Top 5 Hardest NES Games - MSNBC

[Giant]

Yay! Retro-gaming in the news!!


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30834121

[skaar]

Yay I beat 4/5 - shitty list though. Random filler article!

[gjackx]

What, no Silver Surfer?!?!?

[Garry Silljo]

Not only are these games not that hard, but the author can't get past Monday on Paperboy and therefore has no credibility at all.

[megasdkirby]

Paperboy? WTF?

Where is Ghost and Goblins?

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

That was a very dumb list. I think the author was reflecting on memories from a long time ago when he probably only had 10 games and was a three-year-old. Punch-out is very beatable when you start to memorize Tyson's patterns.

I agree that Ghosts and Goblins should have been in there.

[norkusa]

lol @ Bionic Commando

At least they got Battletoads right.

[Robocop2]

I'm kind of surprised that none of the Ninja Gaiden games or the first TMNT made the list in addition to G'N'G.

[pseudonym]

Battletoads is the only overly difficult game on that list... personally I think Solomon's Key is one of the hardest games on the NES. How many people have finished that game from start to finish?

[tubeway]

Sigh. Articles like this are meant for general consumption by the masses that haven't touched an NES system in 20 years. It's rare you'll find much in the way of accuracy, but just like we complain about every little thing wrong with video games portrayed in the news or tv or movies, there are motorcycle buffs pointing out how they dubbed over the wrong engine sound for a motorcycle chase sequence in a film, or some paralegal finding inaccuracies in a court scene in a tv show.

Unfortunately for us, pointing out games not being as hard as a writer claims is kinda lame by comparison.

[MrSparkle]

battletoads and punchout? pshhhhh

[p_b]

Wahey, finally a hard-to-beat-list where I've beaten one game (BC). I think I love this list.

[Gapporin]

I hereby nominate the author to go play Dash Galaxy In The Alien Asylum.

[The 1 2 P]

I'm kind of surprised that none of the Ninja Gaiden games or the first TMNT made the list in addition to G'N'G.

Thats exactly what I was thinking. Granted, I beat Ninja Gaiden 2 and TMNT but both were pretty extreme. Also, since when is Paperboy hardLOL

[ButtonMasher123]

I think you guys are being too hard on this list. Its coming from a casual gamer and viewing it from that perspective it ain't half bad. The only real questionable game on there is Paperboy. Besides that Guiness Book of World Records list that had the top 50 influential games of all time was ten times worst than this.

[ScottK]

For me, Castlequest was the hardest NES game or game for any system. I feel you are a very hardcore gamer if you can beat this game.

[Howie6925]

Imho, Starship hector was the hardest nintendo game I have ever played.

[RASK1904]

Entertaining but crappy list. I'm throwing Double Dragon 3 in. 1 man no continues!??? This game is brutal! Someone told me if you make it half way through the game you can get another man. Really? Oh and the people woop your ars!

[MagicMajenta]

When I saw the thread title, I said to myself haha let's see Contra on the list!!! And then low and behold there it was; I mean WTF!!!! Uh, doesn't he know up up down down left right left right b a start. Sheesh. That's just a pathetic list.

I decided to read what he wrote under Contra and apparently he knows about the code. But even without it there are a lot of tougher games out there!!!

[DigitalSpace]

Dash Galaxy In The Alien Asylum

http://i42.tinypic.com/35ls39d.jpg

[Haoie]

What's with such a random retro article?

[kupomogli]

I agree the list kindof sucked.

Contra is probably the easiest game on the list and Punchout while not easy definitely isn't hard.

Now one thing I will end up saying. I've never gotten past Monday on Paperboy either, though I've only played the game maybe two times(sessions with more than one continue.) So I'll agree with Paperboy, never did like the game though so I think if I enjoyed it it'd probably be a different story(I never did see why people thought so highly of this game.)

Now I do see what the person who wrote the article was going for. It seems this article was about the hardest video games that were also the most well known and liked rather than truly the hardest video games. However, I'd disagree, as he left out Ninja Gaiden 3, Super Mario 2: Lost Levels, Ghouls n Ghosts, etc. There are a more video games that are well known and harder than those he listed. There are far more uncommon games that are difficult, with almost every difficult uncommon game would be a shmup though in my opinion.

[Sonicwolf]

No mention of Ghostbusters? That game is ludicrously hard - - Actually I actually wonder if anyone has even beaten it without cheat codes...

