Top 5 Most Infuriating Rare Races
Since gaming first reared its ugly head in poorly lit taverns and pokey arcades the subject of Racing has always remained a faithful go-to genre for anyone looking for sickening speed and time trial turmoil. Rare was’t soon to leave Racing untouched in their titles, and if the plot of the game didn’t involve whipping around corners and acquiring power-ups than rambunctious racing was featured instead as a mini-game or side quest that allowed the player to take a breather and strap in gear. But then, somewhere around the terrifying trek of the Turbo Tunnel in Battletoads and the slick speeds in RC Pro AM, a revelation was had at Rare: “Let’s have the difficulty spike up on our races like it’s just found a spider in its’ shorts and leave players a sobbing heap of their former selves.” While this notion was certainly taken in whole it seems, there are a handful of Races that go beyond the definition of’ difficult’ and “frustrating” and instead enter the realm of “oh dear God, no”, these are the Top 5 Most Infuriating Rare Races!
#5. RAPID RUNNER RIGAMORTIS
Rares’ notorious difficulty setting hasn’t been turned down since the Nintendo 64 era and this race should be all the proof you need. Case in point, the free Party Pack DLC available for Kinect Sports features a new Track & Field event called Rapid Runner. In this new challenge you’ll be tasked with trekking down the track for as long as humanly possible. While it seems innocent enough as an endurance challenge, the Kilometer King achievement ups the ante considerably by tasking you with running an entire in-game kilometer. After several attempts you’ll have reduced yourself to a sweaty quavering mess, Gamerscore unfulfilled you’ll eventually call it a night, only to relive the horror in the morning when you can’t move your legs.
#4. BEING WARY OF CANARY MARY
When you first locate Canary Mary inside the Toxic Gas Caverns in Banjo-Tooie you’ll be tempted to release her from her cage. If you knew what is common knowledge now about this canary colored demon, you’d likely leave her in the Cavern to choke on the fumes. Once you manage to free her though you’ll find she’s set up a little cart race which requires you to tap A as quickly as possible, which leads to a fairly easy challenge. Now that you’ve let your guard down you’ll be entirely unready for her rematch in Cloud CuckooLand. Thanks to some unfair programming, no matter how fast you slam the A button, Canary Mary will always swoop ahead, leaving you to try making up for lost ground and wishing every possible demise on the Canary.
#3. COIN COLLECTING IN THE VILE VILLAGE
The Silver Coin Challenges in Diddy Kong Racing aided in adding an extra mode of play once you had completed each racecourse normally. No racecourse however, will ever gain higher notoriety for its sheer unforgiving nature than the Greenwood Village Silver Coin Challenge. While the race alone is rather difficult, attempting to collect all 8 haphazardly placed coins while placing First after a mere 3 laps is an absolute nightmare. You’ll have to plan your route extensively, as many coins are found far off the beaten path. Linger too long or make a single mistake and you’ll lose your position. For many gamers this signified the end of the adventure, for others it exposed the true beast growling underneath fur and smiles of Diddy Kong Racing.
#2. SKITTERING SCARAB SLIDE
If you can recall anything about the Angry Aztec Scarab race in Donkey Kong 64 it’s probably hours of weeping, swearing and flying off the edges of ill-placed rails. Akin to the Silver Coin Challenge in Diddy Kong Racing you’ll be tasked with collecting a total of 50 DK Coins during the course of the quick slide which pits you against a single Scarab sliding on its back. Each time you collide with aforementioned Scarab – inevitable given the slide width – you’ll lose 3 DK Coins from your total. Slow your pace to collect as many coins as possible and you’ll let the Scarab overtake your position, speed up and you’ll miss a load of coins with the added possibility of screaming off the edge of the track. Also, if you lose the race the Scarab laughs at you. Screw you, man!
#1. JEFF & BARRY’S SADISTIC SLOT RACES
Taking it’s inspiration from the Rare NES classic, RC PRO AM, the Slot Car Races in Jet Force Gemini feature an identical top down perspective with cars manipulated around the track via Joystick. Landing First Place isn’t quite a challenge, but beating the Rare Time Trial at 30 and 40 seconds respectively is near impossible, mostly due to the fact that you’ll require a few boosts that sometimes don’t appear at all during your race. Screw up a corner or go off the road and you’ll be forced to reset the entire race, which can test you fairly quickly. If you do manage to complete both races however you’ll be awarded with the Greenwood Village map from Diddy Kong Racing. Thanks Rare, I had almost forgot about the Silver Coin Challenge…
Do you have something to say about our latest lists? Your thoughts, comments and feedback for the “Top 5 Most Infuriating Rare Races” may be posted here. We’d love to hear from you!
Categories: Top 5 Lists
0 Comments
This post has been left all alone with no comments. Don't leave it lonesome - give it some company with a comment.