Nintegageo | 583 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Sorta considering trying to pass each of the NES Hard games. Other than the Famicom-only entries, are there any that you think should/shouldn't have listed? Which games have you done or would you want to do? Cheers guys and Happy New Year as well. According to Wikipedia, this is the list: The Adventures of Bayou Billy (1988) Air Fortress (1987) Atlantis no Nazo (1986) Batman (1990) Battletoads (1991) Bionic Commando (1988) Blaster Master (1988) Bubble Bobble (1988) Castlequest (1986) Castlevania (1986) Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989) Conflict (1989) Contra (1988) Cybernoid (1987) Déjà Vu (1988) Die Hard (1991) Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones (1991) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1988) Fester's Quest (1989) Final Fantasy (1987) Friday the 13th (1989) Ghosts 'n Goblins (1985) Gradius (1986) The Guardian Legend (1988) The Karate Kid (1987) Kid Icarus (1986) Legacy of the Wizard (1987) Little Nemo: The Dream Master (1989) Mega Man (1987), described by USgamer as an "introduction" of Nintendo hard difficulty[4] Mega Man 3 (1990) Milon's Secret Castle (1986) Ninja Gaiden (1988) Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (1990) Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (1991) Punch-Out!! (1987) Recca (1992) Shadowgate (1989) Silver Surfer (1990) Solomon's Key (1986) Starship Hector (1987) Super Contra (1990) Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986) Takeshi no Chōsenjō (1986) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989) The Simpsons: Bart vs. the Space Mutants (1991) Top Gun (1987) Uninvited (1989) Yo! Noid (1990) Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987) Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiztor | 960 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 personally, i wouldn't have Mega Man 3 or Little Nemo on that list. both fun games tho. my memory says Yo Noid isn't very difficult either, but i haven't played it since i was a kid. 1 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258200 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanooki | 5,268 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 16 minutes ago, twiztor said: personally, i wouldn't have Mega Man 3 or Little Nemo on that list. both fun games tho. my memory says Yo Noid isn't very difficult either, but i haven't played it since i was a kid. I'd agree with you, but no Yo Noid is nasty, nastier than the JP game it was bastardized from, probably another US choice of rental punishment. It is a one hit kill, but you restart the entire stage, no checkpoints including with a boss which makes the game a real bastard (and no continues either.) MM3 and Nemo they're not hard, fair, middle range really, as they're no Ghosts n Goblins. Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258204 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkTone | 1,039 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 I'm not great at games, but I found MM3 easier to beat than most NES games. Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258215 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Morbis | 2,125 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 The internet is pretty much dead wrong when it comes to lising "hard" NES games. As soon as you see a popular game like Contra or Ninja Gaiden listed, you can just dismiss the list immediately. The Mexican Runner made a list of his top hardest games and it's far more accurate. A real list won't have click-bait titles that casual gamers will be drawn to. Games like Miracle Piano, To The Earth, Arkanoid, stuff like that will be on a real list; of course, keep in mind that we all have different skill sets, but by and large anyone who spends more than a couple of hours with Contra is going to be able to 1CC it pretty easily without the Konami Code... 2 5 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258218 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DefaultGen | 5,967 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 (edited) I mean Wikipedia isn't wrong. Contra, Zelda II, and Karate Kid are what people describe as "NES hard" but they sure aren't very hard games. How TF is Final Fantasy on that list too, haha. Check TMR's NESMania spreadsheet. He played all the games and rated them. There is a little bias towards games he's already good at. Darkwing Duck and 10 Yard Fight are both a "2" in difficulty. Anyone can probably beat 10 Yard Fight the first time they pick up a controller but TMR's a former world record holder in Darkwing Duck. He also doesn't like archaic RPGs because stuff like Ultima and Might and Magic are 10s, lol. But most top end stuff is high for a reason. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KDNGI76HoMNyYLL6RqWu4PqUbw-lI920tf7QTclnLLE/edit Edited January 3, 2022 by DefaultGen 1 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258220 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbd39 | 2,147 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 (edited) Qbert Bump n Jump Adventure Island Snake, Rattle n Roll Ikari Warriors (no ABBA) Star Force Edited January 3, 2022 by mbd39 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258254 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reed Rothchild | 10,081 Editorials Team · Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 There's always two answers to this question. For NES and SNES. And probably all other consoles. There's the answer that includes games like Contra and Ninja Gaiden, which people like to talk about, which will generate interest and discussion. Then there's the answer that includes games like Championship Pool. Which no one cares about or wants to talk about. Other than our small circle of fanatics. 