History DemonicSpiders / ActionAdventureGames

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* The ''[[VideoGame/{{Freespace}} Descent: Freespace]]'' series:
** The Shivan Dragon-class fighter, whose raw statistics, while fairly impressive off the bat, tell you next to nothing about how truly preposterously annoying it is. Oh, sure, it has a top speed comparable to most space superiority fighters, [[MoreDakka five gunpoints]], and more shields than an Ursa heavy bomber, but surely that's balanced out by its thin hull... right? Right? Not a chance. The thing is tiny to the point of having practically no profile ''at all'', is so agile that getting a lock onto it with missiles is next to impossible, mounts twin linked Shivan heavy lasers and tri-linked [[{{BFG}} Shivan mega lasers]] (which combined mean that between two and four direct hits on ''any ship you can fly in either game'' will kill you), and to top it all off it has the most overcharged reactor of any fighter, meaning that its weapons, afterburners and shields recharge at a rate that makes it next to impossible to punch through its shields to hit its hull. It appears in wings of two or three most of the time, but they are occasionally introduced into the battlefield for the [[FakeDifficulty sole purpose of making you suffer]]. One ''Descent: Freespace'' mission asked you to protect weak, defenseless ''escape pods'' from a wing of Dragons, while you were equipped with Phoenix V missiles designed to kill ''bombers'', with lock on times that made them useless even for ''that'' role, let alone hunting the fastest fighter in the game. Another ''Descent: Freespace'' mission tasked you with ''capturing'' one; the only way to do so is to use a very slow and energy hungry weapon. You had to do it solo, too, because the AI wingmen in [=FS1=] interpret "Disable my target's engines" as [[ArtificialStupidity "switch to Disruptors... then unload all of your missiles on the target."]] Fortunately, the Dragon's shields didn't regenerate in that mission. Afterwards you got to fly one... downgraded to be comparable to the shit-bucket you were flying before, with the maneuverability of a sack of potatoes and shields comparable to chicken wire. Finally, in a ''Freespace 2'' FailureIsTheOnlyOption mission, if you managed to defend the crippled rebel cruiser from the regular Manticore and Basilisk fighters, an entire ''squadron'' of [[RespawningEnemies respawning]] Dragons will appear. If you actually manage to kill all those Dragons (probably by cheating, because there's no way you'll be able to stop long enough to reload), nothing will happen—the return to base order [[ScriptBreaking only appears when the rebel cruiser is destroyed]].
*** The Dragon sort of loses its scaryness in Freespace 2 however, since they can be easily destroyed with Harpoon missiles.
** While the ones featured in the ''Freespace 2'' singleplayer campaign pretty much always appear in the losing side of a OneSidedBattle (be it a friendly or enemy ship), the Aeolus-class Terran cruiser is a theoretical Demonic Spider with all of those flak cannons and 180-degree AAA beam lasers. No, wait, in multiplayer, they actually are, especially since you didn't have any long range anti-cruiser weapons in many of the multiplayer missions where this is featured. According to the tech database, only two dozen of these ships were ever produced because it was supposedly [[AwesomeButImpractical very expensive to produce]]. Which is unfortunate actually—while this means you don't see many rebel Aeoluses, the friendly ones you encounter later in the game when you most need them on your side are ''all crippled''. (Take note that the rebels in this game are actually [[FantasticRacism evil racist bastards]] and not the usual "good" rebels of fiction—it's good they don't have many Aeoluses.)
*** Moreover that rebels oppose [[TheAlliance Galactic Terran-Vasudan Alliance]].
** The Aeolus' big brother. The Deimos is basically a heavily armored Aeolus with more guns. Thankfully, most of the time they are either on your side, or if it shows up as an enemy, you will have the support of friendly ships capable of destroying it by themselves.
** The Shivan Lilith cruiser class is arguably one in ''Freespace 2''. Capital ships in ''Freespace 1'' are generally sitting ducks after you've obtained shields (save for the Lucifer, but that was the BigBad), and the Lilith, no matter how much HP it had, is no exception. However, the Freespace 2 version somehow managed to acquire a [[WaveMotionGun Disproportionate Destroyer-level]] [[BeamSpam Quick Reloading Beam Cannon]] [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom Of Doom]]. Coupled with the said thick hull (more than twice the average HP for its ship class, and nearly as much HP as that of the corvette class which is one ship class larger), if you haven't got Stilettos or Trebuchets to take down the main gun, this will take out destroyer warships (two classes bigger) with relative ease, and will make total mincemeat of your cruisers. And it's not like it's because of those [[PunyEarthlings incompetent Terrans]] either —this thing tears apart the more common Rakshasa cruisers and Moloch corvettes from its own species! It's a good thing they're relatively rare, both according to the Tech Room Database and based on actual campaign appearances.
*** The most lovely thing about the Lilith's disproportionately large beam cannon, of course, is its endearing tendency to employ the highly destructive anti-capship beam in an anti-fighter role... ''against your fighter.'' Needless to say, being fried by a gigantic, undodgeable instant kill weapon halfway through a mission after you've somehow managed to scrape by with most of your hull integrity intact is very likely to ingratiate the Lilith with most players.
*** And on the highest difficulty levels, the Lilith can start charging up its beam cannon for a second shot before it's even stopped firing the first.
*** And it looks just like the damned Cain, which is made of paper, so the inattentive player is doubly screwed.
*** The "media VP" extensions to VideoGame/FreeSpace2 change the Lilith's skin from gray to [[ColorCodedCharacters black]] to make it possible to distinguish visibly from the Cain. As for not getting blown up by its main gun, whatever you do, do ''not'' approach from the front, because if you do the beam is so wide that you will be caught in it and vaporized when it fires at a capital ship (heavy beams do not target fighters directly).
*** You could always distinguish it from the ominous scream of its WaveMotionGun charging up.
*** The Lilith is not exactly deadly to you, it only has a pair of cluster missile launchers and a single anti fighter beam that can be easily destroyed. Its main claim to fame however it is because it is capable of destroying most friendly capital ships with ease.
*** One campaing mission briefing says you're going after a Rakshasa and a Lilith...with ''two corvettes'' for support. Play testing probably discovered the impossibility of that task as the actual mission contains a Cain instead.
* The fetus enemies in the penultimate level of ''{{Splatterhouse}}'' were apparently the result of a Demonic Spider screwing a Goddamn Bat, seeing how they infinitely spawn from the floor and ceiling, love to hover down directly over Rick's head where he can't hit them or avoid them, attack in huge numbers, and need to be shaken off to prevent them from taking multiple points of damage if they grab you. Did we mention that Rick's default number of hitpoints is ''four''?

