Top 10 Hardest Games I Ever Played - My Retro Life

[@MyRetroLife]

Big thanks to Craig Skistimas with Sidescrollers Podcast for his "Honorable Mention" in this video. Definitely subscribe to his awesome new channel / podcast www.youtube.com/@SideScrollersPodcast - Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments. Thanks guys.

[@SuperBoomshack]

These games are the reason Game Genie was invented

[@blob5907]

why do you say "its literally one of the hardest games Ive ever played" after EVERY game

[@SneakyRSA101]

On screen Diarrhea , He made my day...

[@nosideyalubam9461]

Try anbernic rg35xx there's a retro 6thousand games

[@jasonleveck8546]

The Batman game reminds me of Gun Star Heroes, which that was a great run and gun.

[@mistrdevine]

Now that I’m an old man, I truly enjoy using the rewind function in the Switch online retro games catalog to finish games that would’ve been impossible back when I was younger.

[@jfreakzach]

Same lol

[@cotealcorn1680]

Me too!

[@battlenerd8179]

It's how I've been able to replay all the old Mario games and metroid.

[@balloonedraccoon2503]

Same! It's the only way I've beaten the ones I couldn't when I was a kid

[@RockDavid]

I mean yeah having some cheating and defying the fun of hte game and challenge of course is more fun Past the sarcasm of your cheating, i agree with you 100% I have finally beat a lot of games growing up that costed me weeks of mowing lawns due to the controller flying though a window or breaking a vase in the house 🤣

[@therageincajun]

Battletoads NES was the 1st time I ever broke a controller all bc of that turbo tunnel part. I threw it so hard it put a hole through my wall lol. I hid it with a ninja turtles poster for years until my mom finally seen it when we moving out. She was pretty mad haha.

[@mariokart8715]

The new owners of that house put a lot of money into it; it needed tons of work. It was an historic house back then.

[@Da_Humble_Life]

Facts

[@diddydoodat3218]

No you didn't

[@wes788411]

I loved Battletoads when I was younger, I rented it so many times. I don’t think I ever got close to beating it.

[@TaslimaBegumbasonti]

​@@diddydoodat3218 what a duck

[@leeartlee915]

The thing is, even though those were the “good old days”, part of that joy was the immense amount of suffering we endured.

[@parrishharris3008]

That's a fact dude

[@SideScrollersPodcast]

That Stuttering Craig guy talking about Jump King was WEIRD.... 😂 Thanks for having me on Tyler!

[@MyRetroLife]

Dude you are the OG when it comes to Top 10 gaming videos! It was an honor to have you on my friend. Jump King… looks frustrating.

[@argylega]

Maybe I've just gotten too old, but all of these new games where being brutally difficult is the whole point just are not for me. We played those nasty hard games back in the day because that's all we had!

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

Some of these are so challenging that they make me want to say "Watch it buddy".

[@depletable]

Bayou Billy sticks out in my mind. As a little boy, I couldn't figure out how to get past the first stage for the life of me.

[@eyokfla]

The nes had too many hard games

[@depletable]

@@eyokfla It made since back then somehow. Like when you went to the arcade you'd put in a couple of quarters in and played until inevitable death unless you were good. I remember treating NES and Genesis like that. If I died, maybe I would keep trying, but sometimes I would just take it out and put in a different game - like walking over to a different arcade cabinet.

[@MyRetroLife]

It would be on another Hard games list if I did one

[@eyokfla]

@@depletable wooow

[@parrishharris3008]

You ain't lying bub 👍

[@pmjobin]

While I was attending college, my roommate and I challenged ourselves to play through the entire Genesis catalogue. We beat a lot of games, including some from your top 10. But none ever came close to inflicting upon us the amount of pain and frustration that Undead Line did, a Japan-only release that I suspect was forged in the deepest pit of hell. I would describe it as Elemental Master for masochists. The mere thought of it fills me with dread but I still consider it to be an awesome game. By the way, congratulations on your channel Tyler. I came across it recently and I thoroughly enjoy your content. It makes me reminisce about my own childhood.

[@pokekiller787x]

17:45 I love Silver Surfer! I remember spending a whole day just grinding away at the game to beat it. For anyone struggling with this game, remember to make use of the bombs in hairy situations with the select button. And keep your shot upgraded, it will tear through boss health bars.

