Hardest NES game? [Archive]

Droop

09-24-2010, 01:26 AM

The only people who didn't choose ghost n goblins are those who never played it (or one of its variants like ghouls and ghosts for genesis). I was actually discussing this Wednesday at work w/ a coworker. It's one of the hardest games I have ever played. It's unforgiving, and it's amazingly fun. I love that game even though I have only ever managed to get to the end a couple of times in my gaming career haha.

Tumdumm

09-24-2010, 01:39 AM

Yo-Noid

!!!

adventure island was pretty hard too from what i remember... out of the choices Ghosts n Goblins though, i dont even know what level 2 looked like

jyaku

09-24-2010, 01:58 AM

i myself said battletoad, i think i only got past that dam bike stage once. ghosts n goblins is also a tough game but i know i made it through atleast the first time through. and TMNT is also hard, i hated those underwater bombs, but again i know i have atleast gotten close to the end

Adachi

09-24-2010, 02:22 AM

How about Double Dragon 3? I think I saw the second stage once. Amagon was fucking hard too.

Auvdar

09-24-2010, 03:04 AM

Ghouls n Ghosts for sure. Even if you do manage to get to the end (big if mind you), the game laughs at you and bitch slaps you all the way back to the start to do it all over again. F that.

Nocte

09-24-2010, 04:12 AM

Anyone who voted anything other than Ghosts 'n' Goblins never played it. Everyone who voted for TMNT is a pussy - that game shouldn't even be in the list.

Brut

09-24-2010, 04:35 AM

Samurai Zombie Nation!
I suck at shooters tho.
Biggest issue I really had with this is that the projectiles you shoot (with all upgrades like 8 of em pop out every second) are the exact same color as the projectiles the enemies shoot. Also, when you shoot destructible stuff in the screen (which is everywhere and you WILL hit it since your shots are all over the screen) breaks into debris which is also the same color as your/enemy projectiles. It's ridiculous to try to see what'll hurt you in that mess.

girth

09-24-2010, 04:37 AM

Zelda 2: the adventures of link
zelda 1
metal gear

all 3 were fucking like impossible without a guide or cheating - i've seen ghosts n' goblins beat like it was contra...no deaths

also, wii-ware came out with this nes mega man 9 and 10 - they had an achievement system that was insanely difficult and the time trials competing on the internet is crazy hard

DevonG

09-24-2010, 06:31 AM

bionic commando.

You get to the last boss (cloned hitler?) and you have to do a timed escape, you get to a ledge with nothing past it, and you're expected to understand that you're supposed to jump off the ledge and shoot a helicopter in it's cockpit (you have about 20ms to time it right). There are no continues and dying at that point is an instant gameover.

Uthgaard

09-24-2010, 06:37 AM

Out of those choices, TMNT. Remember those damn underwater bombs? I wanted to break that game.

This

magic

09-24-2010, 07:58 AM

TMNT was bullshit I will agree, though I did end up beating it.

Can you put Milon's Secret Castle on the list? I'm convinced that it's the hardest game ever made.

guineapig

09-24-2010, 09:45 AM

Out of those choices, TMNT. Remember those damn underwater bombs? I wanted to break that game.

That part was easy if you compare it to The Technodrome at the end. Now THAT was fucking insane!

regatta

09-24-2010, 09:54 AM

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/top-10-screwattack/704480

Otto

09-24-2010, 10:29 AM

Of that list, I haven't played TMNT.

With that said, I beat the other two options... and I'm only going to say battletoads is harder because of Wingerclinger level and that you never run out of continues in ghosts 'n goblins.

ShadowWulf

09-24-2010, 11:24 AM

http://swankworld.com/Games/retro/nes/blastermaster/images/1.jpg

Zxar

09-24-2010, 11:27 AM

Blaster Master was the shit

Elissa

09-24-2010, 12:05 PM

Zelda 2: the adventures of link
zelda 1
metal gear

all 3 were fucking like impossible without a guide or cheating - i've seen ghosts n' goblins beat like it was contra...no deaths

Not sure if serious...

