Games with sections that almost ruin it

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Voor
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Games with sections that almost ruin it

Postby Voor » November 27th, 2019, 9:06 am

I was tempted to replay Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii) the other day and was pumped for the challenge until I remembered those dang barrel riding sections. Ugh! Man, I hate those. Even the cart riding sections, as tough as they are, are still fun, and the game as a whole is known for its platforming challenge. But those barrels....

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DrLitch
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Re: Games with sections that almost ruin it

Postby DrLitch » November 27th, 2019, 9:33 am

DKCR is an excellent game. Agreed it has some tricky sections that border on infuriating.

To add to yours:

Castlevania, at least the first few titles, had sections in the game any sensible person would knock off a letter grade.

Castlevania 1 -> Section with Medusa heads and Knights.
Castlevania 3 -> Whole last level.
Rondo of Blood -> Crumbling bridge/bats. Next section is also tough and you are low on health.
Akumajo Dracula (Castlevania Sharp X68000) -> Pretty much each level has one of those segments.

brendand
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Re: Games with sections that almost ruin it

Postby brendand » November 27th, 2019, 7:39 pm

In Halo Combat Evolved (Xbox) towards the end the flood levels are the worst part of the game rather tedious compared to the rest of the campaign.

Alucard1191
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Re: Games with sections that almost ruin it

Postby Alucard1191 » November 28th, 2019, 9:45 pm

This is a rather odd one, but specifically grinding for/doing the Magi Tower in Final Fantasy 6. The tower itself only gives magic points, no EXP, but the tower itself is really difficult so you are going to use your best people, which just in the process of leveling up have almost every spell you'll have by that point. (Even when you have almost every esper in the game) I've been stuck there for quite some time now, even made it most of the way up the tower and died to some of the stronger enemies. (The ones that have reflect on them and cast meteor)

It's a rather annoying and monotonous section in an otherwise genuinely good game.

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Matchstick
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Re: Games with sections that almost ruin it

Postby Matchstick » November 29th, 2019, 1:16 am

Great topic!

Unfortunately, there's too many games like this to name. I can't tell you the number of times in recent years that I've sat down with a game that I fondly remember, get off to a good start, then hit "that part" and just completely stop playing. How I managed to beat so many games in my youth with such tedious segments is beyond me. Let's just say I had a lot more patience back then.

Off the top of my head, the speeder bike level of Battletoads comes to mind. I have never, ever beaten that part, and I've owned the game for almost 30 (!!) years now. Got it for Xmas back in '91, and while it is one of my all-time most-played NES games, nope, I've never managed to beat that damn third level!

Some of the later levels in GoldenEye are a bit of a drag, too. I feel like the game hits a lull in the last third, as the Archives, Control, and Cavern levels are drab, complicated, and easy to fail on Secret and 00 Agent. I still love playing the game, but as good of a job as the first few levels do in setting the tone and pacing, the later levels do an equal part in grinding that momentum to a halt. Good think I love the Cradle level, though, with it's guns 'a blazin' gameplay and kickbutt high-tempo music. Yeah, it's tough, but after the levels that came before it, I feel like it really gets the game back on track for that all-important big finish.

An honorable mention goes to the first dungeon in The Wind Waker. The game starts off well enough, but then you're sent to that fortress with no weapons, forced to start from the beginning if you're ever caught and tossed in jail. It's a great game once it gets going, but that's not the best way to make an introduction, if you ask me.

ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: Games with sections that almost ruin it

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » November 29th, 2019, 4:32 am

One of the first examples to come to mind was the Lion King stage 2: (Can't Wait to be King.)

Unlike the movie's irresponsible power anthem, the game offers children a cautionary tale of how a foolish little lion cub ignored his wise elders, while trying to set up a spontaneous musical number involving the servants who serve as the lions' prey.

Which goes exactly as you'd expect, if you were at all honest with yourself. But we're not here to mourn Simba's sudden and untimely passing. After the first couple of times watching his beautifully animated paws helplessly grab at the air moments before he drowns, or watching him hop on an ostrich and ride facefirst into a tree, you probably just chalked it up to natural selection, and vowed to do better in another part of the multiverse. No, this post is all about exploring why Disney traumatizing so many innocent kids at such an early age wasn't nearly as much fun as you'd normally expect from their brand.

Besides the fact that the game traumatizes adults as well.

The obvious place to begin the investigation, is in the new play mechanics the second stage introduces for planning the big music number. What began as a simple licensed platformer is unique among 16-bit console simulation games in its painstaking dedication to realism. You'll get to experience everything from micromanaging the placement of unpaid monkey extras, to rehearsing the timing on pixel perfect moves over and over again (especially on the SNES version), just as if you were playing a behind the scenes documentary.