[@LotoTheHero]

I feel like with this game a turbo controller could be your best friend. It'd still be tough as nails though.

[@parrishharris3008]

Your absolutely right 👍

[@j23_stuff]

I know it's not on this list, but in college my roommate beat Battletoads on nes. I didn't realize until years later that Battletoads was an all-time difficult game. I didn't fully appreciate his victory at the time, but I now realize what a legend he was to beat it.

[@dmo848]

I beat it on Gameboy

[@Xeo7]

Having played most of these games growing up, I think it's why I like difficult games so much now as an adult. And when a modern game is too easy, or holds my hand too much (Like modern Pokemon games, or Kirby), I get bored really easily with them now. Meanwhile I'll get stuck on the same boss in a Dark Souls game for two days and absolutely love my time with it.

[@bigboyanimation3799]

They must make a remake of comix zone

[@MyRetroLife]

I really hope this is what Lizard Cube is working on

[@cupheadandmaskedsinger3523]

That would be awesome .

[@papa_sloth_gaming547]

Comix Zone was fantastic! I found it quite hard at first but aced it after a few tries. I bought that, Super Street Fighter and Streets of Rage 3. I was surprised to find SOR3 as it was a rare one.

[@mariokart8715]

SOR3 is worth thousands of dollars.

[@gwthump]

This just triggered me 😂. I could never beat that game

[@KobraKai2388]

Always a good day when Tyler drops a new video.

[@PandemicPete]

I know right! I love his videos

[@Dsweet93]

It’s so cool to finally hear someone bring up Comix Zone. I was born in 93 and was given hammydown video games from family friends, comix zone is one I played so frequently. I remember all the tricks I learned with the different items and routes to take in the levels but never would get past stage 3 😅 I heard they copywrited the use to have comic panel styled levels in video games so we’ll never get another one like it 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@NOBODYZWATCHINUUU]

Comic jumper was very similar on 360

[@albs7025]

Double Dragon 3 is so special to me.. me my brother & cousin spent years playing it on NES. First played it when I was 4 in 1994.. all the way up until 1999 we could never beat the final stage/boss. Great game

[@d3vilman69]

You may not realize it but you are really blessed to have a Dad who is a video gamer and genuinely enjoys collecting and playing games with his kids. Many non-gamer parents just buys whatever games the kids want and watch them play w/o getting involved.

[@ChairmanMeow1]

Man those home video shots early in the video look exactly like my own childhood. Life sucks lol but the late 80s-late 90s were MAGICAL

[@wave201988]

I got a few hard games myself like the Ninja Gaiden games on the Xbox and Playstation. Ninja Gaiden 2 was one of the toughest games in the trilogy.

[@vic8230]

I was born in '91 so my introduction into gaming started with the n64, then more gamecube/ps2. Im getting more into collecting now for them plus snes, genesis, etc. (I know, worst time to start collecting 😂) Just wanted to say I love your videos man and love the fact thay your family decided to videotape and capture so much if it! So freaking cool!!

[@mtwice4586]

Watching speed-runners (especially Arcus) destroy all three Ninja Gaiden games is amazing.

[@feenix219]

Not quite a speedrun, but I can still smash through Ninja Gaiden 2 in a sitting like its nothing. Ninja Gaiden 3 suffers from the limited continues that spit you back at the first part of the stage. It if was playing by "Ninja Gaiden 2" rules it would be eminently beatable.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

​@@feenix219 I can't believe gamers still have a tough time beating Ninja Gaiden 1. I'm a moron at video games and I learned how to beat NG1 as a kid and as a middle-aged man.

[@BG_LONDON]

​@@kenterminateddq5311 you beat ninja gaiden without youtube GTFOH 😂

[@kenterminateddq5311]

@@BG_LONDON Dont' be sarcastic. I was able to beat Ninja Gaiden 1 and I'm a dummy when it comes to video games.

[@kyletech84]

contra hard corps feels like slightly faster paced than other titles b4 it in the series. That along with the limited continues really spikes the difficulty

[@RetroWasteLand81]

A couple of these games made me think I was just incredibly bad at video games because as a kid I didn’t know everyone else was struggling as well. Fortunately now I know I’m not incredibly bad at video games just not very good.