[bangtango]

What is all the fuss over this list about?

Those aren't the five hardest NES games. But I don't think any of those 5 games are "easy" to most of the casual readers looking at that list.

The five games listed are only "easy" to lots of people who have been playing the NES since the eighties.

Put an NES in front of your average eight year old for the very first time, pop in one of those five titles and you'll quickly see that some of those games will eat their ass alive.

Using the bionic arm is second nature to me today. But starting out when I first rented it? It took me forever to learn how to play Bionic Commando with a main character who couldn't jump like virtually every other action/platform game character on the NES did.

Let's examine the learning curve only. Not the actual quest itself.

"Learning to play" Bionic Commando is harder than "learning to play" Ghosts & Goblins, Battletoads or Ninja Gaiden.

It may be harder to make progress in the latter three but it isn't hard to use basic jump and attack functions in those three titles either.

Also they didn't use the right screen shot for Paperboy. Looks like the arcade version to me.


My five hardest NES games would have been:

1. Cybernoid
2. Castlequest
3. Deadly Towers
4. Gauntlet
5. Target Renegade

Never came close to beating any of them.

[BeaglePuss]

I think you could a stronger argument for MTPO and Contra to make the top five easiest games as opposed to hardest. I can think of countless games that are FAR harder than those two.

The second quest in Metal Storm is light years harder than anything on that list, with the exception of BT.

[crom]

Let's examine the learning curve only. Not the actual quest itself.

"Learning to play" Bionic Commando is harder than "learning to play" Ghosts & Goblins, Battletoads or Ninja Gaiden.

It may be harder to make progress in the latter three but it isn't hard to use basic jump and attack functions in those three titles either.
.

thats a good point...

punchout is an easy game untill you get to tyson... sure I beat him a couple of times... but I would never put money on myself to beat him first try

[tubeway]

Guys, guys, guys...

If it was a genuine hardest games list, it would be a bunch of almost unknown NES turds that nobody would have heard of, that were insanely difficult due to poor design, like Silver Surfer.

If he'd had five crap titles on the list, folks that hadn't played the NES since its heyday would take one look at the article and pass. They want to hear him mention games they remember so they can fondly look back. The article ISN'T FOR US.


http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2004/20040324l.jpg

[ShinobiMan]

Yeah this guy was writing for a large audience of other casual gamers. If he included a bunch of unknown games, the article would not appeal to the masses... we'd love it, but most people wouldn't. Of the mainstream games he included, those are rather difficult (except for Paper Boy), and Battletoads was right on the money. That game is insanely hard.

[MoreEbolaForYou]

paperboy sure is a weird choice. ive always found it to be one of the easiest games for the system, by far. in fact, i haven't played it in years, played it again a couple months ago and beat it first try, no continues, no problem. only takes about 10-15 minutes to finish too. only shorter game i can think of is marble madness, how long does that take to beat? 5 minutes? i used to complete that game everyday before school.

[GrandAmChandler]

I hereby nominate the author to go play Dash Galaxy In The Alien Asylum.

THIS.

[Quickclaw]

Know what NES game I think is really difficult? Barbie. For having long legs and all, she should have better jumping skills.

[Garry Silljo]

Sorry, but Silver Surfer is NOT that hard. With all the hype I bought it to experience a challenge and was able to one life it on the third day. I've seen multiple mentions of it here and while hard at first try, definately wouldn't be top 5 or even top 10 material.

[AB Positive]

That was a very dumb list. I think the author was reflecting on memories from a long time ago when he probably only had 10 games and was a three-year-old. Punch-out is very beatable when you start to memorize Tyson's patterns.


Punch Out???

Hell I beat Punchout just last week for the umpteenth billionth time. Poor list.

[gjackx]

Sorry, but Silver Surfer is NOT that hard. With all the hype I bought it to experience a challenge and was able to one life it on the third day. I've seen multiple mentions of it here and while hard at first try, definately wouldn't be top 5 or even top 10 material.

You serious Clark?

It's just too easy to die on there...EVERYTHING kills him!

Congrats though, I'm jealous :o

[Sonicwolf]

Does anyone here agree that Ghostbusters is one of the hardest?

[GarrettCRW]

I hereby nominate the author to go play Dash Galaxy In The Alien Asylum.

I hereby nominate the author to join Dash Galaxy as an inmate in the Alien Asylum.

