I think the difficulties of Contra and Super C are about on par with each other. Super C might be a touch harder due to a couple parts in stage 6, and stage 8 in Super C is harder than it is in Contra. But overall it's not a big difference.

 

This thread makes me want to play Super C. I haven't played it since I was a kid but don't remember it being much different than Contra. I was 30-living it at the time of course though.

Also if someone beats Galactic Crusader, that's an impressive accomplishment to me. I've asked a couple times and never heard of someone beating it legit. It might not be 10/10 difficulty. For all I know it just might be because it's one of the most obscure NES games, but it sure is a rare completion!

For all you know, you could be the first person to ever beat it. Go ahead, you, make history!:
http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?StartRow=1&...

I'd argue that Double Dragon 1 is the harder game.

The flying knee is DD2 is massively over-powered against bosses and otherwise difficult enemies.
Double Dragon 1 has the headbutt, but it is a much riskier move and not the instant-kill that the flying knee represents.



 

The elbow is the best move in DD1. Defeats Abobo and Chin in four hits. The headbutt is weak and not that useful unless you're playing for high score.

The knee is overpowered in DD2 but the timing is also tricky to pull off.


 

My mistake on elbow vs headbutt.  Been awhile since I've played through it to beat it... I just remember there being a "power move" that was fairly close quarters making it trickier with the guys that have reach.

And yes, the knee timing is tricky...but the power level for that move is insane.
You also have the spin kick, which given the amount of platform sections available in the game, is itself quite potent for getting one-hit kills.

 

Bea Iank beat it back in 2016, in the year that we collectively beat every NES game (even the unlicensed and PAL ones):

http://nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=31&th...

Her tip for the game was:

Ah, back when I had time to be half decent at videogames.
This is another game I will have to revisit on live stream once retirement comes through.
I remember how badly it pushed me, but I couldn't give up. I had to crush it, see it driven before me and hear the lamentation of it's women.

I shall do that again.
 

Oh man, I didn't realize that one. Is there actually any game that's ever defeated you Bea_Iank? Surely no NES game has. Looking your your Ikari Warriors tips, you end with "And alcohol. LOTS of alcohol", a running theme!

She's actually pretty bad at NES Mario Bros. We both lucked past that game in the 2016 tournament.
 

Megaman 2 also gives me a run for my money. Metalman is nigh invincible.

Many of the "toughest" games just take practice and time to determine patterns and then they aren't so bad.

If you want a sneaky hard platformer that I personally think is also a hidden gem, take a stab at Street Fighter 2010. That one took some serious work to beat personally.

Dtysonator makes that one looks like child's play when he beats it on stream.
But surely is a tough one. And a very fun one at that too.
Great underrated gem.

 

+1 for the Street Fighter 2010 mentions! It's an absolute gem to me too. It's a good challenge and has a fairly steep learning curve, though I don't think it is amongst the truly hardest NES games. 
 

Tragic that we're this far in and nobody acknowledges how important the power of friendship is!
Bubble Bobble.

Seriously, though, I'm all for challenging games as long as it feels rewarding to struggle through them.
Some of those have been mentioned here (Super C, Batman, Castlevania, Ninja Gaiden, Blaster Master, etc.)
Then there's difficult games that simply aren't worth the frustration. The latter are novel, but I wouldn't sleep at night if I recommended them to others for any reason.

^^^I would put Ghosts and Goblins into that category too. It's insane difficulty mainly comes from the fact that it's so cheap in places. I would put Breakthru and Bad Dudes in this category as well.

Arkanoid, High Speed, Adventure Island all stand out to me

Games mentioned seem pretty on point. Yeesh... I wish there were more games being discussed here I can beat. 

Contra, and Super C I can beat easily. Contra I can max out and Super C doesn't get harder so theoretically could loop endlessly...

*Double Dragon I've beat. Using the points trick and many tries. 
*Double Dragon 2 I can beat easily, so I don't consider it too hard. III I've beat once. 
*Mega Man (With a few tries), and not sure why people put MM2 on the list. That's easiest for me, but again, I have played it the most probably.

Games I can "beat" with endless continues:
*Castlevania (& help from NA)
*Ghosts & Goblins

Games I can't beat:

*TMNT never made too much progress...
*Punch Out I haven't beaten Mike Tyson (can get there kinda easy with a little practise). 
*Ninja Gaiden kicks my ass every time. 
*Battletoads  can easily max the score and get to Terra Tubes/Rat Race... but the Clinger Winger really fucks me up. Last time I tried to beat it with a Game Genie I beat that part, but didn't beat the Dark Queen.  
*Zelda 2 never really played...
*Batman never really given a solid effort, but it kicks my ass pretty easily. 
*Adventure Island I've gotten to level 7-4, see thread, haha. Endless continues. Have to go back again...

 
This melts my brain, give how incredible you've destroyed other similarily difficult games. What is it about Super C that gets you hung up? I've always been one of those people... Contra was always trickier for me... but I think that Level 6 (Quick internet search), yup... AREA 6 in Super C... is the hardest level of both games... and if you aren't careful that level will fuck you up bad and end your shit real quick. 

But als, for Super C, if the overhead levels aren't your cup of tea and they can be a pain, then that make the game more difficult for sure.
​


I have also wondered this. I've thought abuot making a thread about it many times. The games I play "new" as an adult are hard as fuck. 

For some reason Stage 4 is quite hard for me. If I get there with spread I'll usually mess up and lose it. I've never even reached the second overhead stage.
 

All the hardest games have been mentioned, but I will throw in TMNT 3 as a game I feel like an NES fan should finish simply because its awesome. Preferably with a friend and some beer, and bonus points if you don't use both long range turtles.

Have you tried the pause trick in clinger winger? Everytime you are about to turn pause the game. When it is paused tap the correct direction to turn and unpause it. It really helps learn the route. Also make sure your controller's D-pad is solid. I had a couple controllers that seemed fine on most games but couldn't handle Clinger Winger. Once I got one with a nice D-pad I beat it first time. 

Hmmm, interesting... Area 4 is tricky... just gotta make sure to duck before the bombs drop, really... I mean, it's relentless, no doubt. Guys dropping on your head is annoying. Get that Contra code going!
 

As one of the few people in the elite category who's beaten Mutant Virus.  Its not 'hard' as much as its and endurance challenge.  Id actually say Battletoads is harder because it requires WAY more play time to beat.  Mutant virus' difficulty is really just level 4 and 5 and if you're willing to leave your NES on you can beat it without any 'real' skill.  Just my 2 cents.  Ive never beat or really played Bump N' Jump, but id say that list is real strong.  Id add Adventure Island along with Battletoads.  Games that require you to play a TON and memorize almost every facet of the game.

 

I have always found the Castlevania series to be easy for me to beat ,especially the older 8bit and 16bit CV titles .But there again CV just happens to be my favorite video game series ,and I just happen to be a natural at the series ..

I remember thinking it was impossible without the konami code as a kid, but I pretty much mastered it about 10 years ago and was able to max out the score. 

As much as I hate admitting this, I have never beaten any of the Castlevania games.  One of these days I need to sit down in front of my NES and vow not to get up until I beat the first one! lol 

Snake Rattle and Roll
Battletoads
Burai Fighter (on Ultimate)
Star Soldier
Track & Field II (without using turbo)