Nintendo hard

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"Nintendo hard" is an informal term used to describe extreme difficulty in video games. It often refers to games with trial-and-error gameplay and limited or nonexistent saving of progress. The enduring term originated with Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games from the mid-1980s to early 1990s, such as Ghosts 'n Goblins (1986), Contra (1988), Ninja Gaiden (1988), and Battletoads (1991).

Contents

History

The Nintendo hard difficulty of many games released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was influenced by the popularity of arcade games in the mid-1980s, a period where players put countless coins in machines trying to beat a game that was brutally hard yet very enjoyable. [1] The difficulty of many games released in the 1980s and 1990s has also been attributed to the hardware limitations affecting gameplay. [2] [3] Former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said in an interview regarding how NES games were made: "Everyone involved in the production would spend all night playing it, and because they made games, they became good at them. So these expert gamers make the games, saying 'This is too easy'". [4] Also, Damiano Gerli of Ars Technica observed that extreme difficulty made it possible for a game with little actual content (in terms of number of levels or opponents) to provide a long period of gameplay. [5] This specific method of increasing length through difficulty was also employed to combat video game rentals, with some games being made more difficult to prevent them from being beaten within a rental period and thus costing the developer potential sales. [6]

The number of current games[ clarification needed ] considered Nintendo hard decreased significantly with the fourth-generation 16-bit period of video gaming, [1] including Super Star Wars (1992). [7] [ clarification needed ]According to Michael Enger, indie games like I Wanna Be the Guy (2007) and Super Meat Boy (2010) are an "obvious homage" to the Nintendo hard games of the NES era, [1] labeled as "masocore". [1] [8]

Analysis

Arcade conversions and 2D platform games are commonly called Nintendo hard. [1] The Houston Press described the Nintendo hard era as a period where games "universally felt like they hated us for playing them". [9] GamesRadar journalist Maxwell McGee noted the variety of types of "Nintendo hard" games in the NES library: "A game can be difficult because it's genuinely hard, or because it demands you finish the entire adventure in one sitting. It can litter the playing field with spikes and bottomless pits ... or be so hopelessly obtuse you have no idea how to advance". [10] He wrote that several NES games, such as Yo! Noid (1990), Silver Surfer (1990), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989) garnered their Nintendo hard difficulty "for all the wrong reasons". [10] Journalist Michael Enger did not qualify games with challenges that came from poorly-designed gameplay as Nintendo hard, but rather only games that were well made and are replayable but still extremely hard. [1]

Examples

The games in the following list have been recognized as being some of the hardest NES games and for some, all platforms. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

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Ninja Gaiden is a media franchise based on action video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as Ninja Ryukenden in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American Ninja Gaiden title means "side story" in Japanese. The original arcade version, first two Nintendo Entertainment System games and Game Boy game were released as Shadow Warriors in PAL regions. As of 2008, the series has shipped over 7.7 million copies.

<i>Battletoads</i> (1991 video game) 1991 video game

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<i>Battletoads/Double Dragon</i> 1993 video game

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<i>Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos</i> 1990 video game

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<i>Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom</i> 1991 video game

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<i>Shadow of the Ninja</i> 1990 video game

Shadow of the Ninja, originally released in Japan as Yami no Shigotonin Kage and later released in Europe and Australia as Blue Shadow, is a side-scrolling action game developed by Natsume for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1990. The game revolves around a pair of ninja sent to assassinate a dictator in a futuristic version of New York City. A port was planned for the Game Boy, but was released in a rebranded form as Ninja Gaiden Shadow. A remake, Shadow of the Ninja: Reborn, was released in 2024.

<i>Yo! Noid</i> 1990 video game

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<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> (NES video game) 1989 video game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, known as Geki Kame Ninja Den in Japan and Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in Europe, is a 1989 action-platform game developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In North America it was published under Konami's Ultra Games imprint in the US and the equivalent PALCOM brand in Europe and Australia.

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<i>Ninja Gaiden</i> (NES video game) 1988 video game

Ninja Gaiden, released in Japan as Ninja Ryūkenden and as Shadow Warriors in Europe, is a 1988 action-platform game developed and published by Tecmo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Its development and release coincided with the beat 'em up arcade version of the same name. It was released in December 1988 in Japan, in March 1989 in North America, and in August 1991 in Europe. It has been ported to several other platforms, including the PC Engine, the Super NES, and mobile phones.

