They are closing in as we make a rush for the boat.  Our rescue is finally here and we are almost all safe.  I'm going out John Woo style when the zombies start getting a little too close for comfort and I decide to throw my pipe bomb feeling I should be wearing sunglasses and sliding down a railing with doves slowing flying around me to get the full effect.  As they rush to their bouncing, blinking, red death, I make a final sprint to the vessel and cheer my victory, gleefully awaiting the "boop" that signifies I finally achieved my goal.  I earned that Akimbo Assassin achievement medal. 

   Seriously, just add dove and I look just like that

Except, it never came.

 For those that don't know, Akimbo Assassin is one of the achievements in Left4Dead.  To earn, one simply has to play an entire campaign using only pistols as weapons.  Apparently, either pipe bombs count or the game hates me.  I'm going to have to go with the latter, considering I have heard from multiple sources that you are allowed to use pipe bombs and molotovs and still earn the award.  These sources included little kids on Xbox Live and my brother making fun of me by telling me I just suck and we all know those are both fully trustworthy sources.

Now, normally, I would consider this a minor set back.  I don't play games for the achievements, but if I have already beaten the game and the replay value is good enough, I do like to attempt what I feel is plausible for me to do so I can laugh in the face of those now lesser than me.  That is a totally healthy attitude to have that totally does not stem from my issues of trying to please my father.

  "Daddy, my next achievement will actually mean something so you don't need to hit me!" He never seems to fall for that one.

This particular one would not have upset me so much if it hadn't been about my 50th try to get that one damn achievement.  This is the first time I was able to actually play an entire level even.  I've been disconnected, had to leave because of prior engagements, gave up because of idiot teammates making it impossible to survive, being kicked out because I was the idiot teammate, my odd arousal to a smoker grabbing Zoe (only happened once...okay, twice), and even had it freeze on me twice.  That last instance was incredibly annoying because we were actually doing really really awesome that round.

                    I'm with Francis on this one. 

Another reason why this was so frustrating is because it shouldn't be that hard.  Especially just playing on easy, one should be able to quickly beat a level with only pistols.  It was as if the game did not WANT me to gain my award, taunting me like an eight year old who just kicked me in the balls.  It's one of those small frustrations punctuated by the fact of it's true nature of simplicity.  There was no reason.  It shouldn't have been able to happen, but that little fucker was just determined to kick me in the grapes.

I finally did earn it just moments before I had to leave for a dinner one night, but if I had just one more bad moment and we had to restart that last chapter or I died after the point where I could not be rescued, I would still be dealing with the frustration.  There will always be those annoying little personal goals in video games that should be possible, yet for some reason, we cannot grab them.

Similar to how I also used to be able to beat the entire game of Contra 3:Alien War on hard while only losing one life and now cannot seem to get passed the first level without biting it. Seriously, why the fuck are the dogs attacking me and not the alien invaders? I know I can do it, I've done it multiple times.  Now, it simply slides by into the subconscious of my annoyance.

          Sometimes it can be REALLY frustrating.

I'm sure I'm not the only one with a story like this.  I'm curious to hear other tales of simple goals slipping through your fingers.  I'm not talking about things like never being able to beat Battletoads or anything.  I don't think anybody has ever beaten that.  I'm talking things that you know you should be able to do in a game, yet for some reason your mind isn't clear enough or your fingers quick enough to accomplish your goal.  I mean without unlocking your secret power of awesome that has the ability of destroying all life as we know it through it shur amazing-ness.  What, I'm the only one that has that?