Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger

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DeathStarVet@reddit

TMNT on Nintendo is one of the most notoriously difficult games every made.

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I started playing the original TMNT last week on retroarch. I got to the first water level and reached a point of controller throwing, rage quit anger I haven’t experienced playing a game in a very long time.

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Molten_Plastic82@reddit

“If you’re not having fun, why are you still playing!?”

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Lucky_Development359@reddit

Yes! With the electric seaweed? I swear that stole my childhood happiness more than my parents' divorce.

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PriorAlbatross3294@reddit

Has anyone ever gotten past that shit? Like, as a kid, not some pro gamer.

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1732PepperCo@reddit

It’s actually a really easy level.

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PriorAlbatross3294@reddit

Well where the hell were you when I was 9? Lol

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bibfortuna16@reddit

yea completed the game only once 😅

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DirtyBirdDawg@reddit

I actually beat that level as a kid, but never the game itself. I think I may have gotten as far as the Technodrome and then I just gave up. Now TMNT II? I beat that game several times over. It was one of my favorites and I played the hell out of it.

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GenkiSam123@reddit

6 year old me was always excited when my 14 year old older cousin would come over because he could beat that level and that would be the only times I could see what’s on the other side of that damn water level. I was in awe each time, big kids are amazing with their fully developed hand eye coordination haha

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-_Redacted-_@reddit

I did it ONCE as a kid

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PriorAlbatross3294@reddit

I tried so many times. Never could

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newenglandredshirt@reddit

I got past that level *once*. I had a single turtle left with almost zero health. I then proceeded to die almost immediately on the next level.

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PriorAlbatross3294@reddit

Lol the pain

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OreoSpamBurger@reddit

You can switch between the turtles if you get low on energy.

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Lucky_Development359@reddit

Apparently, someone down the thread said it's easy...Xeniall Bobby Fischer apparently.

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Hossflex@reddit

Isn’t that the one where you have to disable bombs?

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Lucky_Development359@reddit

That's the one. Did you succeed?

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Hossflex@reddit

It was rare and I often died shortly after.

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Lucky_Development359@reddit

Thanks for including "died shortly after", I appreciate your attempt soften the blow that yet another person succeeded. 🤣

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Equal_Imagination300@reddit

I was playing it the other day and one of my son's said "Dad I thought you were good at video games?" I handed him the controller and after a few minutes he handed it back with a "games were harder in the olden days" 🙄

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MadDogFenby@reddit

Core Emotion Unlocked

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3rdPlaceYoureFired@reddit

Really? I beat that level as a kid without any issues. It was when you moved to the over world setting when I gave up

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xtlhogciao@reddit

I didn’t have any problems either. I usually just wasted most of Mikey and Ralph’s power almost down to zero (on the electric seaweed, or whatever), then fully replenished them right away in the following overhead level by going in and out of the first building containing the pizza slice on the first level and full pie on the second, a couple times.

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wunderbraten@reddit

It was this building though, when retrieving the rockets was damn impossible. Lost countless hours on trying to get these, yet failed at every attempt to jump the gap. That is, until I've accidentally *walked* across... 🤬

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xtlhogciao@reddit

And they screw with you by making it so you just *barely* can’t reach by jumping up there from below…and you’re sitting there in the chair and thrusting your chest/shoulders/head upwards as you’re (the turtle is) jumping, as if that’ll give him that extra boost in order to reach it (“get…up there!”)

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ARCHA1C@reddit

Yeah, once you know the correct order it is not difficult. Avoiding the electric shocking kelp isn’t any more difficult than flappy Bird

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zenpuppy79@reddit

I initially thought I had never played that game but then you brought back the horrible memories of getting owned by that game. All it took was electric seaweed and I remembered that I had rented it played it and didn't get that far due to its difficulty.

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elgarraz@reddit

That one and Battle Toads are 1 & 2 in some order.

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dissaver@reddit

Ghosts and goblins is way way harder. After you seemingly beat the nearly impossible game you then have to beat it all over again at a harder level.

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JaseyRaeRadio@reddit

I didn’t find that out until like two years ago and I did perhaps my only legitimate spit take of my life

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Froot-Loop-Dingus@reddit

This comment made me rediscover my origin of “fuck this game. I don’t need to finish it.” Mindset.

