Part of what caused Battletoads' legendary difficulty is the classic trap inexperienced developers fall into, where the people making the game are the only ones testing it, and as a result massively overshoot the difficulty level. Turns out if you design a level and the enemy AI, it's pretty hard to feel like you're being challenged when you play. Back then, games didn't get balance patches, for obvious reasons, but Battletoads sort of did get one! The JP release was slightly adjusted in difficulty with many, many small tweaks in level design and giving the player more lives and continues. It also fixed a bug that prevented one of the levels from being cleared in co-op. I would heartily recommend it as the superior version to play, since it's still just as creative as the US release, but much more fair. Unfortunately, the JP release has one glaring flaw: the drum beat on the pause screen is gone!
Yeah, considering this was Rare's first big flagship title, that makes a ton of sense! Difficulty on the US version is absolutely insane, though I'm not sure if that also plays into the 'make games hard to fight the rental market' trend that devs used to go for at that time. I did try the JP version once, and you're right. Since that was the last version to come out, there are changes to almost every single level. It's especially noticeable on the vehicle sections. I would recommend that too if anyone wants to get their hands on Battletoads without having to put up with it's difficulty. The loss of the drum beat is truly unfortunate though, I can't dance on my way to the bathroom anymore!
@@burncrowsp You raise a good point, the trend of making western releases of games unfairly hard to discourage rentals may have been part of it. I know it was responsible for at least one infamously difficult game, Comix Zone. The Japanese version has extra lives, and more continues, making it just a normal beat-em-up instead of the nightmare the US release is.
@@Lurdiak Yeah, it was more common in Genesis games, since the console was very popular in the US. Comix Zone is a great example of it, though the game that made me notice the changes the most is Dynamite Headdy.
Even the Japanese version, as improved as it is, isn't totally free of unfair situations. Battletoads goes beyond difficult, it's not like Castlevania or Contra where if you practice enough, you can get through it. No. Battletoads is not a game about skillful mastery of mechanics, it's about memorization, trial-and-error and near-clairvoyant reflexes reacting to the most random situations you couldn't possibly see coming. Turbo Tunnel is infamous, but that isn't even the worst level in the game. That honor belongs to Volkmire's Inferno, where unlike Turbo Tunnel, you get literally 0.0 seconds of time to react, and so memorizing the entire stage is mandatory. It's awful. The difficulty is comparable to I Wanna Be The Guy, but at least that game has unlimited continues and no lives system. It may be an innovative game for its day and it may be extremely polished for an NES game, but the truth is it just isn't fun, at all.
Oh definitely, Battletoads can be pretty unfair, since it asks a ton of things from you. I always found the game fun because the level of satisfaction you get once you finally get the perfect run through a level is, honestly, unmeasurable. And since the game is so polished, it stands out from many other NES games. Hence why I recommended it on this list, it may not be for everyone, but it's worth trying out.
Great video! Castlevania III is one of my favorite NES games as well, and I find it so funny that you brought up the original Final Fantasy III because I actually just started it the other day!
Yeah, I’m not very far yet, but I’m really loving the game. I also started FF5 Advance, but I’ve probably only played for like 10-15 minutes. Now Final Fantasy 6, or III as released globally, is one of my favorite games of all time.
FF5 is one I have a ton of appreciation for, it really surprised me when I finally got to play it recently, thanks to its battle mechanics. FF6 is also one of my favorite games for the SNES, so happy to not be the only one!
Just felt like coming back to the video to say this, but the game literally saying “NUH UH” for not playing properly is absolutely hilarious, I knew about needing the shield but that’s great
Castlevania 3's easily one of the best NES games out there! I've only played Final Fantasy 3 through the DS remake, which adds quite a lot of stuff such as giving the silent protagonists names and personality to better immerse in the game's world. It also tones down the challenge of the Crystal Tower and World of Darkness, though it's still very tough.
I wholeheartedly agree! I did play the DS port for quite a bit, the experience was pretty great, though the way the added the adaptability system for jobs wasn't ideal in my eyes. Otherwise? A great remake. Thanks for watching!