[@enriquepinero707]

The trick to beating Batman and Robin on the Genesis; is to get the green weapon projectile and max it out as soon as possible (avoiding all other weapons); as it is the most powerful. Then you got to get in the zone. Me and my brother were able to beat this game regularly, with this strategy.

[@richardfosterII7575]

Love your videos. I always think of what your dad would think of games today. I knew he loved innovation and technology from your videos. Really wish he would of seeing the gaming landscape has become. He was a great man thanks for sharing everything with us. You have the coolest family.

[@MyRetroLife]

Thanks for the great comment :-)

[@crimesforkibble6912]

It has become a pile of shit mostly

[@apocalypticminister1369]

We've all had those moments brother... Raging is a part of life... 😂 Difficult games sometimes ruin the experience but, does have replay value lol😂😂😂

[@mariokart8715]

Tyler rage quit at Super Metroid when he tried to beat Crocomire. His Dad coached him to keep hitting the boss.

[@geogadget1]

This video was awesome and on point. I am surprised that my #1 did not make your list. “Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight” this game was extremely difficult even as an adult I revisited and I cannot beat it.

[@BryanTruong]

I love your anecdotal videos. I think it's remarkable you captured and kept so many memories on home video

[@WhatwouldRoddyPiperdo]

Love these videos so thanks for uploading I left home real young (13) and have a bad memory so all that times starting to get hazy and I never really had a family or possessions from childhood so I adore watching people with normal lives document all this 😁 here's two that stressed me out as a kid Another world THAT SNAKE and super punch out the Jackie Chan dude I still haven't beat to this day why's he kicking me this is boxing not K1

[@tekdrudge]

I'm not afraid to say that I have gone back and played some retro games that I had issues with as a kid and used the "Save State" feature and basically Scum Saved through the entire game.

[@striderskorpion]

I love Comix Zone and wish they'd do a sequel or even a remake. I don't understand why they decided that punching objects (e.g., barrels) would cause damage and then force you to do it in certain situations.

[@knife_xsonicparadox]

Yeah but nowdays nobody Cares about those old like comix zone forgotten Sega STI games anymore they just abondonned those 90s relics and throwed them in the trash but luckly they were restored by Sega retro and Sonic retro on pc and ripped their rom and posted it on internet.

[@striderskorpion]

I wouldn't say no one cares for them. Also, the ROMs have been available long before Sega Retro existed.

[@cruelwraith2games926]

I didn't beat comix Zone originally on the Genesis I did beat it on Xbox 360 at least twice it's also backwards compatible on Xbox One Xbox One X Xbox series XS

[@ps3inquisition441]

Me and my brother played Double Dragon III all the time back in the day. We eventually could beat it, but we had to do everything perfect. One player it’s impossible.

[@coopershoes]

I absolutely hated playing Spiderman-Arcades revenge, such an infuriating game. Bart Vs the space mutants and Bart's nightmare used to piss me off quite a bit too 😂

[@thewolf5191]

One of the defining moments of my young gaming years was finally beating lion king. I think I actually cried!

[@SuperBoomshack]

I have no idea how I had the patience to beat the 3 NES Ninja Gaiden games in the early 90s; there is no way I can play them now without throwing my controller through the window. Many cans of Copenhagen were consumed while playing those games...

[@aldoushuxleysghost]

Early RARE titles were brutally punishing. Have you played Battletoads? Snake Rattle n Roll? I beat 5 out of these 10

[@LotoTheHero]

I agree with those two for sure! Still haven't beaten either of them, still love them both! 👍

[@TheBLBShow]

The Ice Stages in Snake Rattle and Roll are brutal. They always ended my runs. In Battletoads it was usually the vertical level or the tubes stage right after. Never had trouble with the turbo tunnel though

[@vintagecrazyjay4970]

My #1 hardest game to beat was Ghosts 'n Goblins on the NES, especially since you have to beat it twice in a row and can't turn off your system! Once I beat that, all other games seamed more fun! I beat Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts and it was more enjoyable because the colors and gameplay were fantastic, but still extremely hard. Good times!

