Skylab
05-04-2009, 03:23 PM
25. Ice Climber (Nintendo)
Ice Climber looks deceivingly simple, with its cute Eskimo characters and equally adorable enemies. However, the later stages toss in conveyor belts, dropping icicles and baddies that constantly reappear -- you'll be hard-pressed to finish the game.
24. Viewtiful Joe (Capcom)
Like most games on this list, Viewtiful Joe starts out simple but turns mind-numbingly tough. Later stages throw puzzles and endless enemies at you that'll have you screaming for mercy, especially on a cranked-up difficulty. C'mon, don't play it on Children's setting. Be a man.
23. MDK 2 (Interplay)
Whether you're playing through the game with Kurt Hectic, Max or Dr. Fluke Hawkins, you'll need to bring every skill you have into MDK 2. Programmed by the savvy team at BioWare, the sequel to the hit Shiny Interactive game pulls out all the stops with even more challenging enemies and bigger stages. One in particular requires perfect timing with Max and his rocket pack. Good luck surviving that.
22. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Nintendo)
The Adventures of Link has plenty of hack n' slash action. Link is well armed with his sword and shield, but that doesn't stop the game from throwing everything but the kitchen sink at him. Find all the hearts you can in this one. You'll need them.
21. Metal Slug series (SNK)
For the last 13 years, SNK's Metal Slug series has delivered nothing short of balls-to-the-wall shoot-em-up action. Just when you think you've got one boss licked, along comes another with even more firepower. Fortunately, you have a gun-toting monkey and a camel with a turret for help. A petting zoo, this ain't.
20. Tetris (various)
Alexei Pajitnov's puzzle creation continues to consume countless hours since 1985. No matter what version of the game you play, the later stages are almost impossible. Puzzle pieces drop so fast that you barely have time to create solid lines – or find open spaces to put the pieces, for that matter.
19. Gauntlet (Atari)
Gauntlet is a pain if you go it alone. In fact, it's still a pain even if you have three other friends tagging along. This dungeon crawler pits you against hundreds of enemies at once, coming at you with axe attacks and fireballs until you meet your demise. You'll need to confront them as you search for keys, magic spells and most importantly, food. Health doesn't regenerate on its own.
18. Portal (Valve)
Valve's wildly brilliant first-person puzzle game still holds our interests as part of the Orange Box or through the Xbox Live Still Alive expansion. The early levels are a breeze, but you'll eventually play levels that'll fry your brain. GLaDOS isn't much help, badgering you with insults until you eventually face her at the game's conclusion. The worst part is the promised cake is a lie.
17. Bionic Commando series (Capcom)
Capcom knows how to make a challenging game, and Bionic Commando is no exception. Its NES debut frustrated many, although an elite few managed to survive a dictator's onslaught to see the conclusion. Since then, the series has maintained its hard streak, with a Game Boy Color release and last year's downloadable Bionic Commando Rearmed. Look for this trend to continue with the current-gen Bionic Commando game this May.
16. Guitar Hero series, expert difficulty (Activision)
"Sure," you say. "Guitar Hero isn't that hard." Well, on easy and medium difficulty, perhaps. Even on hard, there's a few gamers who can take what it dishes out. However, if you want to be a true guitar master, you'll shred on expert difficulty. Here, you'll be put to the test, especially with such songs as "Bark At the Moon" and "Through the Fire and Flames." You'll barely be able to feel your hands afterwards.
15. Shinobi (Sega)
The previous Shinobi games, such as the original arcade game and the Genesis adventures, were fairly easy to beat. On the PlayStation 2, however, Joe Musashi's quest turns monstrous. He battles a number of god-like foes in this revamp. Worse yet, some stages require pure athleticism just to get by. We're talking no floors. None whatsoever.
14. F-Zero GX (Nintendo)
The most recent addition to the F-Zero series is the best one to date, but it's also the hardest. If you manage to make it to the later cup circuits, the odds are firmly stacked against you. We're talking opponents that check you at every turn, gravity-defying jumps that force you out of the race and hairpin turns so nasty, you'll lose a chunk of your energy just trying to come off the barrier. That is, when there's a barrier to catch you.
