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The exact moment Assassin's Creed 3 fell apart.
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00:00Alongside fetch quests, stealth sections and escort missions, chase sequences are another
00:05common type of level that's appeared in countless video games.
00:09And a common type of level that often sucks.
00:12Not every pursuit that's been included in a video game is able to match that edge-of-your-seat
00:16tension that you've got when you're running from the unstoppable enemies in Outlast or
00:21achieve the exhilarating spectacle of the Uncharted series.
00:24For every example of an excellent chase sequence, there are a bunch that fall flat on their
00:29face for an assortment of different reasons.
00:32I'm Jess from WhatCulture and here are 10 video game chase sequences that made you rage-quit.
00:38Number 10, Batman Arkham Knight The Excavator
00:42Despite having the slickest combat in the series and giving players a large and detailed Gotham
00:47City to explore, Arkham Knight disappointingly fell short of being the bombastic conclusion
00:52to the trilogy fans wanted it to be.
00:55Alongside a predictable plot, the game was also let down by the overuse of the Batmobile.
01:01As unenjoyable as the Batmobile's combat and puzzle sections were, an even more frustrating
01:06moment came when the Batman entered a tunnel system in search of the eponymous villain.
01:11After the Arkham Knight ambushes the Caped Crusader in a heavily armoured excavator, players
01:16must speed through the network of passageways and defeat their pursuer by luring them into
01:21planted explosives.
01:23Driving along the tunnels walls at high speed may make for an impressive looking set piece,
01:28however the Batmobile's squirrely controls quickly turn this section into a tedious nightmare.
01:34It becomes all too easy to lose control of the vehicle after crashing into the many obstacles
01:38that litter the tunnels.
01:40Navigation, likewise, isn't made any easier with the constant explosions that make it difficult
01:45to see what's ahead.
01:46Having one minor slip-up can result in instant failure.
01:50This boss fight is another reason why the Batmobile was such an unpopular addition to
01:54the game.
01:559.
01:56The Warriors – Writer's Block
01:58Set before the events of the cult classic film of the same name, Rockstar's The Warriors
02:03showed how the titular Coney Island street gang made their enemies while they made their
02:08mark on the city.
02:10With its gritty atmosphere and exquisite brawling mechanics, there are few games as good as this
02:14one.
02:15But even a game as spectacular as this has the occasional misstep.
02:18In The Warriors, this came during the mission Writer's Block, where players must make their
02:22grand escape across the city's rooftops after their ambush by a gang of art-obsessed mimes
02:28known as the hi-hats.
02:30As exciting as the sequence sounds, any enjoyment was quickly extinguished from this mission by
02:34a plethora of unexpected drops, which resulted in an instant death.
02:40And with no checkpoints to speak of, getting through this chase became a matter of memorizing
02:44exactly when to jump to make it to the end.
02:46This mission was made even worse when playing in co-op, as one player's death was going
02:50to result in a game over for both players.
02:53Make it through this thankfully short-lived low point, though, and players get a chance to
02:57vent their built-up frustrations by destroying the mimes collection of garage artworks.
03:01Number 8, Assassin's Creed III – Chasing Charles Lee
03:06By revamping the series' combat and parkour, alongside being the first Assassin's Creed
03:11game to feature naval missions, Assassin's Creed III was a giant leap forward in the franchise.
03:16As visually impressive and expansive as this entry was, it nevertheless fell victim to the
03:21same irksome controls that have continued to plague the series.
03:24Nowhere was this problem more evident than during the climactic sequence in which Native
03:29American assassin Connor chased antagonist Charles Lee through a crowded harbour and burning
03:34ship.
03:35With the dramatic stakes raised high, this was the confrontation that players had been waiting
03:40for.
03:41Instead of being a slick sequence in which Connor smoothly parkoured his way over obstacles
03:45as they gave chase, players found themselves fruitlessly wrestling with the controls as the
03:50assassin jumped in the wrong direction or tried to climb a wall they shouldn't.
03:54This section only became more infuriating when attempting the bonus objectives, which meant players had
03:59to stay within 50 metres of Lee, couldn't bump into any of the numerous NPCs blocking their
04:04path or take any fire damage.
