"Oh my gosh! Why didn't I use that healing item?"

"What the heck: I didn't save!"

"So close! Just a few feet more..."

Whatever your reaction is, all gamers have at least once experienced the horrors of losing a video game. I myself have punched holes in walls in frustration. Whether it's "You Are Dead" written in blood, or just a plain "You Lose" in big, block letters, most games have their own unwelcoming game-over screen. My definition of "horrible" here is not the mindless killing you see in M-rated games. I'm targeting the annoying, frustrating, and unfair parts of E through T rated games. I haven't played many games in my time (including a lot of the popular ones for the 360), but here is a list of sinister "losing" scenes I have experienced.

1. Red Steel 2: The Bomb

The infamous "one-hit kill" comes faster than you think, and leaves you wondering what just happened. In Red Steel 2, a swordfighting/first-person shooter based on the Wild West, red barrel explosives, flammable trucks, and suicide-bomber robots make the majority of the game's critical health-drainers. In the heat of the battle, you swing your sword a bit too far to the left toward a barrel of gunpowder, triggering a massive explosion you never wanted to be in.

2. Star Wars Battlefront II: "Houston, We Have A Problem..."

You've stolen the enemy ship and are flying back to the hanger. You slow down approaching the entrance as the engines ease their roaring. Suddenly, your game's camera angle drifts off in the wrong direction. Next thing you know, one wing of the ship collides with the side of the hanger. The result is an explosion killing many of your valuable teammates. One feature that many Star Wars fans were looking for in Star Wars Battlefront a few years ago were space battles. Star Wars Battlefront II delivered this request well with satisfying explosions and wonderful details. However, the camera angle when flying a starfighter in space is far from perfect. You'll probably won't recognize the problem flying in vast space, but when landing your vehicle in the hanger required precision maneuvers, the camera fell short. Being somewhat difficult to see the distance between your starfighter and the hanger walls, 40% of landings will fail. My overall message here is that losing video games because of a programming issue is unfair and unsatisfying.

3. Wii Sports Resort: Down the Drain

If you purchased your Wii in the more recent days, you probably received Wii Sports Resort along with Wii Motion Plus with the package. One of the games featured is swordplay, my particular favorite where you swordfight enemies to the edge of the field pushing them into the water. Although common sense encourages wild swings, you will have to tone it down a bit. The Wii Motion Plus isn't the most accurate accessory to the Wii as it mostly assumes the position of the Wii Remote rather than exacting it. Once again, losing a game because of errors in programming isn't fun. Trying to control the in-game sword while your opponent whacks you around sure isn't much fun.

Be sure to see my reviews of Red Steel 2 and Wii Sports Resort.

I'm sure you can think of more games with unfair losing scenes. Post a comment.