# Games that are 'stupid hard' **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 1, 2008, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545 "2008-04-01T16:30:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/41 "2008-04-03T16:52:42Z")
[QUOTE=JohnT] No matter how much I play it, I can never do better than 2 or 3 levels in the arcade game [Sinistar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinistar). Perhaps if I were 12 with a body full of Jolt Cola… perhaps I then would get to level 4. But that fucker is _hard_. Stupid hard. [/QUOTE] Run, COWARD! ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/42 "2008-04-03T16:53:19Z")
[QUOTE=Jragon] [I wanna be the guy](http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/) However… that one is a tribute to so called “stupid hard” games, so it doesn’t really count. [/QUOTE] This game is just sadistic. I love it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2008, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/43 "2008-04-03T23:52:28Z")
[QUOTE=JohnT] No matter how much I play it, I can never do better than 2 or 3 levels in the arcade game [Sinistar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinistar). Perhaps if I were 12 with a body full of Jolt Cola… perhaps I then would get to level 4. But that fucker is _hard_. Stupid hard. [/QUOTE] Agreed. and “I HUNGER!” ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/44 "2008-04-04T01:19:53Z")
[QUOTE=Maui Lion] The very first Mega Man game on the NES. I remember that the disappearing blocks made me go crazy as a kid. It was so frustrating. Even though now the blocks aren’t as bad for me, but the game as a whole is still difficult. I also know I can’t get far in Nobunaga’s Ambition for the NES. I guess I’m not that good at running a fief/country. [/QUOTE] Nobunaga’s Ambition is great. I remember playing it a ton. Great game. ---
**Author:** ![Ganryu\_Kojiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Ganryu\_Kojiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ganryu_Kojiro)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/45 "2008-04-04T02:04:54Z")
I kicked ass at Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2, but Nobunaga’s Ambition whipped me terribly. Could have been fun, but I never really picked it up. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/46 "2008-04-04T03:05:37Z")
Some places I liked and were better to start from than others. The western island was my favorite place to start. ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/47 "2008-04-04T03:11:05Z")
[QUOTE=Ganryu Kojiro] I kicked ass at Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2, but Nobunaga’s Ambition whipped me terribly. Could have been fun, but I never really picked it up. [/QUOTE] 17 fief pick Oda (17) 50 pick I think 42 or 43 (chob something) tax about 70 for one year give peasants all extra rice. Lower tax to 60 and keep it there. Make sure to share the wealth with the peasants or they will revolt. And build up on 17 fief before war, on 50 assassinate the two surrounding you when you have the money to bid on them the next season. You can get them for 20 gold sometimes! ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/48 "2008-04-04T03:52:31Z")
That was the despotic teachings of the game in action: raise the shit out of taxes, then lower them a point every once in a blue moon. They’ll act like you’re doing them a favor. ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/49 "2008-04-04T13:25:08Z")
[QUOTE=Least Original User Name Ever] That was the despotic teachings of the game in action: raise the shit out of taxes, then lower them a point every once in a blue moon. They’ll act like you’re doing them a favor. [/QUOTE] Personally I liked using my ninjas to cause uprisings in my neighboring fiefs. Then after the peasants uprise pay attention to the text. “40 rebels 60 loyalists” or whatever it was “the loyalists have won”. Then I knew they where easy pickings, send out a spy view how many men where left, and march in for “combat”. Yes Nobunaga’s Ambition was and is one of my favorite games. I still break it out on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/50 "2008-04-04T13:35:59Z")
Yeah, but it was “stupid hard” in the fact that there was nothing you could do if the Hand of God decided to pick you out for a flood or an invasion or a revolt in the first couple of turns, cause you can’t make dams and an army at the same time! Then even if you survived that other fiefs would salivate and take you over. If I survived the first year I’d be doing pretty good, but the first 4 turns of NA is a crapshoot (at least the original where you could only do one thing a turn.) ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/51 "2008-04-04T14:17:14Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] Yeah, but it was “stupid hard” in the fact that there was nothing you could do if the Hand of God decided to pick you out for a flood or an invasion or a revolt in the first couple of turns, cause you can’t make dams and an army at the same time! Then even if you survived that other fiefs would salivate and take you over. If I survived the first year I’d be doing pretty good, but the first 4 turns of NA is a crapshoot (at least the original where you could only do one thing a turn.) [/QUOTE] Well not entirely true. In your rolls you make sure to get close to 500 or higher before accepting. And if you chose the 2 fiefs I said earlier you already have a standing army above 70 men. So invasion is not likely if you chose skill level 3 or lower anyway. First turn increase tax to 70 _spring_ then summer give/peasants rice _summer_ (if you have 80 rice and 75 men give the peasants 40 that allows you to last 15 days in an attack) Lower tax to 60 _fall_ grow with half your gold _spring_ give peasants same % of rice _summer_ Then build/dam/grow/give for a few seasons. Then worry about your military. Oda is strong to start out, and rarely do you piss off the peasants enough unless you don’t give them frequently. _The above is only for 17 fief_ ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/52 "2008-04-04T15:05:20Z")
Tragically, I’ve also found that the older I get, the more games are “stupid hard.” And forget about playing shoot-em-ups online! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/53 "2008-04-04T15:09:11Z")
[QUOTE=RyJae] Well not entirely true. In your rolls you make sure to get close to 500 or higher before accepting. [/QUOTE] So basically, you just pretend you lost those other game with the low rolls right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/54 "2008-04-04T15:32:04Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] So basically, you just pretend you lost those other game with the low rolls right? 😃 [/QUOTE] When your roll you get to decide (yes/no) if you want to continue you stay clicking no until you get high numbers. 🙂 Charisma/Luck/health matter the most to me. Intelligence doesn’t matter much unless you are sick and decide to rest and a war starts. But I never rest. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/55 "2008-04-05T02:55:11Z")
[QUOTE=Ganryu Kojiro] Not that I’ve ever known, though I imagine finding the letter is part of the initiation test. [/QUOTE] [spoiler]You didn’t hear it from me, but we usually hide them behind the refrigerator, last place you look and all that. If it’s not there it’s probably deep inside yourself and will take a while to get out. See you at the council meeting![/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/56 "2008-04-05T03:17:54Z")
I didn’t see it linked yet, but [Cracked tackled this subject a little while back](http://www.cracked.com/article_15696_10-most-irritatingly-impossible-old-school-video-games.html). A lot of them have been mentioned here, including Battletoads at #1. ---
**Author:** ![Ganryu\_Kojiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Ganryu\_Kojiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ganryu_Kojiro)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545/57 "2008-04-05T04:03:25Z")
[QUOTE=Jragon] [spoiler]You didn’t hear it from me, but we usually hide them behind the refrigerator, last place you look and all that. If it’s not there it’s probably deep inside yourself and will take a while to get out. See you at the council meeting![/spoiler] [/QUOTE] Not saying anything one way or the other, but if you should find a [burger](http://www.ninjaburger.com/) just sort of sitting there, just take it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-are-stupid-hard/443545.md?page=2)