Battletoads for NES is IMPOSSIBLE! [Archive]

Aussie2B

01-22-2008, 04:57 PM

It's an extremely difficult game, but tons of people have beaten it. It just takes a ton of practice, and it helps that it's still very fun.

You should've seen the Battletoads speed run at MAGFest. The guy playing is an absolute master and makes the game look easy. He almost never took a hit or lost a life. It was extra cool because another guy was playing the entire soundtrack live on piano.

aaron7

01-22-2008, 05:21 PM

Just watched a speed run (27min) of it... it looks mostly like memorization, not skill!

RadiantSvgun

01-22-2008, 05:25 PM

I don't think it impossible, but its much harder compared to the genesis version. The controls are much more precise on Genesis.

Kitsune Sniper

01-22-2008, 05:39 PM

I don't think it impossible, but its much harder compared to the genesis version. The controls are much more precise on Genesis.

... What? I thought the Genesis version was a steaming pile of horse doodoo.

Garry Silljo

01-22-2008, 06:43 PM

vintagegamecrazy

01-22-2008, 07:42 PM

I used to get pretty far in it. I can breeze through the Genny version no problem. I can also blitz through Battlemaniacs for SNES, it's about memorization.

Snapple

01-22-2008, 07:43 PM

DigitalSpace

01-22-2008, 08:07 PM

Back in October, one of the local Goodwills had a copy of Battletoads... and it was one of the dirtiest NES carts I've ever seen. Made me wonder if someone got really pissed at the game and tossed it out a window into the mud or something.

DefaultGen

01-22-2008, 08:15 PM

.....

Sparkster

01-22-2008, 08:23 PM

Even with mega-mega-mega cheating with emulators, it was still hard for me.

I'm all for practicing (what I consider) good games. I'm in a minority for sure, but I played Lolo 1 & 2 from the beginning each time until I could beat them straight through. But those were enjoyable, and you could always make it a little further each time. Battletoads, you may not get as far as you had the previous time thanks to its difficulty.

Yeah, I'd rather spend my gaming time on something that I can finish within a few months.

Graham Mitchell

01-22-2008, 09:43 PM

I can beat it without using a continue, but not without losing lives. It's really a mix. Some levels are skill, some are memorization, some are both. It's a very difficult title, but the secret to that game is the same as any other, PRACTICE. You can complain about the memorization, but almost any game can claim the same to at least some extent.

Precisely!

I've gotten pretty far. It's been years since I've tried, but the game is doable. You have to COMMIT to it, and play it every day. I'd say in about a week you can get to last few levels.

The problem is that you get discouraged and you don't perservere through the game because it leaves a bad taste in your mouth after it whoops your sorry ass a million times. It's the same reason nobody beats Deadly Towers or Ninja Gaiden without cheating.

Kind of a side-topic here, but I remember a really bitch-hard game when I was a kid was the NES version of Spelunker. None of my friends could even figure out how to get off the elevator in the beginning, but I thought the game was fascinating, so I stuck with it. Now I'm a pro at Spelunker and it was really rewarding to stick with it like that.

Also, how the hell did they test and debug the final version of Battletoads? There's no easter eggs, really. Did all their testing staff have to get rediculously good at it? You got admit, it's a pretty interesting logistical question.

Blur2040

01-22-2008, 11:05 PM

I feel the need to mention that I know a fellow that can beat this game easily. In fact, he beat it on his second time playing it...ever. The first time he just made it to the last level.

Then again, this fellow is the sort of person that is good at everything.

RadiantSvgun

01-22-2008, 11:21 PM

... What? I thought the Genesis version was a steaming pile of horse doodoo.

As a kid I couldn't beat the NES version ever. I beat the Genesis version without using a continue. Different strokes though. Then again, my favorite part of the Battletoads games was the speed stages and the vehicle stages.

Dire 51

01-22-2008, 11:28 PM

It's the same reason nobody beats Deadly Towers or Ninja Gaiden without cheating.
I've beaten Ninja Gaiden without cheating. Battletoads, though... uh-uh (or Deadly Towers, for that matter).

