Biggest Videogame Challenges

[Cheezeman3000]

What are your biggest feats in videogaming? The toughest challenges you've completed?

Right now, instead of enjoying myself playing Skyrim like the rest of you, I've been subjecting myself to one of the worst forms of videogame torture: getting the "big boss" rank in the european extreme difficulty of MGS2:S. Have any of you achieved this feat?

I've passed what seems like the most difficult/frustrating sections in the game (first Tengu fight and Fatman were my biggest issues so far), and am currently at the harrier fight on my 3rd save. Only thing I'm really worried about now is the chokehold, which is a full 20 secs longer than extreme (and I didn't do too well on extreme).

I think I'm ready to rank this as the 2nd toughest videogame challenge I've faced, taking a backseat to the Final Fantasy IX Excalibur II perfect game I completed a year ago. Don't even get me started on THAT challenge...

[Armando]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

Chrono Trigger:
* Beat Lavos in the Ocean Palace without New Game+ before level 50. Check.

Super Metroid:
* Enter the sunken ship from the wrong side. Implies going up Maridia without the Gravity Suit starting from the destroyable glass tube just before Kraid's hideout. Save states are allowed - you're going to need them, along with a walkthrough, some patience, and good wallkicking skills. Check.
* Enter lower Norfair without the Gravity Suit, grab the Screw Attack. Requires using a glitch to open green shutters from the wrong side. Check.
* See above, then continue on to Ridley and beat him before going to the sunken ship. Check.
* Make all the way through Norfair and beat Ridley without a suit. You're gonna have to practice fighting Ridley a lot because you pretty much can't get hit. Too hard for me.
* Beat the game in under 2 hours. Check.

Mega Man Zero 1-4:
* Beat the game in Hard Mode with a 95+ in all missions. Check.
* Beat the game in Hard Mode with a 100 in all missions. Too hard for me.

Final Fantasy Tactics:
* Beat the game without fighting random battles or stalling fights to grind EXP. For extra challenge, ban Accumulate and Dual Wield on any character that has Martial Arts. Postponed 'til I have more free time.

EDIT: Super Ghouls and Ghosts:
* Beat the fucking game, no save states. Almost. Didn't have the weapon needed to kill the final boss for good, so they sent me back to the beginning. They can fuck right off if they think I'm going through the game twice.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

I'd like to point out that Armando is insane.

[Taskmage]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

I cleared Super Metroid with 100% items in 1:36 iirc. If not that then 1:54. My Super Nintendo met a peanut butter sandwich or something so I can't check anymore. Just looked it up on youtube and found tool-assisted 100% clears at 0:36. @_@

In ChronoTrigger I new game+ed enough times to max out Marle and Lucca's power through tabs. Most of my game achievements are feats of persistence like that rather than remarkable skill.

[Armando]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

I'd like to point out that Armando is insane.

Taskmage is more insane if he can do a 100% Super Metroid run in less than 2 hours. My best run has been 1:46 and that's collecting like 50% of the items. Also, the Chrono Trigger Lavos challenge did make use of a certain unintended exploit to powerlevel in the Ocean Palace up to level ~45. It was still hard as fuck and took forever to kill Lavos, but there was no way I would've put in the time required to grind to 45 the old-fashioned way.

EDIT:

Just looked it up on youtube and found tool-assisted 100% clears at 0:36. @_@

To be fair, tool-assisted Super Metroid is far beyond what any human could possibly hope to achieve. For example, every time you aim diagonally up or down while running, Samus moves an extra pixel forward. Tool-assisted runs will alternate between aiming up and forward every frame so you get 30 extra pixels of movement every second. On top of that, you can grab the Morph Ball bomb and leave the room fast enough to skip the fight with the Torizo statue, and you can glitch through the door right before Tourian to get in there without killing all the bosses. Tool-assisted gameplay also lets you make use of the Doppler Effect to stunlock Phantoon with missiles by shooting them as quickly as possible while you move forward.

EDIT2: Found a better video.

[Aeni]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

In ChronoTrigger I new game+ed enough times to max out Marle and Lucca's power through tabs. Most of my game achievements are feats of persistence like that rather than remarkable skill.

In games like Disgaea 4, this would be knowing every "secret" and being able to do stuff like hitting level 9,999 in just a few days. Not exploits, mind you, just skills. I've still yet to master towering and being able to identify the geo-panels puzzle and to complete them in a few moves as possible (i.e., characters) to get as many "clears".

[Cheezeman3000]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

Taskmage is more insane if he can do a 100% Super Metroid run in less than 2 hours. My best run has been 1:46 and that's collecting like 50% of the items.

Wow, I totally remember attempting this 100% challenge back in the day and giving up because it was too insane... but now that I see Taskmage has done it, I may go back and give it another go. Obviously I'm a glutton for punishment! Plus I miss that game dearly.

I just realized most of my post was about my in-progress Metal Gear Solid 2. Here are some Final Fantasy feats I've completed (and yes, I consider things that take considerable planning and time to be a challenge as well). Keep in mind I did not use any cheats to complete these.

- FFVII Perfect Game (except for perfect HP/MP stats... too insane)
- FFVIII Perfect Game (including chocobo world exclusive items... yes I bought a PocketStation!)
- FFIX Excalibur II Perfect Game (by far the most difficult/frustrating/most rewarding thing I've ever done in a videogame)
- FFX Perfect Game (including remodifying the entire sphere grid for max stats)
- FFXII Perfect Game (I guess you could include Yiazmat as its own entry, but meh, this is all-inclusive)
I have yet to do FFI-VI perfect games but... someday. Looking at that list, I've spent so many hours of my life on Final Fantasy... so many...

