7 Worst Power Ups That Screwed You Over

Poison mushrooms! Anti money! Hallucinogens! Lurking in some games are power-ups that actually make you worse off, whether by harming you, stealing your money, or just making the game much much more difficult to play. Take our advice, and steer clear of these seven, because if you pick them up, you’ll wish you hadn’t. Subscribe for more videos like this from Outside Xbox!
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#outsidexbox #7things #powerups

[@jonathandavies1716]

The one redeeming feature of the Zelda moon is that in destroying everything it destroys all the rupoors.

[@link113gaming]

but there arent any in majora's mask so....

[@KingDevyn]

Indeed, Majora's Mask doesn't take place in Hyrule

[@blakecooper7521]

Goddess Bless

[@ALunarLight]

the poor moon was crying it was clearly skull kids fault

[@unownk2245]

Seriously what idiot thought that the rupoor was a good idea.

[@samuxan]

I love how they are so scared of poison mushrooms that we don't get to see its effects on screen

[@bossfight1]

The PC version of Fairly Oddparents: Breakin’ Da Rules had “Bad Wish Ideas” throughout each level that, if collected, would make Timmy wish for something detrimental - such as bouncy skis in the skiing level.

[@rhodrigoyamamoto3563]

Holy shit, that game was my childhood. Can’t believe other people know about it.

[@robertwoods3871]

@matt no one cares, sweatlord

[@InsanityPlea100]

@matt weird flex.

[@rhodrigoyamamoto3563]

@matt Good to know you had a childhood. We all had one. It's sad that yours was such a sour one.

[@dascreeb5205]

@matt 'dominant'

[@Ceece20]

Listen, a hug is well worth the -1 Vigor. Especially in Fromsoft games. I was honestly thinking it would just kill me.

[@apinkchameleon]

Honestly, I kind of agree

[@shotgunshells2]

I'm glad I read about Fia's deal, so I could use the blessing immediately and get my health back, but yeah, 5% health is nothing.

[@joshuahunt3032]

I agree, I freaking love hugs. To the point where it’s a sensory thing for me (I seem to enjoy the pressure from either giving hugs, receiving hugs, or maybe the two put together). Honestly, if I ever get around to playing Elden Ring, I’d take that vigor debuff as a challenge and replenish that blessing repeatedly for more hugs

[@michaelandreipalon359]

So that explains why Steven Universe and Luz Noceda are popular animation characters... never underestimate hugs, even if you're someone who really, *really* prefers privacy and no touchy-feely stuff. Hmm, haven't bought the game yet (not having the right amount of money, plus I'm waiting for ALL DLCs to come out), but I must say, OutsideXbox/OutsideXtra sure helped me a lot when it comes to the Soulsborne games.

[@insaincaldo]

Pretty sure many From players felt surprise hollowing in DS3 was worse.

[@frodobaggins7710]

It's supposed to be a beneficial powerup, but the Spring Mushroom in the Mario Galaxy games is so unwieldy to use that I found it easier to just try and finish levels without it

[@micaelstarfire8639]

The flamethrower in Contra would also qualify then. Or rather, anything that wasn't spread shot. In fact, they could probably do a whole other video on "power-ups" that were supposed to be good, but were more dreaded than debuffs.

[@drake713]

my mom got seasick from Mario galaxy, but with power ups she actually had to pause and leave

[@dragolance4394]

You have problems controlling the spring?

[@daniellelondon439]

Ironically, the spring power up was one of my favorite ones from that game.

[@pokegirl1799]

question: did you succeed? If you did, please post a video showing how to do it because I would like to try that myself

[@tyranitararmaldo]

Skyward Sword Link's face at getting a rupoor is...priceless :P

[@PrototypeSpaceMonkey]

It's less than priceless, my boy!

[@bobwanders4623]

Unfortunately enough, he has to come back when he is a little mmmmmh, richer

[@Cheetahgirl_Studios]

His face is the epitome of “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.”

[@Chrono_Mitsurugi]

0:55 "In several Zelda games, there exist the dark yang to the rupees yin." Yang: the light side Yin: the dark side

[@Luke3107]

Given the amount of home invasions Link commits in search of Rupees, this seems accurate to me.

[@kingspilly4381]

In a lot of older games where power-ups overwrite each other, like Castlevania, Ghouls no Chosts, or Contra, you'd basically be screwed if you accidentally replaced a good power-up with something else.

[@beaveresque9404]

Ah yes, the "NOOOO I WANTED THE HOMING ARROWS" moment we all lamented

[@SiegeTF]

I remember some Contra 3 strategy guide saying the Flamethrower was the best weapon for any given boss fight, and the Crush (rockets) was a bad weapon because it only fired 3 rockets at a time, and had limited range. Then I got good and powered through any boss by switching Crush for Crush (or Laser and Crush) rapidly, doubling the DPM.

[@InTaco7]

Or worse: Fester's Quest. Weapons would get repeatedly more powerful as you picked up the same weapon you were already carrying, with the final of most weapons being ridiculously powerful. But if you picked up a different weapon, it would completely reset and you got a lvl 1 pea-shooter.

