Top 10 most difficult games: What are your choices?

[erik]

Here are 10 old-school games that I feel are the most difficult of all time. Feel free to chime in with your choices.

1. Battletoads(NES)
2. Ninja Gaiden III:Ancient Ship of Doom(NES)
3. Super Ghouls and Ghosts(SNES)
4. Castlevania(NES)
5. Target Earth(GEN)
6. Super Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi(SNES)
7. Contra Hard Corps(GEN)
8. Revenge of Shinobi(GEN)
9. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse(NES)
10. TMNT(NES)

[CaptainFalcon13]

Yeah, ghosts and goblins is INSANELY hard, but I would like to add a few games which I have a little trouble with.

Double Dragon: The part where you have to fight the two giant guys is really tough and I was only able to get past them once only to die in the friggin cave after the fight.

The Adventure of Bayou Billy: WHat the hell is up with the main game? The first level characters are really strong.

Advenutres of Dino-Riki: It is fun, but you get hit once and you have to start back at the beginning. really tough.

[Jorpho]

Stop.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=103681

[TonyTheTiger]

Wasn't there an old game called Takeshi's Castle where the last boss took 10,000 hits to kill? I never played it but I think I'd probably consider that pretty hard.

[CelticJobber]

I remember "Ghosts and Goblins" and most of the Mega Man games on NES being really difficult.

[NE146]

I'd take out SNES Super Ghouls and Ghosts. That game is easily beatable.. a lot moreso than many on that list.

I don't know if it's difficult or just sucky, but I've always thought of Actraiser 2 as pretty hard.

[R.Sakai]

I'm gonna go with TG16 Impossamole. Played and beat most of the US releases, just couldn't manage this one. But it was a pretty 'bad' game too, hit detection, cheap shots and all that.

[TonyTheTiger]

I'm sure if you really wanted to find the 10 genuinely hardest games of all time you could find 10 obscure games that don't function well enough to make winning even possible.

[modest9797]

definitly Contra, but none others really stick out to me. Maybe F Zero GX. (I havent played Ghosts and Goblins)

[-dustburn-]

Gaires for the Genesis. Hot damn.

[Astrosmash]

Seconding Ghosts 'n Goblins. Also, the original arcade Defender had a legendary difficulty level.

More due to poor design than anything, but I'd also mention the NES versions of both Ghostbusters and Dragon's Lair. I've never once passed the staircase in Ghostbusters without a Game Genie.

[Steven]

I'd take out SNES Super Ghouls and Ghosts. That game is easily beatable.. a lot moreso than many on that list.



Ditto. Super hard, but impossible? No. With repeated play you can make solid progress. At least I did, and by no means am I a "Gamer God" or anything close to that level.

[pseudonym]

Ditto. Super hard, but impossible? No. With repeated play you can make solid progress. At least I did, and by no means am I a "Gamer God" or anything close to that level.

It's not that hard, on the lower difficulties you get tons of continues by collecting the money bags. You could play as long as you wanted to, assuming you didn't get sick of it first. Usually I go thru the first round of levels, and stop after you get sent back to level 1.


Wasn't there an old game called Takeshi's Castle where the last boss took 10,000 hits to kill? I never played it but I think I'd probably consider that pretty hard.

Takeshi no Chousenjou. I don't know anyone in the US/NA who's made it to the end of this one. Apparently there are some rediculous challenges like jumping across a hole that's one block too big, singing karaoke into a Famicom microphone (?) and others like that. I made it a little ways into it before stopping. I'll have to check my notes.

[pseudonym]

Other games that I thought were really difficult, on the NES/Famicom:

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (Tengen)
Dragon's Lair
Abadox
Solomon's Key
Snake Rattle 'n Roll
Castlequest

Atlantis no Nazo
Holy Diver
Transformers Convoy no Nazo

[The 1 2 P]

I'd take out TMNT(Nes). It had it's fair share of frustrating moments but I beat it back then without any help of cheats. Too bad I can't say the same for Ninja Gaiden 2(Nes) and Ninja Gaiden(Xbox). Same thing with Contra Hard Corps(Genesis) and Ninja(PS1). My butt still hurts from those games kicking it. So my list so far:

Ninja Gaiden 2 (Nes)
Contra: Hard Corps (Genesis)
Ninja: Shadow of Darkness (PS1)
Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)

[Rob2600]

1. Battletoads(NES)
2. Ninja Gaiden III:Ancient Ship of Doom(NES)
3. Super Ghouls and Ghosts(SNES)
4. Castlevania(NES)
5. Target Earth(GEN)
6. Super Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi(SNES)
7. Contra Hard Corps(GEN)
8. Revenge of Shinobi(GEN)
9. Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse(NES)
10. TMNT(NES)

I'd remove Castlevania (NES) replace it with Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES). Castlevania isn't too difficult once you get used to it.

Also, if you count games that are difficult due to horrible control, I'd add Pit-Fighter (SNES) and Karate Champ (NES) to the list.

[erik]

A couple of you want to add Ninja Gaiden 2 and Contra III for the SNES. As for Ninja Gaiden II, it is extremely easy when compared to parts I and III. Ninja Gaiden III is on my list because it has limited continues making it absolute murder! As for Contra III, it is challenging but easily beatable if you have 7 lives. Contra Hard Corps is WAY more difficult.