[@heartofakid9532]

Wow that you beat it. I made it through it one time to the end of the first run through and I was like hell no I’m not going through this again but my dad loved it and made it to the very end multiple times after getting the bracelet and I would watch him and be like come on beat it and every time he got to the final boss he would lose and to this day he never beat it but still awesome game and beautifully designed

[@Vintagej10]

I can't get past the first stage lol as an adult I give up way easier because time is valuable... but was very determined when I was younger. I didn't personally find lion king to be that difficult I got pretty far but it was on someone else's console I was so damn bored at their house... I don't think I would have been so determined to finish it if it wasn't for boredom. Ghouls and goblins is ridiculously hard for no reason lol

[@charliehustle2591]

Great list that I agree with 100%. Ninja Gaiden series especially. Even today I can’t get past the places I would get destroyed on as a kid. Contra Hard Corp is so incredible to look at, but mind-numbingly frustrating.

[@mariokart8715]

Tyler received that game for Christmas in 1994.

[@HardPumpers]

Hardest part of Ninja Gaiden III was all the flying enemies. The US release was made more difficult by increasing damage taken and adding more enemies as well as a continue limit. Once you memorized the level and enemy locations it wasn't too bad. The bosses in that one were stupid easy even the final bosses.

[@chzzyg2698]

I wish someone would interview some of these developers and ask why they had to make kids games so freaking impossible. Seriously, when you can't get past the first or second level it just kills the fun instantly.

[@dcbfan1231]

I had Ninja Gaiden III when I was kid and this game was no joke. Insanely difficult, but I did beat it. It was awesome!

[@bigantho1557]

You’re a beast for beating that man. Its ridiculously tough for me.

[@fan0000]

And it's funny Tyler the moment you mentioned the Lion King game I immediately thought not just of that stage but of the ostrich part in particular it's like I was anxious all over again thanks for the content love what you do

[@joeball13]

Wow! Seeing stuttering Craig come down the ramp out of no where, hit your opponent over the head with a chair and then sneak out, giving you the 1,2,3....it felt like watching the Rock come back on royal rumble when no one expects it, lol. I apologize but I remember watching hours of screw attack videos with him , and to see him in the video of one of my new top 3 game content creators is incredible. Nice crossover and call back Tyler, show was great as usual. Keep up the good work.

[@f.prince6642]

14:10 this made me laugh genuinely hard earned a new sub! 😂

[@GrzlyBeard]

So funny, ghouls and ghosts is tantalising punishment 😂I beat it and in my aged years I've not managed to reproduce that victory.

[@philmason9653]

Publishers in the West were terrified of the rental market. Especially on Genesis, they'd make all kinds of things like Lion King crazy hard just so kids couldn't get through it in a weekend. The NES surely had a bit of this too, but I think it was also a byproduct of simply not having the ROM space (the CPU could only address 256k unless the cart had a special mapper chip), so they had to make the content on the cart tough to get through since games were only 25 minutes long.

[@papa_sloth_gaming547]

Not really a hard game as such but I absolutely loved Faxanadu on the NES. Phantom Fighter on the NES was ridiculously hard too!

[@BluzCue]

your list of games.... you are right... played allot of them and still to this day haven`t beaten them

[@sebastiang7821]

These videos are always so fascinating to me. Even as a kid I could beat Double Dragon 3 but I will probably never, ever beat Ninja Gaiden 3. The 5 continues are a deal breaker. I beat Gaiden 1 and 2 through repetition because of the unlimited continues and taking that away was too much.

[@Legofromthelowerlands020]

I also just played TMNT again on the NES, talking about difficult games 😅, I am worse than I was 30 years ago lol!

[@lucydream64]

Love this channel. A lot of my fondest memories are from my early gaming days, albeit a different era (i started playing games in 2000) but man this is such a great nostalgia trip

[@PurpleSanz]

"It's like you touch the top of the building, you die; you touch the ceiling, you die; you touch the floor, you die; too far to the right, you die; too far to the left, you die; you die, you die, you die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, die, DIE!!!"

[@josephdeleonardis349]

Aladdin on the SNES is the most frustrating game I’ve tried to revisit as an adult. You almost have to have the cave memorized to fly out on the magic carpet without dying.

[@jarebkasinger2414]

Lol I beat that when I was a kid, one of my favs

[@Moyanskiondaspatyoriskiyow]

Oh man I love your insights about these games... I just feel so livid knowing that others are stealing your video in youtube without your consent..... either way we got your back Tyler

[@Arthur19-v3y]

Really?? That's a shame.

[@mariokart8715]

Follow KZbin’s community guidelines.

