With Christmas arriving in just a few more weeks, it seems like a time to be positive. To be filled with holiday cheer and good will towards men and women and little children alike. Even so, I’ve never been the most optimistic person out there, so inevitably my thoughts turn to things like…the games that have reminded me that even the most seasoned of gamers aren’t perfect. But hey, if we’re gonna put a positive spin on this, at least there’s nothing wrong with a bit of humility, right? Coming up, a list of five games that kicked my feathery behind. And two of these still do.
5: Pikmin: Yes. Pikmin. This might sound like a strange game to appear on such a list, but when I first played Pikmin, I could. Not. Beat it. Honestly, I was absolutely baffled when I heard that my friend’s older sister had actually managed to complete the game, as I had, at that time, come to the conclusion that it was just not possible to save Captain Olimar in time. I don’t remember how many times I got to the end of the 30th day, hoping desperately that I had properly repaired the Dolphin, only for our dear tiny hero to meet his end yet again.
4: Super Mario 64: The Mario series has always been a big problem for me, but I decided I should only choose one for this list. Every time I played Mario’s first 3D outing, I would get slightly further, only to inevitably give up when I couldn’t manage to obtain a single star more. It took me about ten years before I finally managed to complete the game, and let me tell you, this victory was not obtained without a lot of struggling.
3: The Lost Vikings: This particular entry is a bit more obscure, so in case you’re unfamiliar, this game stars three Vikings who work together to reach the exit of various stages. One of them is fast and has the ability to jump, another can attack with a sword or bow, while the third has a shield that can be used as a platform or even to glide. While The Lost Vikings could be a pretty fun game, it was also ridiculously challenging, and if you made a mistake or one character died, you’d have no choice but to restart the entire level. I did finally manage to complete the game, but it took countless hours of aggravation and steely determination in order to do so.
2: Star Fox: Unlike the previous games in this list, I never managed to complete any more than the easy route in the original Star Fox on the SNES. And what a victory it was when I even managed that! Flying virtual spaceships and dodging projectiles has never been my strong suit, so it’s no wonder I never got very far in this game whenever I attempted the medium and hard routes. At least I managed to find the secret slot machine boss, so there’s one thing I can be proud of.
1: Final Fantasy VIII: Though I have managed to complete every other Final Fantasy game I’ve ever played, Final Fantasy 8 is one game I may never be able to finish. The biggest issue for me was this game’s strange system where the stronger your characters got, the tougher the enemies became, meaning my usual method of leveling up until I was strong enough would no longer suffice. Even so, I somehow managed to progress through the game all the way up until the final boss. After many hours of attempts, during which I could do almost no damage, I finally threw in the towel. Maybe someday. Maybe…
Okay, it’s your turn, dear readers. What are some of the most troublesome games you’ve ever played? Did you ever manage to complete them, or has victory still proven unattainable? Don’t be shy; just leave your thoughts in the comments below!
But Who Would Want to Kick a Duck’s Butt?
Image from Flickr User: metallimaniac
VIRTUAL BASTION 
Pikmin kicked my butt too. I’m absolutely *terrible* at that game! So frustrating!
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Pikmin is indeed pretty tough, even after I’ve played it countless times by now. I still have disastrous days where I manage to lose 100 Pikmin or more…but I normally start the day over if that happens. There are certain things that are too tough to recover from.
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Super Mario Bros 2 on NES was a huge challenge to me for a long time. I’m not sure exactly what caused so much frustration, but I do distinctly remember having trouble picking up and throwing the egg missiles on the early boss. Never beat it in its entirety.
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I never managed to complete any of those old Super Mario Bros games (I had them in the Super Mario All-Stars collection on the SNES). I remember having trouble with that boss, too. It was Birdo, right? I think I’m pretty good at platformers, but there’s something about the old Mario games that make them far too tough for me.
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Yes it was Birdo. I was also very confused when I first played given how different and strange the game was compared to the other Mario entries at the time.
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Reblogged this on DDOCentral.
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Final Fantasy IV (hard type, PS1)
Odin Sphere (PS2)
Most frustrating is E.T. hands down though.
VIII I think is one of the easiest though. You can Refine Tents to Curaga just shortly after the opening thanks to Siren, and your HP just skyrockets from what you are supposed to have. Lots of other little easy ways to break the game as well.
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I definitely hope that I can beat FFVIII someday. I think I need to do a lot more preparation next time, as I hear there are certain abilities and weapons and such that would have made the final boss easier. Unfortunately, I think you can’t backtrack once you reach the end, so certain things aren’t possible to obtain this late in the game. I haven’t heard about that trick with the Tents. I’ll have to try that next time I play.
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There are no towns in the final disc, so that can really screw you if you charge ahead. But if you play around early (or have the info), you’ll laugh at how silly it is to have high-powered stuff so easily available early in the game. Triple Triad and Card Mod alone is OP.
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Thanks for the advice! Now I’m feeling more motivated than ever to try FFVIII again. With some extra preparation, I might finally be able to conquer it once and for all!
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Muramasa Rebirth on Vita. One boss in particular mopped the floor with me countless times until I finally just gave up. The Surge is currently doing the same.
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I’ve never played that game, even though I did play Muramasa: The Demon Blade on the Wii. Is Rebirth tougher than The Demon Blade?
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Basically any of the NES and SNES games I owned, unless I could use a GameShark or cheats. I sucked at games as a kid.
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Old NES and SNES games are pretty difficult. I never got very far into the original Zelda and Metroid on the NES because they were too tough. And though I did finally manage to complete a good portion of my SNES games, it took years of trying to do so. Old games were brutal.
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Oh Metroid. I can’t wait for Metroid Prime 4!
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I’m super excited for Metroid Prime 4, as well. I’ll definitely have to buy a Switch by the time that game is released.
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Well, you also have another game to look into: Super Mario Odyssey!
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Quite true. It’s getting increasingly difficult to resist the lure of the Switch.
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