[@AmeyaGargesh]

Yeah in contra, when you are in the middle of a jump and the power up for fireball falls on you and replaces your spread gun. The fireball was nearly impossible to aim with its corkscrewing fire mode

[@Aoki85]

Back around 10 or so years ago, I played this awful social media game called Zombie Lane, where you spent most of your time beating up on random zombies shuffling around your yard endlessly. You could also pick up pieces of trash for special items, the "best" of which was supposed to be an "invisibility ring." I wanted that ring so badly, that I didn't realize that in the process of picking up like a thousand pieces of trash, I got rather good at avoiding zombies anyway. The OTHER, more important thing I overlooked is that the zombies in the game actually stop for a second once they "see" you, before beginning their pursuit, actually giving you ample time to avoid them. So by the time I FINALLY got my "precious" invisibility ring (I forgot to mention that it also blatantly ripped off Lord of the Rings in its design), I actually ended up getting "attacked" by zombies more often, since they couldn't see me and stop for that second, and in their random shuffling and throwing empty punches into the air, they ended up getting more "lucky shots" on me than I ever suffered before getting this useless power up.

[@mar_speedman]

Sounds less like a useless powerup and more like bad game design. The entire thing sounds so low budget...

[@asteriondeltoro124]

Going old-school, the invincibility shield from Zanac. It works as advertised... and causes the game's famously vindictive dynamic difficulty to throw a temper tantrum and send ridiculous hordes of enemy ships at you.

[@beaveresque9404]

The super speed shoes powerup in the Sonic games on Genesis was way more of a detriment than a help, in almost all cases. It was a one way ticket to a face full of robot monster or a booty full of spikes.

[@Torthrodhel]

Even worse on the Master System games where Sonic's physics were way weirder. But also thankfully much rarer too. I can't even imagine what it was like for Americans who got it on the Game Gear instead, with that dreadful screen crunch.

[@LadyOnikara]

Or a fall down a bottomless pit.

[@Septimus_ii]

But you went so fast

[@base21]

It's good in mania

[@defaultdotxbe]

I thought this video would be about stuff like that, IE items intended to be power ups that usually ended up harming you. But no, it was about things that are intended to have detrimental effects that you would only call "power ups" if you had a 5 year old's understanding of game mechanics.

[@zorn3255]

The "Total Bummer" power up was very bad in Toe Jam and Earl, but I always felt the "Randomizer" was worse. At least if you hit "Total Bummer" you knew which present it was and knew not to use that present again... But randomizing which present was which made it feel like you were starting back at square one when it came to identifying presents. Hitting the "Randomizer" after "Total Bummer" was especially awful because now you didn't know which present was "Total Bummer" and thus could hit it again.

[@boobah5643]

Agreed. Eventually you just got to a point where there was no point opening up any of the ????s because there was no way it was going to be more useful than avoiding the randomizer.

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

Or the Sword in Ghouls and Ghosts which has no range and youre stuck with it until you get something else. Its literally better to die than risk getting it

[@Dr_Dorian]

True! The „Randomizer„ was way worse.

[@MasamiPhoenix]

Agreed, we would basically only open known presents (unless things were dire) until we got the carrot man to identidy Randomizer. Ideally Total Bummer too, but at least with randomizer out of the way, you could risk learning a bad present and not having to start over

[@warriorwithin44]

I'm just glad someone else remembers toe jam and earl. It's been so long since I've seen it mentioned I was starting to wonder if it was a trick of my imagination

[@nathanielthomson6600]

Fia literally tells you she's going to take some of your vigor in exchange for the blessing. Anyone who didn't understand that played themselves. Fia did nothing wrong.

[@RimeyCH]

Also hug.

[@rabbidguarddog]

I dont mind a therapy hug after 15 tries of trying to kill Godfrey...

[@TheGuardDuck]

Didn't play Elden Ring, what is the power up supposed to do?

[@nathanielthomson6600]

@@TheGuardDuck temporarily booat poise on consumption and refunds the percentage of your max HP

[@TheGuardDuck]

@@nathanielthomson6600 Are those things supposed to be useful?

[@star2705]

The photo you picked of Miyamoto is really perfect, he looks like he _just_ had the idea for the Rupoor and will be intently repeating the name in his head until he can find some paper to write it down, because he cannot _wait_ to code it.

[@vindicare9915]

Look, Margit just beat me up, and the pretty lady asked me if I needed a hug; what was I supposed to do?

[@SolaScientia]

Oh, right. I still have that blessing in my inventory. I went back for another hug from Fia but I haven't used the blessing yet (used the first one on an attempt at Margit). I'm doing the hugs because it progresses her quest and because a hug that doesn't also involve a knife in my back is a nice reprieve. That shrooms power-up would definitely make me feel sick. I tend to have nausea problems with most games in first person, especially fast-paced games like Doom (2016). Not being able to control the camera would make it all so much worse.

[@ddjsoyenby]

the hug makes it worth it.

[@SolaScientia]

@@ddjsoyenby For sure. It's a lovely reprieve from all the death and sadness. I just need to remember to use that blessing after I've hugged her since I tend to forget about it.

[@Gigawood]

The shrooms power up is *so* much worse than it looks in the video, especially the RoTT reboot. I don’t get motion sick but even *that* tested me. 🤢

[@dyingstar24]

One word: vomitorium... Shrooms mode and superball powerups everywhere...

[@SolaScientia]

@@dyingstar24 Lovely. Makes me glad I've not played that game and don't have an interest in playing it.