<i>Battletoads</i> Video game franchise

Battletoads is a video game media franchise by Rare that began with the original beat 'em up game Battletoads in 1991. Starring three anthropomorphic toads named after skin conditions, Rash, Zitz, and Pimple, the series was created to rival the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games series. The original Battletoads game for the NES was renowned for its extreme difficulty, but still received a cult following, spawning sequels for various platforms including a crossover with the Double Dragon series and a modern reboot after a 25 year gap in releases. In each of the games, the objective is to defeat the toads' nemesis the Dark Queen and her army of space mutants.

<i>Batman: The Video Game</i> 1989 video game

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<i>Castlevania</i> (1986 video game) 1986 video game

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<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger of the Ooze</i> 2014 video game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger of the Ooze is a 2014 action-adventure game developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Activision. It is the second video game based on the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series and features elements from the show's second and third seasons. It was released as a sequel to the 2013 game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The game also features gameplay elements and homages to the 1989 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NES game. The digital versions of the game, alongside other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games published by Activision, were pulled from all digital storefronts in January 2017 when the rights expired and they chose not to renew the license.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> (arcade game) 1989 video game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, released in Japan as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Super Kame Ninja and in Europe as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, is a 1989 beat 'em up game developed and published by Konami for arcades. It is based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, including the first animated series that began airing two years earlier. In the game, up to four players control the titular Ninja Turtles, fighting through various levels to defeat the turtles' enemies, including the Shredder, Krang and the Foot Clan. Released during a high point in popularity for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, the arcade game was a worldwide hit, becoming the highest-grossing dedicated arcade game of 1990 in the United States and Konami's highest-grossing arcade game. Versions for various home systems soon followed, including the Nintendo Entertainment System. A sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, was released in 1991.

Keiji Yamagishi is a Japanese video game music composer. He is known for his work on Tecmo's late 1980s and early 1990s NES titles, such as Ninja Gaiden. Yamagishi has been considered a pioneer of chiptune music, producing the soundtracks of numerous titles in the 8 bit era.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Enger, Michael (February 8, 2011). "What is "Nintendo Hard"?". Bits 'n' Bytes. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  2. ↑ Lessel, Alon (September 27, 2013). "Nintendo Hard, or Hardly Working?". VentureBeat. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  3. ↑ Thomas, Carlo (August 28, 2015). "Super Mario Maker: Remaking 'Nintendo Hard'". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Williams, Mike (December 16, 2014). "Teens React to Mega Man: What We've Forgotten About "Nintendo Hard" Games". USgamer. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  5. ↑ Staff, Ars (September 3, 2021). "Too much of a good thing: Mourning the slow death of the retail game store". Ars Technica.
  6. ↑ "A look at the early days of regional difficulty changes". Destructoid. January 19, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
  7. ↑ Gordon, Rob "SNES Super Star Wars Coming to PS4 This Week". Game Rant. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  8. ↑ Stuart, Keith (October 11, 2021). "Dungeon crawler or looter shooter? Nine video game genres explained". The Guardian . Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  9. ↑ Rouner, Jef (August 11, 2016). "Video Game Endings Don't Matter". Houston Press . Voice Media Group. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 McGee, Maxwell (December 16, 2015). "The classic games that define "Nintendo Hard"". GamesRadar. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  11. ↑ Crisman, Michael (July 1, 2015). "The Fifteen Most Difficult NES Games (That Are Not Battletoads)". Retro Gaming. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  12. ↑ "The 10 Most Irritatingly Impossible Old School Video Games". Cracked.com. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  13. ↑ "The 21 Hardest Nintendo games ever". Computer and Video Games . March 9, 2008. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  14. ↑ Oxford, Nadia (July 22, 2015). "What are the Hardest Video Games?". USgamer. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  15. ↑ McElroy, Griffin (December 29, 2011). "One of the hardest NES games ever translated to English". Engadget. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  16. ↑ "The 5 Hardest NES Games (That Are Actually Worth It)" Archived 2016-10-10 at the Wayback Machine . Smosh.com. February 26, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  17. ↑ Lambie, Ryan (February 13, 2018). "Transformers: Mystery of Convoy Might be the Most Cynical Licensed Video Game Ever Made". Den of Geek . Den of Geek World. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020.
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