Most Frustrating Levels

[Alec Benson Leary]

There's a thread for general stuff in games that pisses you off, and one for bosses, now let's talk about levels/level design in particular.

I've been playing Final Fantasy XIII-2, which is a pretty classic-style rpg... up until the final dungeon, which is a piss-poor mashed together jumping platformer puzzle. You have to constantly hit little switches to change the path of puzzle pieces so you can navigate the damn thing. There's no reason given for why the level is a bunch of floating tetris blocks. But beyond even that, by the time you reach the level, the game forces you to go activate an unlockable power that lets you jump farther, just so you can play the level. This power is in the same menu as a bunch of other actual gameplay improvements you can unlock, and by itself serves no purpose outside of this level, aside from a couple of trivial shortcuts in other levels.

What levels piss you off?

 

[applecat]

Banjo-Kazooie. Rusty Bucket Bay. Those. Fucking. Propellers.

 

[Da Pickle Monsta]

I really hate the Oblivion Gates in The Elder Scrolls IV. The first few aren't so bad . . . but there's sixty of the damn things, and they're all closed the same way. Reach the main tower by going through caves/opening gates/ascending smaller towers and extending a bridge . . . fight through a couple of halls . . . go up some big ramps . . . kill some Daedra and some Clanfear--get loot out of the heart-shaped containers--get the sigil stone--fast travel to a town and sell my loot and repair my armor. I love me Oblivion, but the "Oblivion" part of it kinda blows.

 

[c-no]

I really hate the Oblivion Gates in The Elder Scrolls IV. The first few aren't so bad . . . but there's sixty of the damn things, and they're all closed the same way. Reach the main tower by going through caves/opening gates/ascending smaller towers and extending a bridge . . . fight through a couple of halls . . . go up some big ramps . . . kill some Daedra and some Clanfear--get loot out of the heart-shaped containers--get the sigil stone--fast travel to a town and sell my loot and repair my armor. I love me Oblivion, but the "Oblivion" part of it kinda blows.

Yeah, the Oblivion gates are repetitive. At least the sigil stones are a good reward provided it has the enchantment you want along with the fact that you get fame for closing each gate.

 

[The Fair Lady]

Haha oh man, I know exactly what you mean about FFXIII-2. That level is almost as ridiculous as the clock puzzles.

 

[Connor Bible]

Any level in any video game that involves giant spiders.

 

[CatParty]

Level 9 of Tetris

 

[Anchuent Christory]

I haven't played this game (cloudberry kingdom) but I doubt my joypad would survive it if I did.

 

[Male]

 

[c-no]

I haven't played this game (cloudberry kingdom) but I doubt my joypad would survive it if I did.

Why do I feel that takes a cue from I Wanna Be The Guy? Speaking of which IWBTG doesn't have frustrating level. I say that because really, the entire game is frustrating.

 

[cypocryphy]

I don't think I ever made it past the hovercraft-thing level on "Battletoads".

 

[Anchuent Christory]

I don't think I ever made it past the hovercraft-thing level on "Battletoads".

You and everybody else in the known universe, fuck that shit.

 

[exball]

The Water Temple.

 

[Iä! Iä!]

Anything in a mine or a sewer.

 

[sm0t]

The Chemical Plant Zone in Sonic 2. All of it. But I mostly just remember frantically trying to jump to the surface of the water to stop that frantic "You gonna drown" music, and usually failing.

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

I also hated Cortana (the level) in Halo 3, for reasons anyone who has played Halo 3 understands perfectly. The Flood just will not let up. It feels like the level is a whole difficulty rank above the rest of whatever you're playing the game at.

I haven't played this game (cloudberry kingdom) but I doubt my joypad would survive it if I did.

That looks FUCKING AWESOME.

 

[Pikimon]

Training a cat to roll over in Nitendogs 2

 

[caffeinated_wench]

One of the more frustrating times I've had (aside from Water Tempes; fuck those things), at least recently, would be a chase you have to do during the story of Grand Theft Auto IV. Cars in that game handle like you're driving on ice, and that guy is fast as fuck. One mistake can result in him getting a huge lead on you. So you get to spend time restarting the whole chase with a car that's sliding around every which way.

I think I'll add the first time one faces a griffin in Dragon's Dogma. It's not that it's difficult to kill; no, it's the fact that the fucker flies away like a little bitch when you do enough damage to it, leading you to chase it down again and again. It gets annoying. There is also

Spoiler: DRAGON'S DOGMA STORY

the Cockatrice, with its petrifying breath. If you don't have an item that can cure it or a Sorcerer with the right spell, you get to watch yourself and your pawns die slowly. There's absolutely nothing you can do about it at that point. I should add that any pawn that gets KO'd from this is sent back to the Rift, so you can't revive them either.

 

[Springblossom]

Bringing up my usual obsession, Dark Souls. Bad level? Lost Izalith.

The lower part where you enter is all lava, which, even with the anti-lava ring, constantly drains your health. It's also full of Bounding Demons, possessed dragon asses with hugely damaging attacks. I mean full when I say full, by the way; the place is absolutely packed with them. After you get out of the lava, you run into huge hordes of Demon Statues, the laziest enemy ever. It's seriously just a statue that glides around and breathes fire at you. There's also Chaos Eaters, these giant blender-demon things that are at least funny, even if they can absolutely trash your weapon and armor durability.

And then you fight the Bed of Chaos which is horrible and awful.

 

[exball]

I also hated Cortana (the level) in Halo 3, for reasons anyone who has played Halo 3 understands perfectly. The Flood just will not let up. It feels like the level is a whole difficulty rank above the rest of whatever you're playing the game at.

I have never finished Cortana on anything higher than normal.