I had no trouble beating any of those games absent a guide or cheating. Especially considering the availability of guides in those days was...almost zero.

Not to derail, but people now days who buy a game and a guide blow my mind. The funnest part of games for me has always been figuring things out, exploring, and not necessarily knowing exactly what to do next. It also feels good to know you did something other people needed a guide for.

jyaku

09-24-2010, 12:17 PM

blaster master is the shit. it took me 15 years till i finally beat that game. zelda 1 i beat with no guide, zelda 2 and metal gear are very hard games but i have seen them beaten without a guide before the SNES came out. the only reason i only put those three games is because of an argument between me and friends

Theldios

09-24-2010, 01:14 PM

Little know and proably little remembered.
Romance of the three kingdoms
I found that to be harder than anything else

astuce999

09-24-2010, 01:20 PM

Kid Icarus!

ShadowWulf

09-24-2010, 01:29 PM

http://www.411mania.com/game_article_pictures/9231.jpg

This game was fucking cheap as shit in killing you off. Not to mention NO STATED goals or clues what so ever. At one point I killed Jason 14 times before dying again, only to realize you must light every single damn fireplace in the game ina single night.
14 years it took me to see this screen....

guineapig

09-24-2010, 01:46 PM

At one point I killed Jason 14 times before dying again, only to realize you must light every single damn fireplace in the game ina single night.

What? This wasn't obvious to you from the start? :rolleyes:

/jk :D

Yeah.. that game made me want to break things too.

azeth

09-24-2010, 02:34 PM

That part was easy if you compare it to The Technodrome at the end. Now THAT was fucking insane!

no way man! TMNT does not belong on this list!

battletoads!

Lazortag

09-24-2010, 03:18 PM

taxi2

09-24-2010, 04:13 PM

Milons castle, not sure if its cuz it sucked bad or was hard but i never could get far into it.

Deadly towers... omg

Megaman 1, i was the only one i knew that could pass the first Dr. Wily boss (the sandman type guy who switched from one side of the screen to the other) but i didnt find it that hard once you understood the pattern.

Ghost and goblins was kinda hard, but i still could get to the end.

I could finish bionic commando 1 with 1 life so... no.

Lemme think... wizard and warriors was fucking hard.

Athena was hard i think.

Rygar was pretty fucking hard, remember those stupid ledges, omfg

Jaws was another one that had a reputation of being super hard but i beat it in a rent weekend.

guineapig

09-24-2010, 04:35 PM

no way man! TMNT does not belong on this list!

battletoads!

Not my list. I wouldn't have included TMNT either... not in a top 3 anyway.

y2sky2003

09-24-2010, 04:47 PM

The fact this thread has gone four pages without a single mention of Ninja Gaiden is an absolute travesty.

Failure to beat the final boss sent you back three stages, which were no picnic themselves.

SirAlvarex

09-24-2010, 04:50 PM

I don't remember TMNT being *that* hard when I was younger.

But I do remember cursing at Battletoads. I don't think I even knew what the words I was saying meant, but damnit, I meant them!

girth

09-24-2010, 05:18 PM

I forgot about that Friday the 13th game, that game cheated.

Ponden

09-24-2010, 05:56 PM

TMNT is only hard in 1 part, the water area. Once you get through that, it isn't bad.

My choices as to the hardest: Top Gun, Mega Man, and Contra.

girth

09-24-2010, 06:01 PM

TMNT is only hard in 1 part, the water area. Once you get through that, it isn't bad.

My choices as to the hardest: Top Gun, Mega Man, and Contra.

Contra? Come over and i'll call my buddy over who beats it like 1/2 the time w/o getting hit once. I've never done that myself, but I don't need to enter the code to beat it.

