Top 5 Hardest NES Games - MSNBC

[Zing]

Ninja Gaiden was one of my favorite games back when it was new. I was able to consistently finish it without dying. I wouldn't possibly remember all of the patterns and tricks now, though.

Ninja Gaiden II, I remember finishing, but I didn't play it enough to master it like the first.

[bangtango]

I had to use a Game Genie to beat Ninja Gaiden 2 as well. But that wasn't cheating, that was making it a fair fight8-)

Really?

I beat Ninja Gaiden 2 the first day I brought it home. It was a piece of cake compared to the first one. Tecmo made the power-ups far more effective and also reduced the amount of damage you take from a lot of the enemies.

Yet I can't beat Bayou Billy "legitimately." Nor have I been able to beat Gauntlet, Paperboy, Battletoads, Castlevania III, Mega Man, Rad Racer, Deadly Towers or Mega Man 3 without "cheating." I tried like hell to finish some of them, too.

As many years as I've been playing the NES, there are still a good slug of games that have always had my number.

In my case, though, the Ninja Gaiden games aren't on the list! For some reason, I've always been able to dominate in those.....

[Baloo]

Really?

I beat Ninja Gaiden 2 the first day I brought it home. It was a piece of cake compared to the first one. Tecmo made the power-ups far more effective and also reduced the amount of damage you take from a lot of the enemies.

Yet I can't beat Bayou Billy "legitimately." Nor have I been able to beat Gauntlet, Paperboy, Battletoads, Castlevania III, Mega Man, Rad Racer, Deadly Towers or Mega Man 3 without "cheating." I tried like hell to finish some of them, too.

As many years as I've been playing the NES, there are still a good slug of games that have always had my number.

In my case, though, the Ninja Gaiden games aren't on the list! For some reason, I've always been able to dominate in those.....

Rad Racer is actually a beatable game? I always thought it was like Pole Position or something and just went on forever, arcade style.

[bangtango]

Rad Racer is actually a beatable game?

It sure is. Not because I've ever beat it. A long time ago, I watched a good friend of mine beat it one night.

On a different occasion, this same friend and I once stayed up nearly all night wondering when I was finally going to make it to the end of Tiger Heli. I'd been playing Tiger Heli for over an hour and told him he could have the NES back to play RBI Baseball just as soon as I beat it. I reasoned with him that I had to be near the end of the game by now, since I'd been playing it for awhile. He made the observation that I was "going through the same levels over and over again." I kept playing for another 45 minutes before I eventually turned off the game and we both went to bed. So he never did get to play RBI Baseball that night. Gotta admit he did have a point about those levels, though! :-D

True story, too.

[kupomogli]

Yeah. Tiger Heli is probably the hardest game to beat. I never thought of games like that. I played Tiger Heli through about two hours straight one time, though I knew it was unbeatable after I came up with the same conclusion previously.

Now that I think about it. Galaga could be considered the most well known hardest game. Not only is Galaga a very hard game regardless, but it may possibly have an ending just no one is good enough to get to it?

[Kitsune Sniper]

I actually managed to beat Ninja Gaiden II in a real NES back in the day.

Battletoads? I could get through almost any level, except for the one where that spiral thing is after you, and the tower.

[The 1 2 P]

I beat Ninja Gaiden 2 the first day I brought it home. It was a piece of cake compared to the first one. Tecmo made the power-ups far more effective and also reduced the amount of damage you take from a lot of the enemies.

Yet I can't beat Bayou Billy "legitimately." Nor have I been able to beat Gauntlet, Paperboy, Battletoads, Castlevania III, Mega Man, Rad Racer, Deadly Towers or Mega Man 3 without "cheating." I tried like hell to finish some of them, too.

As many years as I've been playing the NES, there are still a good slug of games that have always had my number.

In my case, though, the Ninja Gaiden games aren't on the list! For some reason, I've always been able to dominate in those.....

I find it really hard to fathom that someone who could so easily beat the NG games would have trouble with Rad Racer and Paperboy. I realize that we are all skilled in different areas but Rad Racer presents absolutely no challenge to me what so ever. Same with Paperboy.

I haven't played the other ones you mentioned though, except for Gauntlet in the arcade many moons ago. Maybe I could have beat NG2 with out the Game Genie but I really don't have that kind of patience anymore.

[Sonicwolf]

I heard Metal Gear was pretty hard. I played it for 4 minutes and gave up so I cant really give a true opinion based on its difficulty throughout...

Is it really hard or what?

[obesolete]

3D World Runner.

I hate you with all of my heart and soul.
Not even game genie can save you.

[FlufflePuff]

My top 5 go to:

Bayou Billy
TMNT
Battletoads
Adventure Island
Ninja Gaiden 2

[Kitsune Sniper]

I heard Metal Gear was pretty hard. I played it for 4 minutes and gave up so I cant really give a true opinion based on its difficulty throughout...