[@xxwhatevahxx]

GHOSTS N GOBLINS, NES....... I had the misfortune of being stuck with only one game in the early 90s for 2-3 years (ok ok, i had also "duck hunt" lol) and parents hated gaming, they refused to buy anything else.... tried all other versions out of curiousity after my horrifying endevour but nothing comes close, the arcade & SNES version was actually a fun stroll..... took me months just to get past first level, then took me 1 year to get to the boss..... and took me 2 years to finish it once with utmost luck, played up to 12 hours a day (had no other game, we were broke and i loved gaming so much), i broke 3 controllers..... 1 controller out of rage (decapitated it) and 2 for just mashing/playing so much.....

[@120420]

Yup. I've had my times during the NES days. For me, this would've been my Top 10 list. I still play these games today, and I'm passing the torch to my daughter as we Bond together just like my Dad and I. Tyler, I'm new to being a Subscriber and it makes me sad how I didn't catch your channel much earlier. The memories you had with your dad absolutely mimic with what i went through when growing up bk in the 80's. Even though your a few years younger than I am, it's amazing how i can see a lot of you in me. Thanks for everything and I already know the joy that you'll be bringing in future vids. 10. Ninja Gaiden 9. TMNT 8. Wizards & Warriors 7. Ninja Gaiden 3 6. Ghost & Goblins 5. Super Castlevania 4. Double Dragon 3 3. BattleToads 2. Silver Surfer 1. Mike Tysons Punch Out Yes, I've beaten these games now that I'm in my 40's. Thank You Rewind!

[@ShineyUnderpant]

Its cool and refreshing to see a veteran admit hes a noob ,great content bro.

[@pokekiller787x]

2:03 i get it's subjective, but i feel games like Batman and Robin are so much fun because of the difficulty. Mastering it bit by bit getting further each time.

[@MyRetroLife]

Oh totally. Something I should have mentioned is this one is more manageable on two-player

[@someguy9471]

I’ve been playing ninja gaiden black for the original Xbox and I can’t speak to the older title you mentioned in the video but I can attest to NG black’s difficulty. This game is going to give me a stroke it is SO HARD. It’s like that bully in school you do your best to avoid but somehow someway you keep running into him and he keeps kicking your ass. I’m thoroughly convinced that I’m going to need some form of therapy before I reach this games end. Of course that’s only if I make it to the end and given how this game has been treating me like a battered housewife, it looks like I’d have a better chance at winning the lottery, finding Bigfoot and being 21:51 struck by lightning all in the same day. This game was made to hurt your feelings while it crushes your dreams. Children shouldn’t play this game and not because of the violence, but because kids would relentlessly cry so hard they’d piss themselves. Great game but the difficulty of this game brings the animal out of you. Such an evil game, sometimes I contemplate burning it😂

[@LemonTree9280]

Hopefully you'll be at 100k subs by end of summer. Your channel is the best retro game channel on KZbin Tyler

[@xybervox]

I did manage to beat The Adventures Of Batman & Robin for Sega Genesis once. The key is to collect only one colored-icon. If you stay on one weapon/color, the weapon becomes big and powerful, making the game a lot easier. It's essential really. So the trickiest part becomes trying to stick to that color. If you get the wrong color, I think it starts over to the weak version of the weapon.

[@joshcharter4689]

Sub-Terrania on the Sega Genesis is a big one for me. I remember the day my dad randomly brought that home for me and my brother. He either got it from Electronics Boutique or KB Toys at the time. I spent weeks on that game really really trying and maybe got to the 3rd stage by the time I gave up. Still put it in from time to time to remind myself. Maybe someday. :-P

[@Macazian]

I'm more surprised the original NES Battletoads and Bayou Billy was not on this list. Hope you get a chance to try those games out. They are extremely difficult but not in a computer cheating type of manner.

