The most difficult game you ever beat?

[argyle]

Props for beating Shinobi on the PS2. I tried. I really, really tried but the next-to-last stage got me. As I understand it, the final stage was just a boss fight. Anyway, you had to do that whole stage in one go, no checkpoints, and you had to be basically perfect. I lost count of how many times I tried, but I finally had to accept defeat.

Thanks. It was a nightmare. I remember the first time I beat it shouted, "YES!!!" and everyone in the house asked if I was ok. I also managed to beat the game on the hardest difficulty setting, but I had to use Moritsune to actually stand a chance.

Unfortunately, the last stage was both a boss and a huge level. ~_~() If you died before reaching the boss, you had to start over. If you made it to the boss, that was considered a check point.

Hrm, maybe it was the last level that stumped me then. I remember looking it up & seeing that just the final boss fight was left if I could beat what I was on.

Easiest? Hrm... well, you get the plat in season 1 of The Walking Dead just by playing through the game, so that's probably it. Tho Enchanted Arms was pretty easy to S-rank on the 360 as well (it hit the PS3 before trophies were introduced ) - there was only one trophy that it was possible to miss by just playing through the game, and it was just a decision you had to make correctly at basically the end of the game. Only 360 game I ever S-ranked too, I believe.

[retroone]

1. 100% Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (360)
2. Mega Man 2 (NES)
3. Dr. Robotniks Mean Bean Machine (Gen)
4. Sonic Riders (GCN)

[pacpix]

Wizardry IV was by far the hardest game I finished, and I played WITH a guide.

"The Return of Werdna" is considered an extremely difficult game; the designer was Roe R. Adams III, a well-known gamer and writer who reportedly was the first to solve Time Zone.[1] Computer Gaming World stated, "This game was designed expressly for the expert Wizardry player."[4] Knowledge of the first game of the series is vital to completing Wizardry IV. It is equally unforgiving of mistakes and bad luck as its predecessor trilogy, but unlike the trilogy, there are no experience points for defeating enemies, and therefore no reward for surviving difficult battles, or opportunities to grow stronger at the player's pace. The only way a player may grow stronger is to fight their way through the current level, and find a pentagram on the next level, no matter how overwhelmingly difficult the foes on the current level may be. Some of these foes include ninjas capable of killing Werdna instantly with a critical hit, mages with area-effect spells that can wipe out entire parties of monsters, thieves who can steal items that are critical to completing the game, and clerics capable of resurrecting Werdna's fallen adversaries.

Like the previous trilogy, mapping out levels is vital to avoid becoming lost. But the difficulty of mapping out levels is increased exponentially. While the previous games included occasional traps that could throw the player's maps off, such as dark areas, teleporters, pits, chutes, and rotating floors, these traps and many more are abundant in "The Return of Werdna". An early level contains a minefield, with an invisible safe path that can only be discovered through exhaustive trial and error. Another level is a series of seemingly identical intersecting pathways, with rotating floor tiles on each intersection. At the top of the dungeon is the Cosmic Cube, a 3D maze consisting of dozens of rooms, connected by passageways, chutes, ladders, and teleporters, all of which have their own unique tricks, traps, and mapping difficulties. In addition, some of the most deadly foes in the game roam the cosmic cube, and because it contains the final pentagram, no further strengthening is possible.

Another major example that seriously hinders unfamiliar players is the seemingly impossible task of exiting the very first room. The only way out is a hidden door which may be revealed by casting a "light" spell called "Milwa". The only way to do this is to recruit a group of Priests. This seemingly-simple task is made unintuitive due to the lack of any evidence that there is a door to begin with; the necessity of recruiting a group of Clerics, which are ineffective in combat and take the place of effective combat recruits; and the need to enter combat until the Clerics cast this spell. There is no suggestion in the context of the game as to what Milwa or any other Cleric spell name means; only players familiar with prior Wizardry games would understand its function. To a player unfamiliar with these earlier Wizardry titles, it would seem that the Clerics cast a useless spell. Furthermore, the Milwa/Light spell eventually expires, meaning that there is a limited time to find the door once the spell is cast. (Acknowledging the difficulty of this very first puzzle in the game, Sir-Tech included a sealed envelope in the game package containing its solution, to be opened if the player couldn't figure it out on their own.)

This excerpt from Wikipedia only scratches the surface of the absurdity in that game.  I have no idea how people figured this game out without a guide.  If you find the best ending you get a phone number to call the developers!

