The 20 hardest video games ever

Tyranitar24 | October 23, 2008 | Top List | Misc

Old-Wizard lists the top twenty hardest video games to beat, ranging from Mega Man 1 all the way to Mike Tyson's Punchout. Did you ever have difficulty beating these games?

Remember the first time you played a game where you couldnt get by the first level no matter how hard you tried? Remember thinking to yourself that you spent 3$ dollars borrowing a game that was so difficult you wanted to return it and ask for something more tolerable?

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Back to the Future [Movie, NES]
Battletoads [NES, GENESIS]
Bionic Commando [NES, GBC]
Blaster Master [NES]
Contra [PC, XBOX360, NES]
Double Dragon 3 [GENESIS]
Final Fantasy III (Import) [DS, NES]
Gauntlet [DS, NES, XBOX360]
Ninja Gaiden [NES]
Paperboy [GENESIS, NES, GBC, N64]
Silver Surfer [NES]
Smash TV [NES, SEGAMS, XBOX360]
TMNT [PSP, XBOX360, PS2, PC, GC, GBA, DS, Wii]

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Most recently commented on by Fatal Error on Dec 10, 2008

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Comments

0 thumbs!
Alvaroduck | October 24, 2008

Rayman should be on there, it was cripplingly difficult.
0 thumbs!
Dark Arcanine | October 24, 2008

Doom 2? No Doom game is hard, just fun. Never played any of those other games though.
- 0 thumbs!
  Seproth | October 24, 2008
  
  Did you make it to the end? Were you on the hardest difficulty? I doubt it. It gets damn hard at the end.
  - 0 thumbs!
    Dark Arcanine | December 10, 2008
    
    After spending weeks and weeks playing it with your friend it isn't hard anymore.
0 thumbs!
Zeromage | October 24, 2008

silver surfer...now there's a hard game
- 0 thumbs!
  Seproth | October 24, 2008
  
  It may well be impossible.
0 thumbs!
Deathsythe | October 24, 2008

I wanna be the Guy

/discussion

Seriously, try IWTBTG without swearing, you won't last a minute - literally.
- 0 thumbs!
  Zero and X | October 25, 2008
  
  Agreed, IWBTG is beyond masochistic
  - 0 thumbs!
    Fatal Error | December 10, 2008
    
    There's a limit to ridiculousness in games though. I could make a game that's almost impossible but it probably wouldn't count simply due to the absurdity of such a thing.
    
    Of course, a bunch of the games - similar to IWBTG - are considered difficult simply due to absurd controls, ridiculous glitches, and annoying hitboxes.
    - 0 thumbs!
      Zero and X | December 10, 2008
      
      IWBTG has some weird glitches at times, but how are the controls absurd? Unless you meant only the games similiart to IWBTG.
    - 0 thumbs!
      Fatal Error | December 10, 2008
      
      I was referring primarily to the games similar to IWBTG with absurd controls, though there can be issues with the game reacting to button presses.
0 thumbs!
BANDITO ATTACK | October 24, 2008

though i would have changed a few, that was a decent list. a first from old-wizard. :0
0 thumbs!
Seproth | October 24, 2008

Battletoads was impossible. I tried that shit countless times.

Did anyone else notice that almost all these are episodes of Angry Video Game Nerd?
- 0 thumbs!
  Zeromage | October 24, 2008
  
  i count 4 or 5 out of 20. that is almost all of them.
  - 0 thumbs!
    Seproth | October 24, 2008
    
    Yeah, your right. I said that after reading the first page where most of them are. I think there was 5 with episodes and another 3 or 4 that were featured at some point...so nearly half.
0 thumbs!
kspiess | October 24, 2008

I think most of the hardest games were on the NES, for sure.

One game that wasn't on the list, (maybe because it was pretty forgettable) was Last Action Hero for the SNES. That game was so damn tough. I never even got past the first level!

Battletoads was pretty much impossible as well.
0 thumbs!
huntyr | October 24, 2008

Bard's Tale 1 was impossible to beat =)
Why? because some versions of the game were actually bugged and wouldnt't let you get to the end.
0 thumbs!
Killosity | October 24, 2008

I agree with Final Fantasy 6 in the context of it being the hardest Final Fantasy game for sure!
0 thumbs!
ryu750 | October 25, 2008

There were a lot of games in that list that were time consuming but not really particularly hard....
The following games did not belong on that list:
bionic commando
Street Fighter with Zangief
Final Fantasy 3
Battle toads
Megaman
just my opinion
0 thumbs!
redneonfish | October 25, 2008

Deffo Battle Toads, bloody solid. Same with Paperboy.
0 thumbs!
King_X2 | October 27, 2008

Although barely a video game, Chip's Challenge is one hell of a hard game. It took me a whole year to beat it.
- 0 thumbs!
  Deathsythe | October 27, 2008
  
  Oh man, I love Chips Challenge.
  
  One of the first games I grabbed off of the servers when I got to college - probably the sole reason my Chemistry average was sub par.
0 thumbs!
The Omega | December 10, 2008

Sorry for rezzing this from the dead (really, Neo should have general gaming forum where these top lists can be active all the time), but I wanted to put in my suggestion for Metal Storm on the NES. It is pretty much the most entertaining yet difficult video game I have ever played. You controlled a fellow in a robotic/mech suit in an action/platformer where a main feature of the game was changing the gravitational pull of the levels from bottom to top. This was used for platforming and dodging the projectiles, enemies, and obstacles flying at you. Some technique was necessary for jumping and then changing the gravity in mid-air to further avoid obstacles. Was definitely a fun game, yet not sure I was ever able to fully beat it since the game is very tough.

I'd agree with Battletoads being the hardest game ever, but it was hard to the point where I stopped having fun with it when playing. That didn't happen with Metal Storm.