I’ve started to hate the term “Hardest”.
Give me two months in Unity, and I can make a game that’s “harder” than every game on any one of these lists. It would also be unplayable trash, that would prompt hundreds of “How the fuck are you supposed to XXX” responses due to obscurity. Part of what makes those listed games enjoyable is having a decent difficulty curve, compelling progression of skill demonstration, and a good feeling of reward. They’re getting difficulty right.
[NES] Sector Z, Goonies, and others would like a word [Atari] E.T. has entered the chat
Was ET actually difficult or just unclear how to progress? I swear I finished it when I was a kid but the amount of games I’ve finished in my life is extremely tiny, if things get too hard I just go play something else for awhile (looking at every stealth mission shoehorned into non stealth game). So maybe I just misremembered finishing it but I sure played it a lot before I got an NES.
Elden Ring isn’t even the most difficult soulsborne game, by a longshot
Cuphead is easy. Ever tried Hotline Miami?
Battletoads would like a word
Idk if I’m finally getting old or the real nerds are hiding. Nobody in here knows about Nethack? At least someone said Dwarf Fortress.
NetHack makes most mortals cry. My bones files taunt me.
I played Nethack. I was overwhelmed by my anxiety and depression. I realised I was not good at video games. So I quit playing Nethack and swore to get good at video games before returning. Been, what, at least 15 years? I’ve gotten better I guess. Should I return? Soon, maybe.
(Seriously, though, roguelikes are still a genre I struggle with, so I do need practice!)
Have you tried pixel dungeon? It’s kinda the same thing but dramatically easier and I’ve still never ascended. 🤣
Kinda the thing about it though is that what makes Nethack so good is how the devs thought of everything.
One time I died on turn zero failing to mount my horse and hitting my head on the stone stairs.
Yasd material right there.
Dang. I can’t tag you “slime mold” because that’s apparently a paid feature on my app. jdawson, is this what finally makes me switch apps?
Money that app person!
Some of you have never Wanna be the Guy and it shows.
Imagine souls games giving you only three lives before sending you back to the very beginning of the game.
Silver Surfer for the NES is way harder than TMNT. It’s possible, though I’ve never done it, to beat TMNT. AFAIK , Silver Surfer is actually possible to beat, but basically no one has done it.
I didn’t mind TMNT.
What still gives me PTSD is Shadow Of The Beast 2. I was utterly clueless on how to beat that game as a child, and as an adult I can literally watch someone beat it, know what to do, and still fuck it up.
Weirdly, that is the only one of the three I have beaten. Zero chance I could do it now of course.
The young’uns nowadays don’t know what a difficult game is. Not to mention the “impossible” ones.
Glad to see Castlevania on that list, that game was brutal on little me as a little kid.
But let’s get real, there is a long tradition of brutally hard games, and people be bullshitting if they say they beat some of these games without save states 🤣
Let’s also talk about arcade games that are brutal even with unlimited coins - R-Type, Pulstar, ghouls and ghosts, just to name a few. But these are all beatable.
A NES game that I thought was exceptionally hard without save states (looking at you doungen with no lights and hard enemies) is NES Zelda romhack Outlands
Forgot all about Sub-Terrania. Loved that game as a kid.
That geekyinc article is the most 100% written by ChatGPT wall of text that I’ve ever encountered in the wild.
First ddg result, wth. This one better?
Nice links! Ive played a good deal on the impossible list, i even 100% beat jet force gemini. Iirc the “true” ending pissed me off. Don’t remember why but i felt let down for all the work i did to get it
I can proudly say I’ve beaten 4 of those on the original hardware, but it was probably around 2010 or so as an adult.
(Contra, Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, Mega Man 1)
Same here, though I also beat Ghosts n Goblins. Honestly once you can reliably beat the first couple of stages, you can probably get through the whole game.
That one is super hard, although I definitely haven’t truly committed to an attempt yet.
Have you tried the remake?
I have, but I am old and sucky at “Nintendo hard” games now so it went about as I expected.
Contra is considered a difficult one? O.o
We beat that in co-op with my brother when we were like 6 and 8.
Konami games were hard, but not crazy hard. I don’t think it should be on any “hardest game” list either.
They probably mean without the cheat code. I think you started with 3 lives originally.
The internet really wasn’t a thing, we didn’t speak English, and we we’re 6 and 8.
We didn’t know about any cheat codes, my man.
I mean, I get most of your points. I was also young with my older brother playing it. I just assumed everyone knew about the old Konami code, but I got it from my older brother so idk.
I just know 3 hits and game over is a hard for Contra. We always used the code to get 30 lives. Much props to you for beating the game without it.
Idk, I have a vivid memory of playing the game, I remember all the weapons and stages, but I don’t remember having ever input the Konami code, although I do know of it nowadays obviously.
Perhaps my older brother knew it? I don’t know. 30 lives seems like it would just never end, basically.
My main point was rather that the article said it was harder as a co-op? I think it was easier, maybe.
I don’t know man, it’s been more than a quarter of a century. All I remember is having had fun. I think that’s the main point.
Thanks
Huh you seem tohave used a tmnt cover instead of greg tech new horizons
I completed TMNT as a kid… on Commodore 64. That version is admittedly a little bit easier than the NES version (some mechanics were missing, and an entire level is gone, as I recall). Still, I have no idea why people complain about the second level (river), it’s actually pretty fun. Compared to what’s to come later in the game.
To me, the definitive “hard” game is Metroid Prime 2: Echoes on GameCube. Dark Souls just makes me say “eeeeeehhhh this is probably doable, I’ll play this after I’m done with MP2E.”
(When I first played MP2E, I only got through the second to last boss. Then my MadCatz memory card died. Played through the game again, with the fury of million suns. 99% complete. Because I missed one optional scan. …One of these days I replay this bastard.)
I played a lot of metroid prime 1 & 2 as a kid but I dont remember thinking they were very hard. Maybe it’s time I revisited them
My friends were encouraging me to play Dark Souls. I told them I’m not interested since it’s hard and I no longer have time to persevere, now that I am an adult with little to no time. One of my friends commented that I’m just scared to play Dark Souls. To which I responded I’ve played harder games. Said friend never had video game consoles when we were kids, and missed out on the suffering of playing 90s and 00s games.