1 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258273 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeevan | 9,352 Events Helper · Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 we should really ask @Crabmaster2000 lol Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258275 Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaMan52 | 2,730 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Adventure Island and Pac-Mania come to mind. Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258279 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Code Monkey | 2,242 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Deja Vu is on the list? There's no strategy, just follow the instructions to click in all the right places. Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258297 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloves | 12,591 Administrator · Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 18 minutes ago, Code Monkey said: Deja Vu is on the list? There's no strategy, just follow the instructions to click in all the right places. I imagine it's "without following a guide in the case of text adventures". (not to say I agree with the list) Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258301 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy_Bogomil | 898 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Agree with posts above about a casual/popular list then an actual list from someone who actually played through the library. A lot of NES games are insane simply by crap design. The fact that Contra and others on the list perform well immediately makes them easier than a ton of other games. Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258318 Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH | 5,428 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 (edited) This debate is missing the point. Instead we need to start a new thread here, debate the top 20, let it season a year and then update the Wikipedia article referencing our "definitive" post as a source. Edited January 14, 2022 by RH 1 1 3 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258321 Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Pac | 8,443 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 As someone who didn't start playing NES games until I was a teenager, I can assure you that all NES games are hard and you guys are just too skilled to realize it. -CasualCart 2 3 1 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258338 Share on other sites More sharing options...
peg | 386 Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Where the fuck are Star Force and Last Starfighter? As far as I can tell noboy has legit beat Last Starfighter, at least not with a real video. And no, pausing over and over again to slow the game down does not count, sorry. If you want to include obscure, borderline impossible games, add El Destructor into the list. 5 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-258371 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGameCollector | 18 Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 Yo! Noid is easy for me. I beat it when I was 8 and continued to do so for years. Tom & Jerry deserves a spot for the last few levels being pretty hard. Tiny Toon Adventures' last level was also very frustrating. Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-260068 Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj_robot | 559 Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 On 1/2/2022 at 11:12 PM, Nintegageo said: Mega Man (1987), described by USgamer as an "introduction" of Nintendo hard difficulty[4] Like there weren't hard NES games before Mega Man? Ghosts 'n Goblins and Castlevania come to mind. And I wouldn't even call Mega Man hard. 95% of the game is honestly pretty easy if you're using the sub-weapons properly. 2 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-260081 Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarzombie | 960 Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 1 hour ago, cj_robot said: Like there weren't hard NES games before Mega Man? Ghosts 'n Goblins and Castlevania come to mind. And I wouldn't even call Mega Man hard. 95% of the game is honestly pretty easy if you're using the sub-weapons properly. The ONLY major annoying things about Mega Man, if its a first time playthru is Yellow Devil, but most importantly, doing the order right. For example, if you dont get the magnet subweapon in Elecmans stage, only till almost the VERY end of the game you realize you cant beat it. You'd have to remember what you missed, where it was, how to get it, etc. Thats pretty lame. 1 1 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-260082 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbd39 | 2,147 Posted January 13, 2022 Share Posted January 13, 2022 1 hour ago, cj_robot said: Like there weren't hard NES games before Mega Man? Ghosts 'n Goblins and Castlevania come to mind. And I wouldn't even call Mega Man hard. 95% of the game is honestly pretty easy if you're using the sub-weapons properly. Ghosts n Goblins was the original "Nintendo hard" game, yep. Adventure Island also came out before Mega Man and is so much harder. 