[nebrazca78]

It has to be hard for almost anyone to make accurate lists about NES. What does it have, 900 or so games in its library? There probably isn't anyone anywhere who has played every game.

[jperryss]

Yeah this guy was writing for a large audience of other casual gamers.

Which makes it surprising that the first TMNT game wasn't mentioned. EVERYONE played (or owned) it at one point or another. I don't personally know anyone who's finished it legitimately on an original NES.

[Sonicwolf]

Which makes it surprising that the first TMNT game wasn't mentioned. EVERYONE played (or owned) it at one point or another. I don't personally know anyone who's finished it legitimately on an original NES.

You know I bought that TMNT game a while ago and I never did get to playing it...

Maybe I should but now I am afraid...

[shopkins]

I don't get why people put Gauntlet on their hardest lists. Sure, getting through it will eat up a lot of your time, but nothing in it actually requires a lot of brainpower or lightning quick reflexes, it's pretty much all memorization. It was one of the few that I had as a kid and I didn't have much trouble beating it with the elf or the wizard, although I never completed a warrior run because he was just too damn slow.

I think they just picked a random person from their office to write this based on his/her vague NES memories. The funniest part was how personally pissed they seemed by Bionic Commando, with the "die Bionic Commando" part.

[kupomogli]

Which makes it surprising that the first TMNT game wasn't mentioned. EVERYONE played (or owned) it at one point or another. I don't personally know anyone who's finished it legitimately on an original NES.

For a group of hardcore gamers, I can't see how the majority of you are whining about a game as easy as TMNT. This is one of the harder NES games, but it's not the hardest by far. I see it bashed frequently around here as well, so I'm guessing hardcore gamers can't formulate their own opinions either and state the cheap difficulty and poor gameplay comes from "insert Angry Video Game Nerd quote here."

[badinsults]

I'm sorry, but Paperboy is not hard. Getting past the first level should be achieved within a life or two even if you are a poor gamer. Super Mario Bros is harder!

[123►Genei-Jin]

For a group of hardcore gamers, I can't see how the majority of you are whining about a game as easy as TMNT. This is one of the harder NES games, but it's not the hardest by far. I see it bashed frequently around here as well, so I'm guessing hardcore gamers can't formulate their own opinions either and state the cheap difficulty and poor gameplay comes from "insert Angry Video Game Nerd quote here."

This. I actually loved the 1st TMNT and made maps and all for it back in the day, it was challenging but not that hard.

[pseudonym]

Gauntlet and Temple of Doom (Tengen) were both difficult games, but they can be finished with some patience. The final boss of each game was pretty simple though, the Dragon in Gauntlet and Mola Ram in ToD were pushovers compared to the rest of the game.

How about Abadox? Life Force clone except that it's 10x harder with narrow corridors and tons of enemies thrown at you. I don't think that I've ever got past level 4.

[bangtango]

Which makes it surprising that the first TMNT game wasn't mentioned. EVERYONE played (or owned) it at one point or another. I don't personally know anyone who's finished it legitimately on an original NES.

TMNT didn't get "difficult" until the final level with the Technodrome. The enemies there were quite strong.

Before going in, I'd try to get Leonardo & Donatello to full health or close to it. Then I would usually start by using Raphael and Michealangelo. That way I could "feed" both of them to the toughest enemies, while making as much progress as I could, until they were nearly out of energy before switching. With luck, that tactic would help preserve the "better" turtles (Leo and Don) for the latter part/end.

[Garry Silljo]

Does anyone here agree that Ghostbusters is one of the hardest?

I'll agree there. The part where you climb the stairs is just about 100% of that challenge though.

[Garry Silljo]

For a group of hardcore gamers, I can't see how the majority of you are whining about a game as easy as TMNT. This is one of the harder NES games, but it's not the hardest by far. I see it bashed frequently around here as well, so I'm guessing hardcore gamers can't formulate their own opinions either and state the cheap difficulty and poor gameplay comes from "insert Angry Video Game Nerd quote here."

I agree here as well. TMNT is not as hard as people make it out to be. It's flaws are few and forgivable.

[j_factor]

These lists are always crap. This is their Top 5 Sega games list:

1. Virtua Tennis
2. Sonic the Hedgehog
3. Jet Grind Radio
4. "2K sports"
5. Crazy Taxi

I've never seen such a Dreamcast-heavy list. They might as well have changed Sonic to PSO (or Sonic Adventure) and made it the top 5 Sega Dreamcast games instead.

