Game: Lost Odyssey

Character: Kaim Argonar

In-game failing: Sudden onset of battle fatigue

The righteous ass-whuppery Kaim unleashes in Lost Odyssey's opening FMV is one of the most stirring, whoop-inducing introductions of a hero we've witnessed in years. He charges unstoppably through hundreds of enemies with the grace and brutality of a butterfly with a shotgun. He lays down one-hit kills at every angle without even looking. Corpse upon corpse piles up around him as he carves a lightning-speed furrow through the battlefield. "Huzzah!" we thought. "This guy is awesome. Let us play him now!"

But then at the crucial moment it all just seemed to get a bit too much for him...

Game: Earthworm Jim

Character: Earthworm Jim

In-game failing: Transportation

You'd think that it would be pretty hard to overlook the presence of a moped-sized rocket in your back pocket, but that's exactly what Jim does. Every level, until he's beaten the boss.

Hey guess what Jim, that rocket that you always fly to the next stage on? How about using it to fly through the next stage? Or even better, right to the end of the game. You'd save yourself a whole lot of hassle.

Game: Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness

Character: Kurtis Trent

In-game failing: Everything

If ever there was a character who's videogame report card would read "Must apply himself harder", it was Kurtis Trent. Introduced as an asymmetric, playable partner to Ms. Croft in Angel of Darkness, Kurt was a blade throwing, Force using, supernatural badass of legendary proportions, as you can see in the video below.

The only problem with his signature abilities? He couldn't actually use any of them in the game, reducing him to the state of a mind-bendingly pointless re-skinned Lara. Oh Kurtis, why do you even exist?