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elgarraz@reddit

I think the actual hardest game ever is Takeshi's Challenge, but nobody played that game over here. You can't even get past the karaoke level without a special controller.

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dissaver@reddit

I've heard of that game too, but like you said, never have played it.

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scottwsx96@reddit

I made it to the Technodrome once. Never beat the game.

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NoOccasion4759@reddit

Is that the one with the skateboarding (on jets?) On a street? Bc i fucking rocked that one. Although DuckTales was my jam, could finish that in 20 min

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Bourriks@reddit

*\* Laughs in Bart vs The Space Mutants \**

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TheAskewOne@reddit

So... it was not just that I sucked at games? Hallelujah!

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statistacktic@reddit

Ghouls and Ghosts was another

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Pooch76@reddit

Wow, TTIL but that explains a lot! I don’t think I ever got to the end.

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UniqueEnigma121@reddit

Getting to the end & there was no Technodrome🙄

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danappropriate@reddit

_Super Ghouls and Ghosts has entered the chat_

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DeathStarVet@reddit

I repressed that one.

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TheLastBlakist@reddit

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPJSeelujeQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPJSeelujeQ)

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TheLastBlakist@reddit

I'm 90% sure the dam/bomb diffusion level was made intentionally difficult to the point of requiring a perfect run for the sake of blockbuster rentals.

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VanDammes4headCyst@reddit

Worse than E.T. on Atari? I think not.

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DeathStarVet@reddit

I mean, that game wasn't difficult. It was just fundamentally broken lol

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VanDammes4headCyst@reddit

I'll have to agree there.

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JimMcRae@reddit

I never got past the rope swing

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katastrophyx@reddit

Dude same. I didn't find out until like 5 years ago you had to use THE FUCKING SELECT BUTTON to use the rope swing... like what the hell is that? The only NES game I've ever heard of that used the select button for an in-game function.

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SlapHappyDude@reddit

The Nintendo power guide was pretty good though. It told you exactly how to beat the water level.

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livens@reddit

It was pretty fun to play though.

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Dr-McLuvin@reddit

Ya I was gonna say we played the shit out of that game growing up. The water level was insanely difficult.

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MightyPenguinRoars@reddit

Fuck having to defuse all those bombs, man!!! I get anxious just thinking about it! 🥵🥵

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Lucky_Development359@reddit

That damn electric seaweed level...

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RocktoberBlood@reddit

I beat it after a few weeks of trying, to never play it again until I was an adult. I had a lot more patience with gaming as a 9 year old, and a fewer options.

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LuxInteriot@reddit

Battletoads. I could only finish it as an adult, on an emulator with a keyboard and slow-mo.

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Wizdad-1000@reddit

I havent played TMNT but gawdammit Battle Toads did you have to get me sent to my room when I raged screamed at the TV?

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InevitableShake7688@reddit

Both my sons are hardcore gamers. Neither can finish a Zelda before Ocarina. Lol losers.

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ClampLoader@reddit

I still can’t figure out how to get past the first side scrolling dungeon thing in Zelda 2.

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RolandTwitter@reddit

Honestly, the solution to those old games is to usually bang your head at the wall until it works. Just keep trying ... No, it's not particularly fun, but old games are interesting

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thetwelveofsix@reddit

Even ALTTP? That one was a lot easier than 1 or 2.

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FreneticZen@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/7kpx3z5l9yee1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4d027cf28424886e694c2b8188295f42a52d94b6 I’m a glutton for punishment because I always have these games in my pocket, and I still play the shit out of them. My kid is 16, and he is skilled gamer in his own right. One afternoon this past summer he was curious about the games that I grew up with— He’s of the opinion that our entertainment was a form of sadistic torture.

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Soft_Importance_8613@reddit

> He’s of the opinion that our entertainment was a form of sadistic torture. A lot of the ideas on how hard games should be at that time were still based on coin operated arcades design theory. Get them in the game so they get hooked, then kill them again and again so they feed the machine quarters.

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FreneticZen@reddit

That’s why I told him “no save states, just play”

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riomx@reddit

Your kid is 100% right.

