10 games that are really hard to beat

129 Comments by Blake Snow Mar 22nd 2007 4:23PM
Filed under: Culture

What are the hardest games to beat? IGN takes a stab at the question with a listicle of 10 doozies. Devil May Cry 3, Battletoads, MDK2 (awesome game), F-Zero GX, and Mega Man (take your pick) all grace the list. But the crown goes to non other than good 'ole Contra sans the Konami code, of course. If these were the only games to feature Achievement Points, you'd be broke.

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

generaldane: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:27PM

that list fails most of the games listed are easy

Nate: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:30PM

I'm convinced that TMNT 1989 Arcade for the XBLA is impossible to beat on co-op (20 life limit).

I didn't look at the list, but Ninja Gaiden/Black for the Xbox needs to be in the top 3...that's probably the toughest game I've ever played.

JodyAnthony: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:32PM

This list is wrong because ghosts and goblins isnt at the top. "Oh you beat the game? Here, beat it again for some crazy reason"

It also fails because of no NES Ninja Gaiden or Ninja Gaiden 2

GlitchCog: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:33PM

The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy

Ken: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:34PM

*waits for someone to say Contra*

But I think that honestly, Ikaruga is simply the hardest game ever created.

The game was made with HATRED in mind. Before released, they bathed it in a tub of a thousand dead virgins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikaruga

Ken: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:36PM

Contra isn't that hard.

Without the Konami code, a friend and I beat that game every Friday night (it's how we kick off "game night" at my house).

Pretty easy when you memorize all the patterns of the guys.

32_Footsteps: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:36PM

Yeah, I've got to agree - most of those games are easy.

If you want to talk difficult games - Let's see... Deadly Towers, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Ninja Gaiden (the original NES one), the Ghosts & Goblins games, Jaws... those were some difficult games.

Not necessarily good ones, but definitely difficult.

wait in the car: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:38PM

I beat the original Contra without dying once, and so did one of my roomates in college...

...and I think he was drunk at the time.

Zertoss: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:39PM

F-Zero GX? Heh, that was easy. Ikaruga and Odama belong on that list more than F-Zero and most of the Mega Man games. Hell, even Viewtiful Joe was pretty damn hard to beat.

gregory mitchell: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:39PM

yea ANY ninja gaiden should be on the list. To bad nothing next gen can be on that list all games nowadays are easily beaten.....DAMN THIS A.D.D generation

CJC: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:40PM

I'll have to agree with F-Zero GX being on that list. I went back and played it for the first time in over a year last week, and it chewed me up and spit me out.

Ken: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:40PM

I agree gregory, where's the challenge at?

deaftly: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:40PM

fzero gx = hardest game ever

JodyAnthony: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:41PM

this list needs Zelda: Wind Waker

Tanster: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:43PM

Ninja Gaiden on the NES. Enemies that respawn infinitely. And I hate how you "jump" when you get hit (oftentimes off a cliff). Final boss that was almost IMPOSSIBLE. And when you died from teh final boss you started wayyy back at some far ass save spot. Loved the game though.

Dolla Dolla: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:43PM

Damn, 32_Footsteps. I just twitched when you said Deadly Towers lol

Ninja Gaiden (NES) should definitely be on there. Defeating Dracula on Castlevania (NES) was kinda difficult, too. I don't know the trick :(

wait in the car: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:45PM

Deadly Towers is by far the most ridiculously difficult game I've ever played. I rented it once as a kid and was absolutely destroyed by it. I bought it much later in life for about $3, put in the "infinite health" Game Genie code, and still found it frustrating. I remember the final boss taking at LEAST a half hour of 100% carefree attacking to kill.

Only other final boss that even came close was the termintor head at the end of Robocop vs Terminator.

Ridiculous.

Myke: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:47PM

Hehehe, yeah, Wind Waker kept me up at night it was so hard..... =)

Seriously though, Megaman 1 deserves that list, I played that game for years before I beat it all the way through.

shase: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:47PM

I think they should put Athena for NES up there... That game was almost impossible to beat.... Certain areas requires certain weapons and you cant go back. So if you accidentally "destroyed" or "missed" the needed weapon you are screwed.. also sometimes when you get hit you get stuck and die.

Mr Khan: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:47PM

I agree with F-Zero GX, Ninja Gaiden Black, and Super Ghouls n' Ghosts

Kind of on the fence about DMC3 and Shinobi, and i can't speak for the others

But they missed Sonic Spinball, Ikaruga, and Super Mario Strikers (try it on the highest difficulty)

PunisherAB: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:48PM

Were was Kid Icarus (NES), Ninja Gaiden (NES) and Comix Zone (Sega Gensis)?

And Yes, Comix Zone is a hard game to beat.

Why was F-zero GX on the list? O_o...to me, that game wasn't that hard to beat, but the older version on SNES ans 64 were hard.

Tanster: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:49PM

Intentless: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:52PM

About total recall for giving you absolutly no direction?

JodyAnthony: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:52PM

I'll also second Kid Icarus. I have been playing that game for a few weeks now and its still hard as hell.

JodyAnthony: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:52PM

i dont know how I beat some games when I was younger (kid icarus, ninja gaiden, etc) going back now, i am absolutely HORRIBLE. games are too easy nowadays

Matt B: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:53PM

I'd have to put Dungeons and Dragons online on there. Yes, its a current title, but some of the quests are unbelievable hard. Not to mention that it is team based so you are only as good as your team. I have never gamed for 8 straight hours and came away with less XP in any game ever.

