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In the last debate, we discussed which Pokémon species and game was our favorite. With hundreds of critters and a dozen different games to choose from, it was probably the most varied range of votes I've ever seen in a debate before. While the winner was pretty clear, there was a ten way tie for both fourth and fifth place, and over sixty different pokémon with votes cast for them. Below are the top results from each category:

  • Favorite Pokémon species:
  • 1st: Squirtle (16 votes) -- Winner!
  • 2nd: Charizard (11 votes)
  • 3rd: (Tie) Alakazam & Scyther & Mudkip (8 votes)
  • Favorite Pokémon Game:
  • 1st: Pokémon Gold (20 votes) -- Winner!
  • 2nd: Pokémon Blue (19 votes)
  • 3rd: Pokémon Red (18 votes)
  • 4th: Pokémon Silver (11 votes)

As you can see above, even though Pokémon Gold received the most votes, the Red/Blue release pair was obviously the winning team of games. For this week, we're going to share similar nightmare stories with each other from possibly every console and genre from the past few decades. I want to hear what's the hardest game you've ever played. Was it a game with insanely difficult enemies and bosses? Or a game with terrible controls that made it practically unplayable? Perhaps the game was so awful that you could never even figure out what to do? Or maybe you had the balls to play an untranslated foreign import game and failed miserably?

What's the hardest game you've ever played, and why? Give it some serious thought, cast your votes and reasons, get some friends to share their opinions as well, and check back next week for the winner.

Bonus Question: What is the easiest game you've ever played? Why?


Continue: More Wahmbulance stories





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136 comments | showing # 51 to 100

Ogu's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 00:15
Ogu
I wanna be the guy... definitely. Unless you want a real game not designed to be impossible, then maybe I would say original contra w/o konami code.
Bus's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 00:24
Bus
Hardest for me was Blast Corps. Absolutely nerve wracking as that nuclear carrier bared down on me while I'm power sliding like a maniac with that damn Backlash. "Why can't I just have the flying, butt stomping, robot J-Bomb on every mission? Why, game, why?" And the platinum medals? I doubt I got more than two.

Easiest was Super Paper Mario. Loved it nevertheless.
Qalamari's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 00:25
Qalamari
Another vote for I wanna be the guy.

Easiest... I'm gonna say Katamari Damacy. I loved it, but I beat every challenge on the first try.
Ianki's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 00:29
Ianki
N+ is definitely one of the hardest games i have played recently, though you have to be a beast or a nintendo power game counselor to beat battletoads.
oliverqueen's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 00:32
oliverqueen
ABADOX!!!!!!! also...lowgman
Mustin's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 00:36
Mustin
Hardest game ever:




I almost threw my NES out a three story window.


Modern times has got to be Contra IV. I've been going at it pretty steady since early March, and I just recently can get to Level 9, but I'm fucking getting destroyed. Many many many hours put into this very unfair game, but the music and the joy of killing so many aliens keeps pulling me back in.
Redzie's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 00:37
Redzie
TETRIS
that is all.
Mustin's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 00:38
Mustin
Oh and my housemate and his brother have beaten Battletoads numerous times. I also have other friends that have beaten it.

But I don't know ANYONE that has beaten THE IMMORTAL...
fatblakdog's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 00:39
fatblakdog
The Goonies game on the Commodore 64/128. It was impossible to get past the first 5 minutes. Chip and Dale rescue Rangers on the NES was mucho easio.
Dexter345's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 00:40
Dexter345
Hardest game: Ikaruga
Easiest game: Yoshi's Story
A Humble Mr Perfect's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 00:57
A Humble Mr Perfect
Hardest Game: I Wanna be the Guy. Giant Mike Tyson ftw.
Easiest Game: Mario's Time Machine, You couldn't die! All you had to do was guess the correct answers.
urbanyeti's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 01:10
urbanyeti
Hardest Game: Ikaruga. First time I ever threw a game controller in rage was at that game.
Easiest Game: Yoshi Story. But DAMN was that a fun game. I play it to this day.

@BADinc: What did I do??
NegFactor's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 01:16
NegFactor
Jesus...I was going to say Ghosts N' Goblins, but then I saw that massive effing picture of The Immortal. I'm going to have to give it to The Immortal for most difficult to beat.

Easiest game ever? Well, if not cheating with life codes...Mega Man 2.
fluorescent_grey's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 01:24
fluorescent_grey
ninja gaiden on hard
i nearly returned that game it was so hard
Disdain's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 01:30
Disdain
Hardest: Battletoads was the cheapest pack of cheap that ever cheaped - all while masquerading as a retail product!