* There are literal ones in VideoGame/EarthDefenseForce2017 (technically, they're aliens) but the giant spiders in the game are easily the most frustrating enemies. They like to {{Zerg Rush}} you and smother you in webbing, doing ridiculous amounts of damage (instantly killing you in many cases) while limiting your movement at the same time.

* Practically ''every'' enemy in ''{{N}}'' is one of these. Except for Thwumps and Floorchasers. Those are GoddamnedBats. Everything else is a Demonic Spider. Granted, this game ''is'' NintendoHard, you're a OneHitPointWonder, and have no defenses (other than running). To elaborate:
** Zap Drones patrol mindlessly, unless you bump into one, in which case, they'll shock you and kill you. Those are GoddamnedBats. There's the ''tracking'' version, which will chase you down if it sees you, or if you happen to be beside, directly above, or directly below one. ''Those'' are Demonic Spiders.
** Laser Drones are like the Gauss Turrets (which are even worse), but can move (albeit slowly), and fire a laser beam which takes about half a second to charge, but actually lasts for a little while. A little while enough to screw you over.
** Chaingun Drones are blessed with a rapid-fire chaingun and will activate if it senses you (which is basically "if it isn't blocked by a solid object")and let loose a hail of bullets. Often, while fleeing one, you may activate another, which means you're screwed in tight spaces.
** Then there's the Homing Turret. It fires ninja-seeking missiles that turn somewhat fast and '''will''' become even worse when other enemies are nearby, like...
** The Gauss Turret. ''Oh god, the Gauss Turret''. You see that crosshair? That's not where it hits, that's where the angle of fire is. The shots travel instantly. Which, most of the time, will be ''you.'' Did I mention that the closer you are to one, the faster they'll shoot?