AirIntake: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:53PM

MDK2 was easy, until the end boss. I couldn't even beat the end boss with cheats on, because he regenerated so fast.

32_Footsteps: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:56PM

Mega Man 1 wasn't that hard - way too many cheap tricks to use to get through that one (like the pause trick to get extra hits out of the Electric Shocker and the Rolling Cutter), and the enemy patterns were way too easy. I suppose kids don't know how to spot patterns these days, being raised on a diet of Energy Tanks everywhere.

Oh, can I get a "what the heck" on Battletoads? Talk about people not seeing patterns - most people got caught on the final sections of each racing level, when you just had to alternate up and down repeatedly until you reached the end. The only hard level was the last part of The Rat Race, where you had to constantly knock Scuzz high up to prevent him from reaching the bomb first.

I'll definitely agree on Ikaruga - that game is nuts. One of the few hard-but-good games.

Oh, another hard one - the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle game on the NES. Only once have I ever gotten past the Mecha Turtle at the end of stage 3.

Blah: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:57PM

How can you say Ninja Gaiden NES ... That was easy. I could finish it in less than 30mins and two lives.

Jake: Mar 22nd 2007; 4:58PM

I beat Ninja Gaiden on NES, but it took a lot. Those games were madening because game over really meant game over, not restart 20 seconds before where you died.

Ghosts n' Goblins NES is the hardest game I've ever played. I never did beat it. Contra with no codes is hard too, but memorization can defeat it as someone mentioned. Never played Ikaragua or Towers.

I think it is implied that they are 10 of the hardest which were also very good. Nobody wants to hear about that Silver Surfer game, which some consider the hardest ever.

Hoffer: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:01PM

I just bought the Mega Man Collection for the Xbox on the cheap. I played through 1 or 2 lives on every game. Games 1 thru 6 were all I'm assuming NES games. They were really frickin hard right from the start of the game!! I don't ever see wanting to attempt them again. Mega Man 7 and especially 8 were on newer systems and didn't seem nearly as hard. I can see playing them.

Metal Slug games are also really hard. I got that for the Wii. I can beat the games, but it takes like 30 continues or like 90 lives total. I've read that some people can beat Metal Slug games on one continue. I don't see how that is possible.

kered: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:01PM

Midnight Club 2, in the later races. Ridiculous.

mr mobius: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:02PM

F Zero GX was harder than F Zero X, but F Zero X was not extremely difficult, just took some practice, and I only had to get the hardest level in the Joker cup in it. I never gave F Zero GX enough time to get good at it but I will eventually.

I'd say donkey kong land 3 (gameboy) was pretty hard but ikaruga should be high on the list, especially above F Zero GX (only game I've played on that list).

Wind Waker was not a challenge, just quite long. I found Metroid Prime to be difficult but probably only because I sucked at console shooters (until Wii that is - scarily I can shoot well when its a gun style controller but not using a normal controller - am I psychotic?).

billychaos: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:02PM

Megaman...??? Megaman???..you've got to be kidding me, right? I beat these games within 3 days of owning them. I love them all but they are just the right challenge.

Oh wait the many in the newer generation, seem to think any game is to hard if have to push more than one button at a time. Hell, people are complaining the the Wii controls are too hard are there aren't many buttons. Why dont they just make a game that when you press any button, you beat it.

Ok i'm being too rough. Yes some games on that list are hard but megaman arent that hard, they piss you off but you eventually beat them. Now ecco the dolphin, the 3d ones...that's another story.

john: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:04PM

the answer is....

kid chameleon for genesis. impossible.

kered: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:04PM

...and Revolution X with Aerosmith, anybody remember that?! Just in case your wondering why I played that game, its because I was at an arcade and the guy playing looked like he needed help. Badly.

Adam: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:05PM

GTA: San Andreas 100% (I know the main story is quite easy to beat)
Any Final Fantasy game 100% (60 hours through XII and I have not even finished the main story)

Nate: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:07PM

Anyone ever played Silpheed: The Lost Planet for PS2? Probably one of the hardest shooters I've ever played....anyone beat that game?

RD: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:12PM

Why isn't Duck Tales on this list?

Norm: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:12PM

I can't believe how many people are saying Ninja Gaiden! I can finish that game sometimes without being hit! Actually that was the only NES game I had for a long time.

Intentless: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:16PM

Duck Tales is not on the list because it was easy... Really easy... God it was easy...

JodyAnthony: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:17PM

i dont know how [random person] has a hard time with [random game] because I can beat it in 48 seconds without getting touched (unless you count by my mom LOL) so clearly [random game] should be easy for everyone!

Derbeste: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:17PM

Golgo 13

Comprehending why I put so much time into that POS in the first place is even more difficult.

Christopher7xii: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:17PM

EverQuest should be on there. People been playing it for 8 years now and still nobody has beaten it =)

Jokes aside, Ikaruga without fail should be on this. Gradius V for the PS2 is pretty harsh as well.

In fact, lets just nominate EVERY space shooter. It's a genre of pain.

Striderhayasa: Mar 22nd 2007; 5:19PM

my top ten

10- Section Z - NES
9 - BattleToads - NES
8 - Ninja Gaiden 3 - NES
7 - F-Zero GX - story mode - gamecube
6 - Magician Lord - Neo Geo
5 - Ghost and Goblins - NES
4 - Batman Return of the Joker - NES
3 - Kid Icarus
2 - Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Jedi Mode - N64
1 - Ikaruga - any console or arcade.