[abe]

To mix-it-up a bit...what are some of your *Easiest* games that you've all platinumed and/or got 100% of the gamerscore?

Home on the PS4. It took me a little under 3 hours to get 100% of the trophies and if the game wasn't bugged and I got the trophies when I was actually supposed to it would've probably barely taken 2 hours.

What kind of things would pop trophies for you in (PS4) Home, abe?

I had to delete my save data for the game and reinstall it every time I wanted to start a new game, otherwise no trophies would pop on the next playthrough.

[devancowan]

For me it was getting the "best" ending in Cave Story. Going through that Hell level avoiding falling rocks, fire and evil angels was hard enough. But then fighting Ballos in a incredibly hard three stage boss fight was insane. All on one health set. You had more health in Cave Story 3D that made it slightly easier but it was still intense. But that third ending is so incredibly satisfying.

Iv been playing through this to and it's so hard! Granted I am playing Cave Story 3D and not the original

[dashv]

It's honestly hard to say...

Blaster Master
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden II

Were tough. But I was tougher.

Never did beat TMNT for the nes.

[gartcat]

It's honestly hard to say...

Blaster Master
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden II

Were tough. But I was tougher.

Never did beat TMNT for the nes.

Did anyone beat TMNT? 

[kashell]

Hrm, maybe it was the last level that stumped me then. I remember looking it up & seeing that just the final boss fight was left if I could beat what I was on.

That was probably it. Despite all of the pits, traps and nasty enemies that refused to make your journey easy, that game was still great. I actually listened to some of the music from it yesterday at work.

Another difficult game that comes to mind is Resonance of Fate. Actually learning the game was a difficult and near the end, the bosses were exercises in trial and error.

As for EASIEST game, I would have to go with the following:
Atelier Escha and Logy
Atelier Ayesha
Ar tonelico
Tales of Destiny
Mega Man X
Mega Man X5
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Again, I'm sure there are others.

[link182]

[/quote]
Mega Man X
[/quote]

Really?  That game was very unfriendly when I started.  I spent hours getting to the different bosses and dying at all of them...  You can(and I did!) trivialize the final part of the game by stocking up on energy pellets.

You could think of a million disappointingly easy games.  Nearly every 3d zelda game, for example.

[doafan]

2. Mega Man 2 (NES)

Want to believe that you are joking cause this one was beaten by my wife last year, actually is the only onf from the whole series that she was able to complete, at least for me even at the hard difficulty is not that though.

Did anyone beat TMNT?

Actually never completed the water level those damn electrified things 

[disgaeniac]

Hrm, maybe it was the last level that stumped me then. I remember looking it up & seeing that just the final boss fight was left if I could beat what I was on.

That was probably it. Despite all of the pits, traps and nasty enemies that refused to make your journey easy, that game was still great. I actually listened to some of the music from it yesterday at work.

Another difficult game that comes to mind is Resonance of Fate. Actually learning the game was a difficult and near the end, the bosses were exercises in trial and error.

As for EASIEST game, I would have to go with the following:
Atelier Escha and Logy
Atelier Ayesha
Ar tonelico
Tales of Destiny
Mega Man X
Mega Man X5
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Again, I'm sure there are others.

SotN is really easy, kash?

(Having never played either series), I've always heard & associated Castlevania/Metroidvania's with really difficult games 

I've heard a lot (almost all of it = Love too, btw) about SotN -but- had written it off as too hard...

...is it easy *enough* to be worth bothering to try it 1-handed?

[kashell]

Mega Man X: I didn't own a copy of it until about a year or so after it got released. So, whenever I was at a friend's house who happened to have it, we would pop it in and I'd watch him play. When I got my copy, I already knew what I was doing. I mean, there were still some growing pains like the giant spider boss, but all in all it was pretty simple for a MM title.

SotN: Hmm...for one handed play I would say it would be really tricky. Maybe if you started with a cheat code that let you have access to good weapons or armor? It may take away certain challenging aspects of it, but it would also let you get to experience the game. It's fantastic.

[burningdoom]

I thought Symphony of the Night was MUCH easier than the traditional, level-by-level Castlevania games. And much more enjoyable.

[argyle]

SotN is definitely easier than "old-school" Castlevania games, but I wouldn't say it's the easiest game I've ever played. The second castle can get pretty tough, especially your first time playing.

[burningdoom]

Speaking of Castlevania, this book that I recently got, printed in 1990:



Says that Castlevania III is "not difficult by any standards" in their review of it...seriously. And they weren't joking. It just goes to show how different expectations for games were back then.