It is both the Gran Turismo and the Dark Souls of the 'Make My Video' genre. Nothing you've ever "played" on the Sega CD can prepare you for this level of deep immersion. Who knew that working in the entertainment industry actually involves so much bloody working?

Adding to the feeling of a no holds barred authenticity is the complete lack of remorse from your cheerful animal co-stars as they watch you die. Some may excuse their obvious joy as the unintended product of limited cartridge space and tight deadlines, but don't be fooled. The Circle of Life has no mercy for the weak.

And neither does Disney.

And really, I suppose that's enough reason alone to almost ruin the game for me. Nobody even feels a little bit guilty about their part in Simba's death? Nobody even seems to care anymore what the other lions will do to them when they find out? Compared to the nihilistic horror of the Lion King stage 2, Joker is just a feel-good romantic comedy.

But, just as the topic asked for, the Lion King stage 2 is only almost completely ruining the game. Fortunately, gamers who want to fight back against the developers have options. Or rather, hidden within the options menu, there are cheat codes only ever intended for the developer's use that allow Simba to fight back against the cruel society that laughs at his suffering. And this is where the Lion King comes into its own.

Right, A, B, C and then Start, means Simba's voice will never be silenced.

Right, A, A, B, Start means Simba can go anywhere, and he's completely untouchable.

Meanwhile, SNES fans can call BARRY for help. Or, if you really want to take the high road, just whisper the magic word RAAB at BARRY's secret hiding place, and your enemies will never bring you down to their level again.

It's kind of like hacking into the Matrix, except you're removing any hint of reality from your ideal fantasy world. I think, somewhere deep in his heart, Uncle Walt would have wanted it that way.

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MSR1701
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Re: Games with sections that almost ruin it

Postby MSR1701 » November 29th, 2019, 10:33 am

Anything with a stealth section included, especially if it is a non-stealth game.

Such games include the ones listed below:

Zelda - Ocarina of Time (sneaking into Hyrule Castle)
Zelda -Wind Waker - (Forbidden Fortress; this section alone killed many of my attempts to play it when it first came out; on the other hand, when you return later in the game with upgrades, it is quite cathartic...)
Zelda - Oracle of Ages (similar to OoT, though not as painful) (Note - the "stealth" sections in Oracle of Seasons go by fast enough to not be a pain in the rear)
Zelda - Link Between Worlds (the Dark Palace section, one of the top reasons why I did not complete repeat playthoughs)
Legend of Heroes - Trails in the Sky FC - the blasted military camp late in the game...
Metroid Zero Mission (the initial Chozodia mess; one of the main reasons I replay this game using Randomizer rules...)
Golden Sun (Babi's Palace; hard to tell when you can fight a guard and when you'll be booted to the entrance of the palace)

Robotrek
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Re: Games with sections that almost ruin it

Postby Robotrek » November 29th, 2019, 2:37 pm

Every vehicular stage in Crash 3.

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MSR1701
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Re: Games with sections that almost ruin it

Postby MSR1701 » November 29th, 2019, 2:43 pm

Robotrek wrote:Every vehicular stage in Crash 3.

I concur. The animal rides were ok, though.

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velcrozombie
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Re: Games with sections that almost ruin it

Postby velcrozombie » November 29th, 2019, 3:06 pm

ThePixelatedGenocide wrote:One of the first examples to come to mind was the Lion King stage 2: (Can't Wait to be King.)


That was an entertaining read, but I did beat the game after getting it for Christmas without any cheats. I would have been 12, so maybe this applies more to the 8-year-old kids who probably did rage-quit. I do remember beating up Scar for over an hour and wondering why he wasn't dying, then either turning off my Genesis in frustration or getting sloppy and letting him kill me - I later did the same thing at a cousin's house for 45 minutes before I finally tossed him off the cliff. Today it would have been a quick-time event but I doubt it would have been as satisfying that way.

My game was Indigo Prophecy - I enjoyed the game a great deal (especially the first hour or two - the opening sequence where you have to quickly leave a bar before anyone discovers that you've killed someone in the bathroom while in a trance is a real nail-biter) before getting to a flashback with the protagonist and his brother as children. It's a stealth section on a military base and there is a part in it where I got caught at least 25 times - but there are no visible guards and the game doesn't give you feedback as to what you are doing wrong. I've spent significant time on puzzles in games before (it took me 3 hours to solve the piano puzzle in the original Silent Hill) but this was just non-intuitive trial-and-error. I quit at that point and ended up watching a Let's Play by Super Best Friends Play (RIP to my favorite video game channel) a few years later and, as it turns out, the game goes off the rails pretty hard right after that section anyway.


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