04:06There are a lot of fantastic things about Assassin's Creed III, but as you can probably tell by the
04:12end of this entry, this botched chase sequence was not one of them.
04:16Number 7, Amnesia Rebirth – The Maze
04:19The Amnesia games are frequently cited as being some of the most frightening horror outings ever made.
04:25Although some regard Rebirth to be the weakest entry, this game still delivered plenty of
04:30tension as players descend further down the plot's twisted rabbit hole.
04:33While there are numerous sequences in Rebirth that'll have players' hearts racing, there
04:38are unfortunately some moments that miss the mark and become more annoying than they do scary.
04:43One such moment came just over halfway into the game when protagonist Tassie finds herself trapped
04:48in a maze with one of the game's monstrous creatures. Trying to solve a maze while being hunted
04:54is already a difficult enough task, but Rebirth adds to the frustration by including pressure plates
04:59that block off corridors. Since this is an Amnesia game, players also have to play most of the section
05:05in darkness or risk drawing the creature's attention. Though skulking around in the dark initially makes
05:11for a tense encounter, any suspense soon fizzles out after the first few times players make a wrong turn
05:16and get caught by the creature or after aimlessly wandering around for far too long after getting
05:21lost. Luckily, there's a far better Amnesia game in store for players not long after this section.
05:266. Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb
05:30Von Beck's Revenge
05:32An underrated gem from the PlayStation 2 and Xbox era, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb
05:37is a globe-trotting adventure that sees players embark on a quest as the titular archaeologist
05:42to retrieve a powerful artifact before it falls into the wrong hands. From exploring lost ruins,
05:48solving puzzles and a satisfying combat system, there was a lot to love about this game.
05:52However, Emperor's Tomb wasn't without its flaws. Namely, this game had some awkwardly clunky
05:58controls which made tackling the simplest of jumps a difficult test of skill and of patience.
06:03This issue became especially prevalent towards the end of the game when antagonist Von Beck arrives
06:08in a tank-like drilling machine and gives chase. With Von Beck only meters behind, players run
06:15through a collapsing hallway avoiding countless pitfalls and using Indy's signature whip to swing
06:20across large gaps. The already imprecise jumping mechanics meant that players would die more by
06:25missing a precise jump than by being caught by Von Beck's diabolical machine. Moreover, the vehicle's
06:31protruding clamps frequently blocked the player's view of the screen, consequently making this level much
06:36harder than it should have been. Hearing Indy's triumphant fanfare has never been more satisfying
06:41than when players make it to the end of this section.
06:435. Silent Hill The Short Message The Final Chase
06:48Released during Sony's State of Play in January 2024, Silent Hill The Short Message took the long-running
06:54survival horror series to modern-day Germany. In it, players play as the teenager Anita as they wander
07:00through a creepy apartment building in a first-person perspective. Being a Silent Hill game,
07:04the in-game horrors are manifestations of the protagonist's trauma. For Anita, this comes in
07:09the form of Sakura Head, a humanoid monster covered in cherry blossoms. This creature appears
07:14regularly throughout the game to pursue players through the building's labyrinthian hallways.
07:19Although the initial encounters are tense ordeals that task players with finding the exit,
07:24the final chase was nightmarish for the wrong reasons. Unlike the previous encounters,
07:29this one requires players to find five photographs to unchain the door to the exit.
07:33With this level being much bigger than any of the others, it became far too easy to get lost within
07:38the looping corridors. And with the monster never far behind, players had no time to get their bearings.
07:44Even more frustrating is that the game never tells players they need to find the photographs.
07:49This means players could spend ages running around without knowing what to do.
07:52This disastrous finale ended this otherwise enthralling spin-off on a very flat note.
07:584. Close to the Sun – The Grand Theatre A slow-burn atmospheric horror close to the sun
08:04sees players explore a grand ship filled with Nikola Tesla's creations, in the role of a journalist
08:09who's searching for her sister. Not long after setting foot on the vessel, it becomes very clear
08:15something is really amiss on board. From here, players make their way through the eerie art deco hallways
08:21as they solve puzzles and uncover more details about the horrors that unfolded before they arrived.
