The Nintendo Entertainment System was a console many grew up on and many consider the greatest video game console ever devised. It had amazing games many have played for generations, as well as its share of junk. A lot of these games are known not only for being amazing in their own rights, but because of how difficult most of them were. In a time when companies were releasing 5 games a year, most were short but hard as hell. These 10 games put the extra mile in the term "Hard".

A couple things to mention before we start this list. First, I'm fully aware there's a rating system based on how others think of how hard the game is, in terms of adding to the overall list of hardest games on the site. We're not gonna go into that because that would make the list extremely more predictable than it should be. Let's face it, you're gonna see a lot of familiars that you may remember that made you want to demolish your controller. Don't be surprised.

This list will not be covering any titles released only in Japan, so that takes out the original Super Mario Bros 2 (even though this was released later, it wasn't on the NES) and the godawful Transformers game released there. This list is also covering games that were generally hard in more ways than one. Those that were hard because of broken or cheap game mechanics and the like are out of the list, such as Dr. J...no...I'm not gonna mention that one.

This list is also scaled out of 10. I was going to use stars instead of numbers, but they don't work.

With those out of the way, let's get into the list. Prepare to rage.

Let's start the list with the precursor to one of Capcom's greatest franchises.

The first Mega Man was so much different than later ones. It had a scoring system, had 6 Robot Masters, and their stages were filled to the brim with enemies that could attack from all directions.

This game was a platforming nightmare, where to progress through the stage often required extreme precision and a ridiculous amount of trial-and-error. And no, this doesn't happen near the end of the game, like one would expect, this happens from the very start! For enemy hits, there wasn't a grace period or invincibility; you either beat it correctly or you died. The bosses weren't that easy, either. Most of them were tough as nails, and some were almost borderline unbeatable without the correct abilities.

Any casual Mega Man fan who gets a taste of this game will surely know how difficult this is and could probably question how it became such a great franchise. Well, that's company reputation and the game selling decently, despite that artwork...

Fortunately, Mega Man 2 resolved a lot of the problems that were in this game and some redesigns. These redesigns would allow it to become one of the best games on the NES. Regardless, this one is without a doubt one of the hardest Mega Man games ever released.

Difficulty: 6/10 - Very Hard

Contra is known not only as one of the most difficult run-and-gun games ever created, on top of being a very tough NES game to boot, but it is also known as one of the best multiplayer games ever devised for the system. Its sequel, Super Contra, on the other hand, takes the first game's legacy and turns the difficulty even higher.

The game was updated from its original, having added inclined platforms and vertical-scrolling stages, as well as the ability to control the height of one's jump.

The difficult part was the massive swarms of enemies, as well as having both players having to keep up with one another in multiplayer. Oh, and the famous 30 Life Konami Code isn't in this game. Rather, it was a different code entirely that netted you 10 lives. Japan had it better here, as that code gave them 30 lives and there was also a stage select code they could use that was removed in other ports.

Contra is amazing and tough in its own right, but I think less have beat this game than its predecessor.

Difficulty: 6/10 - Very Hard

Ah, the oddball of the bunch. Always getting the rough for most fans of the franchise.

This game was completely different than the first game. Instead of an overhead view, it was a side-scrolling platformer with Action-RPG elements. Several elements of this game wouldn't be seen again, such as the EXP system. Overall, the game is mixed among gamers alike.

While the game isn't that tough for the first two dungeons, something to be expected in games, Death Mountain in this game is where everything starts hitting the fan. The enemies get very hard, very quickly, and having to go around a maze to get through the mountain doesn't help that much, either. By the end of the game, it becomes an absolute nightmare trying to survive and beat the last bosses.

Oh, and the worst part of this? There are no saving checkpoints! You do get 3 lives at the start, and more as the game goes on, but lose all of them, and you have to start all the way back at the beginning. There is only one checkpoint to go back to in the game, though, but that's only in the last dungeon. Good luck getting there without dying so many times!

Difficulty: 7/10 - Rage-Inducing

Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! is one of the most well-known boxing games in video game history, but wow, does it get tough towards the end of the game.

The game has three leagues; Minor, Major, and World. Each of which gets harder as Little Mac progresses, and then the difficulty racks up hard once the World League is reached. With your opponents hitting hard and blocking most of your attacks, this part is the hardest in the game by miles.

Then we get to the big guy himself: Mike Tyson. Tyson is incredibly cheap, especially for the first 30-40 seconds. A hit from him in this stage can almost instantly K.O., but fortunately, he fights like normal after said amount of time, where it will become a long and rage-inducing battle to beat Tyson, and the game following suit.

The rereleased game, simply titled "Punch-Out!!", has a different final opponent, Mr. Dream. He's actually easier than Tyson, making beating the original all the more satisfying.

Difficulty: 7/10 - Rage-Inducing

The Castlevania trilogy is an amazing horror-adventure series on the NES, but all of them were difficult to beat without the right items and getting hit so many times. The first was fantastic and tough at the same time. The second, like Zelda II, has a mixed reception among gamers for the non-linear gameplay and overall poor design of the game. The third game fixed a lot of the issues, and added many new mechanics, but also became the most frustrating of the trilogy, as a result.

