3. Tetris
Tetris is one of those games that all kids who grew up in the early 90’s will hold dear to their hearts. Anyone who lived within a 20 mile radius of a Gameboy has probably had some kind of exposure to Tetris, and it is also because of this that we can all share in the same frustration that this game can engender within us. The most annoying failure is the one that comes out of nowhere. You can be so near to earning that high score in Tetris, but a single lapse in concentration will see your screen get filled up with squares in seconds. What’s worse is you have to watch this all happen while you are, more often than not, powerless to stop it. Not many games can get gamers quite as riled up in the same way as Tetris can.
2. Hexic HD
Anyone who purchased an Xbox 360 during the first few years of the console’s cycle will know what I’m talking about here. Hexic HD was the little arcade game that came pre-loaded onto your console for free. With the novelty of Achievements in the air, many thought Hexic would be a good place to start their never-ending quest to increase their GamerScore. Little did they know that unlocking the achievements in Hexic would not be for the fainthearted. Many hours were wasted trying to match starflowers to earn an elusive black pearl. And don’t even get me started on the Achievement that required you to match six black pearls.
1. StarCraft
I’m cheating a bit here by referring to StarCraft as a puzzle game when it’s considered the archetypal real time strategy game, but it is a frustrating brain teaser all the same. Have you ever tried playing the original StarCraft online recently? Even worse, have you ever tried playing StarCraft against a Korean player as of late? Few horrors can quite compare to such a fate. It wasn’t just a loss I encountered, it was more of a total humiliation. I still have nightmares about the experience, and I’m sure any sane man would have a similar reaction to such a horrific tactical lashing. Keep your StarCraft escapades amongst your close friends until you’re good enough to compete. Maybe then you’ll be safe. Maybe.
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