* Bandits early on in ''VideoGame/DragonsDogma''. The ones with swords and shields have ludicrous amounts of HP, strength and can one-shot low level characters with an extremely long-ranged dash used seemingly at random, the ones with 2-handed weapons have ludicrous strength, and the ones with bows and/or daggers love to stand way offscreen and shoot you with extremely damaging arrows that can send you flying. A group of bandits usually includes 3 or more with bows and/or arrows, 3 or more with swords and shields, and 2 or more with 2-handed weapons. The groups are usually next to multiple other large groups of bandits and multiple large groups of wolves. Bandits love to run away nonstop until you give up on chasing them and then attack you from offscreen while you're attacking their allies. Chasing them down often means alerting other large groups of bandits. If you hit them while they're hitting you, they tend to instantly and unflinchingly run away as soon as your attack makes contact which really sucks if your weapons rely on weak rapid hits. If a bandit's attack is especially hard to dodge, it's most likely an attack that will one-shot many low-level characters. Finally, wolves like to run away when you get near them and leap at you from offscreen later to hold you still while bandits one-shot you.
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** Blobs that shoot jelly globs into the air that, if they hit you, ''drain three bars of health while leaving you unable to use weapons or items.'' And they are '''invincible''' to anything except popsicles and fire extingushers! Not even the [[GameBreaker Flamethrower/Monster Potion/Pandora's Box]] can touch them!

* ''RatchetAndClankGoingCommando'' features [=YETIs=], giant, Wampa-esque critters that soak up tons of damage, go quite swift for their size, and hit like a freight train. A good example of enemies that start as demonic spiders but eventually become GodDamnBats as you get better at the game.
** The beam turrets in ''[[RatchetDeadlocked Deadlocked]]''. Tiny little laser turrets that drop in at random points, and are usually overlooked right until you get a laser beam in ''your'' back.

** Their sorta-predecessors, the Guard bots from [[RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal the third game]], are this too. They have the same attack method---that is, two guns that More Dakka you into the pavement---and take buckets of damage.

* ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'' (the next-gen version for the 360 and the PS3), not content with being a game of bad controls, bad cameras, BottomlessPits and game mechanics that seem designed to exploit these flaws to the max, ups the ante for The End Of The World, the final story level rush. Strange spheres with more than a passing resemblance to [[Film/LordOfTheRings Sauron]] pop up all over the place. The purple ones act as black holes, sucking you towards them and causing instant death if you make contact with them. The orange ones throw boxes at you, often with pinpoint accuracy, causing you to lose your rings and stop momentarily—making you easier prey for the purple ones. How demonic and spidery is this? See [[http://www.viddler.com/explore/pokecapn/videos/46/ here]]. And [[http://www.viddler.com/explore/pokecapn/videos/47/ here]], and [[http://www.viddler.com/explore/pokecapn/videos/48/ here]], and [[http://www.viddler.com/explore/pokecapn/videos/49/ here]], and [[http://www.viddler.com/explore/pokecapn/videos/50/ here]] (these videos contain large amounts of swearing).
** Pay special attention to the sandtrap in [[TheScrappy Silver's]] section. You'll see.
* Bats showed up in later levels of the original ''Videogame/CrashBandicoot1996'' in one of those really tricky walls-coming-in-and-out and floor-disappearing-at-random-moments, side scrolling levels. Fortunately, these enemies were pretty much limited to the game's ThatOneLevel.

* Every enemy in ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy''. Combine this with an extreme version of EverythingTryingToKillYou and you get to see what happens when NintendoHard goes UpToEleven.
** Special mention to the cheap, hair-ripping hell that is Delicious Fruit. The fruit will '''defy gravity''' just to kill you. That's right, they will ''fall upward.'' On rare occasions, they'll fall '''horizontally'''.
** Extra Special mention to the Medusa heads in the Castlevania section. You're trying to pass a platforming section that's hard enough as it is (though admittedly tame for "I Wanna be the Guy" standards) and Medusa heads pop up randomly and send you spiraling into a spike. Somehow, it would be less annoying if they just killed you on contact!