Easiest: Quest For The Crown - Despite the lack of a challenge, I just can't stop playing... <You know our love was meant to be...>
Mantra's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 01:32
Mantra
Hardest Game: I Wanna Be the Guy. Of course, it was specifically designed to be unfairly hard, so it's a cheap answer. Contra 4 has been really hard, but not because of the difficulty, just because it has so many levels; I think Contra 3 was harder but it had much fewer levels. And really, those games weren't too hard either so long as you figure out how to get through each of the areas WITHOUT MESSING UP EVER. Despite being really good at the original DMC, I found it nearly impossible to play through DMC3 on hard mode.

Easiest Game: There are probably tons of games I played as a child and forgot about, but I think I'll have to go with Zone of the Enders. Not only was it ridiculously short, but once you figured out how to boost dodge correctly you couldn't be hit by anything. I'm glad they changed both of those problems in ZOE2.
KyleGamgee's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 01:42
KyleGamgee
The hardest game I have ever played is probably going to be Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox. It wasn't a boss or some level far into the game that broke me. It was like, the 2nd stage, just really hard regular baddies.

The easiest was The Guy Game easy trivia and BOOBIES! :D
Samit Sarkar's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 01:49
Samit Sarkar
Hardest Game: Everyday Shooter — it’s awesome, but I think I made it to the fourth level, like, once.

I can’t think of any particular game that I thought was ridiculously easy, so I’ll just cheat and say a two-player game of something like Madden NFL 2005. I remember my brother and I would rack up scores of, like, 400 points each if we played a game with full 15-minute quarters.
joeisremy's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 01:49
joeisremy
Metal Gear on Nintendo it's insanely hard because of the poor design.

Easiest: The Bouncer
Batthink's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 01:53
Batthink
The hardest game I've had to play is Dynasty Warriors 2 on the Playstation 2. The first level with one character is easy, but then the difficulty level gets ramped up to sadistic levels soon after.

Easiest: Mystic Quest Legend (SNES).
Conan-san's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 02:15
Conan-san
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter - the ultimtate exercise in video game Sadomasochism.

And that's not a good thing.

Someone got thier Nethack in my Breath of Fire and it became poop on a stick.
brainpower4's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 02:17
brainpower4
I wanna be the guy is by far the hardest game ever invented. Real game wise, I think I agree with battle toads. I tried this game for a week strait, then decided that I wasn't worthy.

easiest=U R MR GAY
A New Challenger's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 02:18
A New Challenger
Hardest: Ghosts and Goblins

Fuck you, Red Arremer. I can't even consistently get through the first level of this game. I managed to beat the second level once. I don't know if I'll ever muster the patience to finish it. All the weapons are shit, the sequels are easier due to better controls and better weapons.

Easiest: Gauntlet II for the NES. I've maxed out my health and score and stats on that game a few times. It's a pity it doesn't have an ending.
MatCD's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 02:18
MatCD
Personally I don't consider games that would rely on memorization to be truly difficult, so Contra, Ikaruga, and Mega Man Zero are out the window. Ninja Gaiden Black wasn't all that hard when I got down the attack patterns and the invincibility frames of the evasive moves. Same case with Devil May Cry 3, although I consider Vergil 3 to be the one of the last final bosses that I will truly consider an accomplishment to defeat.

For my hardest game pick, I'd have to go with God Hand. Going through Hard mode; if there are even slightly more then one enemy on screen, and you make one wrong twitch, you're fucked. I haven't even beaten Hard and I can only imagine how much harder a "Kick ME" Sign clear would be.

A close 2nd would be the first Devil May Cry, fucking No Name enemies...

For easiest, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. It was painful how non-challenging that game was. The game was all water and no Water Dungeon.
KanadianKain's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 02:28
KanadianKain
Hard:
Ikari Warriors... impossible without the code, you die like every 30 seconds :P
Contra is up there as well
hood_954's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 02:52
hood_954
I wanna be the guy definitely, although i'm not sure that really counts.. Real published games however would be contra, or one of the street fighter games on max difficulty. i realise that IWBTG and street fighter with max dif. would be hard on purpose, but damn it all if they didn't raise my blood pressure back in teh day.

Bonus: probably super mario land on the original gameboy
lethaljim's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 03:02
lethaljim
By far the hardest game ever ever is Rise of the Robots on the mega drive, i never got past the first fight. man in lycra vs a forklift truck, was nay fair sister
Fronz's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 04:08
Fronz
Now that I think about it, actual DDR Paranoia levels would probably be pretty friggin insane to do as well :) I'll just stick to Stepmania heheh.

@ Qalamari -- sweet, thanks for the reminder. That's definitely going to be my vote for easiest game of all time. I loved Katamari Damacy, but dammmmn is it easy and over fast.
double2's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 04:32
double2
Easy one this - hardest game all in all - Space Giraffe...I tried to get on with this game but it is just like brain rape; it made me feel uncomfortable and dirty.