You play as Trevor Belmont, who takes on Dracula over 200 years before Simon does so in the first game. Trevor is aided by three other playable characters over the course of the game; Grant, Sypha, and Alucard, each with their own various abilities.

Even with their abilities, this is still the hardest game in the NES trilogy, what with the limited controls and enemies in sections that make the areas unforgiving in so many ways. The stairs are the worst, much so that it'd make some want to walk up ramps instead of stairs after playing this.

Difficulty: 7/10 - Rage-Inducing

If Shredder and his goons were as smart as they were in this game, the heroes in a half-shell would have been turtle soup at this point. This game is based off of the 1987 animated TV series of the same name, and is most famous for having a difficulty spike so cruel, thinking that a kid can beat this game at their age would be absolutely ludicrous.

The four turtles have their own skills and life bars, but the only one most are concerned of is Donatello. The reason is obvious; his pole is incredibly overpowered compared to the others, to the point where he could take down bosses from above and not get hit. But even he has his control issues, as with the others. The limited control of the game makes it difficult to jump and move around in certain areas (especially the dam). What's dumb in this game is that the turtles can't even swim in the sewers. Oh, and the time limits on stages and the amount of enemies in stages made it all the more hellish.

This game was outrageously hard, and there was no sense in it.

Difficulty: 8/10 - Controller-Demolishing

This beat-em-up styled game is one of the most infamous games on the NES for multiple reasons.

It is mostly known for its varied gameplay, from platforming stages to the Turbo Tunnels, but it is also one of the most punishingly hard games on the NES. The way this game was designed is at once remarkable and terrifying. The variation of genres the game toyed with also made the game somewhat unpredictable to the player.

It's even worse when trying to play this game with another player. Unlike some of the previous entries, this game has friendly fire. On top of that, lives are somewhat shared. If one of the two lose all their lives, the other player gets punished, too. How? By sending them back to the start of the level...with the same amount of lives they had when the other player got a Game Over.

Difficulty:
One Player: 8/10 - Controller-Demolishing
Two Player: 10/10 - "F*** THIS GAME!"

The Ninja Gaiden trilogy in general is difficult as can be, but the third game in it truly shines as the most difficult of them all. Even though the first game does get some credit for its extreme difficulty (especially including the godforsaken hellhole that is Stage 6-2), Ninja Gaiden III takes this spot for a few reasons.

Like Super C, North America's version of the game was made intentionally harder, to the point where it was unforgivingly cruel. The first two games had infinite continues, whereas in this game, you don't. It also had most enemies taking 2 points of life instead of 1, while Ryu still had the same 16 points of life as he did in the previous games. The game also had a password system that was omitted. Lovely, Japan. Just lovely.

Were it not for localization differences, the first Ninja Gaiden would have replaced this game for this spot.

Difficulty: 9/10 - Game-Demolishing

This game was incredibly hand-cringing. The game was so cheap in its poor design, it became a legend in its difficulty on the console.

The game was a shoot-em-up that shifted between a side-scrolling and an overhead perspective. The difficulty of these stages was insane, where you had only one life, you couldn't touch anything, and seemingly millions of projectiles and enemies coming at you from all directions. Silver Surfer also had a large hitbox, which made surviving all the more difficult.

Basically, you either got hit or beat the stage, and you'll get hit quite a number of times before finally making through the stage. The image you see after losing a life will be one to remember for a very long time.

Difficulty: 9/10 - Game-Demolishing

This game appeared a year before the first Mega Man and definitely stood the test of time as one of the hardest games that was ever conceived. From two hits to lose a life and a massive array of enemies to swarm you down, on top of a time limit to clear each of the six stages in the game, this game is truly a nightmare to behold.

The game centers around a knight named Arthur who has to rescue Princess Prinprin from Satan (Astaroth in later games) after he takes her to his castle.

But a knight cannot save a princess with his bare hands, right? (Well, probably, but who would try?) Arthur gets a variety of weapons to use against the monsters that attack him, some of which do more damage to some enemies than others. Despite that, Arthur can only take two hits, once to have his armor completely blown off of him, and again to get killed. The massive amounts of enemies in each of the levels is so ridiculous, it's like a medieval Contra. He does get armor within the game to replace his previously blown suits of armor, however, so at least one can survive for a bit longer before being completely annihilated 30 seconds later.

What makes the game even more difficult is the fact that you have to play the game twice to get the true ending. Yes, you have to play the game twice. The first time was only an illusion for much more pain to come, and the second time nets you the true ending. Oh, and it's in broken Engrish. Go figure.

Difficulty: 10/10 - "F*** THIS GAME!"

A crapload of games could've filled this list to an overflow. Mostly, this was because the NES was notorious for having a large library of games that were hard as nails. Here's just a couple honorable mentions, and I'm obviously gonna miss plenty.

Fester's Quest
Metal Gear
Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones
Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight
Blaster Master

The NES will always be a console remembered by many. It had a huge library of games, many of which franchises began and became mainstays in the world of today. But compared to today's world, most games aren't truly as hard as they were in the days of when this console existed. However, there just may come a day when a game is released with a difficulty so high, it will trump others for years to come, just like in these days of old here.


List by ZeroType-X (05/16/2016)

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