Once upon a time video games were created and shipped out without too much actual thought about game difficulty. It was a brand new form of entertainment and developers didn’t seem too interested in making sure that a game was not too difficult for the average human. The result was a slew of games so challenging that only the most patient of gamers could ever get through them. Maybe you conquered one of the five hardest video games below, but for most they are just too much.
1. Zelda II: The Adventures of Link (NES)
After the success of the first Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda for NES, Nintendo soon released the sequel, Zelda II: The Adventures of Link, that had some radically different gameplay. Link was now a side-scrolling RPG adventure game with leveling up and platforms to hazard. Unfortunately, the game was not well tested for difficulty. Players are given only three lives to beat the game and if all three of those are used up, then you have to start over completely from the beginning, unlike later Zelda games, which are much more forgiving. The dark maze of Death Mountain was one of the most challenging parts of this game. Players could spend hours upon hours trying to find their way through one of the most complex puzzles in Zelda history. Also, every time Link dies he returns to level one. That’s just plain mean.
2. Doom 2 (PC)
The early shooter, Doom 2, is noted as one of the best games of all time. However, the creators also wanted to give it the possibility of being the most difficult game of all time as well. By introducing difficulty modes, they allow for you to go up to the very top, “Nightmare Difficulty.” There are also custom levels created with extremely impossible difficulty. One called Cyberdemon Hell has 1500 cyberdemons to destroy and the player has only a pistol for a weapon. Good luck.
3. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Super NES)
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was so ridiculously difficult that Nintendo actually blocked its release in North America because they were afraid it would scare gamers away. The levels of this game are full of flying enemies and gusts of wind that don’t follow any particular timing that are enough to make you chuck the cartridge as far as you can away from you. On top of that, this was the game that introduced poisonous mushrooms that looked just like their helpful relatives. These take away a life instead of giving one to you–the result is a dread of picking anything up and an overall lack of faith in the world around you. Play at your own risk.
4. Demon’s Souls (Playstaion 3)
This recent release has shocked gamers with its innovative and difficult game style. Instead of following along with trends, the creators of this game stuck to their own ideas and created a completely unique and insanely difficult game. Demon’s Souls works on a different level of difficulty than the older difficult games, however. Levels are a challenge that give you a sense of accomplishment after completing. There is less frustration and more bitter admiration. One of the first things you’ll notice is that this game doesn’t even have a pause feature, so there is no stopping for a breather or to check online for the best course of action. It’s just you and the game. The game is online and features a grim help feature where players who have failed where you are can leave behind tips. On Halloween 2009, the game developers gave special bonus stats to all of the bosses in the game as a little treat for extra difficulty. It is doubtful that anyone actually managed to beat one of them, though.
5. Battletoads (NES)
Battletoads, for the NES was the cause of many new check-ins at mental hospitals around the world. With the basic style of the popular Double Dragon series, this game involves side scrolling fighting, only you are a toad. What makes it so difficult is that the creators of the game made far too many enemies to ever be possibly defeated in one player mode. To add frustration, in two player mode you and your friend can accidentally hurt one another and if either one of you dies you both go back to the beginning of the level. With only three continues before you have to restart your game from the beginning, this game is perhaps the most frustratingly difficult game in history. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Source: http://www.askmen.com/top_10/videogame/top-10-hardest-video-games-of-all-time_1.html
