10 Video Games That Punish You For Playing Well
2. The Blue Shell Attacks First Place - Mario Kart
Mario Kart is one of the most popular multiplayer games of all time, and that's perhaps in large part due to the game's blatant attempts to maintain a level playing field, whereby racers both skilled and novice have an actual, active chance of winning.
The games are programmed to dole out more advantageous items to stragglers while those at the front of the pack will end up with scraps, because they clearly don't need the rub.
And so, sooner or later those in first place will find themselves harangued by the arrival of a dreaded blue shell, fired at them from a late-placing player.
The blue shell is by far the most maligned power-up in all of Mario Kart, given that it speeds to the front of the race and obliterates whoever is in the lead.
The series has introduced means for players to dodge and evade the blue shell over the years, but they're no picnic, such that the power-up has undeniably been the source of innumerable arguments and wounded friendships over the years.