What is the hardest game you ever played?

D-ray · 03-09-2021, 06:13 AM

I recently started talking about Nes games (like the original TMNT game) in the forum, usually deemed to be freaking hard. Sometimes though, games that people found extremely hard or "unfair", I never had any problem with them.
So I asked to myself: WHAT could be an objective way to describe a hard game?

That's why I made this thread.
Quote a game (every kind of game platform) you found extremely hard, you never finished or just think it's unfair, and explain why you think so!

*oldmanwinters* · 03-09-2021, 07:22 AM

A game that has given me the most fits (as an adult) might be the original NES Battletoads. The core gameplay mechanic changes almost every other level, so it's hard to get into rhythm, and much of the game is dependent upon knowing precisely what's coming at you in the next second. The two-player mode, though fun, is one of the most busted I've ever seen, since both players' progress get screwed over when one player gets a Game Over.

*frank_one* · 03-09-2021, 08:11 AM

Probably the original japanese Super mario Bros. 2 (Super Mario Bros: the lost levels outside Japan) and Zelda 2.

*CyberCubed* · 03-09-2021, 11:31 AM

Besides the obvious Dark Souls and Bloodborne, etc...obviously many NES games are cheap with difficulty and are not meant to be beaten without cheats or codes.

~~Sumac~~ · 03-09-2021, 12:19 PM

Terminator on NES.
Game was utter garbage and I didn't get through it.

American Gladiators on NES.
Pretty bad game overall, but this one I was able to beat.

I am not going into listing shmups as they are supposed to be difficult.

*Prowler* · 03-09-2021, 12:23 PM

Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 for older games.

As for more modern games... none I've played has been as hard as some of the toughest NES games, I'd say. But F-Zero GX is the hardest racing game I've ever played.

*Icebot* · 03-09-2021, 12:35 PM

For me I think the hardest games I played were Mario Bros. 2 The Lost Levels, TMNT 1 NES, Zelda 2, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Top Gun. I beat the game for Zelda 2 and The Lost Levels.

I don’t know if these games count as hard games as the hard part is basically just the final super challenging level but I have done and successfully completed the following:

The Perfect Run Super Mario Galaxy 2
Special 8 Crown Super Mario 3D Land
Darker Side of the Moon Super Mario Odyssey
Champion’s Road Super Mario 3D World

*Prowler* · 03-09-2021, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icebot

For me I think the hardest games I played were Mario Bros. 2 The Lost Levels, TMNT 1 NES, Zelda 2, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Top Gun. I beat the game for Zelda 2 and The Lost Levels.

I don’t know if these games count as hard games as the hard part is basically just the final super challenging level but I have done and successfully completed the following:

The Perfect Run Super Mario Galaxy 2
Special 8 Crown Super Mario 3D Land
Darker Side of the Moon Super Mario Odyssey
Champion’s Road Super Mario 3D World

I have Top Gun II for the NES. I've never been able to survive more than a couple of minutes in that game. The bombs always got to me.

*Icebot* · 03-09-2021, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prowler

I have Top Gun II for the NES. I've never been able to survive more than a couple of minutes in that game. The bombs always got to me.

I pretty much struggled the same way in Top Gun 1. I never played the second one but I knew they were supposed to be hard from AVGN.

*frank_one* · 03-09-2021, 02:11 PM

Two more super hard games I've played in the past:
Mickey's Dangerous Chase for Game Boy: a very good game but the final levels are almost impossible.
Gremlins 2 for Game Boy: I guess I've never been able to pass the third level

*Wildcat* · 03-09-2021, 10:54 PM

For me probably Earthworm Jim 3D. It’s not the hardest game but certain things make it way more frustrating than necessary.

You need to collect every marble in the game. Which is fine but if you exit the level without all them they don’t count towards the overall game so you eventually need to backtrack...but to make it worse they respawn when you go back so you don’t know which ones you’ve missed.

Fatty Roswell, the second boss, is just programmed to be unfair whether it was on purpose or not. You need to master your movements and also be kind of lucky. He rarely misses you and can collect more marbles at once. You have to develop a 6th sense about it.

