5. Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels
Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels is simply the hardcore version of the very first episode of the series. Much harder to navigate through, the different levels introduced new gameplay elements designed to make the game much more difficult to complete: with vicious enemies (special mention to the flying jellyfish), the shrinking mushrooms, the platforms being more remote and requiring accurate jumps from the very edges, random wind gusts deflecting the trajectory of your character and some warp zones offering the illusion of shortcuts can actually send you backwards.
3. Battletoads
Battletoads is one of the rare games that can have you begging for mercy, with its climax lying in the obstacle courses levels. At full speed on your speeder bike, you must avoid obstacles and enemies that come without warning, knowing that the slightest touch causes the loss of one of your lives. This aspect is further highlighted in the multi-player mode since the error of a player always causes the death of another. Add to that the presence of friendly fire, limited continues and crazy platform phases and you would agree that Battletoads is one of the hardest NES games.
2. Contra
Contra is a series that is commonly known for its high difficulty. The enemies come at your from every direction and can often be hard to reach, pitfalls run rampant and bosses are moderately tough. This would be like the average shoot'em'up is a single shot didn't rob your of your life and cancel your much needed gun upgrade. Moreover, in the original version of the game, the 3rd person phases had a strict time limit. And if you thought the two-player mode made this easier, think again. Friendly fires are abound and, if your happen to be a sore loser, it is recommended to only play with friends you can afford to lose.
1. Ghosts'n Goblins
Ghosts'n Goblins is by far the game that incorporates the concept of video difficulty the most. Indeed, being able to pass the very first level of the game is in itself an achievement. Firstly, the enemies' behaviour is particularly devious. They appeared random from all side without as much as a warning, moving erratically and shooting at you with vicious projectiles trajectories. Secondly, if with enough skill (and luck) you managed to reach the final boss, the latter is kind enough to send you back to the first level, forcing a lot of players to quit and avoid themselves the stress of having to redo everything again. Finally, as if all this wasn't enough, you have a limited time to complete each levels.
Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels is simply the hardcore version of the very first episode of the series. Much harder to navigate through, the different levels introduced new gameplay elements designed to make the game much more difficult to complete: with vicious enemies (special mention to the flying jellyfish), the shrinking mushrooms, the platforms being more remote and requiring accurate jumps from the very edges, random wind gusts deflecting the trajectory of your character and some warp zones offering the illusion of shortcuts can actually send you backwards.
4. Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer is a game with an exaggerated difficulty in different aspects. The most marking one is that a single contact with an obstacle or an enemy's fire is enough to lose a life, life that is quite scarce since limited to 3. In contrast to this, your trigger happy enemies that require several shots to be killed have quite the erratic the behaviour and get the habit of appearing behind you, which can get tough when you know that you can only shoot straight ahead.
Battletoads is one of the rare games that can have you begging for mercy, with its climax lying in the obstacle courses levels. At full speed on your speeder bike, you must avoid obstacles and enemies that come without warning, knowing that the slightest touch causes the loss of one of your lives. This aspect is further highlighted in the multi-player mode since the error of a player always causes the death of another. Add to that the presence of friendly fire, limited continues and crazy platform phases and you would agree that Battletoads is one of the hardest NES games.
Contra is a series that is commonly known for its high difficulty. The enemies come at your from every direction and can often be hard to reach, pitfalls run rampant and bosses are moderately tough. This would be like the average shoot'em'up is a single shot didn't rob your of your life and cancel your much needed gun upgrade. Moreover, in the original version of the game, the 3rd person phases had a strict time limit. And if you thought the two-player mode made this easier, think again. Friendly fires are abound and, if your happen to be a sore loser, it is recommended to only play with friends you can afford to lose.
Ghosts'n Goblins is by far the game that incorporates the concept of video difficulty the most. Indeed, being able to pass the very first level of the game is in itself an achievement. Firstly, the enemies' behaviour is particularly devious. They appeared random from all side without as much as a warning, moving erratically and shooting at you with vicious projectiles trajectories. Secondly, if with enough skill (and luck) you managed to reach the final boss, the latter is kind enough to send you back to the first level, forcing a lot of players to quit and avoid themselves the stress of having to redo everything again. Finally, as if all this wasn't enough, you have a limited time to complete each levels.