* Dark Titans from ''SonicUnleashed''. These [[SmashMook massive beasts]] are extremely strong, can attack with most any part of their bodies (including an almost unavoidable shockwave), have massive HP bars, and all their attacks not only send Sonic flying, but actually keep him stunned on the ground for several seconds (often setting him up for a shockwave move, which knocks you back ''again''). Worst of all, they often appear with swarms of smaller enemies, in cramped quarters, or on guardless platforms just waiting to toss you into the void. The only good thing about them is that they often kill other enemies while trying to get you. The absolute worst is Empire City, as they fight you on the roofs of buildings. Very small roofs. Getting close means you're guaranteed to get pounded because there's no room to really maneuver. Staying back, on the other hand, will likely cause the Titan to send a shockwave at you, stun locking you and knocking you off the roof and killing you instantly.
** Also immensely annoying to kill are Fire Masters, which are magician-type enemies that are, as their name implies, [[IncendiaryExponent on fire]]. Trying to attack them will result in Sonic being set on fire and steadily losing health for about thirty seconds unless he can find some water to douse himself in. To attack them safely, you must hit them with barrels full of water. Also, the lock-on targeting system is kind of finicky and while there are a fair number of barrels, they are not infinite. Because Sonic will stop attacking as soon as he touches fire, it's impossible to use combos, forcing you to [[DeathOfAThousandCuts use repeated weak attacks, slowly chipping away their health]].
** And then... [[TheMedic Heal Masters]]; capable of gifting their allies copious amounts of their health back. A GenreSavvy player will know [[ShootTheMedicFirst to target them first]]. The only problem is that they can also heal ''themselves'', very quickly. Seeing one of these in a group of enemies is an automatic OhCrap moment.
*** Then they decided to pair Fire Masters and Heal Masters together.
* ''AceCombat'': enemy ace squadrons are one thing, since at least in a fresh run (as opposed to a [[NewGamePlus SP New Game]]) you won't have a comparable plane until the late-game... it's another when they're outmaneuvering you, consistently getting on your six o'clock and seriously threatening you in the late-game ''[[WeakButSkilled with a starting plane]]''. (See Alberto Lopez, aka "Espada 1" in ''Ace Combat Zero''.) A "late-game" version would be the fact that planes like the YF-23, the F-22A, the F-117, and the F-35C have fade-from-radar stealth that greatly increases their deadliness when flown by the enemy... [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard but has no apparent effect when you pilot them]].

* The ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' games have all had plenty. The most notable can be found in Sonic 3's Hydrocity Zone. If you are unfortunate enough to be hit with a Mega Chopper, you are as good as dead. These suckers leech one ring a second, while disabling jumping and spinning, trapping you in that section of the level to die a slow and painful death. Fortunately for those playing as a Sonic/Tails duo, Tails can just bust them open... if he doesn't have one on him as well. (You can also just shake them off by moving back and forth rapidly, but [[GuideDangIt the game gives no indication of this]].)
** Orbinauts. The floating balls surrounded by spike balls. Three varieties come to mind. The two in Sonic 1: The Orbinauts in Labyrinth Zone and Scrap Brain Zone Act 3 aren't particularly bad, because they shoot their spike balls forward, but their placement is occasionally awful where it's hard to dodge (especially underwater.) In Starlight Zone, they don't shoot the spikes, and while most are out of the way and easy to avoid, some are again placed in difficult places. These ones you have to hit at just the right angle to be able to destroy. In Sonic 3, the Launch Base Zone Orbinauts are designed similar to the Starlight Zone ones and are everywhere (when not locked on anyway). A couple in particular can corner you in a tight space. Made slightly easier by Sonic's flash-shield extented attack if you get good at timing and aren't wearing another shield, but otherwise you learn to stay cautious.
** Most Artificial Chaos in the ARK levels of Sonic Adventure 2 tended to be this. The lasers they fired from their eyes would fire *just* as your homing attack was about to hit them, and if they were floating you would just bounce off, right into an attack, or to your death. Their practically instant arm extensions could hit you with near-pinpoint accuracy (and often ridiculous range if you were playing as Tails or Robotnik.) Cosmic Wall and Eternal Engine also had sections where you would fall down a long tunnel and be ambushed by a number of them, and you'll always get hurt at least once on the way down. The camera didn't help either, occasionally hiding one until it attacked
*** To add to their difficulty, the points required for A ranks in the first and the 5th mission of Cosmic Wall and Eternal Engine demanded you get the highest combos you can, as well as kill a majority of enemies within the level. Skipping these were a bad idea, but also, if they managed to hit you after you were targetting - or even after you had fired, your lock would be reset or you wouldn't get the combo.

