Most challenging games

[Antiriad2097]

Fairlight II.

[SpockIOM]

LOZ second quest
Zelda 2: Adventure of Link
Castlevania (2 playthroughs in one sitting)
Star Wars (NES)
SMB Lost Levels / SMB 2 Japan (call it what you want - NES and SNES versions)
Super Star Wars Trilogy on Jedi Difficulty
Super Ghouls & Ghosts

[Bluce_Ree]

Jack and The Beanstalk on the Speccy. A playthrough of the whole game could take as little as three minutes but given that enemies, the background, air and everything else kills you, I've still never managed to beat it in thirty years.

I'm not a fan of games that go balls out with the difficulty. I don't think there's a game out there like that that wouldn't be improved my making things just a little easier.

[Negative Creep]

Forgot about Battletoads...

Turbo tunnel gets a lot of flack, and its tough but the game actually gets hilariously harder when you hit the later levels that make Turbo Tunnel look like a push over! I completed the game once using save states on Rare Replay and I don't have much of an appetite to clear the penultimate level again anytime soon.

Then again, most of Rare's output from the Spectrum/NES era are pretty damn tough for me to finish going by Rare Replay.

That lava stage makes Turbo Tunnel a breeze by comparison. Using Rare Replay I got to the stage where you ride that wheel but even using rewind I gave up in annoyance. I have massive respect to anyone whose completed that game legit.

[outdated_gamer]

I'm not a fan of games that go balls out with the difficulty. I don't think there's a game out there like that that wouldn't be improved by making things just a little easier.

What's the point in playing games if there is no challenge present?

I never was a fan of games that can be beaten blind. There is always a niche that will appreciate the more in-depth and harder titles. The success of games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne is proof of this. Some games just wouldn't be the same if they were tonned down and hand holdy like the majority of games are these days.

[The-game]

Vindaloo on the Acorn Electron was and is too challenging at times but atleast it can be beaten but I have yet to do that. I think games need that challenge that drives each of us crazy, because when you do complete it you feel like you have conquered the world.

[Megamixer]

The original Castlevania. The whole game is just a memory test but even if you have it nailed, there will be an inevitable mistake or Medusa heads to ruin everything. I played it solid for ages but still couldn't beat the Grim Reaper. The preceeding hall itself was too hard with Medusa heads plus the knights throwing axes - usually I lost most of my life there and stood zero chance in the actual boss battle.

[Mire Mare]

I wanted to find out what your most challenging games you have played and still haven't finished yet, for example Double Dragon on the Gameboy is still a challenge for me and can't quite finish it.

Which are your most challenging and difficult games ? and what are the ones you have finally completed ?

I completed GB DD on my original GB years ago! Great version of DD on the little green screen wonder.

Never finished R-Type and, the way my gaming skills are deteriorating, I never will.

Monty's Christmas Special still not finished despite a good few hours spent playing it over the Christmas holidays.

I gave up playing Ninja Gaiden on both Xbox and 360. So hard I just couldn't enjoy these games. Loved Ninja Gaiden on the Lynx though and completed that.

Geometry Wars too. I'm not very good at that!

[dste]

Zelda 2: Adventure of Link

I completed the GBA version last year and apart from the bit before the final castle didn't find it to be that difficult.

[DPrinny]

I'm not a fan of games that go balls out with the difficulty. I don't think there's a game out there like that that wouldn't be improved my making things just a little easier.

Good difficulty is is starts out easy and then gets gradually harder and dying is never the result of cheapness rather just you not being good enough
GOD HAND is like that, if you are not with it it will beat you down

[MadManDan79]

I found PS1 Tomb raider quite a challenge but 1 to keep coming back to... Donkey Kong country is far from easy as well...

[adippm82]

I could list over a hundred games I find very challenging, but just a few that seemed utterly insurmountable to me have been

Magician Lord - Neo Geo AES, although they then went and made the CD version too easy with continues carrying on from where you died, the cart version is just an absolute beast!!

Battletoads - NES - Completely and utterly evil, in fact most of Rare's output on the NES was extremely challenging.
F-Zero GX - Gamecube - just cannot get the hang of this in any way
Most bullet hell shooters - I don't have the reactions anymore, and probably brainpower, and certainly not the patience.

Donkey Kong country is far from easy as well...

I find all the Donkey Kong Country games well hard, but I have a friend who is absolutely brilliant at the first one, she can rattle through the game in no time at all, in fact she finished the game when we played it two player, while I was struggling on some sod of a mine cart level!!

[Bluce_Ree]

I'm not a fan of games that go balls out with the difficulty. I don't think there's a game out there like that that wouldn't be improved by making things just a little easier.

What's the point in playing games if there is no challenge present?

I never was a fan of games that can be beaten blind. There is always a niche that will appreciate the more in-depth and harder titles. The success of games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne is proof of this. Some games just wouldn't be the same if they were tonned down and hand holdy like the majority of games are these days.

For sure there has to be some challenge. Even a lot of challenge. But I think difficulty and playability are linked and if a game is 100 on the difficulty scale, I can't help think it'd be more enjoyable if they took it down to 90 for example.

Imagine if R-Type, for example, didn't let you power up your guns but everything else was the same. It'd be nearly impossible. Some guys would still beat it and love the hell out of it but everyone else would look at it like it's just horrible.

[silvergunner]

I'm not a fan of games that go balls out with the difficulty. I don't think there's a game out there like that that wouldn't be improved by making things just a little easier.

What's the point in playing games if there is no challenge present?

I never was a fan of games that can be beaten blind. There is always a niche that will appreciate the more in-depth and harder titles. The success of games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne is proof of this. Some games just wouldn't be the same if they were tonned down and hand holdy like the majority of games are these days.

For sure there has to be some challenge. Even a lot of challenge. But I think difficulty and playability are linked and if a game is 100 on the difficulty scale, I can't help think it'd be more enjoyable if they took it down to 90 for example.

Imagine if R-Type, for example, didn't let you power up your guns but everything else was the same. It'd be nearly impossible. Some guys would still beat it and love the hell out of it but everyone else would look at it like it's just horrible.

There will always be someone who loves the hardest challenge going. I used to be a person who loved the hardest settings in games.

But now I have a family I don't have time to sit there and learn all the tricks to max a game with multiple play throughs over long sessions. I just want to enjoy a game now and as long as it's not stupidly easy that's ok with me.

[The Beans]

There will always be someone who loves the hardest challenge going and who will take every opportunity to tell you they love the hardest challenge going.

Fixed for accuracy.