2 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-260087 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Morbis | 2,125 Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 (edited) 13 hours ago, guitarzombie said: The ONLY major annoying things about Mega Man, if its a first time playthru is Yellow Devil, but most importantly, doing the order right. For example, if you dont get the magnet subweapon in Elecmans stage, only till almost the VERY end of the game you realize you cant beat it. You'd have to remember what you missed, where it was, how to get it, etc. Thats pretty lame. Yeah, I agree. The Yellow Devil takes a few tries to get it down, but the blocks always shoot across in the exact same order, so it's more just a nuisance having to wait so long for each reformation to get him to his brief moment of vulnerability. Other than that, the game is either very easy or very hard, based entirely on the order in which you do the stages... 13 hours ago, mbd39 said: Adventure Island also came out before Mega Man and is so much harder. In Japan, yes, in North America, no: Mega Man was first; but I agree 100% that Adventure Island is orders of magnitude more difficult than Mega Man, especially 8-2, the last jump in 8-3, and all of 8-4 without the axe... Edited January 14, 2022 by Dr. Morbis 1 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-260293 Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPX | 1,444 Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 I think if we want a definitive list, we need to first start by defining the meaning of “hard”. Once it’s properly defined, then it’d be much easier to know what to add on the list and what to delete. Also, it’d be good to hear of which is “hard due to poor game design” vs “hard but bloody fun”. Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-260361 Share on other sites More sharing options...
NostalgicMachine | 388 Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 F13 is my game, I can beat the entire thing in 10 mins. I don't find MM3 hard; I wonder why they bothered to include that vs just MM1. Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-260393 Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH | 5,428 Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 7 hours ago, GPX said: I think if we want a definitive list, we need to first start by defining the meaning of “hard”. Once it’s properly defined, then it’d be much easier to know what to add on the list and what to delete. Also, it’d be good to hear of which is “hard due to poor game design” vs “hard but bloody fun”. Honestly, if we wanted to make a definitive list from a debated topic, it might be worth having categories, as well as regional info. This would help legitimize the list for Wikipedia. There could be a list of "Hard by Design" games and a list of "Hard games do too broken mechanics". Expand the list with details of what makes each broken game hard and that'd be good details for the article. Mark which regional games are hard and annotate it with details like "Specifically the Japanese release". If we want to get the list right, expand it and show it's not as straightforward as people think. This is semi-valuable for a site like Wikipedia. For most, hearing "X game is tough as nails" and seeing it on list is fun, but others might come along the article and actually take an interest in trying the truly toughest games on the system. "Hardest Games" is a bit subjective, so having the expertise of an aged gaming community that also discusses the complexity of the question would ultimately make a better wikipedia article. 1 Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-260398 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorEncore | 3,693 Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 11 hours ago, GPX said: I think if we want a definitive list, we need to first start by defining the meaning of “hard”. Once it’s properly defined, then it’d be much easier to know what to add on the list and what to delete. Also, it’d be good to hear of which is “hard due to poor game design” vs “hard but bloody fun”. I agree completely. Difficulty is tough to define, but there a few objective ways it could be measured. The most straightforward is, of course, completion percentage. This would require very specific wording and specific gameplay instructions to remove outliers. Additionally, those who participated in the activity would need to answer a poll regarding why the game was difficult (i.e. gameplay challenge, glitches, technical problems, poor controls, confusing instructions, etc). Some ways to present the data: 50% of people on VGS who made a concerted effort to beat this game were successful. 50% of people on VGS who made a concerted effort to beat this game were able to do so within 10 hours. The average player on VGS who played for 10 hours made it 50% of the way through the game. This game was deemed difficult due to gameplay This game was deemed difficult due to poor controls It's a stats nerd's dream come true. Link to comment https://www.videogamesage.com/forums/topic/9854-the-nintendones-hard-list/#findComment-260433 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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