Is it really hard or what?

Yes and no. The AVGN's review of the game explains the main issues it has; respawning enemies, unfair enemy placement, VERY confusing dialogue and "clues"...

I couldn't stand the NES version, but I found the original MSX version (available in the two disc version of Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistance) pretty interesting.

[Bloodreign]

Yeah. Tiger Heli is probably the hardest game to beat. I never thought of games like that. I played Tiger Heli through about two hours straight one time, though I knew it was unbeatable after I came up with the same conclusion previously.

Now that I think about it. Galaga could be considered the most well known hardest game. Not only is Galaga a very hard game regardless, but it may possibly have an ending just no one is good enough to get to it?

Tiger Heli is one of those Toaplan games that have no ending, the game continues to loop forever, Galaga also has no end, there are 255 levels, after that it loops back to level 1 again. The NES Galaga is likely the same story, no ending and all.

[bangtango]

I find it really hard to fathom that someone who could so easily beat the NG games would have trouble with Rad Racer and Paperboy. I realize that we are all skilled in different areas but Rad Racer presents absolutely no challenge to me what so ever. Same with Paperboy.

I haven't played the other ones you mentioned though, except for Gaunlet in the arcade many moons ago. Maybe I could have beat NG2 with out the Game Genie but I really don't have that kind of patience anymore.

For reasons unbeknownst to me, I am terrible at any games which involve driving. Like Paperboy or Rad Racer. Doesn't matter what system they are on.

Hardest part of NG2 is the bosses. But if you have the shadow/clone ninjas when you make it to the boss stages, you can eventually figure out how to position yourself just right so the "real" Ryu is a safe distance from the boss but the "clones" are in a position to damage him.


I heard Metal Gear was pretty hard. I played it for 4 minutes and gave up so I cant really give a true opinion based on its difficulty throughout...

Is it really hard or what?

What gives Metal Gear any sort of difficulty is the landmines, those "heat" panels which sap your energy and the large pits that open up out of nowhere.

The latter two can be worked around. Because the pits open up in the same screens during each game. You also get used to the heat panels and if you have enough rations (energy boosters), you'll be fine. Unless I'm mistaken, though, the landmines appear to be randomly placed each game but once you find the mine detector, it becomes a moot point.

There is no reason for anyone to struggle with the enemies in Metal Gear since you can defuse any tough situation by simpling running off the screen and then immediately returning.

At least that is if you are playing the NES version. If I remember right, I've read a few posts saying the MSX version of Metal Gear has enemies that follow you off the screen and such. Can't say I've ever played it to verify that but plenty of others here have.

[kupomogli]

Tiger Heli is one of those Toaplan games that have no ending, the game continues to loop forever, Galaga also has no end, there are 255 levels, after that it loops back to level 1 again. The NES Galaga is likely the same story, no ending and all.

I know Tiger Heli loops forever. Didn't know that about Galaga though.

[7th lutz]

even for a casual gamer perspective battletoads is a very beatable game. Punchout can be hard but its pure memorization you will beat it after playing it enough times and then after that you will beat it every time you play it, Its just not really a skill based game.

If Battletoad is so easy, how come I wasn't able to beat the 3 level in my 15 years owning the game before I sold it last year?

[Sonicwolf]

If Battletoad is so easy, how come I wasn't able to beat the 3 level in my 15 years owning the game before I sold it last year?

Your inviting someone to make some snide skillless remark you know. I have only played Battletoads for a few minutes on an emulator so I cant really say it was too hard...

[tubeway]

Watch out, he's RIGHT BEHIND YOU!!

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/1280/watchoutc.jpg

[kupomogli]

I just beat Battletoads but I had to cheat(save state) my way through the game. Whenever I play games I don't continue after dying, and I assumed every stage was portrayed on the map that you see at the start. Finally able to get past the last stage on the map(without continuing) and it had an entire new map of stages, these ones so much harder.

The fire stage is a joke until you come to the aircraft part which is harder than the bike stage but not too hard. Every stage after the fire stage iis pretty much impossible without some form of cheating. After finishing that map it goes to another map.

There's difficult, and then there's difficult to the point of not being enjoyable. Battletoads is enjoyable for the first five stages, the rest of the game isn't worth your time.

*edit*

Looking at the time of my now playing post. I've been playing Battletoads three hours straight, cheating all the way through it, and finally beat the game. I change my mind at Battletoads being easy. First and only time I'll have beaten the game.

[jperryss]

After the bike part, the hardest part in the game, it gets alot easier, but it's still pretty difficult. The ice stage is pretty hard.


I just beat Battletoads but I had to cheat(save state) my way through the game...