* Big Eye in the first ''VideoGame/MegaMan1'' has several times more health than every other enemy and deals nearly half of your health per hit. It hops toward you with either a slow high jump or a fast low jump, but you can only run under it during the high jump, and whether or not it even will is completely random. The one in [[ThatOneBoss Elec Man's]] stage appears in close quarters and will close the whole distance with 3 jumps. If the second and third jumps are both low, you WILL get hit.
** Also in the first game are Bladers, those horrible grinning flying nightmares. They float in, above jumping height, swoop down to strike, and swoop back up, out of reach. They follow you, they look at you. They grin as they plink away. If you try to run, more may spawn and swarm.

* Archers in ''VideoGame/PrinnyCanIReallyBeTheHero''. They have two attacks, depending on where you are in relation to them. If you're trying to jump over, they'll aim high and shoot a very hard-to-dodge wave attack. If you're at the same level or lower, they'll just duck and fire three arrows in rapid succession. It doesn't sound too bad...except the game loves to place them with or behind pits, obstacles, hordes of lesser {{Mook}}s, and in narrow alcoves where you can't jump over or stun them. And if you get too close, they'll jump far out of range and start firing away.

* EscortMissions make normally not so bad enemies like Jalthis this trope in ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' but ''Hhriss'' from the ExpansionPack are real Demonic Spiders with the agility of the [[FragileSpeedster Salthi]], the firepower of the [[GlassCannon Raptor]], and the armor of the Jalthi, only with a more balanced front/rear distribution. They are ridiculously powerful.

* Hawks were ubiquitous in the later levels of the [=NES=] ''NinjaGaiden'' games. They would take away three of Ryu's life chunks (represented by squares), more than bazookas and some bosses. They were small enough to require incredibly precise sword work and would often mob the player. ''NinjaGaiden'' also had a wonderful quirk: If one was hit, one had to sit idly by with a thumb placed somewhere convenient until Ryu landed. This means that, if a player got hit by a hawk when attempting one of the games' innumerable deadly jumps, he was dead meat. And with other enemies to distract the player, they became the cause of no few thrown controllers.

* Any enemy who can poison you in ''Franchise/TombRaider III''. If poisoned, you'll keep losing health until you use a medi-pack. The game has a good amount of enemies that can poison you, thus you may keep wasting your healing items just to cure poison. The future games still had poison effects, but done much less.
** The literal spiders, particularly in ''II'', are small and hard to hit, and typically come in swarms in dark areas, so you will often get nibbled within inches of death.

* ''FortuneSummoners'' is basically made of DemonicSpiders. Each dungeon has ''at least'' one variety among its varied mook fauna (usually one of the mage-type enemies. If the mages are not that bad, it'll be the beefier fliers), sometimes two, and every time you enter a new dungeon, you have to be very careful, because there is ''always'' some kind of new enemy that can easily get you stunlocked to death in seconds. Special mention, however, has to go to Ghost Wizards. These guys usually come in pairs, can heal themselves and other monsters (including each other), can dodge by becoming immaterial, tend to fly just outside of your sword's reach, and can get through the walls... and pack a spell that does very respectable damage, is virtually undodgeable, and can be cast ''from inside the wall''. No, you can't really attack them while they're inside the wall. Yes, it is ''precisely'' as annoying as it sounds.
* The Flame Parasites from ''{{Evolva}}''. Not only they have the ability throw huge fireballs towards you for massive damage, but they always catch fire after killed and [[TakingYouWithMe ''explode'']] after a few seconds. Depending of the battle, you may not be able to get far from the explosion, since you may still be fighting the remaining enemies.

*** The "media VP" extensions to FreeSpace 2 change the Lilith's skin from gray to [[ColorCodedCharacters black]] to make it possible to distinguish visibly from the Cain. As for not getting blown up by its main gun, whatever you do, do ''not'' approach from the front, because if you do the beam is so wide that you will be caught in it and vaporized when it fires at a capital ship (heavy beams do not target fighters directly).

* The ''[[{{Freespace}} Descent: Freespace]]'' series:

** ''CrashOfTheTitans'' has Sludges, which come in large groups, are fast, do tons of damage with their attacks, have exceptional reach, and have a counterattack (basically, they turn into an unhittable puddle of goo and do a Shoryuken-esque uppercut) which is nearly impossible to avoid that they use nearly every time you hit them. Your best chance against them is to frantically try to nab one yourself and spam that counterattack yourself.