13. Mushihimesama Futari (Cave)
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to bullet hell. Cave's Japan-only shooter is one you've probably never seen, and one you will probably never beat. That's because every enemy shoots something at you, limiting your chances at survival. In fact, it'll take you five minutes just to figure out the final boss's shooting patterns, and another five to ten (and several dollars in quarters) to destroy it. Check around YouTube if you don't believe us.
12. Doom, Nightmare difficulty (id Software)
One of the pioneers of the first-person shooting genre, id's Doom is also one of the hardest. The easier difficulty levels are pushovers, but crank it up to Nightmare and send back a postcard from hell. Demons come at you from all sides, spewing fireballs and chipping away at your energy. Even if you have heavy armor and a slew of weapons, your chances of surviving this mode are slim. There's a reason why they call it Nightmare.
11. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision)
If you crave realistic war action, look no further than Activision's epic Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It's already a handful on lighter difficulty settings, but real pros will want to step up to the veteran level. Here, your enemies don't hold back, shooting from all sides while you try to take them down with a steady trigger finger and a handful of grenades. We'll see you on the battlefield, soldier.
10. Contra series (Konami)
Contra is one of those holy grail franchises that poses a challenge for all who approach it. The two NES games were hard to beat, unless you were one of those people that used a code for multiple lives. Then came the sequels Contra III: The Alien Wars on SNES (a monster on the hardest setting) and Contra: Shattered Soldier, a game that's so frustrating we still haven't beaten it. (We've gotten close, though.)
9. Defender (Williams)
As the last line of defense for Earth, you've got an awful lot to tackle in Williams' arcade classic. Mutants have overtaken the planet, and they're sucking up innocent people. Not only must you blast these creatures into oblivion, but you also have to rescue falling civilians. Later stages are incredibly demanding, especially with the introduction of the smaller swarm ships. Don't say we didn't give you a heads up.
Ice Climber looks deceivingly simple, with its cute Eskimo characters and equally adorable enemies. However, the later stages toss in conveyor belts, dropping icicles and baddies that constantly reappear -- you'll be hard-pressed to finish the game.
24. Viewtiful Joe (Capcom)
Like most games on this list, Viewtiful Joe starts out simple but turns mind-numbingly tough. Later stages throw puzzles and endless enemies at you that'll have you screaming for mercy, especially on a cranked-up difficulty. C'mon, don't play it on Children's setting. Be a man.
23. MDK 2 (Interplay)
Whether you're playing through the game with Kurt Hectic, Max or Dr. Fluke Hawkins, you'll need to bring every skill you have into MDK 2. Programmed by the savvy team at BioWare, the sequel to the hit Shiny Interactive game pulls out all the stops with even more challenging enemies and bigger stages. One in particular requires perfect timing with Max and his rocket pack. Good luck surviving that.
22. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (Nintendo)
The Adventures of Link has plenty of hack n' slash action. Link is well armed with his sword and shield, but that doesn't stop the game from throwing everything but the kitchen sink at him. Find all the hearts you can in this one. You'll need them.
21. Metal Slug series (SNK)
For the last 13 years, SNK's Metal Slug series has delivered nothing short of balls-to-the-wall shoot-em-up action. Just when you think you've got one boss licked, along comes another with even more firepower. Fortunately, you have a gun-toting monkey and a camel with a turret for help. A petting zoo, this ain't.
20. Tetris (various)
Alexei Pajitnov's puzzle creation continues to consume countless hours since 1985. No matter what version of the game you play, the later stages are almost impossible. Puzzle pieces drop so fast that you barely have time to create solid lines – or find open spaces to put the pieces, for that matter.
19. Gauntlet (Atari)
Gauntlet is a pain if you go it alone. In fact, it's still a pain even if you have three other friends tagging along. This dungeon crawler pits you against hundreds of enemies at once, coming at you with axe attacks and fireballs until you meet your demise. You'll need to confront them as you search for keys, magic spells and most importantly, food. Health doesn't regenerate on its own.