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CrimsonDMT@reddit

Is that Super Mario Brothers on the far right?

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SinisterDetection@reddit

Ghosts'n Goblins anyone?

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AZbitchmaster@reddit

Ghosts 'n Goblins laughs at Zelda and TMNT. They should have a warning on G''nG to hide any sharp objects before playing because you're going to want to murder somebody out of frustration.

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jonthecpa@reddit

That game was so glitchy. I have a core memory of glitching through the floor and falling through several levels in a never ending loop. I was young and it gave me nightmares and long-lasting PTSD. I still can’t play video games where you can free fly around without fear of falling into an unknown pit of hell.

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lunchboxdeluxe@reddit

Seriously. Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts / Ghosts 'N Goblins were games that are actually difficult. Zelda II and TMNT aren't extra easy or anything but I just never thought they were all that crazy hard.

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Round_Structure_2735@reddit

I never got past the first level. I'm sure I tried it at least 50 times.

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danappropriate@reddit

Easily one of the most difficult games in video game history.

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y_nnis@reddit

Me taking the photo in: "Well, to be honest The Adventure of Link wasn't *that* difficul.... oh..."

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Accurate_Group_5390@reddit

TMNT was rock hard back in the day but I managed to complete it as an adult around 15 years ago.

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DonkeykongT@reddit

Underwater bombs can eat a dick! 😂

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whatThePleb@reddit

gitgud

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texashorns2@reddit

Anyone play Deadly Towers? Traumatized by it

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Mulkaccino@reddit

That game literally gave me night terrors. I remember having a nightmare while being lucid and it was that game going through my head.

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Hossflex@reddit

Ghosts and Goblins. Battletoads and TMNT still haunt my dreams 30+ years later.

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_ism_@reddit

Didn't even parse the game titles. Was focused on the track suits. My mom had one just like this kid's. He would have been bullied at school instantly.

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shawnofnc@reddit

Damn. A Nintendo and two new games. Low-key rich kids over here.

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-_Redacted-_@reddit

OH GOD IS THAT TURTLES?!

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Legospacememe@reddit

The water level in tmnt isn't that hard to be honest Now level 4 thats a completely different story

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WheelLeast1873@reddit

https://youtu.be/XjUz8IT0CYg?si=GRJKk5xtZSFhvmfe

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hdufort@reddit

I've experienced more pain with Battletoads.

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Vibriobactin@reddit

Castlevania: *Hold my beer…”*

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Select_Nectarine8229@reddit

Especially that damn hot pink seaweed in the sewer.

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Coyote_Roadrunna@reddit

Especially that annoying water level in TMNT.

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WorldwidePies@reddit

Unpopular opinion here : I never found the dam level to be that hard. You can let your turtles really get low on health and it won’t matter, because the first building (which you have to go into anyway to get the missiles) in the next level has pizza, so you can just go in and out multiple times and restore your turtles’ life completely. The difficulty really ramps up at the airport with the insta-kill spikes, and then at the next level with the weirdly moving, very strong enemies.

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nickgovier@reddit

It says everything that reactions are split between “water level was impossible” and “it gets worse after that”

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Coyote_Roadrunna@reddit

Yeah, the unlimited pizzas is a nice feature. Gotta keep grinding in that game.

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LegallyRegarded@reddit

i can still hear the sound of hitting the sides.

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Adventurous-State940@reddit

I remember what a game changer it was when I finally got the boat.

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omenmedia@reddit

Gee, I wonder if they got The Lion King the next Christmas?

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Golden8361@reddit

I remember my mom saying “if the game makes you that frustrated, then don’t play it”

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sentient_fox@reddit

Dressed like a wild berry pop tart, even.

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CaptPotter47@reddit

We didn’t have those games. But the red headed kid is the spitting image for me at that age. The other kid, definitely not my brother!

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zhaDeth@reddit

Ngl, I played zelda II lately after falling in love with elden ring and it's like an old-school fromsoft game.

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NopeRope13@reddit

Are we talking about the games or the windbreaker. Cause I caught hell from both

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aliaswyvernspur@reddit

[Me, Christmas 1990](https://old.reddit.com/r/nes/comments/kk14ui/30_years_ago_today_me_opening_my_nes_and_games/). I too, did not know the pain that awaited me.

