People who think that Battletoads is the hardest NES game have no idea. Sure it's much harder than some other NES games that have a reputation for being quite difficult such as the Ninja Gaiden trilogy, Contra and Castlevania, but it's nowhere near something like Ikari Warriors without the code where it takes many hours just to conquer the first stage.
Oh yeah.
Ikari Warriors without the ABBA code is way tougher than Battletoads and Ghosts N Goblins. I'm not even sure it was "meant" to be played without the code.
I think Solomons Key and Q*Bert are probably harder too.
If it weren't for my NES completion blog I wouldn't have bothered trying to clear the game like I did.
I think you listed most of the really tough NES games. A few more I can think of are Arkanoid, Championship Pool (I think this is a best kept secret among top tier difficult NES games), and if you want to take a bit of a leap, the Miracle Piano Teaching System.
How random is Ikari Warriors? If you tried again, say today, would you be able to beat it again, after practicing for so many months? Or is it still a lot of luck to it?
Never tried the games you mention. Interesting. I hear Starship Hector really is a tier 1 tough game too. Supposedly its tons tougher than Silver Surfer, who as you might know, often mentioned as one of the hardest NES games.
I'd say the game is maybe 10-20% random. There are some enemy groups that spawn, move, and attack at random. Many of those situations can be mitigated by having the tank. The rest appear in the same spots all the time so you can memorize their locations and take them out quickly.
If I played it today I could possibly beat the game again but it wouldn't be likely. Some parts of the game I don't quite have memorized, and there are some spots in the game that are pretty dangerous and can end a run very quickly if things don't go according to plan.
Starship Hector is another top tier game in difficulty. I played it for a few days and stalled out in the second stage. Star Force is another tough one and I think High Speed is another. I don't have much experience with those so I could be wrong.
I don't think that any of those will take me as much time as Ikari Warriors, but I'll see when I get there.
I casually picked up Silver Surfer some time ago and got close to the final level, so I too think that one is a bit overrated in difficulty. Certainly there is less to memorize!
I'd say the game is maybe 10-20% random. There are some enemy groups that spawn, move, and attack at random. Many of those situations can be mitigated by having the tank. The rest appear in the same spots all the time so you can memorize their locations and take them out quickly.
If I played it today I could possibly beat the game again but it wouldn't be likely. Some parts of the game I don't quite have memorized, and there are some spots in the game that are pretty dangerous and can end a run very quickly if things don't go according to plan.
Starship Hector is another top tier game in difficulty. I played it for a few days and stalled out in the second stage. Star Force is another tough one and I think High Speed is another. I don't have much experience with those so I could be wrong.
I don't think that any of those will take me as much time as Ikari Warriors, but I'll see when I get there.
I casually picked up Silver Surfer some time ago and got close to the final level, so I too think that one is a bit overrated in difficulty. Certainly there is less to memorize!
Hehe, I'll probably get Ikari Warriors for my NES, but I doubt I'll put in the effort to beat it. I'm amazed by those of you crazy enough to do it though.
Yes, I think you're right. Silver Surfer probably isn't among the hardest shooters tier on NES. I haven't played it much yet. Its probably due to AVGN's video that its just more well-known, maybe. Abadox is another shooter that is often mentioned as near impossible.
Okay then, but whats the hardest platformer for NES then? Is it really Battletoads? Or Ghosts N Goblins?
The word on the street is that Holy Diver is a lot harder than Battletoads. To be fair it was only released on Famicom, as its US release was planned by canceled. It plays a bit like a Castlevania-ish game, and its extremely hard. You can get it for regular NES with neat reproduction carts, and it seems like a very good game despite it being very hard.
There's allegedely one place in the later stages of the game where you have to rely on an actual 'glitch' to get onto a ledge. That one seems tempting to try.
Hehe, I'll probably get Ikari Warriors for my NES, but I doubt I'll put in the effort to beat it. I'm amazed by those of you crazy enough to do it though.
Yes, I think you're right. Silver Surfer probably isn't among the hardest shooters tier on NES. I haven't played it much yet. Its probably due to AVGN's video that its just more well-known, maybe. Abadox is another shooter that is often mentioned as near impossible.