[The 1 2 P]

Which makes it surprising that the first TMNT game wasn't mentioned. EVERYONE played (or owned) it at one point or another. I don't personally know anyone who's finished it legitimately on an original NES.

I finished it legitimately on the Nes back when I was 10 or so years old. I recently acquired the Japanese import famicom version but I haven't had a chance to run thru it yet. The game is difficult at times but I didn't use any cheat codes when I beat it so it's definitely not impossible.

[AB Positive]

This. I actually loved the 1st TMNT and made maps and all for it back in the day, it was challenging but not that hard.

Two things here that are way off topic.

1) ... Nice avatar. :D

2) How in the hell do you type in your user name???

[kupomogli]

1) ... Nice avatar. :D

I'll agree with that. Don't change it.

[Kevincal]

My votes go to:

TMNT 1
Silver Surfer
Top Gun
The Legend of Zelda

[vintagegamecrazy]

I'm not going to give anyone TMNT, Abadox or Double Dragon III. I've never beaten anyone of those games but the little that I've played them, I've made to the end of each of those games with little more than a day's play and couldd finish each one if I made the time to sit down again with them. Double Dragon can be made easy if you jump kick just about every enemy, I got almost to the last boss this way within an hour of playing it for the first time.

My top 5 list (from only what's on the top of my head)

1 Treasure Master
2 Kung-Fu Heroes
3 Thunder & Lightning
4 Adventure Island
5 Ikari Warriors 2 (without the cheat code)

[MrSparkle]

I think you guys are being too hard on this list. Its coming from a casual gamer and viewing it from that perspective it ain't half bad. The only real questionable game on there is Paperboy. Besides that Guiness Book of World Records list that had the top 50 influential games of all time was ten times worst than this.

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.

[Quickclaw]

Boulder Dash?

[j_factor]

2) How in the hell do you type in your user name???

U+25BA :)

[jperryss]

For a group of hardcore gamers, I can't see how the majority of you are whining about a game as easy as TMNT. This is one of the harder NES games, but it's not the hardest by far. I see it bashed frequently around here as well, so I'm guessing hardcore gamers can't formulate their own opinions either and state the cheap difficulty and poor gameplay comes from "insert Angry Video Game Nerd quote here."

First off, I only said I was surprised that TMNT wouldn't come up in a list of 5 popular AND difficult NES games. Out of all the heavy hitters that come up in these threads, I've cleared most of them (Battletoads, Blaster Master, Silver Surfer, all three Gaidens, and Contra/Life Force sans the K-code) but not the first TMNT. Maybe I didn't like it enough to keep trying, but I definitely made it to the last level on multiple occasions.

Secondly, yes I can formulate my own opinion, thank you very much.

[spoon]

I fucking hate Dash. I bought this on the box art alone. Hate this game. Dude looks like Ed Venture from the old Meijer days. Liar! there was no Ice Cream sandwich pushing fun to be had! Paid full price for this game too.

I always thought Werewolf was a pretty hard and underrated game. Also, Where's Waldo is impossible.

[CaptainFalcon13]

Where the hell is The Adventures of Bayou Billy? You can't even beat the first stage of the first level.

[kupomogli]

I totally forgot about Bayou Billy. Impossible game for the majority of gamers. I've seen a video of a person who completed it in one life, but it was probably a tool assisted run.

I hate Bayou Billy, but the music to the first stage, the only music you'll ever hear unless you play through stage select mode, is that one awesome song that plays in the regular stages.

[bangtango]

I totally forgot about Bayou Billy. Impossible game for the majority of gamers. I've seen a video of a person who completed it in one life, but it was probably a tool assisted run.

I hate Bayou Billy, but the music to the first stage, the only music you'll ever hear unless you play through stage select mode, is that one awesome song that plays in the regular stages.

This is one of those NES games that sent me scurrying for the Game Genie, which is the only reason I ever beat it. So I'm a lowdown, rotten, dirty "cheater."

I agree with you 100% about the music. I can hum that tune today as I type this and I haven't played Bayou Billy in probably ten years. That theme is sweet.


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.

Is Battletoads really a hard game or is it a game with one or two hard levels? I breeze through Level 1 and 2 only to be forever stuck on the speed bike stages and have never gotten by them. Are the other "action" levels afterwards really that difficult?