Some more recent extremely difficult games are F-Zero GX, Shinobi(PS2), DMC3 and Ninja Gaiden Black. Oh, and lets not forget Colony Wars: Vengeance for the PS1. However, no other game can hold a candle to the insanity that is Battletoads. That games makes all others seem like Grandma's run to the store for a loaf of bread!

[gameofyou]

I'm currently having trouble finishing a few NEO GEO AES games:

1) Magician Lord
2) Last Resort
3) Nam 1975

[Ruudos]

I would remove Castlevania III for Isolated Warrior (NES), and remove TMNT for Double Dragon (NES).

[Jorpho]

I'm sure if you really wanted to find the 10 genuinely hardest games of all time you could find 10 obscure games that don't function well enough to make winning even possible.Indeed, why not Athena, or Master Hu and the Drunkard Chu?

[Garry Silljo]

Ninja Gaiden III is on my list because it has limited continues making it absolute murder!

I beat 3 easier than any of them even with the limit on continues. They must have put the limit in because they knew it was TOO EASY.

[Rob2600]

What about games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong? How many people can actually make it to the kill screens?



I'm sure if you really wanted to find the 10 genuinely hardest games of all time you could find 10 obscure games that don't function well enough to make winning even possible.

Cheetah Men II (NES) :)

[Garry Silljo]

I think if a game is impossible due to a programming glitch then it shouldn't count. A player who plays as far as the game will allow them to has technically finished it as far as I'm concerned.

[PresidentLeever]

For MD: Adventures of Batman & Robin and Wardner.

Hmm.. what else. Puyo Puyo 2 seems really hard but maybe I just suck at it.

[kedawa]

I would imagine that the top 10 hardest games are so obscure because of their game-ruining difficulty that nobody remembers them, but...

The hardest games that I actually spent any time with would have to be Shadow of the Beast II for Amiga, Battle Squadron for Genesis, Godhand for PS2, Haunted Castle via MAME, Final Fantasy Tactics for PS1, Yie-ar Kung Fu via MAME, Defcon 5 for PS1, and... that's all I can think of at the moment.

[The 1 2 P]

As for Ninja Gaiden II, it is extremely easy when compared to parts I and III. Ninja Gaiden III is on my list because it has limited continues making it absolute murder!

There is NOTHING easy about Ninja Gaiden 2--even with unlimited continues. I can't speak for Ninja Gaiden 3 yet because I haven't played it but it can't be much worse than 2.


I would remove Castlevania III for Isolated Warrior (NES), and remove TMNT for Double Dragon (NES).

Double Dragon for Nes was super easy. And once again, TMNT for Nes wasn't easy but it was doable and definitely not along the lines of a "top 10 hardest games ever" list.

[Steven]

As for Contra III, it is challenging but easily beatable if you have 7 lives. Contra Hard Corps is WAY more difficult.


7 Lives is for Easy Mode, which the game is then quite beatable even 1-player after hours of play and knowing exactly where enemies come from and the best weapons in which situations.

However, on Normal (5 lives) or Hard (3 lives) the game truly earns its reputation as BRUTALIZING. You have to look at these games set on their default difficulty at the least IMO.

[Ruudos]

There is NOTHING easy about Ninja Gaiden 2--even with unlimited continues. I can't speak for Ninja Gaiden 3 yet because I haven't played it but it can't be much worse than 2.



Double Dragon for Nes was super easy. And once again, TMNT for Nes wasn't easy but it was doable and definitely not along the lines of a "top 10 hardest games ever" list.

I've beaten TMNT, I've beaten Ninja Gaiden 2 (which was easy in comparison with part 1), I've beaten DOuble Dragon III. But I haven't beaten Double Dragon, which I've given a lot of more playtime than NG 2 or DD3.
Don't tell me that game is super easy, or any games mentioned in this thread are super easy. Now Felix the Cat, that game is super easy.

[The 1 2 P]

I've beaten TMNT, I've beaten Ninja Gaiden 2 (which was easy in comparison with part 1), I've beaten DOuble Dragon III. But I haven't beaten Double Dragon, which I've given a lot of more playtime than NG 2 or DD3.
Don't tell me that game is super easy, or any games mentioned in this thread are super easy. Now Felix the Cat, that game is super easy.

OK, maybe Double Dragon isn't super easy(to you) but it's way easier than TMNT and any of the Ninja Gaiden's. As for super easy, try Super Mario Brothers.

[Wraith Storm]

I'm sure if you really wanted to find the 10 genuinely hardest games of all time you could find 10 obscure games that don't function well enough to make winning even possible.

I'm sure Cosmic Race on the Playstation would be on that list.

It was never released in the US but the magazine Game Players used it as 0 on their grading scale. 10 was something like perfect, 6 or 7 average and 0 was Cosmic Race. Before they switched their name to Ultra Game Players they did a full import review of the game and revealed exactly why 0 was mysteriously called Cosmic Race on the grading scale. It was absolutely hilarious. Horrible controlls, no collision, horrible load times and completely unplayable.