5. Area 5 (Blaster Master)
Blaster Master was revolutionary for its time: combining the side scroller and top down shooter. It's as though Metroid and Metal Slug were in a car crash and out of their mangled corpses we got this beautiful creation. The magnificent opening sequence is also one of the gaming's standout moments. Seriously: go watch it and then come back to read my bleatings on its inevitably naff water level. I'll wait.
So, why is it infuriating? Because of the chap pictured above: this gigantic primordial beast of death. He's an incredible ball ache. If you didnt fully upgrade your weapons before reaching him, then youre going to struggle during the encounter seeing as how you cant just hit its weak point for massive damage. Hes probably the toughest boss in the entire game, and with his bubble attack increasing in both ferocity and amplitude, taking your time is just not a viable option. The level itself is completely devoid of any fun; turning the well-paced, run and gun gameplay on its head. Instead of controlling Sophia (the tank) youre mostly playing as the far weaker Jason, and swimming too. The swimming controls are the standard affair, with the experience feels less like youre moving underwater and more like Lunar Lander.