18. Portal (Valve)
Valve's wildly brilliant first-person puzzle game still holds our interests as part of the Orange Box or through the Xbox Live Still Alive expansion. The early levels are a breeze, but you'll eventually play levels that'll fry your brain. GLaDOS isn't much help, badgering you with insults until you eventually face her at the game's conclusion. The worst part is the promised cake is a lie.
17. Bionic Commando series (Capcom)
Capcom knows how to make a challenging game, and Bionic Commando is no exception. Its NES debut frustrated many, although an elite few managed to survive a dictator's onslaught to see the conclusion. Since then, the series has maintained its hard streak, with a Game Boy Color release and last year's downloadable Bionic Commando Rearmed. Look for this trend to continue with the current-gen Bionic Commando game this May.
16. Guitar Hero series, expert difficulty (Activision)
"Sure," you say. "Guitar Hero isn't that hard." Well, on easy and medium difficulty, perhaps. Even on hard, there's a few gamers who can take what it dishes out. However, if you want to be a true guitar master, you'll shred on expert difficulty. Here, you'll be put to the test, especially with such songs as "Bark At the Moon" and "Through the Fire and Flames." You'll barely be able to feel your hands afterwards.
15. Shinobi (Sega)
The previous Shinobi games, such as the original arcade game and the Genesis adventures, were fairly easy to beat. On the PlayStation 2, however, Joe Musashi's quest turns monstrous. He battles a number of god-like foes in this revamp. Worse yet, some stages require pure athleticism just to get by. We're talking no floors. None whatsoever.
14. F-Zero GX (Nintendo)
The most recent addition to the F-Zero series is the best one to date, but it's also the hardest. If you manage to make it to the later cup circuits, the odds are firmly stacked against you. We're talking opponents that check you at every turn, gravity-defying jumps that force you out of the race and hairpin turns so nasty, you'll lose a chunk of your energy just trying to come off the barrier. That is, when there's a barrier to catch you.
13. Mushihimesama Futari (Cave)
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to bullet hell. Cave's Japan-only shooter is one you've probably never seen, and one you will probably never beat. That's because every enemy shoots something at you, limiting your chances at survival. In fact, it'll take you five minutes just to figure out the final boss's shooting patterns, and another five to ten (and several dollars in quarters) to destroy it. Check around YouTube if you don't believe us.
12. Doom, Nightmare difficulty (id Software)
One of the pioneers of the first-person shooting genre, id's Doom is also one of the hardest. The easier difficulty levels are pushovers, but crank it up to Nightmare and send back a postcard from hell. Demons come at you from all sides, spewing fireballs and chipping away at your energy. Even if you have heavy armor and a slew of weapons, your chances of surviving this mode are slim. There's a reason why they call it Nightmare.
11. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision)
If you crave realistic war action, look no further than Activision's epic Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It's already a handful on lighter difficulty settings, but real pros will want to step up to the veteran level. Here, your enemies don't hold back, shooting from all sides while you try to take them down with a steady trigger finger and a handful of grenades. We'll see you on the battlefield, soldier.
10. Contra series (Konami)
Contra is one of those holy grail franchises that poses a challenge for all who approach it. The two NES games were hard to beat, unless you were one of those people that used a code for multiple lives. Then came the sequels Contra III: The Alien Wars on SNES (a monster on the hardest setting) and Contra: Shattered Soldier, a game that's so frustrating we still haven't beaten it. (We've gotten close, though.)
9. Defender (Williams)
As the last line of defense for Earth, you've got an awful lot to tackle in Williams' arcade classic. Mutants have overtaken the planet, and they're sucking up innocent people. Not only must you blast these creatures into oblivion, but you also have to rescue falling civilians. Later stages are incredibly demanding, especially with the introduction of the smaller swarm ships. Don't say we didn't give you a heads up.