10 Most Frustrating Video Game Moments Of All Time

3. Escorting Natalya - Goldeneye

goldeneye natalya
Rare

While video game developers took to some features like a duck to bread, nailing things like first-person shooting or 2D platforming within the space of a couple of years, others eluded them for decades. One of the biggest examples is escort missions, but, sadly for players, that didn't stop devs putting them into games.

Any player who grow up on titles in the late 90s and early 2000s will no doubt shudder at even the mention of an escort mission, but that disgust will jump up to another level if you say 'Natalya' and 'Goldeneye' in the same sentence.

Rare's classic James Bond shooter, on all accounts, was a first-person revolution, but it also featured one level which almost tanked it all. The basic set up is pretty simple: you escort the weapons-free Natalya through a bunch of rooms as she goes about her computer business, all the while protecting her from goons. Every game has featured a similar scenario, but few have given the companion character an A.I. as braindead as Natalya's.

If she doesn't get herself killed by walking into bullets (yours or the enemies, she's not picky), you'll die by putting Bond in danger to make sure no goons get close to her.

There's a reason players now only remember Goldeneye for the multiplayer, and that's because this dud mission overshadows the entire single-player.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.