5 Blood-Boiling Features of Retro Gaming

Recently, I've been playing a lot of old Super Nintendo titles that I grew up with, along with a few that I missed out on. On one hand, I enjoyed the memories of the fun challenge these games provided. On the other hand, I remember some of the blood-pressure inducing aspects that I found incredibly frustrating. So, I figured I might count down the five most annoying aspects of retro gaming. I'm referring specifically to the 16-bit consoles, but this could be applied to any generation.

5. Time Limits
I like to complete levels at my own pace, but if there's a time limit involved, that goes out of the window. Granted, I should take the time limit into account when I play, and the pressure does sometimes help, which is why I ranked this pretty low. Nonetheless, there's nothing worse than having to start a level again because I ran out of time - especially if it's a typical 'That One Level'.

4. Automatic Scrolling
Another feature which I think sometimes adds unwanted pressure. For those who don't know, this is when the levels is always scrolling, forcing you to move forward. This means that greener players will be trying to move ahead to avoid being scrolled into the wall, resulting in them being killed by the other hazards. I always used to really hate this kind of mechanic, especially if I keep missing a bonus.

3. Respawning Enemies
I don't know about anybody else, but I want to be able to make sure that I have a clear escape if I have to back-track. There's nothing worse than clearing out a room full of particularly tough enemies, only to have them come back when you re-enter the room.

2. Knockback
This appears a lot in games like Castlevania or Ninja Gaiden. I'm talking about when you get hit and you get knocked backwards. It's an evil addition to any platformer. Health bars become irrelevant when you end up falling down an abyss with every cheap hit. Castlevania IV tones this down, but it's still present and painful.

1. Wall Jumping
Feel free to tell me I'm a rubbish gamer, but I really hate wall jumping puzzles. I don't think I have the technique there. I've been stuck for ages on some puzzle in Super Metroid where some Ewok things are directing me to wall jump up a chasm. This is being played on an emulator with an Xbox 360 controller, and I keep morph-balling. This is the only real example I have, but it inspired me to make this list.

So there you have it: the things I'd rant about in gaming before they had DRM or Microtransactions. Please send comments detailing the parts that annoy you, or examples of the stuff here. I like to compare notes.

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