Oh and easiest game (and also biggest let down) was Yoshi's Story on the N64. I thought I had completed the first chapter but, no, that was the whole game...bastards - no excuses Nintendo - that was just such a rushed game.
double2's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 04:37
double2
oh and i love these people who put stupid f-king answers for easiest game to make them look 1337 - seriously if Halo is the easiest game you have ever played you haven't played many games you self righteous little cLInt
laggikoN's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 04:45
laggikoN
Hardest game ever has to be Dragon's Lair on NES. Same thing as iwbtg with the trial and error only alot slower. Oh wait, maybe Etrian Odyssey for the DS... Nah, it's close though but I'd have to say Dragon´s Lair.
Chilly's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 05:03
Chilly
Hardest Game Difficulty, Metal Slug and R-Type series without inf continues.

Hardest Game to play period Sonic Next Gen (Seriously the game is that bad I, a sonic fan, just couldnt play it all the way through).

Easiest Game I remember, Sonic 1. Finished without dieing.
Orochi Borgieman's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 05:13
Orochi Borgieman
One unhyphenated word: Battletoads.
Orochi Borgieman's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 05:25
Orochi Borgieman
oh and as for easiest game, I would say that New Super Mario Bros was too easy. Especially with Fire Flower as an accessory.
Resonance's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 05:28
Resonance
GRAW: I really suck at being tactical in fps, I always just want to rush in there and shoot shit up. I found graw insanely difficult for this reason, but the ai of your teammates sucked balls too, leaving everything up to me. Naturally I sprinted in and shot shit up.

Easiest game? Audiosurf on Ninja Mono, Ironmode. I expected it to be impossible to someone who had just got the game, especially with songs like Fat Boy Slim's Ya Mama (try it, it's awesome) and various fast paced drum and bass. Lo and behold I survive every time and sometimes even place in the worlds top 10.
AlucardX24's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 05:40
AlucardX24
Hardest: Ikaruga, and *shame* Super Mario Sunshine. >:O I HATE YOU SUNSHINE.

Easiest: Barney's Hide & Go Seek for the Genesis.
Guybrush Threepwood's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 05:45
Guybrush Threepwood
The hardest game ever?

Shadow of the Beast for the Sega Genesis, hands down.
CALkulon's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 06:21
CALkulon
Hardest: Probably R Type or Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts, both are nuts hard, I can't even get halfway through either. My vote goes to R-Type, because I love it more.

Easiest: Bully (Canis Canem Edit). Brilliant fun, but stupid easy.

Honourary mention to all Devil May Cry games for Dane Must Die mode.
bennyprofane's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 06:30
bennyprofane
beat me to it, CALkulon: R Type broke my Gameboy back then.

Also, Zaxxon on Intellivision.


Fahrenheit was easy.
BlackSunEmpire's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 06:36
BlackSunEmpire
Hardest game: Battletoads (motherfucker)
Tristero's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 06:52
Tristero
Kaizo Mario. With Devil May Cry 3 a far far second.
Nubc4kes's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 06:56
Nubc4kes
Pokemon Snap.

For both easiest and hardest.
calpis's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 07:01
calpis
battletoads...
tkyy's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 07:17
tkyy
Easiest - Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing
T9X's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 07:29
T9X
Hardest Game = Ninja Gaiden Black
zod000's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 07:30
zod000
Hardest: Probably R-type or Double Dragon III

I see a lot of people listing "hardest" games that I beat many times on NES (Contra w/o codes, Ghosts and Goblins, TMNT, etc) and it makes me feel like "the wizard" from that old crappy 80's movie. Except, you know, without the mental retardation.
loquax's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 07:37
loquax
RIVEN
Pagster's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 07:42
Pagster
@laggikoN

Dragons lair was so damn annoying! Just to get onto the draw bridge and not be killed bythat one bat was an achievment

@Fronz

Why? Why mention the electric coral? I had erased that from my memory for so long and you just throw it back ion my face!

I may have to dig these games out and put my demons to rest.


Hardest: I wanna be the guy, but thats hard becuase its non-sensical mainly. My vote would be for dragons lair.

Easiest? Well if you think about it most final fantasy games are easy, just really really long but im going for Parappa the rapper 2, easy but fun :)
The Darkside's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 07:47
The Darkside
For hardest I'd say Silver Surfer for NES hands down.

here you are the beacon for Galactus the eater of worlds, but you can't touch the ocean floor.

that whole game was a cluster-fuck.

now easiest? I dunno, i'll go with super mario world for the snes it was more time consuming than difficult.
Char Aznable's Avatar - Comment posted on 05/07/2008 07:49
Char Aznable
I have to go with Total Carnage for the hardest game I've played. It's pretty much Smash TV on steroids, and is damn near impossible to beat without Game Genie. Damn General Akhboob...

Honorable mention goes to trying to beat Metal Slug without dying. That game makes me want to tear my hair out, but it's still really fun.

The easiest for me is Mega Man 2, but only because I've played it so many times through the years that I know where all the enemies, traps, and powerups are located. It's pretty sad, actually.
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