** ''CrashMindOverMutant'' has [=TKs=], which have ranged attacks that are impossible to avoid, a annoying melee attack which they are invincible while using and has a large area of effect, and can ''throw you off your titan,'' leaving you vulnerable while you try to re-jack your titan.
* ''ZombiesAteMyNeighbors'' has many. Take your pick:

* ''TheHauntedMansion'' had the gargoyles, which were really big enemies that could only be harmed with a fully ChargedAttack. Which was hard, because they were also {{Enemy Summoner}}s, and said enemies were much faster than you, and when they hit you your charge stopped. Luckily, the Beacon of Souls gets more powerful, lowering the demonicness.

* The "Gas Zombies" in ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'' only miss sweeping the list by one factor - they can't [[LevelDrain take away levels]]. They have ''[[ComboPlatterPowers everything]]'' else. They can [[StandardStatusEffects stun you]]. Their [[InstantDeathRadius grapple attack]] has twice the reach of conventional zombies - and is ''undodgeable''. They are ''everywhere'', and you will ''not'' notice them among the mobs of zombies until they are ''right on top of you'' '''chewing your face off.''' They '''[[MookMaker draw every other Gas Zombie within earshot when they attack]]'''. They can attack multiple times once they grab you, forcing you to consume healing items faster. They are ''[[MadeOfIron twice as tough]]'' as normal zombies. They can charge right through mobs of zombies. ''[[SmartBomb Queens]] only stun them''. Oh, and that stun attack? Has enough range to hit you before they enter camera view from behind. The game is 72 hours of zombie smashing, but once these bastards show up, the party is '''over'''.
** The military can eliminate conventional zombies with ease, but Gas Zombies can wipe out entire platoons in minutes. They're recognized as Demonic Spiders '''''in-universe'''''.
*** On the other hand, once you complete the case in the Phenotrans lab, you can find about four Blast Frequency Guns, which can eliminate several dozens Gas Zombies with one precise shot and carry ridiculous amounts of ammo. Sure it only stuns normal zombies, but they're hardly a threat and can be pushed pust unless you run into a huge unavoidable cluster of them. Make sure to keep at least two of these weapons handy.
** From ''VideoGame/DeadRising 1'', we have the Special Forces soldiers. They are very tough for {{Mooks}}, requiring seven shotgun blasts to put down, were immune to handgun fire and headshots, toted machine guns that stun locked and damage you which allowed the other soldiers to shoot you more, always came in groups, and were ''not'' stun locked when shot (quite annoying when trying to use their own assault rifles against them). When they show up, you ''better'' have the small chainsaw or sniper rifle, or you're in for a rude awakening.

* ''VideoGame/{{The Hobbit|2003}}'' has literal demonic spiders starting with the Mirkwood level. They come in two variations, the big tarantulas, which are actually less awful because they can't poison you, and the tiny green and slightly larger red ones, which can poison you. There is no way to cure poison except for an antidote, and they come in swarms. You will often exhaust your supply of antidotes after one fight with these things.

** The Shivan Dragon-class fighter, whose raw statistics, while fairly impressive off the bat, tell you next to nothing about how truly preposterously annoying it is. Oh, sure, it has a top speed comparable to most space superiority fighters, [[MoreDakka five gunpoints]], and more shields than an Ursa heavy bomber, but surely that's balanced out by its thin hull... right? Right? Not a chance. The thing is tiny to the point of having practically no profile ''at all'', is so agile that getting a lock onto it with missiles is next to impossible, mounts twin linked Shivan heavy lasers and tri-linked [[{{BFG}} Shivan mega lasers]] (which combined mean that between two and four direct hits on ''any ship you can fly in either game'' will kill you), and to top it all off it has the most overcharged reactor of any fighter, meaning that its weapons, afterburners and shields recharge at a rate that makes it next to impossible to punch through its shields to hit its hull. It appears in wings of two or three most of the time, but they are occasionally introduced into the battlefield for the [[FakeDifficulty sole purpose of making you suffer]]. One ''Descent: Freespace'' mission asked you to protect weak, defenseless ''escape pods'' from a wing of Dragons, while you were equipped with Phoenix V missiles designed to kill ''bombers'', with lock on times that made them useless even for ''that'' role, let alone hunting the fastest fighter in the game. Another ''Descent: Freespace'' mission tasked you with ''capturing'' one, the only way to do so is to use a very slow and energy hungry weapon. You had to do it solo, too, because the AI wingmen in [=FS1=] interpret "Disable my target's engines" as [[ArtificialStupidity "switch to Disruptors... then unload all of your missiles on the target."]] Fortunately, the Dragon's shields didn't regenerate in that mission. Afterwards you got to fly one... downgraded to be comparable to the shit-bucket you were flying before, with the maneuverability of a sack of potatoes and shields comparable to chicken wire. Finally, in a ''Freespace 2'' FailureIsTheOnlyOption mission, if you managed to defend the crippled rebel cruiser from the regular Manticore and Basilisk fighters, an entire ''squadron'' of [[RespawningEnemies respawning]] Dragons will appear. If you actually manage to kill all those Dragons (probably by cheating, because there's no way you'll be able to stop long enough to reload), nothing will happen—the return to base order [[ScriptBreaking only appears when the rebel cruiser is destroyed]].