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Shpadoinkall@reddit

The struggle builds character. At least they were just difficult games rather than difficult games because they are broken.

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withrenewedvigor@reddit

Both solid games though.

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Mudlark2017@reddit

Happier times for William and Harry

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UniqueEnigma121@reddit

Those rich cunts are still pretty fucking happy

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trustedbyamillion@reddit

![gif](giphy|lKYwbh0f5FBWylo8Up|downsized)

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JazzCabbage69420@reddit

I remember my dad renting TMNT for us while were visiting the grandparents in Florida. My brother and I stayed up all night trying to get past that first fucking water level. My dad thought we liked the game so much, he bought it for us when we got home. 😂 Thanks dad. Never did beat that fucking game

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Parking-Iron6252@reddit

Literally never got passed the big boulder in Link It was a jarring departure from the original game for an eight year old to process

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No-Pianist9277@reddit

I don't remember beating Zelda 1 when I was a kid, I think I got lost in Level 9. I did eventually beat it once I could navigate better. Zelda 2 was, like you said, way too much of a shift for six year old me. I watched my dad play it instead. He never beat the last palace. 🤣

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Jokierre@reddit

As an arcade kid, I was crushed that NES TMNT looked nothing like 4-player machine I loved so much.

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No-Pianist9277@reddit

I had both on the NES. You can guess which one got more play time. 😂 I could beat the dam in TMNT, but the overworld area after that broke me every single time.

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GuiltyPiglet5882@reddit

Did they get Top Gun?

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QuietNene@reddit

Game was impossible. Guarantee they never play tested it

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Nomadzord@reddit

I told a group of friends that I could land the plane. No one believed me so I dug it out and landed that bitch… drunk. Proudest moment of my life and I have a family.

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TheLastBlakist@reddit

'He's the one...'

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No_Attention_2227@reddit

Landing, Jesus

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FI-Engineer@reddit

You had to read the manual. If you followed the directions, it worked every time. If not, instant death.

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No_Attention_2227@reddit

Oh yeah, six year old me love reading manuals Actually I may have, it was a long time ago and maybe I did like reading manuals back then. I remember at least perusing them on the car ride home from toys r us

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TheLastBlakist@reddit

Six year old me actually enjoyed reading the manual.... Then again what else was I gonna do while waiting my turn?

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SquirrelyMcNutz@reddit

Well, that was back when manuals were more than just seizure warnings and Don't Try To Eat The Game Disc. You may not remember them, but the AD&D Gold Box games manuals were the GOAT. Filled with game lore and tidbits, thick as hell.

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amayain@reddit

I ate the game disc.

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Person0249@reddit

The manuals from anything Lucasfilm games were goddamn books and I loved them. I’d give anything for an old Battle of Britain book.

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__Sentient_Fedora__@reddit

More speed!! Less speed!!

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SinisterDetection@reddit

Still have nightmares

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sexual__velociraptor@reddit

If you had The power!! Nintendo power! They break it down to understand and make it easier ... to get to level 3

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QuietNene@reddit

I remember the first time they printed full maps of the levels in Super Mario. It was insane.

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Ti47_867@reddit

Landing on the aircraft carrier gave me PTSD.

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vsaint@reddit

I had top gun on a 5.25” floppy for my commodore. Fucking impossible, I accidentally bent the floppy and it stopped working but I was OK with that.

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CertifiedBA@reddit

Top Gun was one of my original titles....hated it

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Additional-Local8721@reddit

These games are why we're so resilient today. It's also why always expect failure.

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ThePizzaNoid@reddit

I remember Castlevania 3's clock tower level with it's flying medusa heads bringing on screaming fits of rage in little me. I seem to recall chucking my Nintendo controller on one occasion. Glad I've chilled the fuck out since then lol.

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SnooSketches3382@reddit

I can tell you one of them kids won’t have any windburn in that getup. At least he avoided that pain.