So you were kinda just making up stuff when you pretended you'd already beaten the game earlier in this very thread? ;)

I don't think I've ever completed the surfing stage or the fire stage; I usually skip them by taking the warps from the ice stage and the snake pit, respectively. The snake stage warp is in part 2, letting you skip parts 3 and 4 which are insanely hard.

As far as the last handful of stages (both elevator shaft levels, the sewer level, clinger winger, and the tower climb) it really does come down to memorization and good reflexes.

I plan on TRYING to play through it again sometime soon, but I don't know if I still have it in me.

Also, I though I could never consistently beat the game, it doesn't take 3 hours with warps. If you take the warp from level 1 to 3 and can get through the turbo tunnel at a decent clip, you're talking 15 minutes to get to the ice level. You'll spend another 10 on the ice level (gotta have patience on this one ;)) then a quick warp in snake pit level 2 and you're at the first elevator shaft level in about 35 minutes. Then it's only five (brutally hard) levels between you and the credits.


And since we're talking about difficult Rare games, who's finished Snake Rattle & Roll? That's a title I couldn't finish without cheating.

[BetaWolf47]

Wow, the author even got Tradewest's name wrong. Tradewinds developed Battletoads... there's how you know this article isn't for gamers.

[kupomogli]

So you were kinda just making up stuff when you pretended you'd already beaten the game earlier in this very thread? ;)

I wasn't making stuff up and pretending that I've beaten the game. I never said I've beaten it. If you read the rest of that same post that you quoted part of it, you'll gather the rest of the info that I got to the last stage in the first map previously. The reason I even posted that in this specific thread was a follow up to my previous post and me assuming the stage I got to was the last stage.

With that assumption, it seemed like the game was easy. I rarely ever played it, so the fact that I could get that far and assuming it was the last stage then obviously I'd think it's easy. So I wasn't lying, as I never said I beat it nor attempting to imply that I have, though with information of whether I've beaten it or not left out it could sound like I have beaten it or haven't, depending on how you read it.

[theChad]

Awfully long-winded story to cover your tracks...

[kupomogli]

That's fine if you think it's a story or not. I started playing through Battletoads now just so I could finish it since it was posted on the "hardest nes game" thread. I basically came back to post a follow up on it.

*edit*

Same thing with TMNT. I didn't name anything specific, didn't say I beat the game or didn't beat the game. Though I've beaten it multiple times prior and then recently beaten it again(check out my last games beaten,) solely because people whined and complained about it here. I was going to do the same thing with Battletoads except it happens that I really wasn't on the last stage.

Infact I'm pretty sure jperryss quoted that out of context just because I talked some crap about TMNT being such an easy game after he said it was impossible.

[pseudonym]

So you were kinda just making up stuff when you pretended you'd already beaten the game earlier in this very thread? ;)

I don't think I've ever completed the surfing stage or the fire stage; I usually skip them by taking the warps from the ice stage and the snake pit, respectively. The snake stage warp is in part 2, letting you skip parts 3 and 4 which are insanely hard.

As far as the last handful of stages (both elevator shaft levels, the sewer level, clinger winger, and the tower climb) it really does come down to memorization and good reflexes.

I plan on TRYING to play through it again sometime soon, but I don't know if I still have it in me.

Also, I though I could never consistently beat the game, it doesn't take 3 hours with warps. If you take the warp from level 1 to 3 and can get through the turbo tunnel at a decent clip, you're talking 15 minutes to get to the ice level. You'll spend another 10 on the ice level (gotta have patience on this one ;)) then a quick warp in snake pit level 2 and you're at the first elevator shaft level in about 35 minutes. Then it's only five (brutally hard) levels between you and the credits.


And since we're talking about difficult Rare games, who's finished Snake Rattle & Roll? That's a title I couldn't finish without cheating.

Ugh, I forgot about that one. I've never finished it on a real console, just an emulator.


The first four levels in Battletoads aren't too hard; I can clear the Turbo Tunnel without dying most of the time, the Arctic Caverns without dying about half the time. Level 4 can be frustrating but I usually take it out on those snowmen. Haha. If you take your time and watch out for those ice blocks it's not so hard.

[jperryss]

That's fine if you think it's a story or not. I started playing through Battletoads now just so I could finish it since it was posted on the "hardest nes game" thread. I basically came back to post a follow up on it.

*edit*

Same thing with TMNT. I didn't name anything specific, didn't say I beat the game or didn't beat the game. Though I've beaten it multiple times prior and then recently beaten it again(check out my last games beaten,) solely because people whined and complained about it here. I was going to do the same thing with Battletoads except it happens that I really wasn't on the last stage.

Infact I'm pretty sure jperryss quoted that out of context just because I talked some crap about TMNT being such an easy game after he said it was impossible.

Nah, no grudge here. But anyone reading your original post (which I'll quote in full right below) would assume you'd beaten the game.