* The ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' games have all had plenty. The most notable can be found in Sonic 3's Hydrocity Zone. If you are unfortunate enough to be hit with a Mega Chopper, you are as good as dead. These suckers leech one ring a second, while disabling jumping and spinning, trapping you in that section of the level to die a slow and painful death. Fortunately for those playing as a Sonic/Tails duo, Tails can just bust them open... if he doesn't have one on him as well.
** Apparently you're completely unaware you can just shake them off. If one gets a hold of you, just run back and forth rapidly. Not demonic spiders.
** Oh, and by the way, Hydrocity is the SECOND ZONE IN THE GAME.
*** [[CaptainObvious Hydrocity is also a water level.]] If the ring-drain doesn't kill you, then the InterfaceScrew will almost definitely cause you to drown.

** The Su-37's from the 14th mission - highly agile and maneuverable planes that can avoid your missiles effortlessly and continue to launch at you, and then the mission's objective [[ViolationOfCommonSense forces you to ignore them entirely]] and go fly a complicated pattern through a wall of anti-aircraft fire, all while the Su-37's are still chasing and firing at you.

* Bandits early on in ''VideoGame/{{DragonsDogma}}''. The ones with swords & shields have ludicrous amounts of HP & strength & can one-shot low level characters with an extremely long-ranged dash used seemingly at random, the the ones with 2-handed weapons have ludicrous strength, & the ones with bows &/or daggers love to stand way off screen & shoot you with extremely damaging arrows that can send you flying. A group of bandits usually includes 3 or more with bows &/or arrows, 3 or more with swords & shields, & 2 or more with 2-handed weapons. The groups are usually next to multiple other large groups of bandits & multiple large groups of wolves. Bandits love to run away nonstop until you give up on chasing them & then attack you from offscreen while you're attacking their allies. Chasing them down often means alerting other large groups of bandits. If you hit them while they're hitting you, they tend to instantly unflinchingly run away as soon as your attack makes contact which really sucks if your weapons rely on weak rapid hits. If a bandit's attack is especially hard to dodge it's most likely an attack that will one-shot many low-level characters. Wolves like to run away when you get near them & leap at you from offscreen later to hold you still while bandits one-shot you.

* The {{Sonic}} games have all had plenty. The most notable can be found in Sonic 3's Hydrocity Zone. If you are unfortunate enough to be hit with a Mega Chopper, you are as good as dead. These suckers leech one ring a second, while disabling jumping and spinning, trapping you in that section of the level to die a slow and painful death. Fortunately for those playing as a Sonic/Tails duo, Tails can just bust them open... if he doesn't have one on him as well.

* Big Eye in the first ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' has several times more health than every other enemy and deals nearly half of your health per hit. It hops toward you with either a slow high jump or a fast low jump, but you can only run under it during the high jump, and whether or not it even will is completely random. The one in [[ThatOneBoss Elec Man's]] stage appears in close quarters and will close the whole distance with 3 jumps. If the second and third jumps are both low, you WILL get hit.
* Also in the first game are Bladers, those horrible grinning flying nightmares. They float in, above jumping height, swoop down to strike, and swoop back up, out of reach. They follow you, they look at you. They grin as they plink away. If you try to run, more may spawn and swarm.

* The fetus enemies in the penultimate level of ''{{Splatterhouse}}'' were apparently the result of a Demonic Spider screwing a Goddamn Bat, seeing how they infinitely spawn from the floor and ceiling, love to hover down directly over Rick's head where he can't hit them or avoid them, attack in huge numbers, and need to be shaken off to prevent them from taking multiple points of damage if they grab you. Did we mention that Rick has a maximum of only ''six'' hit points?

