not beating the Emperor, oh no, after a billion tries that becomes cake. The final fraking slide the color lights on the touch screen puzzle you have to do to finish. It is freaking impossible. F that game! F it! I’m done! GAAAAH! ---
**Author:** ![jrbor76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9e8a1a/32.png) [@jrbor76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrbor76)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/53 "2010-08-12T23:35:06Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > I didn’t find the RC plane in San Andreas all that hard. Does it give you more fuel if you’re playing on PC or something? I thought the mission was easy, especially since I could just land the plane and creep up on my enemies. The next Zero mission after this one is a real bitch. It’s also worth noting that the Zero missions are not game-critical. All you get for completing them is money from his shop. > > Flying school and driving school in San Andreas are just stupidly hard. There was also a mission where you had to chase a jet with a prop plane that was no fun. Also trying to bike ride up the ramp of a cargo plane as it takes off and while pricks are throwing barrels at you. That one required a few restarts. That stupid dancing on the beach mission where all you need to do is steal a van but you have no choice but to impress a girl with your dancing skills first. Every single mission with Catalina. > > … > > Vice City also had the Auntie Poulet mission in which you had to be a sniper in a gang battle. The Haitians and Cubans are having a big melee and you’re supposed to snipe off the Cubans. It’s very hard to do because everyone is moving, the Cubans fight hard (they have an advantage in numbers and weapons) and because if you miss, you probably just plugged someone on your team. The only good thing about the mission was that you didn’t have to go very far to restart it. Whoever came up with the RC vehicle missions for the GTA series should be punched in the face. The only Catalina mission I really disliked playing in SA was the liquor store/ATV chase. I couldn’t stand Catalina’s dialogue… thank god for the mute button. For Vice City’s Auntie Poulet/sniper mission did you get the adrenaline next to the roof stairs? That one never gave me real trouble, I always got it, if not on the first try then at least on the second. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/54 "2010-08-13T00:59:48Z")
In Max Payne, the dream maze level. What the hell was the point of that? ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/55 "2010-08-13T02:00:45Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > In Max Payne, the dream maze level. What the hell was the point of that? Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes! And I played it on the PS2, which made it even more difficult. And there were actually two of those blood trail mazes you had to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/56 "2010-08-13T02:08:36Z")
The only part of Psychonauts that I found especially difficult was near the end of the meat circus, where the dad is throwing fire at you and the water is rising. THere was one particular jump that i could not make. So I quit the game. That’s pretty bad, when someone’s put 15 hours into a game and quits because of one find-the-pixel jump. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/57 "2010-08-13T02:30:52Z")
> [@Tengu](#): > > 1. Fighting Weigraf/Belias. The fight is hard (especially since only your hero is in it), but that’s not the problem…the problem is there’s a save point right before it. That should be a good thing, right? > > Wrong. It’s on the WRONG side of a door which locks as soon as you’re through it. So unless you have a second save, if you’re not strong enough to take him on, you’re screwed. And even if you do, you’d better hope you saved recently (I hadn’t…). > > (I suspect a lot of people have made that complaint, since more recent Square games that let you save after getting to a point of no return WARN you to save to a new slot, because you can’t turn back at this point.) I had to tweak my character endlessly and then pray that everything went my way (holy critting twice in a row, I think). I redid that fight for hours on end. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/58 "2010-08-13T07:05:30Z")
> [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > > [@RickJay](#): > > > > In Max Payne, the dream maze level. What the hell was the point of that? > > Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes! > > And I played it on the PS2, which made it even more difficult. > > And there were actually two of those blood trail mazes you had to follow. I don’t live too far from Remedy HQ. I could go slap them if you wish? ---
**Author:** ![Omi\_no\_Kami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Omi\_no\_Kami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omi_no_Kami)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/59 "2010-08-13T09:03:45Z")
The first time I played GTA: San Andreas I gave up during that dumb dumb dumb stupid section where you have to get behind an oncoming jet plane with your prop plane. As far as I could ever tell the prop plane was incapable of overtaking the jet, so the only way to do it was to sit through the mission briefing, drive all the way to the airport, sneak onto the runway, steal a prop plane, fly the 3-4 minutes out of the city to reach the jet plane, and hope your timing was good enough to initiate a loop-the-loop _right_ before the jet came into view, and hope that the momentum was enough to put you in the area behind its tail where you needed to be to proceed. The next time, I managed to finish that one (and have since become reasonably good at the above maneuver), went on to have lots of fun… and then choked on the last mission. At least, I _assume_ it’s the last mission. It involved climbing in a crappy car with terrible suspension and chasing a fire truck all around the city, while your idiot brother flailed back and forth on the truck’s ladder. You were supposed to stay under the ladder to be ready to catch said brother, but I could never even get close. So I never got to finish SA. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Hoopy\_Frood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoopy_frood/32/8452_2.png) [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788/60 "2010-08-13T14:05:25Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > > [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > > > Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes! > > > > And I played it on the PS2, which made it even more difficult. > > > > And there were actually two of those blood trail mazes you had to follow. > > I don’t live too far from Remedy HQ. I could go slap them if you wish? Please, could you? I mean, it was a pointless stage of futility that marred what was otherwise a stellar game. I can see it being annoying using a mouse/keyboard as it is, but with a thumbstick it was so much frustration I almost quit the game right there. Come to think of it, the sniper rifle was pretty much useless when using a thumbstick as well. Really, they needed to make the console port better tuned to the analog stick on the whole. I played the 2nd on PC, though. A keyboard/mouse made it much easier to aim things. And there wasn’t stupid blood trail mazes, from what I recall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-most-frustrating-segments-of-video-games-you-have-ever-played/549788.md?page=4)