08:27Disappointingly though, this game's suspenseful atmosphere is periodically shattered whenever one
08:32of the poorly designed chase sequences appears. Requiring players to frantically run through maze-like
08:37levels, it only takes making one wrong turn or not jumping over an obstacle at the exact right moment for
08:44the enemy to catch up to players. Not only do these sequences become a tedious game of trial and error
08:49to figure out where to go, but failure is made worse by being forced to endure a lengthy unskippable
08:55death animation every time you get caught. Although all the chases within the game are frustrating,
09:00the worst occurs in the Grand Theatre where, on top of everything else, the dimly lit environment makes
09:06it difficult for players to see where they're supposed to go. Despite these rage-inducing chases,
09:10close to the sun is still an excellent horror outing. 3. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas – Wrong
09:16Side of the Tracks From taking part in action-packed
09:20robberies, high-speed car chases, and massive shootouts, the Grand Theft Auto series is brimming
09:25with some of the most exhilarating set pieces and unforgettable moments in gaming history. As incredible
09:30as these games are, they're not without their handful of aggravating low points, with one of the worst
09:36defenders being the infamous mission Wrong Side of the Tracks from San Andreas. After arriving at a
09:41train station with Big Smoke to interrupt a meeting between rival gangs, a group of the gangsters escape
09:47by jumping on the roof of a train. Players are then tasked with giving chase on a motorbike, while Big
09:52Smoke shoots the escapees. Although all players had to do was follow the damn train, anybody who's played
09:58this mission knows the hours of pain and despair it caused. Not only was maintaining a steady speed for Big
10:05Smoke to shoot the enemies a near impossible feat, but the terrible driving physics would see CJ and
10:11Smoke thrown from the bike at the slightest collision. It was easier for players to get on top of the
10:16train and kill the enemies themselves rather than trying to complete the mission the way it was
10:20intended to be played. 2. Alone in the Dark – 2008 59th Street
10:26Although the 2008 reboot of Alone in the Dark featured an impressive fire system and a collection of
10:32intriguing gameplay ideas, this title is nevertheless considered to be the low point of this influential
10:38horror franchise for a bunch of reasons. Alongside some incredibly corny dialogue and cumbersome
10:44inventory management, this game had some of the worst driving mechanics in a video game. Like, ever.
10:50The most egregious example of this comes at the end of the second chapter, when the small group of heroes
10:55raced to Central Park after escaping a crumbling skyscraper. However, whatever evil force was in the
11:01building has also made its way outside and then proceeds to go after them. What follows is a
11:06high-speed car chase that sees players tear down the streets as the unseen force destroys the road
11:12behind them and causes widespread chaos. However, this section was rendered almost unplayable thanks to
11:18the car's twitchy and weightless controls, where the slightest error would send the car veering off course.
11:24After constantly replaying this level, the only way to succeed was to memorize the best route to take.
11:30Mercifully, this game's unique DVD-like menu meant that players could simply skip this mission,
11:36which you'd probably want to.
11:381. Jack 2 Renegade – Security Tank
11:42The follow-up to adored platformer Jack and Daxter, Jack 2 Renegade, was a different kind of beast.
11:48Beginning with Jack and his friends being sucked into a dystopian world before Jack is imprisoned and
11:53tortured, the sequel's tone was much darker than its predecessor. Likewise, the game had garnered a
11:58reputation for its fiendish difficulty, and it doesn't take long for the tougher challenge to
12:03become evident. Only a few missions after the exhilarating prison escape at the start of the
12:07game, the dynamic duo are tasked with entering a fortress to destroy an ammo cage. Defending the
12:13fortress is a security tank which will chase the heroes at points during the level. Quickly running
12:18through a series of narrow and twisting pathways littered with bottomless pits is already a difficult
12:24enough ask. But what makes this encounter especially horrendous is that players also
12:28need to execute tricky maneuvers to avoid gunfire from the tank's turret. Coming at such an early
12:33point in the game, players won't have a firm enough grasp on the controls to make the difficult jumps
12:38that lie between them and success. Players consequently had to learn fast to avoid falling into this
12:44level's many pits. This level was a trial by fire in the least fun way.
Recommended
12:32
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