Jorpho

01-22-2008, 11:29 PM

How about the Game Boy version? (The first one, that is?)

I played that once long, long ago. There's something like the bikes in the second level which seemed pretty darn impossible.

Graham Mitchell

01-22-2008, 11:35 PM

How about the Game Boy version? (The first one, that is?)

I played that once long, long ago. There's something like the bikes in the second level which seemed pretty darn impossible.

I had that. I got in trouble for swearing at it on an airplane.

Red Warrior

01-22-2008, 11:55 PM

I beat Battletoads... once. And I've got a trash can full of broken NES controllers to prove it! :D

Push Upstairs

01-23-2008, 12:02 AM

I never liked Battletoads enough to invest the time into trying to beat it.

sirhansirhan

01-23-2008, 02:01 AM

Battletoads is my favorite game of all time. I've played it pretty consistently since the day it came out, and I've never beaten it. I got to the final stage once a few years ago, but that's the closest I've come.

And no, I'm not kidding about any of this.

Aussie2B

01-23-2008, 02:03 AM

I don't know if I'd say TONS of people have beaten it. I'd say like 600 people have beaten it, and we know who these people are because they've probably all mentioned it on a message board at least once.

Could most people beat it if they practice insanely? Possibly, but is it worth it? To most people, probably not.

I hate Battletoads personally. If their goal was to make a super hard battle that would cause people to beat their heads into a wall, then they succeeded. If their goal was to make a game that's FUN to most reasonable people, I think they missed the mark.

I dunno, I'd say the vast majority of people who played the game found it enjoyable. I mean, going back to when it first came out, it was a huge hit in Nintendo Power and was at the top of the charts for a very long time.

Oh, and I didn't mean "tons" in relative terms to how many people have played it. :P Just that there are plenty, and it doesn't take a master. I bet more kids beat it back when it was new than adults do these days because kids have more free time and patience and will likely not get a new game for months.

Anyway, as for my own experience, I've only casually played the game, and I've gotten up to around stage 5. I'm not even that terrific of a gamer, so if I can do that with minimal effort, it's definitely not an impossible game that only professional gamers can beat.

SkiDragon

01-23-2008, 03:03 AM

I heard that in the two player mode Battletoads actually IS impossible. Something about a bug in the game.

Snapple

01-23-2008, 04:23 AM

I dunno, I'd say the vast majority of people who played the game found it enjoyable. I mean, going back to when it first came out, it was a huge hit in Nintendo Power and was at the top of the charts for a very long time.

I think Battletoads was a hit BECAUSE of Nintendo Power. I know a lot of people bought the game. So did I, because Nintendo Power went balls to the wall acting like this was going to be the next great must-have franchise. They had tons of feature stories, a comic, stuff like that. And back in those days, if Nintendo Power put something on their cover, it was going to sell. That's the kind of influence they had.

I don't doubt that the game sold well, and I don't doubt that you can beat it if you play it every freaking day. But I think, for most people, they realize that the time they'd need to invest in the game in order to beat it, is not worth it. I'd rather take those hours I would be spending on playing the same levels over and over and over again, and instead use it playing a different game, or going to a movie, or you know, anything but repeating the same level a million times. That's all I'm saying. Okay, so I can beat it if I dedicate myself really hard, but I just don't want to dedicate myself to that degree.

I can appreciate some challenge. For me, Battletoads is too much challenge. It's too hard for me to have fun playing it. For other people who think it's fun, great for them. I respect different tastes. I just think Battletoads is evil. Evil sent from the bowels of Hades.

Jorpho

01-23-2008, 08:32 AM

I don't doubt that the game sold well, and I don't doubt that you can beat it if you play it every freaking day. But I think, for most people, they realize that the time they'd need to invest in the game in order to beat it, is not worth it. I'd rather take those hours I would be spending on playing the same levels over and over and over again, and instead use it playing a different game, or going to a movie,

Or grinding in an MMORPG! :D

It seems to me there were quite a few NES games like that. The Adventures of Bayou Billy comes to mind.