I had a lot of trouble with Dick Tracy as a teenager, I wonder how I'd fair now. And Bubble Bobble had some very difficult levels as well, love that game.

Ponden

09-24-2010, 06:21 PM

I still cannot beat Contra. Bubble Bobble was fun. Me and a friend used to rock that game.

Hasbinbad

09-24-2010, 06:23 PM

Anyone here ever beat Duck Hunt?

Enderenter

09-24-2010, 06:45 PM

I've always wondered how people beat Super Mario Bros 3 back in the day without warping, since the NES cartridge of that game didn't allow you to save. Going through eight worlds straight without turning off your TV seems hella hard to me. Then again that's nothing compared to the shit I've seen on p99!

You could turn your TV off, just not your NES.

I bet decent Mario players could beat it without using items in 3 hours or less. That's just a wild guess though. Haven't really played that game since I was a kid, but I remember it not being that hard.

Battletoads was another story. My friend and I played that when we were kids, and never beat the 3rd level. (the one with the car)

jyaku

09-24-2010, 07:03 PM

ninja gaiden is a given for a hard game, i don't think there has been an "easy" incarnation of that game

Reynard_CT

09-24-2010, 07:06 PM

I nominate...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v396/ReynardCunningfox/PinBot.jpg

Lazortag

09-24-2010, 07:13 PM

You could turn your TV off, just not your NES.

I bet decent Mario players could beat it without using items in 3 hours or less. That's just a wild guess though. Haven't really played that game since I was a kid, but I remember it not being that hard.

Battletoads was another story. My friend and I played that when we were kids, and never beat the 3rd level. (the one with the car)

To me it just seems like it would get tedious. I can't really play mario games, or most platformers for 3 hours straight - personally I like to do speedruns on them (I have a decent but not great speedrun record for Mario 3, with warps, at like 11:30 or so). Also, leaving your NES on with the TV off is a bad idea, considering how fragile those things are, if you forget that it's turned on you might stomp around the house and accidentally fuck some shit up.

fugazi

09-24-2010, 07:26 PM

How the fuck can you not vote Battletoads? TNMT is beatable. Ghost n Goblins is damn hard, but with practice beatable. Battletoads? Prepare to spend a few years worth of hours before you can beat the one.

The first level is cake, the second one too if you know the trick, the third one is beatable once you've practiced and got good enough reflexes but after that? God almighty..

fugazi

09-24-2010, 07:42 PM

Props for the screw attack list btw - it's a pretty accurate one I'd say. Silver Surfer is one of those 'HA HA!' games that will leave you howling at the moon, but at least the music of that game is damn fantastic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGNSHNf-nlU proof of said awesome music.

.. and Zelda 2 is pretty doable. Its just the last temple that can throw you off, but otherwise I ran through it pretty fine over the summer :) Battle Toads though .. I had my gf's family laughing at me countless times while dying in the fourth level, the icy maze.

y2sky2003

09-24-2010, 08:16 PM

I nominate...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v396/ReynardCunningfox/PinBot.jpg

You win the thread, sir.

Uthgaard

09-24-2010, 08:32 PM

Especially considering the availability of guides in those days was...almost zero.

Guides were not common, this is true. But the hours spent on the phone with.... 1(206)885-7529.

Who else still remembers that number by heart? 20 years later and I can still rattle it off without hesitation.

fugazi

09-24-2010, 08:37 PM

Hi, buy NINTENDO POWER so you can beat your game - because we made sure that it's impossible to do so without it!

Kava

09-25-2010, 01:48 AM

Wow, some great games in this thread. I picked TMNT only because, of the three, I never beat that one. Ninja Gaiden was crazy hard, but beatable. The Zeldas were more "long" than hard.

But I gotta say, Kid Icarus was up there with Gaiden.