[@parrishharris3008]

Lord have mercy i hate Bayou Billy 👎

[@ciscoak9074]

They made games specifically harder in this era for a couple of big and understandable reasons.1) kids nowadays wouldn't understand the concept of renting from a store or what a blockbuster is, but game rentals was a big reason why developers made games so unreasonably hard.. they knew if u were able to beat a game in 3 days or during a rent cycle ppl weren't gonna go buy it unless it had great replayability like a fighting game..the 2nd big reason was since there was only so much space on a cartridge every game was gonna be reletivly short (which is also why there wasn't a save option aside from level codes) so in order to give the consumer the most bang for their buck they felt like they had to make up for the lack of length with difficulty, therefore giving the illusion of length from repeated hair ripping retries!. 3rd reason is because alot of the games were ports of arcade games, and the whole goal of a arcade game was to make money from repeated deaths! More deaths=more quarters!! a very simple concept in reason 3!.. when developers made comsole only games they kinda stuck to the same formula and in most cases turned it up 1000×!! since they're not milking quarters they thought giving the "illusion" of length thru difficulty was the only way to justify the price tag.. the term "Nintendo hard" became legendary with games like ninja Gaiden, lion king, battle toads so on n so forth!! the difficulty and the bragging rights that came with clearing a "Nintendo hard" title was worth the price tag for most players..there were ppl who did 2 three day straght no sleep binges to beat a game thst was technically probably barely an hour or so long without the intense unfair, cheap and sanity breaking difficulty!! 3 DAYS straight with a few piss/poo/pizza breaks between to beat a game that probably wasn't even a full hour long in a technical sense lol..just straght madness!!! Ppl think fromsoft soulsborne games are hard nowadays LOL smfh! I'm gonna give a small example for the kids who never will know the pain!! Just imagine getting thru an entire game that was already hard, but then u come to the last boss which is the equivalent to Melania from elden ring n then u obviously die!. Great right? Nowadays u start from a checkpoint close to the boss room, back then!! Imagine having to start over from the VERY BEGINNING of the game!! Only to get to the end boss that U ALREADY KNOW u can't beat this time around only to try and figure out as many attack patterns possible before u die, praying and hoping u saw enough to be able to hopefully beat her in ur next play thru FROM THE BEGINNING!! then!! Say u do beat her after playing thru the whole game start to finish 20+ times....only to find out THERES A 2ND PHASE!!!!then boom u die n back to the start u go!! So i hope u beat that 1st phase thru skill that can be repeaded rather than dumb luck!! Cuz ur gonna need to do it again n again to see that 2nd phase THAT U HAVE YET TO EVEN START LEARNING YET!!all this isn't even taking into account all the other equally difficult shit u need to play thru from the start over n over n over again!!.. this is how someone can spent 3 no sleep days trying to beat a game that isn't even a hour long!!

[@MrChristoph0r]

Contra hard corps is brutal, but the music makes up for the pain on it’s own. Also the co op.

[@guillermobluray]

Back to the future for the nes is very hard. One time I beat it when I was young.

[@ericmoreau4568]

After quickly glossing over your list, I've to agree 100% about Double Dragon 3, once rented but then forever shelved as one of those impossible games with no continues, let alone lives. I could barely even pass the first stage, so yeah, it definitely gives me anxiety just thinking about it. (The second in the franchise is the best!)

[@jakedenheijer5985]

10:11 needs a flicker warning.

[@PaulHindt]

Shout out to Time Lord. That is definitely one of the hardest and most cryptic games I ever played as a kid too. We got a NES late in its lifespan, after the SNES had been out for a little while. Time Lord was one of the only games I owned, along with Mega Man II and PinBot. I spent so much time trying to figure out how to beat that stupid wild west stage with the orb that would float up away from you as you moved toward it. For whatever reason that section of that stage just stumped me as a kid, so I never did beat Time Lord.

[@MVGW]

Interesting list! I havent popped my copy of Time Lord in for a long time... may have to revisit and see how far I can get now.

[@themegaman91965]

This is why I have, and use the Game Genie for just about all the Genesis games in my collection; especially 2-player games like Streets of Rage 2 for a comfortable experience.

[@joshuamtzchz2596]

Now thats what im talking about retro games where even more chalenging back in the day

[@gwthump]

4:06 the flashbacks, it took forever to beat that stage. FOREVER 😂

[@lisa4471]

Love your videos so much! 🥰 The hardest games i played : - Mario 64 (never grew up with it but played through 100 stars on the 3D all Stars Collection) -Dream Alone (platformer) -Cuphead (played little bit but not beat it myself 😂)

[@mariokart8715]

Mario Sunshine & Galaxy.

[@note2owns]

NES had some of the hardest games. The Gremlins is one I remember as being difficult. However one that was touted as being hard that I actually breezed through with no deaths was Journey to Silius. You could always kill most of the lazers and enemies before fully scrolling to the right.