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scizzix@reddit

I liked Zelda II when it came out, and am glad it's gotten a more favorable re-evaluation in recent years, but man it is pretty rough. I only beat it through a combination of Nintendo Power, hints from other gaming magazines, and finally getting a xeroxed copy of the map for the final dungeon that a friend's older brother drew on graph paper. Classic strategies!

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BobbyGuano@reddit

That was pure joy back then.

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LazerShark1313@reddit

With my subscription to Nintendo Power I beat Zelda 2 in one weekend. I never beat TMNT despite hours, days, and months of trying

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emcmahon484@reddit

The gold cartridge made it extra special

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fairlyaveragetrader@reddit

The kid on the right is going to have a good time, the kid on the left is going to learn what throwing controllers and raging means 😂

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lunalore79@reddit

I feel like I'm missing something here

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audirt@reddit

I tried (and tried) and failed to beat Zelda II as a kid. Then when I got to college in the late 90s, I discovered NES emulators. Found a copy of Link, fired it up, and finally (after 15+ years) conquered that bastard. Thankfully I never had TMNT. I played it at the arcade and friends' houses and that shit was hard.

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RightInTheBuff@reddit

My first thought looking at this was, "those kids parents were rich".

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Pterosaur@reddit

Yep, (then) Prince Charles and Princess Diana had a bob or two.

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AUCE05@reddit

And that's after your dad spends 3 hours figuring out how to connect that NES to the old wood TV and is cussing the japanese

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NotEvenAThousandaire@reddit

This hit home!

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villagust2@reddit

I don't see Battletoads in there. They'll be fine.

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riomx@reddit

I still have PTSD from never being able to beat the hovercraft level. It's been 30+ years.

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GrunchWeefer@reddit

I beat Battletoads, Ninja Turtles, and Zelda 2 as a kid. I had cat-like reflexes and, more importantly, the patience of a monk. I could never do these things today without save states, etc.

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villagust2@reddit

I beat Battletoads ONCE. Using the warps. I was never able to repeat it. It didn't help that my cartridge got damaged and didn't always work. I could beat TMNT pretty regularly. It's not as hard as some people make it out to be. I think the fact that the difficulty spikes and dips harshly and randomly is what really throws people. I didn't have Zelda 2 as a kid, and as an adult I don't have the time, or the patience if I had the time, for it

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GrunchWeefer@reddit

I've beat Battletoads without warps but I did use the 5-lives cheat. Zelda 2 isn't anywhere near as hard. Only the last level is hard, and once you know where to go and can beat the Thunderbird the final final battle is easy to cheese. I figured it out as a 10 year old.

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TMore108@reddit

They made a ninja turtles compilation a year or two ago and I played the original NES version just to get past the water level. I finally did it with a lot of saving and rewinding but I did it. Finally got vengeance for my inner 7 year old. I have no urge to continue playing that game, I just needed to get past that level lol

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BlueGiant601@reddit

Some years ago, there was a Video Game museum display that had TMNT running. I could still remember how to do the Dam section. Blew through it and the guy there was like "you've done this before." And having beat Zelda II without statesaves...this is why Dark Souls and Elden Ring didn't feel as brutal for me.

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philovax@reddit

Gauntlet 2 got me good back in the day. Finally did game genie on it and got to the last level, just to be warped back to early levels. Truly was a gauntlet

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ARCHA1C@reddit

At least they have super Mario bros

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JJStray@reddit

I never beat Zelda, tmnt, or Mike Tyson. I know I landed on that fucking aircraft carrier at least a few times but I don’t even remember what level 2 of top gun looked like? I could barely beat Zelda with a fucking game genie hahahah. I know I beat the tmnt water level at least once(genesis).

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Ambitious_Tackle@reddit

I never thought link was hard. I never beat the original tmnt game, usually got stuck in the first water level.

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TraditionalMood277@reddit

I played Adventure of Link a few years ago and if it wasn't for save states, I would have broken every controller in a 5 mile radius. Still liked it better than Skyward Sword.

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Aromatic_Cut2567@reddit

I remember trying to hide the fact I left my Nintendo on the floor w a t shirt on it so I didn't have to start over. Walked upstairs after school and my door was open, heart dropped, felt it right away. It took all day to get that far , and she just turned it off. I wwas pissed, never played Zelda again until N64.

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