The most annoying enemies in classic games

[retrorussell]

Galimoth from Castlevania: SOTN, playing as Richter against him. Insanely hard!!! Unless you can get behind him and use the million daggers attack over and over, but that's hard to do!

[+davidcalgary29]

What?! No one has yet singled out those irritating, annoying thingies to be found in the Rainbow Zone in Vanguard?

[Manoau2002]

Coily from Qbert is a really annoying enemy.

[retrorussell]

What?! No one has yet singled out those irritating, annoying thingies to be found in the Rainbow Zone in Vanguard?

Actually, it's just a matter of knowing when they appear or the group of 5 appear, and where to move to so you can blast just one over and over again to keep your fuel supply up.. the thing that annoys me is the sudden switch from one zone to another. At least the game VERBALLY tells you it's coming..

[retrorussell]

Coily from Qbert is a really annoying enemy.

The biggest annoyance isn't even an enemy; it's Slick and Sam, who undo your hard work!

 

Lately: those stupid Warrior tanks on Sinistar really tick me off. That, and not having a joystick while playing the game emulated. It's hard as hell to collect crystals that way!

[+davidcalgary29]

Actually, it's just a matter of knowing when they appear or the group of 5 appear, and where to move to so you can blast just one over and over again to keep your fuel supply up.. the thing that annoys me is the sudden switch from one zone to another. At least the game VERBALLY tells you it's coming..

 

This is exactly why they're annoying! It's not as if they do anything. Plus, they're accompanied by that damned circus music, which will drive me insane one day.

[bomberpunk]

water.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yw5jkAHgME

[roland p]

The monkey in donkey kong. Touch it and you're dead...

[Andromeda Stardust]

water.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yw5jkAHgME

You make a valid point. So many classic platformers have water levels shoehorned in. Some control better than others. My best friend hates water levels with a passion, especially in 3D platformers. He finds 3D swim mechanics in Mario games (Sunshine, Galaxy, etc...) impossible to navigate for some reason, and was jealous watching me breeze through those same areas with ease.

[mbd30]

The monkey in donkey kong. Touch it and you're dead...

 

The diagonal and double barrels in Donkey Kong... and the one that go down a ladder when you expect them to roll by.

[mbd30]

You make a valid point. So many classic platformers have water levels shoehorned in. Some control better than others. My best friend hates water levels with a passion, especially in 3D platformers. He finds 3D swim mechanics in Mario games (Sunshine, Galaxy, etc...) impossible to navigate for some reason, and was jealous watching me breeze through those same areas with ease.

 

The DKC water levels are okay. I especially like the music in these levels.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Water levels can be great fun if done well. Fact is with a lot of B-grade platformers, it's like the developers were sitting around at a table and said, "let's cram in a water level and give it wonky physics so kids will hate us..." Typically the controls will be a sluggish version of the normal physics with some sort of multijump mechanic, making enemies hard to dodge.

 

Example: I could never beat the timed underwater stage of TMNT where you have to diffuse bombs, and always employed the help of my friend (same one who couldn't do 3d water stages due to lack of depth perception) to pass this level. The next area was the best one too, where you got to smash foot clan people with the Turtle van...

[+frankodragon]

In Zelda Windwaker, it's not the swinging on pirate ropes on the ship, it's actually the music when the time is almost up, that's annoying! Also any other game that makes the music go faster like Tetris, etc.

[retrorussell]

Maybe not quite enemies, but when they place free goodies like 1ups or powerups in places you can't very well reach that result in your death if you try.

[Andromeda Stardust]

In Zelda Windwaker, it's not the swinging on pirate ropes on the ship, it's actually the music when the time is almost up, that's annoying! Also any other game that makes the music go faster like Tetris, etc.

Well I played Zelda Windwaker HD and I didn't have too much trouble with the Pirate ship minigame. I think I got it on the third try.

 

Maybe not quite enemies, but when they place free goodies like 1ups or powerups in places you can't very well reach that result in your death if you try.

I remember working my way through the technodrome on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES. I had one health bar left and I was sort of free-falling down through the maze of corridors. Saw a pizza on the ceiling and though to myself, "WTF! How the hell am I supposed to get that?" My friend and I finally beat the game with the help of some Game Genie codes. Shredder was a pushover, LOL!

[+frankodragon]

In Spike's Peak for Atari 2600, those eagles or hawks that dive right at you are annoying. And it sounds they're laughing after they get you.

[bkrownd]

In NetHack I greatly dislike the various Giant Ants. They come in a horde and without some good offensive magic items (which you wouldn't want to waste on them anyway) I always have spend a while retreating and picking them off one by one. The yellow/black/invisible/whatever Lights are also extremely annoying. Unexpectedly bump into one and they blind you for a while, so you have to wait a while for the blindness to wear off so you don't mistakenly kill your own pets.

 

In XEvil (www.xevil.com) the Alien became ridiculous when he used drugs, so when starting a new level I always had to collect all the drugs and destroy them so the Alien wouldn't get to them and go bananas.

Edited July 22, 2014 by bkrownd

[+frankodragon]

In City Connection for the NES, the cats on the roadway. And if you avoid one by reversing your direction, another one can appear making it impossible to jump over.

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

That damn dog in Duck Hunt, always laughing at you. At least in the arcade version, you could shoot it...

[retrorussell]

I hate the red fireballs in Mario Bros. when they get REALLY fast. The icicles are a pain too.

[Iwantgames:)]

The rats in Loaded :/ so damn fast and always swarming me!!

[+frankodragon]

The enemies of the second part of stage one in Action Fighter for the Master System are a real pain. Without a turbo option on the controller, the planes are very difficult to defeat as they scroll towards you.

[NIAD]

My most annoying enemy is a little something called responsibility. If I didn't have to be a responsible adult, I could spend a lot more time playing games from all systems, especially the retro systems of the early 80's. Thank god for my kids as they provide the perfect excuse why I can't do something on the wifey's list of things to do around the house.

[roland p]

Not very classic, but the most anoying enemy I've encountered so far:

 

(starts at 1:23)

[BassGuitari]

Lost Souls (and by extension, Pain Elementals) and Revenants in [brutal] Doom/Doom II. Whenever Pain Elementals or Revenants show up, taking them out becomes priority No. 1.

Those f@#$ing flying skulls are just irritating as all hell, but are mostly harmless unless you're swarmed by, like 20 of them, or you're dangerously low on health. Still, they throw off your rhythm and aren't even very satisfying to kill. They serve no purpose but to distract you from more important enemies.

Even Archviles are less annoying than these enemies...until they start resurrecting Revenants!