[@panagiotisexplorer213]

I think Bart vs the World for NES and Terminator 2 on game boy were really difficult.

[@ToolCraze]

The NES mega Man games were brutal. Especially if you play them as an adult nowadays. I remember Lion King and playing it on The game gear. It was a fun game from what I can remember but I just couldn't get past the waterfall level. So frustrating! Also a game on the game gear called Chakan. I don't remember too much from this game other than it was annoyingly hard. Yet I would still play it lol.

[@Inkflictionstudios]

That’s crazy to see My Hero in this video. Always thought it wasn’t any popular at all. This game was one of the first games ever remember playing, and man it was difficult. I recently played it again, thinking “maybe I can’t beat it this time”….. nope. Still hard AF

[@eyokfla]

My personal list : 1. Super R-type on hardest level (super nes) 2. Super empire strike back (super nes) 3. Batman 1 (nes) 4. Ninja gaiden sigma (xbox 360) 5. Double dragon 3 (nes) 6. Super ghouls and ghost (super nes) 7. Contra 1 without the Konami code (nes) 8. Zelda 2 (nes)

[@davidhemphill2409]

I remember buying Time Lord in high school because it was cheap and the cover looked cool... and yeah, I never got past that Wild West stage either. Don't remember if I sold it, traded it, or destroyed it but let's just say that I'm glad it's not in my collection anymore.

[@alfredocanas6802]

I was molded by Nintendo hard games, I think it helped me be a perseverant person in my adult life and never give up.

[@dmo848]

We had nothing else back then. Hours upon hours figuring things out.

[@jackeyniraula]

Some old games started with 2 lives and the very first stage felt like a final stage. I never played those games until I came across an emulator and the next thing was I used the game genie codes and completed all those suckers.

[@DannyP-dm1pw]

I beat Mike Tyson in Punch Out back in the mid 90's. That was my greatest hard game moment. In fact in the local neighborhood friends would invite me over all the way until 2001 to beat it in front of other people because no one believed it could be done. A friend I lost touch with due to life told me on social media once that he still tells people he knows a guy who beat Punch Out. Not just Punch Out but other games back then we all beat were tough or made cheap to last which is why modern games don't give that rush for me anymore to want to conquer. The biggest challenge in modern gaming for me is actually wanting to even finish a game. I don't want to spend 200 hours playing a game. Modern gaming needs to basic to the points arcade style games again. Sony needs a new Twisted Metal, NIntendo needs to drop F-Zero and Punch Out

[@dmo848]

Ain't that the truth

[@ericmoreau4568]

I found Macho Man to be somewhat tougher; his spinning punch was a real pain to dodge. Although I beat Tyson at one point, it was amazing how he could simply take you out with one razor uppercut.

[@theconsolekiller7113]

Great video. A few retro games that I completed that make my list are, Metal Storm on Expert, Jim Power (SNES), Super Smash TV (Snes) and Gun.Smoke (arcade). Ninja Gaiden 3 was one of the harder ones I completed on the NES as well. You take more damage, theres less checkpoints and limited continues, compared to the other 2 games. Though Metal Storm on Expert would be the hardest NES game Ive completed. Gun.Smoke arcade was brutal to the point where some of the bosses felt like a complete brick wall with no visible progress for hours. Some of the more extreme challenges I completed were from the PS2 era and up to more modern. Ive tried all these games but some of them Ive never really worked on. I remember owning Time Lord for NES, unfortunately. Back during the NES days I was rarely able to beat a game, but that was part of the mystique of gaming. Not being able to see most of the games. For better or worse it developed a love for the challenge and a reward for getting better. I started to experience that a little more in the 16 bit era. The average game has gotten easier with each newer generation but theres no lack of challenge if you look for it. Either from extreme modes, personal challenges, or the rare modern game thats difficult on default settings. Indie games are better with offering a challenge atleast. Way more options these days. Emulation has really opened up all the old games for me, allowing me to practice and master a game, segment by segment with save states before putting them together. Its a much different approach then how we had to do it back then.