If there's one franchise I want to check out despite if I told people they would say "Don't" it would 100% be Ghosts and Goblins, it's not really because of the difficulty, but moreso that the games just look interesting, I still haven't seen something quite like it yet, I also just feel like trying to beat it is in a way a sort of rite of passage, not seriously, just as a joke kinda way, "Are you gamer enough to beat Ghosts and Goblins?", plus I love Arthur in Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and Infinite, so I feel I should do my diligence for one of my favorites from that series, which is why I hope Capcom makes a collection for it, and possibly also it's spin off series's. (Those being the three Gargoyle's Crest games and the two Maximo Ghosts to Glory games) Also two other things, 1, Firebrand I'm pretty sure doesn't appear until his own games, (The Gargoyle's Crest games) and the red demons you fight in the first game are just regular Red Arremers, not Firebrand, and I think he's a bit shorter than most Red Arremers, like the usual RA's would probably be close to Mega Man X characters in size, and Firebrand would be somewhere a bit shorter than Mega Man classic characters, I don't blame you for making this mistake, most people do when talking about stuff like SVC Chaos, but it's still something I felt like bringing up. And 2, go watch the Super Gaming Brothers let's plays of GnG and CV3, there are so many good moments, "Nooo! I meant to hit him with the nandugger!" "Lovely day for a stroll wouldn't you say Red Arremer?" "Why yes I would Sir Arthur, hachacha, hachacha".
Yeah, you should try to give those games a shot! I played the original trilogy, though I still need to try the Firebrand games, as well as Maximo. I heard many good things about them. About Red Arremer's name, I remember learning that the name 'Firebrand' was given to the character after the game was localized to english-speaking countries. And since every gargoyle enemy was known in Japan as Red Arremer, even the character, I assumed it was the same for its localized counterpart, so thank you very much for correcting me there! I'll take your recommendation! I have watched Johnny's 'VS GnG' video, and I recall it being a pretty great episode, so a full playthrough of them must be quite fun. Notes taken, and thank you for watching, I hope you enjoyed it.
Insofar as playing the original arcade game of Ghosts n' Goblins, I can see that being better than the NES port. Ever since I first played the classic Ninja Turtles cabinet at Chuck E Cheese's as a teen, the NES version just wasn't the same. It's also both disappointing yet logical that some of the hidden items in the arcade game were dropped in the port. I have serious respect for those who can do well at Castlevania 3. I never got far, but it does feel like one of those games that I could get farther if I really tried. Rondo of Blood is a similar feeling. And didn't Grant just having an infinite throwing knife as his main weapon in Akumajou Densetsu? I do like his stubby l'il knife in CV3, though. Shucks, the fact that he has a more dynamic jump helps him stay unique. It's like Alucard having his bat form -- it's a distinct advantage over Trevor and his other battle buddies. Final Fantasy 3? Yes please. I adore the Pixel Remaster and did play the DS remake, but my first exposure was playing an older fan translation on a web-based emulator once. It had a choppy framerate on my browser, and the translation... well, it certainly had a name for Gnomish Bread that probably shouldn't be repeated. I'm usually iffy on older fan translations. But for the base game itself? A lot of iconic classes made their debut, let alone became unique -- Dragoons could jump and Ninja could now throw weapons, among other things. There's just something about the setting, especially the DS remake, that feels very sword-and-sandals to me somehow. Likely town names like Ur and Kazus, Canaan and Castle Argus, let alone an early boss being a djinn you need to seal in a ring. And in the DS version, the Knight class has a very Greek or Roman helmet brush thing. I like it, and feel it stands out.
Yeah! Arcades back then were years ahead of any home console, they must have been very impressive to witness. I agree it's logical that they drop the items, though it's interesting how you can still recover your armor at certain points. Grant does have a throwing dagger in the JP version, while CV3 changed it for a short range knife. All characters are very unique indeed, even if the Alucard route is pretty rough, having his bat skill along with you is a massive bonus. Wish you luck if you ever want to come back and try to get far into the game! And yeah, I love FF3! You are absolutely right, it was the debut of many classes that would soon become series staples. The DS version is a pretty great remake, I never got to finish it, but I got as far as fighting Salamander, and my experience was quite fun. "Sword and sandals" is probably one of the better ways to describe the feel of the game! Anyway, thanks a lot for watching and commenting, take care!
I played nearly of these games but i only played battletoads to the end on a Gameboy multigame cardridge, and I had the possibilty to skip this damn sewer level. So yeah i played through it as a child but never solved this sewer level
Oohhh, the Battletoads games on GameBoy are pretty interesting, if you got to beat the game as a kid, then kudos! All of these are quite tough in their own ways xD
The Not So Angry NES Nerd
"He'd rather (not) haaaave, a buffaloooooo
take(n't) a diarrhea dump in his eaaaar~"
Part of what caused Battletoads' legendary difficulty is the classic trap inexperienced developers fall into, where the people making the game are the only ones testing it, and as a result massively overshoot the difficulty level. Turns out if you design a level and the enemy AI, it's pretty hard to feel like you're being challenged when you play.
Back then, games didn't get balance patches, for obvious reasons, but Battletoads sort of did get one! The JP release was slightly adjusted in difficulty with many, many small tweaks in level design and giving the player more lives and continues. It also fixed a bug that prevented one of the levels from being cleared in co-op. I would heartily recommend it as the superior version to play, since it's still just as creative as the US release, but much more fair.