[@TrimutiusToo]

My very first bad power up was in that good old Prince Persia... Where you had potions that would restore your health, and big potion that increases max health or that weird green one that does slow fall... But then there was the blue one that dealt damage to you instead, and imagin me as a kid in the first room that has one... Oh nice two potions i am at 1 hit point... Oh wait why am i dead?

[@philiphunn194]

The giant-head power-up from Dynamite Headdy on the Mega Drive slowed your movement to a literal crawl and couldn’t be voluntarily cancelled like any other power-up. You had to wait for its effect to fade while also hoping an enemy wouldn’t pounce on you.

[@H0lyMoley]

Oooh, good one! And while we're on the subject, what about Earthworm Jim's "bubble gun"? Makes your gun fire ten small bubbles that do nothing. Has a horrible fire rate, and you have to fire it ten times before you get your regular gun back.

[@YukaTakeuchiFan]

Ugh, I remember that one - and they LOVED to give you that power-up any time where you kind of REALLY didn't want to be moving at that snail's pace, including the possibility of getting it during EVERY SINGLE MAJOR BOSS FIGHT (6-4 doesn't count), or just 9-1 in general. Either way, get it in THOSE situations and you're lucky if you ONLY end up on death's door afterward.

[@H0lyMoley]

@@YukaTakeuchiFan Getting it during the "Bad gatekeeper" (bad geisha in Japan apparently!) fight was... a bit brutal.

[@H0lyMoley]

And actually I have another Megadrive one. That Axe from "Ghouls and Ghosts". Level 4. If you've played the game, you know the one I mean. You're about to fight the boss where you really, really want the daggers. (You pretty much always want the daggers. A weapon that's both rapid-fire and powerful is a massive win in a game where enemies will absolutely crowd you at the drop of a hat.) To get to the boss, you have to jump down a very narrow hole. Blocking that hole is a chest. In the chest, if you destroy it, is an axe. One of the most useless weapons in the game, it's massively situational (and the situations you want to have it don't include the boss fight you're about to have, since it arcs upwards, and the enemies you really want to kill are on the ground...) Yeah that was just a massive troll.

[@LordYggdrasill]

I was about to post about the Heavy Head, too. Glad I read some of the comments first!

[@tba113]

Just to add to Andy's confusion, there's also a Colonel O'Neill. Fortunately, he's easier to tell apart: he doesn't dress like the other two, he has a much better sense of humor, and he spells his name with two L's.

[@kaldo_kaldo]

Neil Neill and O'Neil? Like Ed Edd and Eddy?

[@3possumsinatrenchcoat]

insert Stargate joke here

[@LordHammer33]

He got promoted to general

[@JachAnen]

Indeed

[@Ashendal]

Lost the ability to make anything out of a shoe lace, penny, chewing gum, and pocket lint for that extra L though.

[@catriamflockentanz]

2:25 That's probably the best description anyone ever gave concerning the Poison Mushroom.

[@thatperson2537]

Not sure if it counts as a power up but first thing I thought of was Kirby’s sleep ability pre-Forgotten Land. The levels where those were scattered everywhere within a one-way narrow corridor were annoying to say the least.

[@nickdejager8873]

It's still pretty annoying in Forgotten Land, except in the few places where you unlock something by sleeping. Which, on second thought, almost makes it worse, because now instead of avoiding 'sleep', you might seek it out to see what it unlocks.

[@kevinstephenson3531]

@@nickdejager8873 the upgraded sleep form can give you a random stat increase.

[@sinteleon]

Except technically pre-Super Kirby Clash, because Super Kirby Clash gave Sleep an actual moveset. :P @@kevinstephenson3531 Not just that, it lets you choose when to activate the ability. Granted you can just turn off the auto swallow, but turning that off doesn't save you from the (granted only 1) obstacle course where they put a pile of sleep ability orbs along a crumbling ground area.

[@sonicmario64]

Ironically, there was a power-up in "Dynamite Headdy" that put the titular hero to sleep when he grabs it, but it actually replenished his health at the same time.

[@nickdejager8873]

@@kevinstephenson3531 Interesting. I never bothered to upgrade it.

[@synthraofficial5366]

In Devi May Cry 3 there's actually a great instance of this! In one of the chapters towards the middle of the game you have to hold a key item that keeps you in double trigger in the game and until you're able to put it in the door. This sounds like a good thing since that means you do way more damage and move way faster and all that, but it also drains the life out of you while you're doing it. So It ends up being a frantic race against the clock to backtrack across an entire level before you end up dying, even though you're literally in your most powerful state and basically untouchable. It's a great turning of the tables moment, especially after you spend the whole game wishing you could stay in Devil trigger all the time. Be careful what you wish for, I guess!

[@insaincaldo]

Uh, like the Kitetsu in Ninja Gaiden.

[@metaloverlord99]

If you like having Perma-Devil Trigger, then it's a good thing the super characters exist.

[@SeanCocca]

The flame powerup in the original Ghosts and Goblins for NES. You couldn't throw another one until the fire burned out. Left you open to attack.

[@CanadianDude]

Yep. That one sucked. I didn't like the axe weapon that much either.

[@marcusaaronliaogo9158]

Get the knife

[@jackfoxx6351]

plus didn't it have a weird arc so you couldn't even throw it directly at an enemy?