[@TheBLBShow]

Glad that somebody mentions Gun Smoke. That is one of the few games I gave up on even while using save states. I can't imagine how people actually beat that game legit. Enemy Bullets are so fast compared to other shmups

[@theconsolekiller7113]

@@TheBLBShow Yea, that game really tested my stubborness, ha ha. It took me around 25 hours to beat. I played it on and off over the course of a few years as it pissed me off frequently. I never really hear it mentioned but out of around 3,000 games beaten, its easily one of the hardest things Ive completed. The density is insane for a game thats only 30 minutes long and has unlimited continues. Even when I tried practicing the bosses with save states Id be dying as soon as I reloaded, each time and it got very tiring. It actually inspired me to get a USB foot pedal which I mapped to Load State. Never got the chance to use it for that game, but wish I had gotten it sooner. It was one of the only games where I actually did not succeed against many of the bosses during practice. Normally Id beat a boss 3 times or so during a practice run , but in this game I would just be trying to get somewhat of a feel, or atleast see if it was even possible. I go into more detail in this tutorial : kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJnOd52tjbSJqJI Appreciate the feedback

[@patrickjones2843]

WOW! I cant believe your #1 pick. Spot on IMO! I was actually going to leave a comment about it but I'm quite impressed you had it at #1. That game gave me tears as a kid but I did clear 2 stages. I think the lizard level and the pumpkin one. Surprised Ninja Gaiden one isnt on here. I was pretty happy to beat that a few years back finally.

[@patjordan6183]

My brother somehow managed to beat silver surfer. I just watched him in awe I couldn't beat any of the stages

[@pavels470]

I did gouls and ghosts, and yeah the replay scared me for life. It gave me a bad headache and made me sick. It taught me turn my back on games

[@JamesChessman]

Time Lord: that boss just takes a long time, maybe ten minutes or whatever. He changes color slowly to show that he’s losing his health. No real secret, it just takes a long time

[@marioq8395]

Playing through a lot of old school games on the Switch online service its amazing how we beat some of these without save states. Must have been those younger reflexes.

[@mariokart8715]

It’s costs you money each month. That’s impractical.

[@marioq8395]

@@mariokart8715 the value is still there. $50/year is about $4.15 a month. I mainly got it for the Mario Kart DLC and access to over a hundred games across NES, SNES, GB,GBA, and N64 is definitely worth it for me.

[@mikehicks2283]

Aww man! Lion King! I remember being like 9 years old trying that game. I remember it being so darn hard. I never beat it. I remember getting past the 1st level. Maybe the 2nd but that's it. Played Mario afterwards.

[@DomenicVermillion]

Can confirm, these are nightmares haha. Seemed like bosses in batman and robin bosses eat bullets like its nothing unless u have the green max'd out one. great list of headache platformers.

[@2REAL4MOST]

I got that same Nintendo t-shirt nice...Game On! 🕹️📺🎮

[@Patrick19833]

I can't even beat the first level of Super Ghouls and Goblins. Way too hard!

[@thatplushieguy]

I’d love a video about how you got your daughter into retro games! If I ever become a parent it seems like a daunting task.

[@freedumb719]

Coming zone was a gift for my 11th birthday. Took me 2 years to beat it. The password system was the only way back then.

[@retrorider-NYC]

The 80’s made us bad ass gamers

[@blakejohnson4713]

For me, the game that wrecked me was a rented version of Chakaan that didn't have the manual. We wanted so bad to get good at the Genesis classic but without the manual to explain that you could break down certain walls with certain weapons, or descriptions of magic powers/potions, then you were dead in the water as of starting which ever insanely difficult 1st level you chose to play. I beat it as an adult but I def used save states inbetween levels since you have to beat multiple levels within a time limit before you are sent back to the beginning of the game regardless of even dying or not.

[@crobinson2624]

Some of the hardest games I’ve played and beaten are Ninja Gaiden Sigma, DMC Devil May Cry, TMNT NES, Jurassic Park SNES, Home Alone 2 SNES.

[@x2SiCcx]

For me the hardest game was “The Adventures of Batman & Robin” on the Sega Genesis. Till this day, I’ve never beaten that Game.

[@MyRetroLife]

It’s on this list for a reason!

[@pattontank773]

Man...the Lion King monkey puzzle. My original video game frustration. I remember letting my neighbors borrow it after spending WEEKS trying to beat that puzzle. When I went over to their house to play, THEY HAD MADE IT PAST THE PUZZLE!!!! They were D students too and no one in the family ended up graduating. I felt like an idiot then and still do now.

[@johndoe-uo1go]

It’s comforting to know that I’m not the only one who had problems with the second level of the Lion King.