[Garry Silljo]

Bayou Billy isn't that hard after you figure out to stick and move rather use traditionally beatem up tactics. The driving stages were bad too but if you just drive slowly and don't try and rush they can be managed as well.

BattleToads had a lot of tough stages. For me, winning that one was in large part memorization.

[kupomogli]

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.

[jperryss]

BattleToads had a lot of tough stages. For me, winning that one was in large part memorization.

Agreed on the memorization part. Once you hit level 3 (turbo tunnel) there are really no 'easy' stages in the game.

For some reason the underwater duct level stands out as the one that I always had the hardest time with. I knew that level like the back of my hand and still struggled with it every time.

The ice level is tricky. Parts 3 and 4 of the snake pit level are brutal, but there's a warp in part 2 that skips them and the fire level also IIRC.

The level where you climb the corridor was tough because of the poison-gas and how easily you would fall off the bottom of the screen and die. Same goes for the final stage where you climb the outside of the tower (there's some neat graphic effects in that stage too).

The 3rd part of the 'race to the bomb' level and the clinger winger level are tough, gotta have real quick reflexes on those two. Battletoads in Battlemaniacs (SNES) had an even harder clinger winger stage that required ducking and jumping in addition to just zipping around the track.

Like I said, nothing really 'easy' about the game once you hit stage 3.

[bangtango]

I don't get why people put Gauntlet on their hardest lists. Sure, getting through it will eat up a lot of your time, but nothing in it actually requires a lot of brainpower or lightning quick reflexes, it's pretty much all memorization. It was one of the few that I had as a kid and I didn't have much trouble beating it with the elf or the wizard, although I never completed a warrior run because he was just too damn slow.

Let's examine the case for Gauntlet.

1. Multiple exits in a lot of levels, including "fake" exits or exits that take you back to earlier levels.

2. Monster generators that you have to stop and destroy unless you want the room continually flooded with regenerating monsters that'd also fit in perfectly with the regenerating monsters seen in the NES Mega Man, Contra and Ninja Gaiden games.

3. An energy meter that continually depletes just by walking, meaning that even in rooms with limited enemies you always have to concerned with food.

I don't think the gameplay of Gauntlet itself is overly difficult. But some of these conditions described above make the game harder than the average game.

Find me more than a handful of NES games that share all three traits and I'll humbly stand down and drop Gauntlet from my list.

[pseudonym]

I didn't find Gauntlet that hard, you just need to know how to deal with the generators, and make sure you find the exit in the treasure rooms. I've never finished this game with 2-players though. One person usually dies towards the end.

[The 1 2 P]

This is one of those NES games that sent me scurrying for the Game Genie, which is the only reason I ever beat it. So I'm a lowdown, rotten, dirty "cheater."

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-)

[Tron 2.0]

Bayou Billy isn't that hard after you figure out to stick and move rather use traditionally beatem up tactics. The driving stages were bad too but if you just drive slowly and don't try and rush they can be managed as well.

BattleToads had a lot of tough stages. For me, winning that one was in large part memorization.
Agreed,that's how ya play bayou billy get those patterns down if you want to beat it.I all most did in it's day but i ran out of continues for the final boss.

[Zing]

Three words:

Milon's Secret Castle

[kupomogli]

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-)

I had enough lives at the end of the game to finish off one form of the last boss, die against the next, finish the next, die against the next, repeat. I can beat NG2 without continuing.

[The 1 2 P]

I can beat NG2 without continuing.

Do me a favor then. Make a video of your next run and upload it to youtube so I can watch.

[jperryss]

Do me a favor then. Make a video of your next run and upload it to youtube so I can watch.

Considering all the TAS videos out there, that still wouldn't prove anything.

And NG2 was the only one I could consistently finish. Not on a single credit though.

[The 1 2 P]

Considering all the TAS videos out there, that still wouldn't prove anything.

True but I like watching run thrus of difficult games, but only legit ones.

[DDCecil]

I can easily beat Ninja Gaiden II in ~13-15 minutes every single time I play it.

Now Ninja Gaiden III, I only beat that sucker once.

On Ninja Gaiden I, the only way I can beat the game is this: I get to the final boss, die, do 6-1 through 6-4 all over again, and repeat until I beat the game.

[kupomogli]

Do me a favor then. Make a video of your next run and upload it to youtube so I can watch.

Alright. I'm playing FF for the NES right now, but once I finish that I'll play through NG2.