[@brookeboyd7095]

I didn't even know my health had gone down but was wondering what the red square with the down arrow was in Elden Ring. I had to look it up to understand that it was a de-buff. Luckily, I only had it on through the first area.

[@marhawkman303]

honestly it's probably not a large amount of HP reduction even since it's a flat amount.

[@lordshavron]

I'm 40 hours into the game and still have it. I had no idea it was hurting me. Sigh.

[@marhawkman303]

@@lordshavron hurting is a relative term though. Also you can get it from her right before a boss fight and pop it during the fight. She gives you another one any time you ask.

[@reddragon9064]

​@@marhawkman303 ya exactually if people care so much about 1 vigor they can just grab it before a boss fight pop it for fight then grab it agin any time they want to fight a boss also if they go through the entire game not realizing it was negging there hp (then it was not significant enough to worry about in first place) then well not really a issue then in my opinion otherwise it would have been noticed sooner

[@themysteryman8709]

One other thing to note about Rise of the Triads other Power-down is Elasto Mode: A power up that would bounce and slide you around. I was expecting that, but shrooms mode is good too as that one caused me to get oofed a lot by my own missiles in the remake.

[@brianpguil]

For me, my favorite intentionally useless powerup is the sleep ability from the Kirby series

[@dinoshotgun]

And then they up and made it useful in only two games, that Kirby 3DS game where it’s a top down brawler, they gave Sleep an entire move set, (heck someone took that idea and made a Rivals of Aether mod about it) and Kirby and the forgotten lands where it heals you and the upgraded version that can give you every buff in the game if you spam it

[@reijigamer]

@@dinoshotgun in Kirby Squeak Squad if you get the copy scroll for Sleep then you will heal while sleeping. I found it useful sometimes if I am in an area where I won't get attacked.

[@TundraStalax]

quick correction for you, 'Yang' is actually the white 'good' half and 'Yin' is the black 'evil' half, the naming convention just has us assume the opposite because of the lighter sound of yin vs the heavier sound of yang. I did a bit of research into the symbolism of the sides and it's more order v chaos than a straight good v bad spectrum, both having their positive sides that can become perverted with excess

[@12AngryHighlanders]

Man, that Mario invincibility star better be on this list, because I always panic about if it'll run out while I'm charging through an enemy, and get so distracted by that worrying that I run off a cliff

[@SpeedDemonStar]

It might help to listen to the music, especially in enemy/danger-laden areas where running out early is dangerous. This helps for a couple of reasons: the power-up effect and song are the same lengths throughout the entire game (not sure if it's the same in each game though, so be careful with that), not only that but in some, if not all of the games (assuming your version is properly working) the power-up music ends slightly before the invincibility. Hope this helps!

[@12AngryHighlanders]

...this may have legitimately just changed my life

[@LordBloodySoul]

No mentioning of "Excalipoor" from Final Fantasy V? Seriously, the worst weapon and power-up ever in Final Fantasy History. it was so bad, that its original wielder was banished "to places unknown" by Exdeath! The main Antagonist! That should tell you how bad this thing is, if he's even not willing to destroy it for good!

[@nightmarethrenody8232]

Fun fact: it actually has fairly high attack power, but also a special effect that makes it do 1 damage on attacks. This means it can be a reasonably good weapon if you use it with abilities like Throw, or Goblin Punch

[@FFKonoko]

That's more of a weapon than a power up. Same category as stuff like fallouts bb gun or ds2 spoon or such.

[@indumatipngtuber2790]

Did you know it's a good way to kill Skull Eaters since it never misses and always deals 1 damage? Meaning you can use it to farm those awful gray squirrels for Job Points.

[@SirPreyas]

A hug in exchange for -1 vigor? Worth!

[@That1powergamer]

I second this lol.

[@VulpesObscura]

Considering I've had to accept hugs in real life that have done far more than just 5% damage to my health in psychic damage, I think the Bauldachins Blessing is a pretty good deal.

[@fuzzyotterpaws4395]

I wish I could get more hugs...

[@oxfanblink4115]

It’s a bit strange, in a good way, there’s a list on a Monday. Though they are potentially getting spooked with Eurogamer tomorrow. Which could be a fun scaredy cat off between Andy and Zoe 😈

[@CodaBlairLucarioEmperor]

Eurogamer's probably gonna have trouble not cussing. They did it first thing in the stream with Dicebreaker.

[@omnitiontpictures]

Andy know but Who's Zoe?

[@CodaBlairLucarioEmperor]

@@omnitiontpictures She's part of the Eurogamer video team

[@oxfanblink4115]

@@omnitiontpictures She’s basically Andy and Ellen combined but swears a lot more when scared. Especially at Ian when he’s hilariously worse than even Andy with Ellen for flaming Zoe’s fear like when she played Poppy Playtime 😂🤣😂🤣

[@Crootcovitz]

@@oxfanblink4115 Now you've made me curious how many times we will hear Andy say 'Oh no...' in that stream. 😀

[@ethanrobyn2399]

The only time a poison mushroom will be useful is if you have a mole problem.

[@LadyOnikara]

I need to remember that when I go to Santa Cruz again. The little bastards keep eating the roots of our rosebushes.

[@andymcp4752]

On the one hand Baldachin’s Blessing debuff.. on the other hand a hug when playing Elden Ring.. decisions decisions..