The final boss Earthworm Kim is very similar but a little more fair. It didn’t take me as long to beat her. I was very happy when I finally finished it. I had left it for some years and came back to it.

I’ve seen complaints about the camera and controls but those didn’t bother me. There’s moments they can be off but it’s still very playable once you get past Fatty Roswell. He should have been the final boss.

*Prowler* · 03-09-2021, 10:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icebot

I pretty much struggled the same way in Top Gun 1. I never played the second one but I knew they were supposed to be hard from AVGN.

Top Gun 2 is just WAY too fast paced. You get slaughtered before figuring out what to do.

D-ray · 03-10-2021, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frank_one

Probably the original japanese Super mario Bros. 2 (Super Mario Bros: the lost levels outside Japan) and Zelda 2.

I haven't played the Lost Levels yet, but I remember the original Mario stupidly frustrating due to the slippery controls.
It might be the same for the Lost Levels, but do you know why you found it so hard?
I mean, too many enemies, hard platforming etc...

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldmanwinters

A game that has given me the most fits (as an adult) might be the original NES Battletoads. The core gameplay mechanic changes almost every other level, so it's hard to get into rhythm, and much of the game is dependent upon knowing precisely what's coming at you in the next second. The two-player mode, though fun, is one of the most busted I've ever seen, since both players' progress get screwed over when one player gets a Game Over.

I heard that it was a very hard NES game, but I never tried it.
I need to explore better what you mean for "the core gameplay mechanic changes almost every other level" because it sounds "bad" but I need to know how bad could it turn out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildcat

For me probably Earthworm Jim 3D. It’s not the hardest game but certain things make it way more frustrating than necessary.

You need to collect every marble in the game. Which is fine but if you exit the level without all them they don’t count towards the overall game so you eventually need to backtrack...but to make it worse they respawn when you go back so you don’t know which ones you’ve missed.

Forced backtrack with few hints on how to improve can be pretty frustrating. It reminds me of the Pepper coins of Starfox 2 (even tho that game was never finished so I guess it's not entirely the devs fault) or the various collectables of Yoshi's Island.
But the "marble collection" is MANDATORY or is just the typical "completist" challenge? Like, it's optional?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icebot

For me I think the hardest games I played were Mario Bros. 2 The Lost Levels, TMNT 1 NES, Zelda 2, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Top Gun. I beat the game for Zelda 2 and The Lost Levels.

Literally never heard of Top Gun. A quick search on Google did gave me an hint on what kind of game it is, but I don't know for which platform you mean.
Also, why is it hard? Controls? Missions? What do you remember that made it hard?

*Icebot* · 03-10-2021, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-ray

Literally never heard of Top Gun. A quick search on Google did gave me an hint on what kind of game it is, but I don't know for which platform you mean.
Also, why is it hard? Controls? Missions? What do you remember that made it hard?

Top Gun is a game for the original NES, about flying an airplane. I didn’t really play the game much, I think I remember not being able to add the fuel to my plane, figuring out how to use the controls. I considered this game and some of the others the hardest because the Angry Video Game Nerd reviewed them and he has a Top Gun one, you can find more details in that review.

*Andrew NDB* · 03-10-2021, 02:45 AM

Friday the 13th on NES, probably. Impossible. I think I even tried it on emulation where I could save/load anywhere, anytime and it was still like pulling needles out of my fingernails.

*Wildcat* · 03-10-2021, 03:00 AM

D-Ray,

You need them to unlock sections. Actually at the moment I don’t remember if you can leave some behind. I don’t think you can because the problem is they need to be collected in 1 visit. If you leave or run out of lives they respawn. You can’t just go looking for the ones you missed.

Other than this and the horrible second boss it’s an underrated game imo. Plenty of different missions with a good sense of humor. It should get an HD remake. New graphics, fixed marbles system, balanced second boss. I know there’s a new EWJ being made for that Amico console.

