It can strike at anytime without warning. It can take many forms. Someone you know, even a loved one, could be afflicted with it as you read this very sentence. That’s right, ‘gamer rage’ can strike anyone at any moment. From platform fans to beat ‘em up enthusiasts, no one is safe.

The following games all contain dangerous levels of gamer rage-baiting moments. Want to avoid a stroke, heart attack or assault charges? Then lay that pad down, step away from the console and take some deep breaths.

As Vader’s monotone secret apprentice, you’re tasked with pulling thousands of tonnes of ship out of orbit with just the power of the force… and a lot of painstaking, overly fiddly stick twiddling. Having to deal with these imprecise controls and vague onscreen prompts is enough to milk the rage from any gamer. Having to pull down an Imperial Starship, with awful controls while you’re getting pelted by respawning TIE Fighters, is even worse.

Getting shot during this sequence causes you to lose your grip on the Star Destroyer, subsequently sending it further back into space. Trying to pull down the TIE fighters or take them out with floating debris is a nightmare, too. Imagine trying to hit a bee with a dart… blindfolded… while drunk. That’s how difficult it is to hit the Empire’s finest with the maddeningly erratic lock-on system. Must. Resist. Urge. To. Murder. Uncle. George.

What’s not to like about Mario Kart? You’re given colourful, sun-kissed courses to cheerily careen around. Entrusted with a cast of loveable, critic-proof Nintendo icons. And stuck with the cheapest, rage-inspiring power up ever to sneak out of Ninty Towers. Oh.

 
Above: The blue shell is always fired in the spirit of fair competitiveness

The Blue Shell - often rewarded to the racer in last place -automatically locks onto the driver in first place and will usually cripple their race. It’s evil. If God created mid-mission checkpoints, Double XP COD 4 weekends and the GameCube controller, then his hell-dwelling counterpart definitely crafted the demon shell.

It inspires gamer rage for two reasons. Reason the first: It rewards those who are rubbish at Mario Kart. And reason the second: It penalises those who are actually good at effing Mario Kart.



Above: Nintendo seemingly wants this to be the outcome of every race

While most of the missions in this state-hopping GTA are great, there's one that makes us want to hurl flaming dog’s dirt at Rockstar’s offices. Whoever decided a mission where your chances of success hinge entirely on the woeful shooting of the A.I. needs beating. Hard.

‘Wrong Side of the Tracks’ tasks you with driving Big Smoke alongside a speeding train while he shoots the pistol-toting thugs on its roof. It sounds simple enough, until you realise the fat gangbanger couldn’t hit the world’s largest man with a sniper rifle. Standing two feet away.

The gormless A.I. completely takes the power of control away from you. And you’ll curse failing the mission for the umpteenth time because it can’t fire straight. God, it doesn’t half make shooting Big Smoke in the face satisfying, though.