Unfortunately, the JP release has one glaring flaw: the drum beat on the pause screen is gone!
Yeah, considering this was Rare's first big flagship title, that makes a ton of sense! Difficulty on the US version is absolutely insane, though I'm not sure if that also plays into the 'make games hard to fight the rental market' trend that devs used to go for at that time.
I did try the JP version once, and you're right. Since that was the last version to come out, there are changes to almost every single level. It's especially noticeable on the vehicle sections. I would recommend that too if anyone wants to get their hands on Battletoads without having to put up with it's difficulty.
The loss of the drum beat is truly unfortunate though, I can't dance on my way to the bathroom anymore!
@@burncrowsp You raise a good point, the trend of making western releases of games unfairly hard to discourage rentals may have been part of it. I know it was responsible for at least one infamously difficult game, Comix Zone. The Japanese version has extra lives, and more continues, making it just a normal beat-em-up instead of the nightmare the US release is.
@@Lurdiak Yeah, it was more common in Genesis games, since the console was very popular in the US. Comix Zone is a great example of it, though the game that made me notice the changes the most is Dynamite Headdy.
Even the Japanese version, as improved as it is, isn't totally free of unfair situations. Battletoads goes beyond difficult, it's not like Castlevania or Contra where if you practice enough, you can get through it. No. Battletoads is not a game about skillful mastery of mechanics, it's about memorization, trial-and-error and near-clairvoyant reflexes reacting to the most random situations you couldn't possibly see coming. Turbo Tunnel is infamous, but that isn't even the worst level in the game. That honor belongs to Volkmire's Inferno, where unlike Turbo Tunnel, you get literally 0.0 seconds of time to react, and so memorizing the entire stage is mandatory. It's awful. The difficulty is comparable to I Wanna Be The Guy, but at least that game has unlimited continues and no lives system. It may be an innovative game for its day and it may be extremely polished for an NES game, but the truth is it just isn't fun, at all.
Oh definitely, Battletoads can be pretty unfair, since it asks a ton of things from you. I always found the game fun because the level of satisfaction you get once you finally get the perfect run through a level is, honestly, unmeasurable. And since the game is so polished, it stands out from many other NES games. Hence why I recommended it on this list, it may not be for everyone, but it's worth trying out.
Great video! Castlevania III is one of my favorite NES games as well, and I find it so funny that you brought up the original Final Fantasy III because I actually just started it the other day!
YOOOOOO that's quite the coincidence, have a ton of fun with it!
I agree as well, CV3 really clicked with me, so glad to see some more fans of it!
Yeah, I’m not very far yet, but I’m really loving the game. I also started FF5 Advance, but I’ve probably only played for like 10-15 minutes. Now Final Fantasy 6, or III as released globally, is one of my favorite games of all time.
FF5 is one I have a ton of appreciation for, it really surprised me when I finally got to play it recently, thanks to its battle mechanics. FF6 is also one of my favorite games for the SNES, so happy to not be the only one!
Pretty great video, a good selection of hard but fun games! Still I have to play Battleloads too xD
Please do! The game is pretty good, even if it's "Nintendo-hard"
Just felt like coming back to the video to say this, but the game literally saying “NUH UH” for not playing properly is absolutely hilarious, I knew about needing the shield but that’s great
HAHAHAHAHA, thanks, I had some dumb fun doing that little skit. I appreciate you coming back.
Is it weird that I find Mega Man relaxing? 😂
Oh, it's not! I feel the same way too, HAHAHA
@@burncrowsp These are pretty nice. Considering retro gaming is on the rise again, people might find them useful.
@@joshuawizard2027 Thank you! I hope so too, seeing old games coming back to popularity like this makes me happy. Thanks for watching.
Oh yeah, I find some Mega Man games really relaxing to play, unless it has a ride chaser stage lol.
And yeah, I’ve always been a fan of the classic retro games, so seeing more people come back to them makes me really happy as well.
Castlevania 3's easily one of the best NES games out there! I've only played Final Fantasy 3 through the DS remake, which adds quite a lot of stuff such as giving the silent protagonists names and personality to better immerse in the game's world. It also tones down the challenge of the Crystal Tower and World of Darkness, though it's still very tough.
I wholeheartedly agree! I did play the DS port for quite a bit, the experience was pretty great, though the way the added the adaptability system for jobs wasn't ideal in my eyes. Otherwise? A great remake. Thanks for watching!
@@burncrowsp I would suggest checking out the Pixel Remaster version. Job switching is instantaneous without cost or penalty!
I see, then notes taken! I'll try to look for it when it gets on sale!
amazing video.
Thank you so much for watching!