*IMJ* · 03-10-2021, 10:56 AM

My first, knee-jerk response is the God of War rising platform sub-game that you needed to complete to get the platinum on the PS3.

Once I completed it I swore off the God of War series forever. It wasn't even gratifying to nab that platinum by that point. I literally took the trophy and turned off the game. Done.

*GoldMutant* · 03-10-2021, 11:07 AM

Y'all remember Ghosts n' Goblins? Nuff said.

I really want to get around to beating it at some point.

*frank_one* · 03-10-2021, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-ray

I haven't played the Lost Levels yet, but I remember the original Mario stupidly frustrating due to the slippery controls.
It might be the same for the Lost Levels, but do you know why you found it so hard?
I mean, too many enemies, hard platforming etc...

I have no problems with the original Super Mario Bros., I've beaten it many times. I consider it challenging but doable. The japanese sequel was meant to be played by people who had already mastered the first game, so it was more of the same but harder. The levels have lot of hard platforming and in some of them you need to find the right path to the end. Imagine the hardest levels of the first game and you will have an idea of what you can expect.

*DarkFell* · 03-10-2021, 11:42 AM

Clay Fighter and the Tiger hand held Terminator game were hard games to beat. I beat C.F. a few times, and nearly beat the other game but managed to get sniped within the final battle.

For the curious and the held held game collectors in here, have a link. https://www.amazon.com/Terminator-LC...5401348&sr=8-1

Primal Rage was also a hard game. The animations were cool, the music was catchy, but man did the CPU-controlled fighter(s) cheat like a b**ch..

03-09-2021, 06:13 AM	#1
D-ray Foot Soldier Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: Italy Posts: 219	What is the hardest game you ever played? I recently started talking about Nes games (like the original TMNT game) in the forum, usually deemed to be freaking hard. Sometimes though, games that people found extremely hard or "unfair", I never had any problem with them. So I asked to myself: WHAT could be an objective way to describe a hard game? That's why I made this thread. Quote a game (every kind of game platform) you found extremely hard, you never finished or just think it's unfair, and explain why you think so! __________________ "Fighting for our comrades, for the Republic, for... VICTORY!" Last edited by D-ray; 03-10-2021 at 02:01 AM.

03-09-2021, 07:22 AM	#2
oldmanwinters Overlord Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Between yesterday and tomorrow! Posts: 14,929	A game that has given me the most fits (as an adult) might be the original NES Battletoads. The core gameplay mechanic changes almost every other level, so it's hard to get into rhythm, and much of the game is dependent upon knowing precisely what's coming at you in the next second. The two-player mode, though fun, is one of the most busted I've ever seen, since both players' progress get screwed over when one player gets a Game Over. __________________ Experience the TMNT Fan Commentaries! Check out my TMNT fan comic, "Nothing to Fear"! View my sketch work! I'm selling some of my hard-to-find TMNT items!

03-09-2021, 10:54 PM	#11
Wildcat Foot Elite Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: AZ Posts: 3,255	For me probably Earthworm Jim 3D. It’s not the hardest game but certain things make it way more frustrating than necessary. You need to collect every marble in the game. Which is fine but if you exit the level without all them they don’t count towards the overall game so you eventually need to backtrack...but to make it worse they respawn when you go back so you don’t know which ones you’ve missed. Fatty Roswell, the second boss, is just programmed to be unfair whether it was on purpose or not. You need to master your movements and also be kind of lucky. He rarely misses you and can collect more marbles at once. You have to develop a 6th sense about it. The final boss Earthworm Kim is very similar but a little more fair. It didn’t take me as long to beat her. I was very happy when I finally finished it. I had left it for some years and came back to it. I’ve seen complaints about the camera and controls but those didn’t bother me. There’s moments they can be off but it’s still very playable once you get past Fatty Roswell. He should have been the final boss. __________________ Nothing can survive the will to stay alive, cause if you try, you can do anything.

