10 Gaming Moments Where You Play Like An Utter Dick

2. Mario Kart - Spiny (Blue) Shells

What else needs to be said? Could we not just leave this entry blank and the title alone would inspire the collective heart-rate of this article's readers to rise? For those who haven't played Mario Kart - for those blessed, virginal souls amongst us - allow me to explain. Mario Kart is Nintendo's flagship kart racing and vehicular-combat game. It's quite fun...except for the blue shell. The blue shell is a special item, reserved solely for players who are not in first place, although it varies from game to game. The blue shell is meant to "balance" out the game (or something like that) by homing in on the player in the lead, knocking out anyone in the way, and once it catches them there's a huge explosion that damages anyone else unlucky enough to be nearby. Mario Kart games in general are all about annoying your opponents, and the blue shell is like the ultimate embodiment of that. It's one of those "Everyone is a dick but it's okay" sort of games. Racing games are all about forward momentum and being interrupted is naturally really annoying. Mario Kart games are essentially based around that annoyance. There's something especially infuriating about a blue shell though, as it just feels unfair. You're either being hit by it directly and thus being punished simply for doing well, while it passes by, or simply by the blast, meaning you're being hit by something that wasn't even destined for you in the first place. It just sucks however you cut it. Unless, of course, it's your blue shell. There's nothing better than being in last and receiving a blue shell, then hoping that can you crawl forward somehow. It'll all come back around at some point.