Bombastic
If there's one franchise I want to check out despite if I told people they would say "Don't" it would 100% be Ghosts and Goblins, it's not really because of the difficulty, but moreso that the games just look interesting, I still haven't seen something quite like it yet, I also just feel like trying to beat it is in a way a sort of rite of passage, not seriously, just as a joke kinda way, "Are you gamer enough to beat Ghosts and Goblins?", plus I love Arthur in Marvel Vs Capcom 3 and Infinite, so I feel I should do my diligence for one of my favorites from that series, which is why I hope Capcom makes a collection for it, and possibly also it's spin off series's. (Those being the three Gargoyle's Crest games and the two Maximo Ghosts to Glory games)
Also two other things, 1, Firebrand I'm pretty sure doesn't appear until his own games, (The Gargoyle's Crest games) and the red demons you fight in the first game are just regular Red Arremers, not Firebrand, and I think he's a bit shorter than most Red Arremers, like the usual RA's would probably be close to Mega Man X characters in size, and Firebrand would be somewhere a bit shorter than Mega Man classic characters, I don't blame you for making this mistake, most people do when talking about stuff like SVC Chaos, but it's still something I felt like bringing up.
And 2, go watch the Super Gaming Brothers let's plays of GnG and CV3, there are so many good moments, "Nooo! I meant to hit him with the nandugger!" "Lovely day for a stroll wouldn't you say Red Arremer?" "Why yes I would Sir Arthur, hachacha, hachacha".
Yeah, you should try to give those games a shot! I played the original trilogy, though I still need to try the Firebrand games, as well as Maximo. I heard many good things about them.
About Red Arremer's name, I remember learning that the name 'Firebrand' was given to the character after the game was localized to english-speaking countries. And since every gargoyle enemy was known in Japan as Red Arremer, even the character, I assumed it was the same for its localized counterpart, so thank you very much for correcting me there!
I'll take your recommendation! I have watched Johnny's 'VS GnG' video, and I recall it being a pretty great episode, so a full playthrough of them must be quite fun. Notes taken, and thank you for watching, I hope you enjoyed it.
Insofar as playing the original arcade game of Ghosts n' Goblins, I can see that being better than the NES port. Ever since I first played the classic Ninja Turtles cabinet at Chuck E Cheese's as a teen, the NES version just wasn't the same. It's also both disappointing yet logical that some of the hidden items in the arcade game were dropped in the port.
I have serious respect for those who can do well at Castlevania 3. I never got far, but it does feel like one of those games that I could get farther if I really tried. Rondo of Blood is a similar feeling. And didn't Grant just having an infinite throwing knife as his main weapon in Akumajou Densetsu? I do like his stubby l'il knife in CV3, though. Shucks, the fact that he has a more dynamic jump helps him stay unique. It's like Alucard having his bat form -- it's a distinct advantage over Trevor and his other battle buddies.
Final Fantasy 3? Yes please. I adore the Pixel Remaster and did play the DS remake, but my first exposure was playing an older fan translation on a web-based emulator once. It had a choppy framerate on my browser, and the translation... well, it certainly had a name for Gnomish Bread that probably shouldn't be repeated. I'm usually iffy on older fan translations.
But for the base game itself? A lot of iconic classes made their debut, let alone became unique -- Dragoons could jump and Ninja could now throw weapons, among other things. There's just something about the setting, especially the DS remake, that feels very sword-and-sandals to me somehow. Likely town names like Ur and Kazus, Canaan and Castle Argus, let alone an early boss being a djinn you need to seal in a ring. And in the DS version, the Knight class has a very Greek or Roman helmet brush thing. I like it, and feel it stands out.
Yeah! Arcades back then were years ahead of any home console, they must have been very impressive to witness. I agree it's logical that they drop the items, though it's interesting how you can still recover your armor at certain points.
Grant does have a throwing dagger in the JP version, while CV3 changed it for a short range knife. All characters are very unique indeed, even if the Alucard route is pretty rough, having his bat skill along with you is a massive bonus. Wish you luck if you ever want to come back and try to get far into the game!
And yeah, I love FF3! You are absolutely right, it was the debut of many classes that would soon become series staples. The DS version is a pretty great remake, I never got to finish it, but I got as far as fighting Salamander, and my experience was quite fun. "Sword and sandals" is probably one of the better ways to describe the feel of the game!
Anyway, thanks a lot for watching and commenting, take care!
I played nearly of these games but i only played battletoads to the end on a Gameboy multigame cardridge, and I had the possibilty to skip this damn sewer level. So yeah i played through it as a child but never solved this sewer level
Oohhh, the Battletoads games on GameBoy are pretty interesting, if you got to beat the game as a kid, then kudos! All of these are quite tough in their own ways xD
You sound very Spanish.
Well, you got me, I am!