03-10-2021, 02:45 AM	#15
Andrew NDB Weed Whacker Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Auburn, WA Posts: 29,251	Friday the 13th on NES, probably. Impossible. I think I even tried it on emulation where I could save/load anywhere, anytime and it was still like pulling needles out of my fingernails. __________________ [ ODYSSEY \| ORIGIN \| THE IMAGE/VOL. 3 CONCLUSION \| THE SHELLSHOCKED PODCAST \| ON FACEBOOK ]

03-10-2021, 03:00 AM	#16
Wildcat Foot Elite Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: AZ Posts: 3,255	D-Ray, You need them to unlock sections. Actually at the moment I don’t remember if you can leave some behind. I don’t think you can because the problem is they need to be collected in 1 visit. If you leave or run out of lives they respawn. You can’t just go looking for the ones you missed. Other than this and the horrible second boss it’s an underrated game imo. Plenty of different missions with a good sense of humor. It should get an HD remake. New graphics, fixed marbles system, balanced second boss. I know there’s a new EWJ being made for that Amico console. __________________ Nothing can survive the will to stay alive, cause if you try, you can do anything.

03-09-2021, 08:11 AM	#3
frank_one Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Southern Europe Posts: 1,983	Probably the original japanese Super mario Bros. 2 (Super Mario Bros: the lost levels outside Japan) and Zelda 2.

03-09-2021, 11:31 AM	#4
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 41,031	Besides the obvious Dark Souls and Bloodborne, etc...obviously many NES games are cheap with difficulty and are not meant to be beaten without cheats or codes.

03-09-2021, 12:19 PM	#5
~~Sumac~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 6,129	Terminator on NES. Game was utter garbage and I didn't get through it. American Gladiators on NES. Pretty bad game overall, but this one I was able to beat. I am not going into listing shmups as they are supposed to be difficult.

03-09-2021, 12:23 PM	#6
Prowler Emperor Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Portugal Posts: 8,909	Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 for older games. As for more modern games... none I've played has been as hard as some of the toughest NES games, I'd say. But F-Zero GX is the hardest racing game I've ever played.

03-09-2021, 12:35 PM	#7
Icebot Foot Elite Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: East Coast, US Posts: 3,191	For me I think the hardest games I played were Mario Bros. 2 The Lost Levels, TMNT 1 NES, Zelda 2, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Top Gun. I beat the game for Zelda 2 and The Lost Levels. I don’t know if these games count as hard games as the hard part is basically just the final super challenging level but I have done and successfully completed the following: The Perfect Run Super Mario Galaxy 2 Special 8 Crown Super Mario 3D Land Darker Side of the Moon Super Mario Odyssey Champion’s Road Super Mario 3D World

03-09-2021, 02:11 PM	#10
frank_one Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Southern Europe Posts: 1,983	Two more super hard games I've played in the past: Mickey's Dangerous Chase for Game Boy: a very good game but the final levels are almost impossible. Gremlins 2 for Game Boy: I guess I've never been able to pass the third level

03-10-2021, 10:56 AM	#17
IMJ Emperor Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Midwest, U.S.A. Posts: 6,987	My first, knee-jerk response is the God of War rising platform sub-game that you needed to complete to get the platinum on the PS3. Once I completed it I swore off the God of War series forever. It wasn't even gratifying to nab that platinum by that point. I literally took the trophy and turned off the game. Done. __________________ Wave 1 Collectibles Online Market Watch Blog Collection Photography

03-10-2021, 11:07 AM	#18
GoldMutant Control Your Narrative Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: New England Posts: 1,763	Y'all remember Ghosts n' Goblins? Nuff said. I really want to get around to beating it at some point. __________________

03-10-2021, 11:42 AM	#20
DarkFell A Crusty Bob Fan Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: At the current moment, on your screen. Posts: 1,978	Clay Fighter and the Tiger hand held Terminator game were hard games to beat. I beat C.F. a few times, and nearly beat the other game but managed to get sniped within the final battle. For the curious and the held held game collectors in here, have a link. https://www.amazon.com/Terminator-LC...5401348&sr=8-1 Primal Rage was also a hard game. The animations were cool, the music was catchy, but man did the CPU-controlled fighter(s) cheat like a b**ch..