# The Hardest Video Game You've Ever Played **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 12, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254 "2009-11-12T01:38:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_In_A_Top_Hat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/1 "2009-11-12T01:38:51Z")
So I just saw a cartoon about how hard the most recent Ninja Gaiden was, and I remember roommates spending hours and hours grinding through the tutorial level of the video game adaptation of “The Thing”, to say nothing of the frustration that was “Ecco the Dolphin”, but I admit I’m a little behind on current video games. So, what’s the hardest video game you’ve ever encountered, and why was it so difficult? Tell me! Thankee big-big, –CiaTH ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/2 "2009-11-12T01:41:40Z")
I Wanna be the Guy. I think [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPBgxWyXYKI) says it all. ---
**Author:** ![badlyburnttoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@badlyburnttoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badlyburnttoast)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/3 "2009-11-12T02:41:29Z")
I was going to mention I Wanna be the Guy. But since that’s taken, I remember Battletoads for NES being unreasonably hard. Edit: fixed spelling ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/4 "2009-11-12T04:32:42Z")
[The ET game from Atari. Sense could not be made out of it, you’d just fall down holes and couldn’t get up.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial_(video_game)) ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/5 "2009-11-12T04:39:28Z")
Myth and Myth II - Soulblighter, I am convinced, are impossible on “Legendary” difficulty. * * * ███\*\* SIT NOMINE DIGNA \*\*███ ---
**Author:** ![Stowed\_Bob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stowed_bob/32/3312_2.png) [@Stowed\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stowed_Bob)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/6 "2009-11-12T04:45:04Z")
Friday the 13th I know what I had to do in theory, but in execution I’d only catch Jason by accident. I’d promptly get slaughtered. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/7 "2009-11-12T05:02:20Z")
Ghouls and Goblins I think I remembered that right. The one where after you get hit once you’re in your undies, get hit a second time and you’re dead. Oh, and you had to do the game all in one try. That sucked multiple vermin testicles. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/8 "2009-11-12T05:25:18Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > Ghouls and Goblins > > I think I remembered that right. The one where after you get hit once you’re in your undies, get hit a second time and you’re dead. > > Oh, and you had to do the game all in one try. That sucked multiple vermin testicles. - 1 ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/9 "2009-11-12T05:44:59Z")
Games that are poorly designed shouldn’t count for the purposes of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/10 "2009-11-12T05:52:46Z")
Silver Surfer. Watch this section from the Angry Video Gamer Nerd to understand. Go to 5:32 in this clip, but do watch the whole thing later for laughs. [Silver Surfer is Pure Torture!!!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvnRBywkUZ0) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/11 "2009-11-12T05:56:16Z")
Or, go to 7:45 seconds and let is play to see how hard the enemy paths are in that game. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/12 "2009-11-12T06:01:32Z")
None of those games, except ET, and _two player_ Battletoads, were poorly designed. Ghosts and Goblins was going to be my call, too. Beautiful game, but a stone cold bear. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_In_A_Top_Hat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/13 "2009-11-12T10:08:11Z")
Holy Crap…I Wanna Be The Guy is insane. I kinda want to try it, now. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/14 "2009-11-12T10:13:29Z")
Either _Battletoads_ or _Dead Rising_. And the latter might not count, as per \*\*Odesio[b/]'s rules, depending on your point of view. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/15 "2009-11-12T13:17:32Z")
> [@Cat\_In\_A\_Top\_Hat](#): > > Holy Crap…I Wanna Be The Guy is insane. I kinda want to try it, now. That it is. It is possible to [beat it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=533419), though. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/16 "2009-11-12T13:31:58Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > Ghouls and Goblins > > I think I remembered that right. The one where after you get hit once you’re in your undies, get hit a second time and you’re dead. > > Oh, and you had to do the game all in one try. That sucked multiple vermin testicles. Actually there was a code that you could use for continuing. However there was something even worse in the game. Something that would make anyone break down and cry: after you beat the game it loops back to the beginning and you have to beat it the second time with tougher enemies to get the ending. I strongly recommend you check out the [Gamecenter CX episode](http://www.crunchyroll.com/media-470048/game-center-cx-13/) where the host tries to beat it. I have to go with the NES Castlevania as the hardest game I’ve ever played. It’s shocking that decent games descended from something that rough. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/17 "2009-11-12T14:01:20Z")
I’d like to nominate [Doomdark’s Revenge](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomdark%27s_Revenge). Although I did win once, after Shareth the Heartstealer died off-screen in some random encounter early in the game. Despite it’s limitations (once you had throughly explored the map and put together a recruiting strategy it was possible to mass enough armies together to be invincible), the original [Lords of Midnight](http://www.edge-online.com/magazine/the-making-of-lords-of-midnight?page=0%2C0) was a much more fun game. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/18 "2009-11-12T14:03:54Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > Either _Battletoads_ or _Dead Rising_. And the latter might not count, as per \*\*Odesio[b/]'s rules, depending on your point of view. 😉 What was hard and/or misdesigned about Dead Rising? That game was awesome, and not all that hard. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/19 "2009-11-12T14:19:21Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > What was hard and/or misdesigned about Dead Rising? That game was awesome, and not all that hard. Well Otis is annoying to put up with. 🙂 Really the only way that I can think of Dead Rising as really hard is if you’re going to the Saint achievement in which case you’ve got several points where you’re suddenly on a very tight time table and potentially have a large crowd of survivors you’re trying to herd. But all of that is optional in the game. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254/20 "2009-11-12T14:44:19Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > Ghouls and Goblins > > I think I remembered that right. The one where after you get hit once you’re in your undies, get hit a second time and you’re dead. > > Oh, and you had to do the game all in one try. That sucked multiple vermin testicles. Absolutely the answer. Joe [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-hardest-video-game-youve-ever-played/517254.md?page=2)