Blitzwing256

01-23-2008, 08:46 AM

Or grinding in an MMORPG! :D

It seems to me there were quite a few NES games like that. The Adventures of Bayou Billy comes to mind.

Bayou billy was a result of poor localization, the japanese version (mad city) was enjoyable and well balanced, where the us version they upped the dificulty in very unfun ways mostly killing what could have been a fun game.

fishsandwich

01-23-2008, 09:27 AM

... What? I thought the Genesis version was a steaming pile of horse doodoo.

That would be the CD32 version. It looks very much like the NES game despite being on far superior hardware. That and they mapped all the action to ONE BUTTON. Seriously. One button.

aaron7

01-23-2008, 09:49 AM

I just found out there are 3 warps... but they are NOTHING you'd ever find normally!

jb143

01-23-2008, 10:09 AM

I used to love this game as a kid but I could never get past the hover jet ski things level either.

Push Upstairs

01-23-2008, 11:58 AM

Bayou billy was a result of poor localization, the japanese version (mad city) was enjoyable and well balanced, where the us version they upped the dificulty in very unfun ways mostly killing what could have been a fun game.

I see games with stupidly upped difficulty as either developers trying to compensate for a short/terrible game, or a bout of insanity brought about by localizers.

Rob2600

01-23-2008, 12:25 PM

jb143

01-23-2008, 12:26 PM

I always assumed Battletoads was so hard just because it was based on the quarter-popping arcade game. But then again, TMNT2 didn't suffer from this. It was quite a bit longer than the original and very beatable. The arcade version only seemed beatable if you and 3 friends played it with pockets overflowing with quarters.

Damon Plus

01-23-2008, 12:52 PM

I only had problems with this game when I was 10. It was my friend's game, so I played it sometimes a year. I never played the game extensively just to memorize stages, I played from time to time. Until one day, when I was 15, I asked if he could lend me the game. And the next day I beat it! Boy, was he pissed. I did the same thing with Little Nemo Dream Master.

Just 1-2 months after that, he beat the game too. Together, we can reach the last level but we haven't beat it yet. We are 23 years old and still try sometimes.

Jorpho

01-23-2008, 01:22 PM

I always assumed Battletoads was so hard just because it was based on the quarter-popping arcade game.

Didn't the arcade game come second?

(It's in MAME these days, isn't it? I know it wasn't for quite a while.)

Snapple

01-23-2008, 01:36 PM

Really? Metal Storm was on the cover of Nintendo Power. Did it sell well? How about Star Trek? How about Maniac Mansion? Track & Field II? Vice: Project Doom? Power Blade?

Maniac Manson did well, didn't it? It spawned a sequel and a big following. And Star Trek games probably aren't going to sell no matter how much hype you give them. You can't say Nintendo Power's hype machine didn't work a lot of the time though. Secret of Mana to Final Fantasy to Duck Tales to Rescue Rangers to StarTropics to whatever.

Ask most people where they first heard about Battletoads, and I bet they'll say Nintendo Power.

jb143

01-23-2008, 01:38 PM

Didn't the arcade game come second?

(It's in MAME these days, isn't it? I know it wasn't for quite a while.)

It's quite possible it came second. Like I said...I assumed. I never played arcades much when I was younger but they had Battletoads at the skating rink and I'd play it there.

Yeah, it is working on mame now.

Rob2600

01-23-2008, 01:51 PM

Maniac Manson did well, didn't it? It spawned a sequel and a big following.

I imagine the computer version was much more popular than the NES version because the sequel Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle was only released for DOS and Macintosh.

vintagegamecrazy

01-23-2008, 01:53 PM

Persistance is key here. I can speak of that for myself. I've beaten Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 and Spelunker and Double Dragon and Most versions of Battletoads. I've even made it to stage 8 or so in the Game Boy version but that one gets uber glitchy later on and is almost impossible to beat without luck. I can even play up to the moon on Snake Rattle 'N Roll. If you guys think these games are hard then don't even attempt Cobra Triangle, you won't last a second. Anyways Battletoads is fun and precise and not cheap hard, it's just Hard!