Okay then, but whats the hardest platformer for NES then? Is it really Battletoads? Or Ghosts N Goblins?
The word on the street is that Holy Diver is a lot harder than Battletoads. To be fair it was only released on Famicom, as its US release was planned by canceled. It plays a bit like a Castlevania-ish game, and its extremely hard. You can get it for regular NES with neat reproduction carts, and it seems like a very good game despite it being very hard.
There's allegedely one place in the later stages of the game where you have to rely on an actual 'glitch' to get onto a ledge. That one seems tempting to try.
Don't feel bad at all about using ABBA to work through Ikari Warriors just to see what it is like. You can get most of the way through the game with it, so I've been told. To do well in it though requires many playthroughs to learn the enemy spawns and powerup locations.
Abadox is tough but not so bad since you can credit feed your way through it. A 1CC of it would be very hard I imagine.
I think Battletoads may be the hardest NES platformer, if you consider it one to begin with. I would put it over Ghosts and Goblins just because you have limited continues. Adventure Island is pretty tough without continuing with the Hudson bee. I can't think of any more off the top of my head that are more difficult but there is probably one I'm missing.
Holy Diver is awesome! I have it on the Famicom. It's really difficult but with unlimited continues you could eventually credit spam all the way through. I've reached either Level 4 or 5. I just don't have a big enough block of time to sit down and grind my way through it.
Kid Kool is supposed to be pretty tough because of the design flaws.
I think that Battletoads is easier than Ghosts n Goblins, but I also think that it's way more fun, so I've played it a lot more. Battletoads may have limited continues but it's generous with 1ups.
I think that Battletoads is easier than Ghosts n Goblins, but I also think that it's way more fun, so I've played it a lot more. Battletoads may have limited continues but it's generous with 1ups.
Yeah, thats the big question.. I've beaten both too, but I am actually not sure which one I would say is the hardest. It might be a subjective call. I was almost literally sobbing at the second round of the last level of Ghost N Goblins, its just sooo much randomness going on, and I kept failing and failing and failing, just being oh-so-close multiple times.. Battletoads took me a whole month to beat tough while G'N'G was well under a week, so I always reckoned Battletoads therefore was harder.. for me at least. Ghosts N Goblins also (in practice) gives you unlimited lives and you even start from the last checkpoint when you're game over, so its generous in ways Battletoads is more cutthroat. I love Ghost N Goblins but its so annoying at times too, with those burrito-ghosts just spawning inside your face(=instant damage), the red devils, and sometimes and the controls being quite clunky. Battletoads has great controls, but some pretty brutal levels.. so I honestly don't know. I lean on saying Battletoads being a bit harder, as its so much longer, more varied and limited continues.. but I won't argue with people saying the opposite. They're both very hard. Kid Kool I have never played.
Don't feel bad at all about using ABBA to work through Ikari Warriors just to see what it is like. You can get most of the way through the game with it, so I've been told. To do well in it though requires many playthroughs to learn the enemy spawns and powerup locations.
Abadox is tough but not so bad since you can credit feed your way through it. A 1CC of it would be very hard I imagine.
I think Battletoads may be the hardest NES platformer, if you consider it one to begin with. I would put it over Ghosts and Goblins just because you have limited continues. Adventure Island is pretty tough without continuing with the Hudson bee. I can't think of any more off the top of my head that are more difficult but there is probably one I'm missing.
Holy Diver is awesome! I have it on the Famicom. It's really difficult but with unlimited continues you could eventually credit spam all the way through. I've reached either Level 4 or 5. I just don't have a big enough block of time to sit down and grind my way through it.
Very cool that you have Holy Diver for Famicom. Cool that you like it too. I thought I was namedropping something obscure there, haha, but yeah, it looks like a real challenge for the NES masochists. It seems fun. I'd have to pick up a repro-cart though, as I don't own a famicom. You should try to beat it! It'd be interesting to see if you could pull it off. I know someone who claimed it was way harder than Battletoads. Adventure Island is another hard one yes, for sure. Although its mainly the first one, as I've understood it? There's also Mr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. There's a stage with tons of barrels in it where things just gets very random. Actually, many things seem very random in that game.
