MightyGodKing takes a look back at the halcyon days of Atari with some box art fun:
That dovetails nicely with a subject that I was thinking of this weekend: Games that always kicked my ass. Sure there’s stuff like the ridiculously difficult Super Star Wars series for the SNES, but what about those games that you were sure were only difficult to you?
I remember sinking quarter after quarter into Karnov, thinking each time that THIS time I’d finally get the rhythm down. Rahstan was another frustration-machine, as the simple Conan clone shouldn’t have been that hard.
Anyone care to weigh in on their all-time arcade frustration games?
April 21st, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Rastan!!!Ahhh ahhh! AHHHHH!
Thanks for that lovely reminder. I haven’t thought about that piece of garbage since attempting to impale myself on the joystick. Or am I remembering it wrong - were its inputs a rollerball and cattleprod? Why the heck was that one so horrible? Was I that schmucktardedly uncoordinated?
The other one that sent me into fits of apoplexy was freaking Castlevania. I know that was hard for a lot of people, but I couldn’t even get past the first screen.
April 21st, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I don’t think I’ve ever made it past the Frankenstein boss level on Castlevania. Damn you, Simon Belmont! Why must you be so damn addicting?
Another ‘oh god, I can’t believe I can’t beat this’ has to be Ghosts n’ Goblins. Yet again, a game I absolutely adored, but couldn’t beat to save my life.
April 21st, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Just stop now. I’ve got delirium tremens just thinking about Qix.
Because you made me think of Qix.
Without even mentioning Qix.
April 21st, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Oh, nuts. Even Donkey Kong had me crying tears of elementary school shame. Every time I saw someone nailing the “rivets” level (popping out the rivets to fracture Kong’s skull when he tumbled headfirst to his death) I hung my head. I was glad if I cleared the first screen…ever. The pie conveyor belt factory was it for me.
I do recall watching with rapt attention some really old guy (probably sixteen at the time) sweep through the elevator level.
The arcade was where losers hung out to feel a sense of accomplishment. I even sucked at that!
This is the most depressing post in the history of Transbuddha. Yes, depressinger than that time you linked to Unemployed Skeletor.
April 21st, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Donkey Kong I could manage on that odd occasion. Donkey Kong, Jr. and DKIII? Not so much.
Tempest was another one that drove me nuts. I, Robot… Qbert was a guaranteed frustration past the 3rd level or so.
I did kick serious ass at Mad Planets, though.
But damn.. Qix? Why you gotta make a man remember that?
April 21st, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Popeye, too. Sure, not Qix-otic, but a Paper Boy-esque dimension of irritation.
Okay, now that I have unburdened my heavy heart, I think I’ll go impale it on a stake so that I never have to think about this subject again.
April 21st, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Muhahaha
http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=20053
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:03 am
[...] case you missed yesterday’s discussion regarding frustrating games of yore, commenter Chief Bryan decided to twist the knife a little by linking to a browser version of [...]