[@strangeandinteresting]

What about Sleep in the Kirby games? Sure, they're making it have utility nowadays, but I remember when they used that bad boy as an *obstacle* with how much of a sitting duck it made you!

[@sinteleon]

Yes, though there's a caveat: It's still useful for triggering Mix where you swallow more than 1 copy ability at a time.

[@magma2050]

Rise of the Triad also had the most random item I've ever seen. Scott's Mystical Head, a picture of Apogee Software's founder's face, which when collected would award you with points equal to Apogee's customer support telephone number.

[@irishboy_pa]

I remember playing the Army Men Air attack 2 game. There was a power up that turn your controls inverted , it was terrible and just annoying if you pick it up

[@blazep4652]

The Yakuza series has two items that effect how often bad guys appear on the streets. Charismatic Autograph make everybody want you (dead), and the other (can’t remember the name) removes enemies entirely. Depends on the situation, but neither can be good to equip.

[@PsychTricks]

I would like to express my love and appreciation for letting those of us with motion sickness know that we may want to look away. Y'all rock!

[@jakestoneking5555]

Game: Hey, want an awesome power up? It's called the "Giant's Knife". Me: Oh cool, a two-handed sword! Let's try it out. _sword immediately shatters_ Me: Well that was a f@&$ing lie.

[@ddjsoyenby]

me: you......you bamboozled me......THAT'S MEAN GAME!

[@sinteleon]

Hey kid, wanna be invincible? It's called the "Magic Armour" All it costs is a tedious sidequest that also involves spending 3000 rupees to make it available, 598 rupees to buy it, and after that, using it costs 2 rupees per second and an additional 12 rupees per hit mitigated!

[@GothmogSan]

I get the Baldachins Blessing if i fight something where i need some hyper poise, so its not a bad powerup ^^

[@marhawkman303]

it's not a large HP loss really.

[@DFloyd84]

From "Wizards & Warriors" on the NES, there was the Cloak of Invisibility. It turned Kuros's sprite black, which made him impossible to see against the black background of levels where you could find it. It was supposed to also make enemies lose track of him but I couldn't tell if it did, so the Cloak is really just a waste of time.

[@kayleighcarr4956]

Breakout had that awful powerup that removed all powerups. So I could have extended my platform, have three balls bouncing around, then suddenly *blip* gone!

[@TheFriendlyPhantom]

Kirby’s sleep ability, in a lot of games, this has actually been used against you, working as an obstacle due to it halting Kirby for a few seconds. The best version of this was also its most recent, allowing minor movement before being knocked out and healing you during your beauty sleep.

[@cdawg4021]

It is apparently a joke ability because it literally just makes him fall asleep 😂😂😂.

[@sinteleon]

Technically the best version was in Super Kirby Clash, where it was given an actual offensive moveset, though Forgotten Land Deep Sleep upgrade is a close second (it not only doesn't auto-activate, it also gives a buff at the end of the sleep) Also IIRC in previous games it isn't COMPLETELY useless, due to the Mix mechanic where if you swallow more than 1 ability it can create a mix (that's potentially better than sleep and the other ability you used as fodder)

[@cdawg4021]

@@sinteleon it should've at least be included for how bad it was in multiple games and when it was used as a actual joke copy ability in most games it is in.

[@MrEvilbyte]

Partial Invisibility from the classic Doom games. It works great against enemy hitscanners, but... Dodging projectiles is already an artform in Doom, that is only made much harder when enemy projectiles are being launched in random directions. It's often the difference between being able to safely circle strafe around a Cyberdemon, or getting a potential 280 damage missile to the face.

[@Darrinhenshaw]

Awesome video, but it made me feel old.....I was old enough to play Toejam and Earl when it came out. And remember doing so....like 30 years ago

[@nycstreetpoet]

I assumed the Robotnik “powerup” from the Sega Sonic series (I think it was introduced in “Sonic the Hedgehog 2”) was a shoo-in for this list; if you pick it up you lose all your rings, and if you pick it up when you’re at 0 rings, you lose a life.

[@LadyOnikara]

I think I remember that silly thing!

[@LadyOnikara]

I think I remember that silly thing!

[@merlinasmith4102]

Oh that hurt. I never activated Baldachin's Blessing as I try and save anything that can help me in a fight until new game plus (when I know the fight a bit more.) I have already killed the last boss and Melinia. I didn't know I could have had an extra point in Vigor the whole time. 😭

[@carlsiouxfalls]

The Triad 'shroom power up seemed eerily reminiscent of my recent playing of Borderlands 3 DLC trying to aim sometimes. My FPS skills aren't what they once were.

[@Oliviaault123]

the poison mushroom can be quite useful in mario party though reducing dice block can help you land of the right spot a bit easier than using a regular dice block.

[@sterlingphoenix]

Oh they know.

[@marhawkman303]

@@sterlingphoenix Well, you use the poison mushroom on opponents... not yourself though :p Like Monty Mole.... sooo much Monty Mole.

[@JamLeGull]

Loved seeing Carmageddon on here. Been stuck isolating at home and I’ve been playing it a lot.

[@travishunstable5283]

Dan I love these guys “Rupiess to buy items and more importantly go fishing” made my day. I remember spending more rupees on finishing than anything else in Ocarina of time

[@jimmya]

In Carmageddon I have a vague memory of there also being a power up that would fire springs from your car at nearby pedestrians - basically giving your car a decent pedestrian killing radius. Combine this with pinball mode outside so you’re flying all over the map and my not well adjusted 13 year old self was having the time of his life.