* In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIII'':
** Any enemy with an M16. They can shred you apart and waste you in seconds before you can get a chance to react. Even if you have full armour and health, you can be killed in seconds if you're careless. Fortunately, the M16 is [[GameBreaker just as devastating]] when it's in ''your'' hands.
** [[spoiler:Mafia goons]] earn this distinction with flying colors once you have earned their eternal vendetta against you. They all have shotguns, and [[TheAllSeeingAI even if you're in a vehicle]], they'll immediately recognize you and open fire. Unless you're driving the [[MadeOfIron Rhino tank]], two or three solid shots will [[MadeOfExplodium end your drive]] in a blaze of hellfire. Additionally, if you're on foot, their shotgun blasts will likely [[ScrappyMechanic knock you down]] and prevent you from moving while they close the distance. They will probably knock you down again if the shots don't kill you. Simply put, after you [[spoiler:kill Salvatore]], you'll never be able to set foot in [[spoiler:the Saint Mark's district]] ever again. Hope you've taken care of those sidequests early.

* The NintendoDS version of ''SpiderManWebOfShadows''. Just... just about every single mook. Notable offenders include the shrieking ones found at the pier, anyone who can shoot those... those light-orb-things at you and, even worse, any mook found in the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon. Most of the above mentioned can knock you down, which is annoying since they can beat you up even while you're getting up again, while [[MyRulesAreNotYourRules you can't do the same with them]]. And it's a {{Metroidvania}} game. [[NintendoHard Yeah.]]

* Bandits early on in ''VideoGame/{{Dragon'sDogma}}''. The ones with swords & shields have ludicrous amounts of HP & strength & can one-shot low level characters with an extremely long-ranged dash used seemingly at random, the the ones with 2-handed weapons have ludicrous strength, & the ones with bows &/or daggers love to stand way off screen & shoot you with extremely damaging arrows that can send you flying. A group of bandits usually includes 3 or more with bows &/or arrows, 3 or more with swords & shields, & 2 or more with 2-handed weapons. The groups are usually next to multiple other large groups of bandits & multiple large groups of wolves. Bandits love to run away nonstop until you give up on chasing 'em & then attack you from offscreen while you're attacking their allies. Chasing 'em down often means alerting other large groups of bandits. If you hit them while they're hitting you, they tend to instantly unflinchingly run away as soon as your attack makes contact which really sucks if your weapons rely on weak rapid hits. If a bandit's attack is especially hard to use it's most likely an attack that will one-shot many low-level characters. Wolves like to run away when you get near them & leap at you from offscreen later to hold you still while bandits one-shot you.

* Bandits early on in "VideoGame/{{Dragon'sDogma}}". The ones with swords & shields have ludicrous amounts of HP & strength & can one-shot low level characters with an extremely long-ranged dash used seemingly at random, the the ones with 2-handed weapons have ludicrous strength, & the ones with bows &/or daggers love to stand way off screen & shoot you with extremely damaging arrows that can send you flying. A group of bandits usually includes 3 or more with bows &/or arrows, 3 or more with swords & shields, & 2 or more with 2-handed weapons. The groups are usually next to multiple other large groups of bandits & multiple large groups of wolves. Bandits love to run away nonstop until you give up on chasing 'em & then attack you from offscreen while you're attacking their allies. Chasing 'em down often means alerting other large groups of bandits. If you hit them while they're hitting you, they tend to instantly unflinchingly run away as soon as your attack makes contact which really sucks if your weapons rely on weak rapid hits. If a bandit's attack is especially hard to use it's most likely an attack that will one-shot many low-level characters. Wolves like to run away when you get near them & leap at you from offscreen later to hold you still while bandits one-shot you.

* Archers in ''PrinnyCanIReallyBeTheHero.'' They have two attacks, depending on where you are in relation to them. If you're trying to jump over, they'll aim high and shoot a very hard-to-dodge wave attack. If you're at the same level or lower, they'll just duck and fire three arrows in rapid succession. It doesn't sound too bad...except the game loves to place them with or behind pits, obstacles, hordes of lesser {{Mook}}s, and in narrow alcoves where you can't jump over or stun them. And if you get too close, they'll jump far out of range and start firing away.