I'll probably do the chicken route with the ABBA code with Ikari Warriors, yeah..
Don't feel bad at all about using ABBA to work through Ikari Warriors just to see what it is like. You can get most of the way through the game with it, so I've been told. To do well in it though requires many playthroughs to learn the enemy spawns and powerup locations.
Abadox is tough but not so bad since you can credit feed your way through it. A 1CC of it would be very hard I imagine.
I think Battletoads may be the hardest NES platformer, if you consider it one to begin with. I would put it over Ghosts and Goblins just because you have limited continues. Adventure Island is pretty tough without continuing with the Hudson bee. I can't think of any more off the top of my head that are more difficult but there is probably one I'm missing.
Holy Diver is awesome! I have it on the Famicom. It's really difficult but with unlimited continues you could eventually credit spam all the way through. I've reached either Level 4 or 5. I just don't have a big enough block of time to sit down and grind my way through it.
Very cool that you have Holy Diver for Famicom. Cool that you like it too. I thought I was namedropping something obscure there, haha, but yeah, it looks like a real challenge for the NES masochists. It seems fun. I'd have to pick up a repro-cart though, as I don't own a famicom. You should try to beat it! It'd be interesting to see if you could pull it off. I know someone who claimed it was way harder than Battletoads. Adventure Island is another hard one yes, for sure. Although its mainly the first one, as I've understood it? There's also Mr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. There's a stage with tons of barrels in it where things just gets very random. Actually, many things seem very random in that game.
I'll probably do the chicken route with the ABBA code with Ikari Warriors, yeah..
I will definitely beat Holy Diver at some point when I can free up some time! I've played enough of it where I can get to Level 4 without too much trouble so it's just a matter of time and practice.
I've found Adventure Island 2 and 3 to be quite a bit easier than the first game.
I haven't played much of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde but my impression is that you have to comprehend how the game works before it starts to make sense.
Comments
People who think that Battletoads is the hardest NES game have no idea. Sure it's much harder than some other NES games that have a reputation for being quite difficult such as the Ninja Gaiden trilogy, Contra and Castlevania, but it's nowhere near something like Ikari Warriors without the code where it takes many hours just to conquer the first stage.
Oh yeah.
Ikari Warriors without the ABBA code is way tougher than Battletoads and Ghosts N Goblins. I'm not even sure it was "meant" to be played without the code.
I think Solomons Key and Q*Bert are probably harder too.
If it weren't for my NES completion blog I wouldn't have bothered trying to clear the game like I did.
I think you listed most of the really tough NES games. A few more I can think of are Arkanoid, Championship Pool (I think this is a best kept secret among top tier difficult NES games), and if you want to take a bit of a leap, the Miracle Piano Teaching System.
How random is Ikari Warriors? If you tried again, say today, would you be able to beat it again, after practicing for so many months? Or is it still a lot of luck to it?
Never tried the games you mention. Interesting. I hear Starship Hector really is a tier 1 tough game too. Supposedly its tons tougher than Silver Surfer, who as you might know, often mentioned as one of the hardest NES games.
I'd say the game is maybe 10-20% random. There are some enemy groups that spawn, move, and attack at random. Many of those situations can be mitigated by having the tank. The rest appear in the same spots all the time so you can memorize their locations and take them out quickly.
If I played it today I could possibly beat the game again but it wouldn't be likely. Some parts of the game I don't quite have memorized, and there are some spots in the game that are pretty dangerous and can end a run very quickly if things don't go according to plan.
Starship Hector is another top tier game in difficulty. I played it for a few days and stalled out in the second stage. Star Force is another tough one and I think High Speed is another. I don't have much experience with those so I could be wrong.
I don't think that any of those will take me as much time as Ikari Warriors, but I'll see when I get there.
I casually picked up Silver Surfer some time ago and got close to the final level, so I too think that one is a bit overrated in difficulty. Certainly there is less to memorize!