And just to say it... Metroid is still one of my all time favorites. Super Metroid, will you marry me?

jyaku

09-25-2010, 03:05 AM

I have a question, does anybody on this thread still have a working NES *raises hand* i actually have 2

Auvdar

09-25-2010, 03:12 AM

I do. Still in the box too (worn to hell). Also rocking a Sega Master System w/box (in slightly better shape).

The nintendo however doesn't work well anymore, so I converted to ROMS/Emulation. One day I will clean it up and get it to work decent again.

Fraud

09-27-2010, 07:36 AM

TMNT is only hard in 1 part, the water area. Once you get through that, it isn't bad.

My choices as to the hardest: Top Gun, Mega Man, and Contra.

I used to have friends from houses all the way down the street come get me and have me beat the water level for them in TMNT. It was always easy to me.

Never got past level farking 3 on Battletoads. Damn those hover-bikes to hell.

*adds something to his bucket list*

fugazi

09-27-2010, 06:21 PM

I used to have friends from houses all the way down the street come get me and have me beat the water level for them in TMNT. It was always easy to me.

Never got past level farking 3 on Battletoads. Damn those hover-bikes to hell.

*adds something to his bucket list*

I have the same with the waterlevel, it's not all that hard .. sure you take some damage, but just switch when a turtle gets low and you're fine. As for the bike level, just try it a few times - you can beat it then no problem.

http://www.1980-games.com/us/old-games/nintendo/b/Battletoads/big-game.php

try it :p

Itchybottom

09-27-2010, 07:42 PM

Ghosts n' Goblins wasn't as difficult as the sequel, Ghouls and Ghosts on SNES. Those rotating levels on SNES screwed my shit up pretty bad. None of the games in this thread really gave me much hassle; The Battle of Olympus was sure a pain in the ass (for it's length, and bullshit running all over the place), but the prize has to go to Xevious or Section Z. Gunsmoke, was another pain in the ass.

Uthgaard

09-27-2010, 08:14 PM

http://www.1980-games.com/us/old-games/nintendo/b/Battletoads/big-game.php

Epic

Trimm

09-27-2010, 08:24 PM

Another good one for the office or classroom is http://www.virtualnes.com/

thxer

09-28-2010, 01:08 AM

Rygar was pretty fucking hard, remember those stupid ledges, omfg

Rygar was pretty fuckin' hard, but god damn awesome.

Falisaty

09-28-2010, 05:13 AM

im saying ghost and gobbys because it was the only nes game on the list i never managed to beat.... all were tough but never once have i seen the end credits to G&G.

Dunes

09-28-2010, 03:36 PM

Guides were not common, this is true. But the hours spent on the phone with.... 1(206)885-7529.

Who else still remembers that number by heart? 20 years later and I can still rattle it off without hesitation.

Wow, even to this day I remember getting busted by my parents for wracking up a $54 bill in one month to the "Nintendo Pros" (I wanted to be one when I grew up!). I think I was playing either FFI or Dragon Warrior I at the time.

Good times, and Im glad I didnt grow up to be an in-bound call center employee ;)

Yoite

09-28-2010, 04:25 PM

i couple years ago for some reason i decided i was gonna crack out on battletoads and beat that shit. i can't remember if i beat it, im pretty sure i did, but the last lever i really remember was the one with the snakes coming out of the walls and you had to like jump on the snakes to keep climbing up to the top.

was it lvl 3 with the bikes, man i had that shit down pack. fuck i wanna play some battletoads now.

Yoite

09-28-2010, 04:27 PM

biggest problem with beating battletoads is your friend playing multiplayer with you and constantly fucking you up or hitting you...lol

Erasong

09-28-2010, 04:46 PM

Wow, even to this day I remember getting busted by my parents for wracking up a $54 bill in one month to the "Nintendo Pros" (I wanted to be one when I grew up!). I think I was playing either FFI or Dragon Warrior I at the time.

Good times, and Im glad I didnt grow up to be an in-bound call center employee ;)

they made such a huge deal when these two games came out and i remember it. first 2 RPG's for the NES ever in the US.