[@WhiteGloveBuilder]

Thinking back to Mario, I always screamed when I accidentally got such a mushroom, but now I have to salute the creators, because they knew how to f*** with us, They knew we would fall for it... over and over and over again XD And hel,l the Carmageddon Pinball Powerup was amazing - alot of times it looked like you broke the game if it happend at the wrong place ^^

[@LadyOnikara]

I keep falling for it...... because I like purple things.

[@WhiteGloveBuilder]

@@LadyOnikara Understandable - It is not so boring as red ^^

[@TransmitHim]

The feather item in Super Mario Kart is actively unhelpful. It's almost impossible to find a place to use it that isn't going to disadvantage you (especially on tracks with no run-off areas), let alone actually help you, and it stops you getting a decent power-up until you get rid of it.

[@Shadowslash1]

I'm surprised they missed the Robotnik TVs in Sonic 3 & Knuckles (and Knuckles), if you hit it, it takes ALL your rings and if you don't have any it kills you.

[@xxlordxx6862]

A runner-up for Rise of the Triad is Elasto-mode which makes you bounce off everything you touch and combine it with first person platforming without a dedicated jump button in narrow corridors with traps... have fun

[@chrisnemec5644]

Two more here from the old school: 1. In the arcade videogame Arkanoid, there were some powerups that left you worse off. One would shrink your paddle to a very small size, making it hard to hit the ball. Another would speed up the ball to a rate that was very difficult to keep up with. There are a few more as well, especially in Arkanoid II. 2. In the arcade game Xenophobia, there was a powerful gun that released a puff of smoke that would hurt your enemies. However, the range in it was so short that you had to be right next to the enemy to use it, which by then was too late.

[@McGrizzled86]

Crazy Ivan was an early game for Sony Playstation that featured a "power up" called "Pscytso Mode" that would reverse all of the controls so up was down and left was right.

[@clanglois781]

The moon technically is not in Hyrule so Miyamoto is still right

[@bigbobelow6147]

True, Termina is separate

[@_J_C_]

OutsideXbox: What about the classic Bomberman and getting the SKULL 💀 item.

[@MasterZebulin]

Unless it lights you on fire, then you can charge through enemies willy-nilly.

[@xshiromorix]

What about the staminan spork drink dropped by Jo Amon in Yakuza 0? They look similar to the powerful recovery item, staminan spark, but when consumed, cause a huge amount of damage and lower your heat bar considerably.

[@PelemusMcSoy]

In Ducktales 2, there's an item that gives you a boost to your pogo jump. It only shows up in one level, and always next to a spike pit, thus requiring you to use your pogo stick and the power up. However, it took me _years_ to realize that this was actually a problem because the spike pits also had spike ceilings, and every time I would pogo across I'd hit the ceiling.

[@meapickle]

The ricochet shot in the original gauntlet. The problem is that there can only be 1 project on the screen at a time so until it goes away, you can't defend yourself. Really detrimental when u find several enemies coming at you

[@niagargoyle]

In the NES game Faxanadu there is a pendant that reduces your attack power by 20%. It was supposed to boost your attack by 25%, but due to a programming error the game starts with the 25% bonus, and getting the pendant takes it away.

[@amokriinprolgiid3409]

Not sure this counts, but in Slay the Spire, like half the boss relics do more harm than good. They may let you have an extra energy each turn, but they also harm you by not letting you rest (one of few ways to heal), or not letting you see enemy intents (really bad since you'd never know when or how much to block), or not letting you pick up potions (making any relics that effect potions worthless). Most of the time, I just skip the boss relics if there isn't a good one. They're so bad.

[@Luxatos]

Remember those old games (I'm thinking Gradius and Bomberman for example) where you could get more and more of a certain weapon to get upgraded versions of that weapon? In those, almost any weapon you didn't currently have was a downgrade.

[@sheilaolfieway1885]

1:42 However in mario party the posion mushroom can be used for a good purpose you can use it on yourself to travel short distances or use it on other players to slow them down.

[@vc180191]

Damn if it hasn't been ages since I played Toejam and Earl, favorite game when I was a kid, mind you Total Bummer wasn't too bad in perspective, when some of the Gifts could mess up your control, walk you off the edge of the map where if you were spectacularly unlucky, could drop you any number of floors down (since you kept dropping until a lower map had the same area, if your luck was horrible you could fall the whole way to the bottom.....which was a tiny island in the center of a massive sea. If you landed in the water far from the island that's a game over, you ain't gonna make it back to that tiny center island without drowning multiple times and losing all of your lives).

[@kalzekdor]

Honestly, the Randomizer present was the most dreaded one. Losing a life isn't great, but at least the Total Bummer is identified now and you can avoid it in the future. Unless you get a Randomizer, then not only are you not able to use your useful presents at opportune times, but potentially can open all of the negative presents again.

[@jordanhoughton1948]

To add insult to injury on Toe Jam and Earl, even if you figure out what the bad presents are, there is a randomizer present that turns all the presents different, thus flushing all your hard deciphering down the proverbial toilet

[@CrazeeAdam]

Baldchans Blessing only decreases your health by 5% in terms of how hard bosses and just normal enemies hit in Elden Ring on your first run. That 5% is not going to make a difference and it allows you to participate in one of the best or at least most interesting quests in the game. And you can pop it at any time. So you know. Not as bad as it sounds.