Aussie2B

01-23-2008, 02:12 PM

I think Battletoads was a hit BECAUSE of Nintendo Power. I know a lot of people bought the game. So did I, because Nintendo Power went balls to the wall acting like this was going to be the next great must-have franchise. They had tons of feature stories, a comic, stuff like that. And back in those days, if Nintendo Power put something on their cover, it was going to sell. That's the kind of influence they had.

I meant a hit in terms of popularity, I wasn't even getting into sales. But yeah, Nintendo Power hyped Battletoads like it was nobody's business.

But anyway, good sales didn't always net popularity. If you recall the Top 30 chart, Battletoads was sitting near the top for a LONG time (I'm sure it would've been #1 for most of that time if not for Super Mario Bros. 3), and that would've never happened if the players didn't enjoy the game. On the following page, they'd show you what the pros and retailers were favoring, and often times what the retailers were pushing wasn't anywhere on the player's chart because, even though the retailers were getting high sales from the mass market, the hardcore players could recognize a stinker.

Fuzzball24

01-23-2008, 09:38 PM

I could never get past the second level. :|

kainemaxwell

01-24-2008, 12:35 AM

I could never get past the third level in Battletoads either. Even with the Game Genie some levels were fun, the rest a game or pain-in-the-ass memorization and timing. The last level and fighting the Black Queen were fun though (so was accidently finding a GG code to get to the Queen).

Spelunker...pain in the ass.

Battletoads/Double Dragon was more fun, though the speeder bike level there was less of a pain if I remember right.

Oobgarm

01-24-2008, 07:30 AM

I recall getting to the 'sewer' level as a youth. The one where you're chased by the giant gears.

But yeah, the speeder bikes were a real pain in the ass. Snakes, too.

sidnotcrazy

01-24-2008, 09:24 AM

Ask most people where they first heard about Battletoads, and I bet they'll say Nintendo Power.

Actually, the first time I heard about Battletoads was in Video Games & Computer Entertainment magazine. Battletoads made the cover too, and if memory serves me they gave it a 9.

I never beat Battletoads either, but I did manage to get to level 4.

Battletoads was an original title when it was releassed in 1991. The arcade game didn't come out until 1994.

Nintendork

01-24-2008, 10:00 AM

I have played Battletoads a a handful of times since it came out, but never for an extended period of time. I have always found it difficult. Perhaps sometime though I'll try playing on an emulator and utilize save states to my advantage...and slow motion perhaps?

Sotenga

01-30-2008, 12:48 AM

I can affirm that I have beaten Battletoads in earnest. First, I did it using that "extra lives" code and skipping ahead with warps. Then, I beat it with the extra lives but from start to finish with no warps in between. Then I kicked its rump without any sort of cheating whatsoever and playing through all twelve stages. Keep in mind that this took about a week of memorizing every iota of the game and the loss of a fair chunk of my sanity. I'm no sort of deistic figure, merely a mortal with nothing better to do.

Ajax

01-30-2008, 08:11 AM

sidnotcrazy

01-30-2008, 08:25 AM

When my friend and I are skimming through the classics playing random games, Battletoads is the game that makes us "take a break" because of sheer frustration. Although I don't think anything makes me want to break controllers more than silver surfer....

OMG yes! Silver Surfer is a great looking and sounding game for the Nes, but man is it difficult. The only way I finished it was with a cheat code.

Garry Silljo

01-30-2008, 04:54 PM

OMG yes! Silver Surfer is a great looking and sounding game for the Nes, but man is it difficult. The only way I finished it was with a cheat code.

That's another game that isn't nearly as hard as everyone thinks it is. I bought that because of the AVGN review and I wanted to see if it was really as hard as he made it look. At first it was, but within 3 days I could beat the game without dying.

Rob2600

01-30-2008, 05:03 PM

That's another game that isn't nearly as hard as everyone thinks it is. I bought that because of the AVGN review and I wanted to see if it was really as hard as he made it look. At first it was, but within 3 days I could beat the game without dying.