After the bike part, the hardest part in the game, it gets alot easier, but it's still pretty difficult. The ice stage is pretty hard.

As far as TMNT, I found the last level brutally hard and may or may not have been able to beat it eventually if I liked the game enough to keep playing it.

[kupomogli]

Nah, no grudge here. But anyone reading your original post (which I'll quote in full right below) would assume you'd beaten the game.

Well I didn't think so which is why I replied two days later on this thread, the one I previously posted at about Battletoads, rather than the "now playing thread" or "beaten thread." If you look at the beaten thread, almost every game I've beaten I post something about it, which would have been the same for Battletoads if I wasn't just coming to post a follow up about it when saying it was an easy game.

[ButtonMasher123]

I think a true top 5 hardest NES games list would consist mainly of the SHMUPS and poorly programed/glitched games. Gradius, Life Force, Zanac, and games like those are probably harder than most of the games that people are mentioning in here especially if you don't abuse the continues.

Than there are games like RC Pro Am where the computer just flat out cheats towards the end making it impossible to clear all 32 tracks. Ironsword: Wizards and Warriors II is another one that is flawed to death making it a real pain and the limited continues makes it that much harder.

[BetaWolf47]

Ironsword: Wizards and Warriors II is another one that is flawed to death making it a real pain and the limited continues makes it that much harder.
It has a password system though, unlike Battletoads. Even though you only start with however many continues you had when you got the password, it makes the game beatable.

[pseudonym]

The really annoying thing about Ironsword is that your guy is pitiful; he can barely hit anything, you usually just have to run for your life, and some enemies can drain his health and kill him in 1-2 hits. It only starts getting hard around the Fire level, the Earth level is where I usually have to continue multiple times, the final boss is ridiculously hard though. I think I've only defeated them once.

[Garry Silljo]

The really annoying thing about Ironsword is that your guy is pitiful; he can barely hit anything, you usually just have to run for your life, and some enemies can drain his health and kill him in 1-2 hits. It only starts getting hard around the Fire level, the Earth level is where I usually have to continue multiple times, the final boss is ridiculously hard though. I think I've only defeated them once.

The final battle can be very easy. If you make sure to climb the mountain very slowly you can take on each element one at a time and not be swarmed by all of them. Go up until one appears, and don't climb anymore until it is killed. Repeat until all are dead.

[DreamTR]

A few things of note:

I saw the mention of "32 tracks on RC Pro-AM" and I am 100% certain that game had 24 tracks that looped because I remember getting at LEAST to track 40. I know the 32 tracks were some sort of error.

Contra is challenging if you use 3 lives, but it's not that difficult. Anything can be easier with codes.

Some other ones of note I noticed:
Bayou Billy- I think this is extremely overrated. I beat this the first day I got it. You just need experience on walking SLOWLY and realizing patterns of beating enemies. I was very good at the arcade Double Dragon, so this was not that difficult for me if I could beat it in one day.

TMNT- This game egts very rough later on, but it's definitely not a top 5 most difficult game.

Battletoads- This is hard, and deserves to be in the top 5.
Adventure Island - Hard, but doable, not a top 5
Ninja Gaiden 2 - I honestly thought Ninja Gaiden I was harder than this game. Took me 3 days to finish. Ninja Gaiden III was harder, NG2 is very easy compared to those two.
Bionic Commando-Finished with no problem.

My personal Top 5 would be:

Ghosts N Goblins (you have to beat it twice, beating it ONCE is stupid hard as it is)
Battletoads (Uh yeah, this game is very hard)
Deadly Towers (I got close to beating the last guy, but this piece of crap game is extremely hard because of the phantom castle mazes among other things)
Gumshoe (you try playing this game from anywhere other than right next to the screen. Good freaking luck)
Dash Galaxy in the Alien Asylum

I used to think Golgo 13 was extremely hard when I was younger, Platoon, and I still think Slalom gets stupid hard as well. Milon's Secret Castle is another very very tough game, I would almost switch it with Dash Galaxy....

I don't think any of the shooters are as difficult as people think. I used to be able to beat Life Force with 1 life. Zanac I think is pretty difficult, and Top Gun is pretty tough too.

[Daft Punk]

Dino riki!

I must really suck because I usually can't get past the 2nd level.

Punchout was easy and so was contra.

[koshichka]

So much wrong with this. If nobody noticed yet, I'm reasonably sure their screenshot of Paperboy is from the arcade version or at least a different port, that is SO not the NES game.

As for the comment on Battletoads, the reviewer....uggh. The second level wasn't that hard, I could understand if he said THIRD level, where you had to ride those damned nitro go-karts...

[todesengel]

Don't really agree with the list except for Battletoads being on there but I at least give them credit for trying to appeal to a larger audience with the article.