I'd say the game is maybe 10-20% random. There are some enemy groups that spawn, move, and attack at random. Many of those situations can be mitigated by having the tank. The rest appear in the same spots all the time so you can memorize their locations and take them out quickly.
If I played it today I could possibly beat the game again but it wouldn't be likely. Some parts of the game I don't quite have memorized, and there are some spots in the game that are pretty dangerous and can end a run very quickly if things don't go according to plan.
Starship Hector is another top tier game in difficulty. I played it for a few days and stalled out in the second stage. Star Force is another tough one and I think High Speed is another. I don't have much experience with those so I could be wrong.
I don't think that any of those will take me as much time as Ikari Warriors, but I'll see when I get there.
I casually picked up Silver Surfer some time ago and got close to the final level, so I too think that one is a bit overrated in difficulty. Certainly there is less to memorize!
Hehe, I'll probably get Ikari Warriors for my NES, but I doubt I'll put in the effort to beat it. I'm amazed by those of you crazy enough to do it though.
Yes, I think you're right. Silver Surfer probably isn't among the hardest shooters tier on NES. I haven't played it much yet. Its probably due to AVGN's video that its just more well-known, maybe. Abadox is another shooter that is often mentioned as near impossible.
Okay then, but whats the hardest platformer for NES then? Is it really Battletoads? Or Ghosts N Goblins?
The word on the street is that Holy Diver is a lot harder than Battletoads. To be fair it was only released on Famicom, as its US release was planned by canceled. It plays a bit like a Castlevania-ish game, and its extremely hard. You can get it for regular NES with neat reproduction carts, and it seems like a very good game despite it being very hard.
There's allegedely one place in the later stages of the game where you have to rely on an actual 'glitch' to get onto a ledge. That one seems tempting to try.
Hehe, I'll probably get Ikari Warriors for my NES, but I doubt I'll put in the effort to beat it. I'm amazed by those of you crazy enough to do it though.
Yes, I think you're right. Silver Surfer probably isn't among the hardest shooters tier on NES. I haven't played it much yet. Its probably due to AVGN's video that its just more well-known, maybe. Abadox is another shooter that is often mentioned as near impossible.
Okay then, but whats the hardest platformer for NES then? Is it really Battletoads? Or Ghosts N Goblins?
The word on the street is that Holy Diver is a lot harder than Battletoads. To be fair it was only released on Famicom, as its US release was planned by canceled. It plays a bit like a Castlevania-ish game, and its extremely hard. You can get it for regular NES with neat reproduction carts, and it seems like a very good game despite it being very hard.
There's allegedely one place in the later stages of the game where you have to rely on an actual 'glitch' to get onto a ledge. That one seems tempting to try.
Don't feel bad at all about using ABBA to work through Ikari Warriors just to see what it is like. You can get most of the way through the game with it, so I've been told. To do well in it though requires many playthroughs to learn the enemy spawns and powerup locations.
Abadox is tough but not so bad since you can credit feed your way through it. A 1CC of it would be very hard I imagine.
I think Battletoads may be the hardest NES platformer, if you consider it one to begin with. I would put it over Ghosts and Goblins just because you have limited continues. Adventure Island is pretty tough without continuing with the Hudson bee. I can't think of any more off the top of my head that are more difficult but there is probably one I'm missing.
Holy Diver is awesome! I have it on the Famicom. It's really difficult but with unlimited continues you could eventually credit spam all the way through. I've reached either Level 4 or 5. I just don't have a big enough block of time to sit down and grind my way through it.
I think that Battletoads is easier than Ghosts n Goblins, but I also think that it's way more fun, so I've played it a lot more. Battletoads may have limited continues but it's generous with 1ups.
I think that Battletoads is easier than Ghosts n Goblins, but I also think that it's way more fun, so I've played it a lot more. Battletoads may have limited continues but it's generous with 1ups.