Sometimes the Angry Video Game Nerd exaggerates for comedic effect. For example, his Top Gun video is very funny, but I can land on the aircraft carrier easily.

sidnotcrazy

01-30-2008, 07:09 PM

That's another game that isn't nearly as hard as everyone thinks it is. I bought that because of the AVGN review and I wanted to see if it was really as hard as he made it look. At first it was, but within 3 days I could beat the game without dying.

Thats good for you friend, but man I really think this game is too hard for me. I remember the last level having spikes that only present a path that has no margin for error.

As for the AVGN, I just don't get it. I just don't find him that funny or entertaining.

Garry Silljo

01-30-2008, 09:22 PM

Thats good for you friend, but man I really think this game is too hard for me. I remember the last level having spikes that only present a path that has no margin for error.

As for the AVGN, I just don't get it. I just don't find him that funny or entertaining.

The fact that you made it to the last level makes you better than most of the people who complain about the game. Hold your head high.

zpunout

09-15-2008, 08:52 AM

If you want the best playability from Battletoads. I recommend playing it on an actual NES console and CRT TV. To beat the Clinger Winger stage it is best with an original NES controller too.

As kids, my friends and I used to be able to beat it losing only a couple of lives and not using warps. It is possible. We find it still fun to this day, especially in 2 player mode.

What makes this game, (a game that requires such precise timing) so hard on an emulator is that there are factors which create "lag" between the controller/keyboard and screen.
One of the more recent things being LCD monitors with an ever so slight delay.
These microseconds between things tend to spoil it a bit.

It's still my favourite game.

GreatBazunka

09-15-2008, 10:12 AM

I hate this game!! I raelly REALLY do! Short story for you...
When i was younger (probably 5ish) i could not get past the third level bike riding part. Normal game logics tell you that when you are riding off a ramp you should jump from it. Well not here. You have to just ride over those ramps and they will launch you. 15 years later i was playing on and emulator and saving right before that part so i could keep trying it and i dropped the controls in frustration. And there you have it, he hit the ramp and flew. I was appalled at the sight because that game has plagued me for so long and that was all it took. So now I can get to the fourth level and die. WAHOOO. Mainly it was the frustration that caused med to give up but I will have to beat it soon. On our quest to beat all the games (check out my sig) this is a big one for us and really just needs time put into it.

megasdkirby

09-15-2008, 11:12 AM

I always hated this game.

Also, I wondered why people back then thought a good game had to be super hard.

Boggles the mind.

thom_m

09-16-2008, 05:39 PM

I good friend of mine beat the game. He did it on the NES itself, back in the day, and recently on an emulator, so he could record it and rub it in my face, that damn show-off:

http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=yDEZa6E_mkU

Watch the first level, and the rest of the game on the related videos. No savestates or stuff like that.

Me, I never went past level 3 either. Still, I love the game; IMO, it's got wonderful graphics, and is really fun to play, despite being that hard. I will surely try to beat it as soon as I get a copy for my NES - although I think I don't stand a chance...

cyberfluxor

09-16-2008, 06:06 PM

I smiled last time I saw this thread. I have never picked up the NES game before but played it years ago. I own the Game Gear release/port which is quite similar, but how similar? Reason be it is I've beaten that one dozens of times.

Jorpho

09-16-2008, 10:06 PM

Given that Rare is still active and that Battletoads is still so recognizable, it's kind of surprising they haven't done the ol' ressurect-a-franchise bit (as the media folks love to say).

Maybe they could quietly work the Cheetahmen into a secret level while they're at it.

SpaceHarrier

09-16-2008, 10:27 PM

Ah, Battletoads.

I enjoyed level 1.

j_factor

09-17-2008, 01:54 AM

I don't get why the Genesis version is easier. Isn't it like, exactly the same?

I used to have the Game Gear version and it was a huge disappointment. The Game Boy port was even worse (I know the first Battletoads for GB isn't a port, but after that, they did release a port). I find it very weird that Master System got a port of Battlemaniacs, but not the original, while Genesis and Game Gear both got ports of the original, but not Battlemaniacs.