Humans are smart. Actually smart.
We are the only species on earth that has the intelligence to understand its own existence. We’ve set foot on the moon, built great feats of engineering, built giant buildings that pierced the clouds of the sky, and made giant leaps in science and medicine. . So yeah, we’re a smart bunch, all told.
This makes us even more embarrassed when there are moments that make us really question our own intelligence. Moments that spark imposter syndrome and make us think “huh, maybe I’m not that smart after all”. When we have these moments, it’s good to talk about them. Acknowledging your own small setbacks and laughing at your co-workers can provide a special sense of freedom. It makes us realize that we’re all in the same boat, just trying to get through life the best we can.
With this in mind, we thought we’d share our own embarrassing gaming moments that made us question our intelligence; seemingly simple task or mechanism, in theoryproved to be no problem, but remained perplexing us for much longer than we’d usually care to admit, with the eventual reveal coming as both an amazing relief and a extreme confusion.
I did Actually stuck here? Oh my God…
Ollie Reynolds, Ball Dropper
play through Metroid Prime is remade more than 20 years after I first launched the original on the GameCube, it reminds me of a rather embarrassing moment in the game’s opening tutorial on the Space Pirates Destroyer.
I am frustrated turning off the GameCube. “Obviously I didn’t enjoy the experience,” I thought.
You see, at this point in the game, Samus still has many of his core abilities intact; only when you actually escape from Frigate and land on the nearby planet Tallon IV will she lose everything. So rockets? Check. Beam grappling? Check. Shapeshifting Ball? Check. I know I’ve got the Morph Ball, because I tried it out in person after jumping off my ship. And yet…
There is a moment about ten minutes after the game starts when you come across a locked door. The screen scan at the front indicates that in order to open the aforementioned door, you need to “insert the metal sphere” into an indentation in the ground. Of course, this refers to Samus’ Morph Ball ability, but for reasons I still can’t fathom to this day, I had to spend about two hours scouring the rooms I had visit to find out. of a spherical object. From this time to that time via... Obviously I did not find.
No kidding, when I finally realized that the game mentioned the Morph Ball ability, I shut down the GameCube in frustration. “Obviously I didn’t enjoy the experience,” I thought. I got back there a few hours later, having calmed down, and I’m so grateful I did, because the journey afterwards was amazing. most of smooth sailing, and it led to one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences of my life.
metal ball… Hahaha. If you can’t laugh, you’ll cry.
Alana Hagues, Ninja Neglect
Shame on me, but Final Fantasy VI was one of the last Final Fantasy games I beat. However, more than 20 years after the first game came out, I created a big mistake, one that shocked many people. I know others have done this too, but look, the game suggests pretty clearly what you should do. So it’s time to confess. Final Fantasy VI spoiler ahead…
About half way through the game, you’re on the Floating Continent. You rescued an old ally, Shadow, who you discovered was secretly working for the Empire, and he opted to join the Returners until you confront Kefka and Emperor Gestahl at the Warring Triad, where Shadow leaves. Much happens, and you are forced to escape from the Floating Continent for a limited time.
When I told my friends, they were shocked. I was considered a ninja killer
When there’s a time limit in the corner of the screen, I always panic, and so I see this clock ticking as I’m running around the Floating Continent, trying to save the group’s lives, and I think “I need to out here fast“. I got to the end, and below me, Blackjack was hovering, waiting for me. Then the game gave me a choice – jump or wait. Without thinking, I chose ‘Jump’. And We escaped. It didn’t.’ Hey, Alana, there’s a timer and game going. Suggest you to wait. Why? If I say ‘Wait’ and try to jump again, the game specifically suggests “Must wait for the Shadow…”. Literally the game put flashing warning signs in front of me and I completely ignored them.
It’s only when I’ve been into World of Destruction for about five hours and I’m gathering the rest of the Returners and I’m like, wait, where’s my favorite ninja? Turns out… I can’t. He’s dead forever, and there’s nothing I can do. Oi. I still save the world and end Kefka’s reign as God, but with some blood on my hands…
I’m glad I’m not the only one doing this, but when I told my friends, they were shocked. I was considered a ninja killer despite the signs Final Fantasy VI gave me. It’s not as obvious as “fire magic heals fire enemies” – maybe if I did this as a kid I’d feel a little better about it. But I’m already in my 20s. Internet is right there.
Or I can just, you know, read.
Jim Norman, Arrow Avoider
It’s 2005. The game is Lego star wars on GBA. Yes, this title may not match the others on this list in the ‘best eva games’ ranking, but it’s still enough to confuse me.
I got lost. In a Lego game.
As anyone who has ever played a Lego game will be able to tell you, the levels are pretty straightforward. You move from a well-defined point A to an equally obvious point B, solving some not-so-challenging puzzles along the way and engaging in a number of battles with the touch of a very simple button. Yes, the 100% collecting contest that follows can be a challenge, but my problem comes from point one on the aforementioned list: I’m lost. In a Lego game.
There is a level (I forgot which episode) where you are moving along R2-D2, dropping mines and using fly ability to overcome gaps. I stressed the fact that fly in this case because it’s pretty important. After going this far, I was faced with a large gap with a bunch of studs on it. Unlike the other gaps I’ve come across so far, I can’t see the other side. “I suppose it’s just a hole that leads nowhere,” I concluded, after using R2’s limited hover ability to fly out, collect studs, and then fly back next to me. The safe beside.
Then I found myself at a dead end. There’s no place left unexplored but the giant hole in front of me, where can I go? I keep shutting down my GBA and restarting gradle – this must be a hardware issue, right? What I had forgotten to think about were the slit dangling studs that I had collected so many times in the shape of – you guessed it – an arrow. All you have to do is follow the direction of the arrow and the scrolling screen will follow you, showing you the other side of the hole.
Whether it’s the shame to blame the hardware or my total negligence all around big arrow in front of me (remember the GBA version is from an isometric perspective, making the direction even clearer) I’ll never know. But one thing I’m sure of is how that distance still haunts me. If a Lego game – or any game, for that matter – presents you with a giant arrow, then kids, you should probably follow it.
Liam Doolan, Pokémon Master
Not long after I received Blue Pokémon on the Game Boy, I decided to use my first Master Ball on Jigglypuff.
I even saved the game file… Damned!
Gavin Lane, Barrel Stopper
This is something that millions of us have experienced, but I can’t think of anything quite so simple that would put me on hold for so long: 3 . sound ‘bin’.
For those who don’t know, here’s a rotating bouncing cylinder blocking your way in the Festival Night Zone. The key to getting through it is realizing that you can influence the barrel’s elastic bounce by alternately pushing up and down on the D-pad, thus pushing the base down far enough to access the next part of the game. Level and spin on your fun way.
Keep in mind Sonic 3’s basic controls (D-pad and a single button), to understand this until the time is up many times made me question my sanity when I finally figured out how to get over it. Former NL contributor and Astronaut Stuart Gipp wrote about it a few years back, pretty sound advice for anyone dim enough to be subdued by a bloody barrel. No excuses, here. My bad.
Ah… We feel better now. Now, we also want to hear your story. Have you had a moment when playing a game that made you question your own intelligence? Moments that, to this day, you’re simply too embarrassed to tell anyone?
Don’t worry, we’re all friends here. Share your story in the comments section below.