[@candrox4324]

Lunar Gravity in Beach Buggy Racing can do you in pretty good. If used during a straight part of the track with an open sky, it just gives the other racers a boost.

[@Randallsilver]

In ToeJam and Earl, the total bummer gives you a split second right before you die to open the inventory and open a health present. Took me a few games to figure that one out.

[@JT_Lich]

Speed mushrooms whenever you're on a racetrack with no barriers (like Rainbow Road) in Mario Kart. If you're not careful, you can and most likely will be hurtling into the abyss...

[@SirFlopsy]

One benefit of the Carmageddon Pinball power up was that you could give it to other cars/items/etc. I think it worked by just bumping into to them. Pretty fun to see your opponents bounce around like that.

[@Kroepoek82]

Faxanadu on the NES: Due to an error (a BNE operation instead of a BEQ operation), you actually start the game with the power of the Pendant from the Tower of Suffer turned on. When you collect the Pendant, it toggles this power off, making it 25% harder (1-2 more strikes) to defeat your enemies with melee. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Sega Mergadrive: Having tails with you in the special stages, playing solo, makes the special stages significantly harder to complete. Tyrian 2000: Astral Zone special weapon. It's not a bad effect but the weapon's visual effect makes piloting the ship significantly more harrowing. Though Tyrian is not a brutal on-hit-death bullethell game (developers actually wanted you to have fun here), it can lead to some really dangerous collisions. The weapon is used upon firing your normal guns, so it can become extremely obtrusive. BioHazard Battle Sega Mega Drive Any weapon-drop you are currently not using. Weapon drops empower the current weapon, but picking up the wrong color changes the weapon you are currently using..making all powerups, dangerous obstacles to avoid if you have your favourite weapon equipped. As above, the same goes for Contra on the NES..anything that is not Spreader.... DOOM: Berserk pack. In an emergency and for really skilled players it's good, but changing to melee combat, forced, and still take full damage is more risk than reward. Call of Duty: Scare Packages featured in Modern Warfare and Black Ops series. Care packages containing killstreaks that actually detonate instead.

[@ericb3157]

" picking up the wrong color changes the weapon you are currently using" oh, i've seen several other games with a similar problem, like "zero wing" and "pocky and rocky".

[@boxmonkey2855]

The robotnik monitors in sonic. The screen of the monitor can cut to static sometimes so you don't even see that you just hit the thing that can take away all your rings.

[@ironwolf5802]

I knew the woman in Elden Ring was up to someone. No stranger just wants a hug and nothing bad happen.

[@maxblake5564]

At least the Pinball Mode from Carmageddon is REALLY entertaining to watch.

[@yeetskeetbam6918]

Hugs are totally worth it!! I'd have taken it even if I had known it would lower my health.

[@wasabirice]

Earthworm Jim 2 had a Bubble Gun that shot out harmless soap bubbles. I only saw it in the final level where there were lots of barricades to destroy while racing to the finish. On the SNES, there was a weapon select button, so it was a minor inconvenience. But on the Genesis version, there was no way to change weapons without picking another up or depleting the ammo. That blasted weapon was the cause of several lost lives.

[@Darkman9000]

Twisted Metal 2 had electrical beams in some levels that you could activate by acquiring the pickup item to control them, which would then deal damage to any enemies that were close to the source of the electricity. However, if you were also in the proximity of the source, you'd be blasted as well. So you had to basically make the decision to get some distance and activate the source, which would likely only zap a few enemies as some might have pulled away to chase you down, or just weather the attacks and try to heal up afterwards.

[@sinteleon]

Kirby used to have a powerup that's entirely negative (sleep), basically making you unable to remove the ability, slowing you down to a crawl for a few seconds, before losing control of your character entirely for another couple more. More recently it's been given a heal to make up for it's drawbacks, with an actual moveset in a spinoff, and an upgrade in the most recent game that entirely removes the downside of losing control of your character when you get it and also gives a buff after it's long activation.

[@ZenoDLC]

In the originals you outright can't move while Sleep's active

[@sinteleon]

@@ZenoDLC Must've recalled wrongly, my bad. Though I'd note that sleep does have a potentially useful property in like 2 instances. IIRC there was an area in one of the games which you could only get by sleeping through it (might also be recalling wrong there), but more importantly, it could potentially be used for Mix where you suck in two abilities to get a roulette.

[@Drace90]

In the first Pokémon generation there was a move called Energy Focus that was supposed to raise your critical hit rate. But it was bugged and actually lowered your critical hit rate. And there was no way to know until data miners discovered this.