Yeah, thats the big question.. I've beaten both too, but I am actually not sure which one I would say is the hardest. It might be a subjective call. I was almost literally sobbing at the second round of the last level of Ghost N Goblins, its just sooo much randomness going on, and I kept failing and failing and failing, just being oh-so-close multiple times.. Battletoads took me a whole month to beat tough while G'N'G was well under a week, so I always reckoned Battletoads therefore was harder.. for me at least. Ghosts N Goblins also (in practice) gives you unlimited lives and you even start from the last checkpoint when you're game over, so its generous in ways Battletoads is more cutthroat. I love Ghost N Goblins but its so annoying at times too, with those burrito-ghosts just spawning inside your face(=instant damage), the red devils, and sometimes and the controls being quite clunky. Battletoads has great controls, but some pretty brutal levels.. so I honestly don't know. I lean on saying Battletoads being a bit harder, as its so much longer, more varied and limited continues.. but I won't argue with people saying the opposite. They're both very hard. Kid Kool I have never played.
Don't feel bad at all about using ABBA to work through Ikari Warriors just to see what it is like. You can get most of the way through the game with it, so I've been told. To do well in it though requires many playthroughs to learn the enemy spawns and powerup locations.
Abadox is tough but not so bad since you can credit feed your way through it. A 1CC of it would be very hard I imagine.
I think Battletoads may be the hardest NES platformer, if you consider it one to begin with. I would put it over Ghosts and Goblins just because you have limited continues. Adventure Island is pretty tough without continuing with the Hudson bee. I can't think of any more off the top of my head that are more difficult but there is probably one I'm missing.
Holy Diver is awesome! I have it on the Famicom. It's really difficult but with unlimited continues you could eventually credit spam all the way through. I've reached either Level 4 or 5. I just don't have a big enough block of time to sit down and grind my way through it.
Very cool that you have Holy Diver for Famicom. Cool that you like it too. I thought I was namedropping something obscure there, haha, but yeah, it looks like a real challenge for the NES masochists. It seems fun. I'd have to pick up a repro-cart though, as I don't own a famicom. You should try to beat it! It'd be interesting to see if you could pull it off. I know someone who claimed it was way harder than Battletoads. Adventure Island is another hard one yes, for sure. Although its mainly the first one, as I've understood it? There's also Mr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. There's a stage with tons of barrels in it where things just gets very random. Actually, many things seem very random in that game.
I'll probably do the chicken route with the ABBA code with Ikari Warriors, yeah..
Don't feel bad at all about using ABBA to work through Ikari Warriors just to see what it is like. You can get most of the way through the game with it, so I've been told. To do well in it though requires many playthroughs to learn the enemy spawns and powerup locations.
Abadox is tough but not so bad since you can credit feed your way through it. A 1CC of it would be very hard I imagine.
I think Battletoads may be the hardest NES platformer, if you consider it one to begin with. I would put it over Ghosts and Goblins just because you have limited continues. Adventure Island is pretty tough without continuing with the Hudson bee. I can't think of any more off the top of my head that are more difficult but there is probably one I'm missing.
Holy Diver is awesome! I have it on the Famicom. It's really difficult but with unlimited continues you could eventually credit spam all the way through. I've reached either Level 4 or 5. I just don't have a big enough block of time to sit down and grind my way through it.
Very cool that you have Holy Diver for Famicom. Cool that you like it too. I thought I was namedropping something obscure there, haha, but yeah, it looks like a real challenge for the NES masochists. It seems fun. I'd have to pick up a repro-cart though, as I don't own a famicom. You should try to beat it! It'd be interesting to see if you could pull it off. I know someone who claimed it was way harder than Battletoads. Adventure Island is another hard one yes, for sure. Although its mainly the first one, as I've understood it? There's also Mr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. There's a stage with tons of barrels in it where things just gets very random. Actually, many things seem very random in that game.
I'll probably do the chicken route with the ABBA code with Ikari Warriors, yeah..
I will definitely beat Holy Diver at some point when I can free up some time! I've played enough of it where I can get to Level 4 without too much trouble so it's just a matter of time and practice.
I've found Adventure Island 2 and 3 to be quite a bit easier than the first game.
I haven't played much of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde but my impression is that you have to comprehend how the game works before it starts to make sense.
Webhead123 made a thread a couple months ago with his review ... good stuff! http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=31&threadid=164266