[@ZenoDLC]

The name's backward

[@NMN]

Carmageddon and ROTT, there's some good nostalgia right there :)

[@ZenoDLC]

Might want to make a correction there, the "Yin" in Yin-Yang is actually the negative side

[@A_r3vi3w3r]

The running shoes in sonic like it wasn't hard enough already to move at sonic speeds without avoiding bottomless pits and spikes

[@MewtwoStruckBack]

Two things about Toejam & Earl: 1) The Total Bummer can be beaten! If you have a food item in your inventory, and you activate a Total Bummer, hold the button to go into your inventory screen as the Total Bummer is sapping your health. Right before you hit 0, use the food item in your inventory. (Ideally, a Fudge Sundae, so you know it's health gain, rather than random food which may be good or bad) - if the item you used gained you health, you won't die and will continue your life with that amount of health from the food item. 2) I maintain the Randomizer is worse than the Total Bummer and I'm willing to die on that hill. The Total Bummer...yes, it kills you. You lose one of what are likely 3 lives early, or as many as 8 in reserve later on. But you just start with your next life and move on. The Randomizer undoes ALL progress you've made in discovering which of the game's 25 gifts are which - EXCEPT if you dropped all the gifts you had in your inventory near you and then use the Randomizer...it'll change them back into question marks in the inventory screen, but those gifts will still be the same. If you keep them in your inventory and then end up using a Randomizer, they will indeed be lost to the RNG. If you're halfway through the game where the enemies start getting significantly tougher, and you NEED certain items to not just get screwed repeatedly, a single Randomizer can and will kill your run. Early on it's a good idea to use everything, consequences be damned, but later on it's best to save all your money for the carrot guy until you've either (A) discovered both the Randomizer and Total Bummer, or (B) discovered the Randomizer and have at least one Fudge Sundae in hand, at which point you can death save against the Total Bummer if you open it.

[@TheShadowedMephiles]

I've got two power downs for you guys. 1. The Robotnik capsule from Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. 2. The dizzy cloud from Super Mario World 2 that made Yoshi dizzy upon touching or eating it

[@ApologiaNick]

On the NES, Faxanadu had a pendant that was supposed to increase your attack power. No. It actually decreased it.

[@BJGvideos]

Was it badly coded? Or was that intentional?

[@spectrevampire]

Wild Guns for the SNES had a powerup that was essentially a Ping Pong gun, shooting Ping Pong balls that did zero damage. And you couldn't get rid of it until you used up all the ammo.

[@toguroMax]

On Toejam & Earl, I've always hated the Randomizer more than the Total Bummer... Nothing invoked more rage than unwillingly using it after having most of your presents identified

[@phillipminer3554]

How about Cat Mania in Chu Chu Rocket? Although if you’re clever enough, you can turn that negative to a positive by directing the cats towards your opponents!

[@sambridgett]

Ah, Pinball Mode from Carmageddon! Deadly in enclosed spaces, hugely entertaining (and then deadly) outside. Especially in the second one, you could end up hurling your motor literal miles into the air and waiting ages for it to come back down again.

[@metaloverlord99]

Robotnik monitors in some 2d Sonic games. It's the only type of monitor that tries to kill you if you break it. Also, Mystery Crates in Worms 4 Mayhem and Worms Ultimate Mayhem can sometimes deal damage to you if you collect them.

[@2dheethbar]

The traps and power ups in Crash Bandicoot Racing for PS1: 1) if you dropped a Nitro behind you and enemy was right on your butt, it would blow up both of you. Same went for the little rolling bomb. 2) Another for the bomb. If you're unlucky enough, it can roll throughout the level and hit you if it hasn't exploded, yet. 3) Aku Aku/Uka Uka; it might make you invincible for about 10 seconds, but it also makes you extremely fast. In tougher levels where you can fall off ledges and die due to tight corners(like the one with nothing but roads high up in the sky with lots of sharp turns), it's truly a gamble to use because invincibility does NOT protect you from falling off ledges. 4) TNT; once you lay it, an enemy might touch it and get it stuck on their head. If they drive close enough to you and fail to hop it off their heads, you both blow up. If they hop enough and you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, the TNT will fly off their head and land on you instead. 5) As with TNT/Nitro and bombs, you can also hit your own chemical bottles if you put them in a spot the AI's never drive through( since all their routes are preset). Green bottles make you spin out and red bottles do the same, but with an annoying rain cloud that slows you for about 5 seconds. In the end, the slow down time clock, the tracker orb, and the missiles were the only ones that didn't hurt you. I guess most of these aren't "power ups", but they certainly were all double edged swords.

[@Icam_here]

i was running around in Elden Ring for a while before i learnt what was causing the hp debuff, but also it took me a while to learn it was a debuff because i didn't know what the icon was till i had a hp boost. then i took it as a personal challenge to complete the game without using the item lol

[@digishade7583]

9:03 oh it’s actually pretty easy when the smash ball is floating but if it is sitting on the ground then it can get into positions that fool you

[@adamkuklis3012]

Well, the *Flask in Dead Cells* - even though it's funny as heck smashing a health potion right into your... face I guess... and even giving ou an achievement an extra costume as a reward, it's just silly - taking on equipment slot, providing literally no bonuses (unless you found a legendary version) and taking away a small chunk of your health bar... what a meme item

[@BogeyTheBear]

In Diablo 1 there are a trio of Shrines that will raise one of your basic attack spells up one level, but at the permanent cost of 10% mana supply-- each and every time you access one. Helpfully, the three shrines in question are the Fascinating, Ornate, and Sacred shrines. That produces the acronym of FOS-- 'Find Other Shrines'. The problem is that shrines display their names only in the first half of the game's levels-- go further in, and you're rolling the dice on whatever random shrine you click on _isn't_ going to reduce your mana pool for a basic spell that you probably have already maxxed out.