[Gobo]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

"Tales of" super bosses on Very Hard (or higher) difficulty without an All Divide

So far:

Tales of Eternia; Sekundes on Hardcore (Haven't tried Nereid yet)
Tales of Symphonia: Abyssian on Mania
Tales of Vesperia: Traitor of the Heavens (Party fight) on Unknown

Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix

Cleared all 3 crown challenges on Critical Mode (XIII mushrooms, Org XIII data rematches, Lingering Sentiment at the Keyblade Graveyard)

Nothing really special, but they do get the adrenaline pumping (and the horrible horrible resulting crash)

[Armando]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

EDIT:

Wow, I totally remember attempting this 100% challenge back in the day and giving up because it was too insane... but now that I see Taskmage has done it, I may go back and give it another go. Obviously I'm a glutton for punishment! Plus I miss that game dearly.

There's a couple of tricks/glitches you'd do well to learn if you're going for speed. I'd say the most useful one is the mockball, which lets you morph ball at running speeds, letting you get Super Missiles and the Ice Beam early.

Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix

Cleared all 3 crown challenges on Critical Mode (XIII mushrooms, Org XIII data rematches, Lingering Sentiment at the Keyblade Graveyard)

Nothing really special, but they do get the adrenaline pumping (and the horrible horrible resulting crash)

Oh yeah, you just reminded me.

Kingdom Hearts BBS:
* Clear Ventus's story at level 1. Check. This one is relatively easy because status ailment are broken until you get to the end.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days:
* Beat the bosses for days 357 and 358 with Extreme Ring equipped (EXPx2, Max HP = 1) Check.

You also reminded me I should play KH2FM some day.

[Yellow Mage]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

Touhou 8: Imperishable Night

Last Words:

Wriggle Nightbug's Unseasonable Butterfly Storm: Passed
Mystia Lorelei's Blind Nightbird: Passed
(Human) Keine Kamishirasawa's Emperor of the East: Passed
Reisen Udongein Inaba's Lunatic Red Eyes: Passed
Eirin Yagokoro's Heaven-Spider's Butterfly Catching Web: Passed
Kaguya Houraisan's Tree-Ocean of Hourai: Passed
Tewi Inaba's Ancient Duper: Passed

Reimu Hakurei's Fantasy Heaven: Unlocked
Sakuya Izayoi's Deflation World: Passed (Including with Sakuya)
Youmu Konpaku's Paschal Moon-Reflecting Satellite Slash: Unlocked Update: Passed (including with Youmu)
Yuyuko Saigyouji's Saigyouji Flawless Nirvana: Passed (Including with Yuyuko)

Still need to unlock and beat the rest (Marisa's, Alice's, Remilia's, Beast-Mode!Keine's, Mouku's, and Yukari's). I freaking love the Last Word music, though.

By the way, fun fact: it took me 20 tries to capture Saigyouji Flawless Nirvana with Youmu; 1757 to capture it with Yuyuko herself.

ADD: To give you an idea of what I was up against . . .

And this guy does it freaking unfocused, to boot!

Update (11-15-2011): caught Paschal Moon-Reflecting Satellite Slash last night, first with Yuyuko, then with Youmu. Took me forever before I realized what should have been an obvious method of approaching the spell, after which it still remained difficult, but yet became much more manageable to do. I came very close to catching Fantasy Heaven with Yuyuko no-focus, too (death at 00 seconds remaining FTL), after which a repeat performance with Reimu herself would become slightly easier to accomplish.

[Yygdrasil]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

Star Ocean TTEOT: 100% Completion and level 255 on all Characters.

Final Fantasy Tactics: Finished the game without the use of Job change or spending JP. (essentially you work with what you get and can only use abilities that you gain through walking on crystals after defeating enemies)

Final Fantasy Tactics: 100% completion including every item obtainable from Move-Find Item and Catch via mobs in the DDD.

Final Fantasy Tactics: Solo Ramza Challenge

Final Fantasy VIII: Killed Omega Weapon without the use of Hero drinks.

Final Fantasy VII: Killed Emerald Weapon without the use of Underwater Materia.

Final Fantasy X: Got LuLu's Ultimate weapon. F Yeah Lightning dodging.

Pokemon: Caught a fuckin' Pikachu.

Golden Eye 007: Completed the entire game only using slaps.

Echo the Dolphin: Beat the game in one sitting. Seriously... go try it.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors: Beat the game... period.

[Taskmage]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

That's all pretty hardcore. I never did fully complete tactics to the bottom of deep dungeon and learning Zodiac and such. The challenges I made for myself for clears were simply to go through with full parties of one job only. All oracles, all geomancers (greatly underestimated this job before doing that run), all thieves (brutal. idr if I finished) etc.

I got all the celestials in FFX, too. Lulu's was definitely the most mind-numbing.

The name of that dolphin was Ecco, btw.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

Pokemon: Caught a fuckin' Pikachu.

Hmmm...

[Yygdrasil]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

That's all pretty hardcore. I never did fully complete tactics to the bottom of deep dungeon and learning Zodiac and such. The challenges I made for myself for clears were simply to go through with full parties of one job only. All oracles, all geomancers (greatly underestimated this job before doing that run), all thieves (brutal. idr if I finished) etc.

I got all the celestials in FFX, too. Lulu's was definitely the most mind-numbing.

The name of that dolphin was Ecco, btw.

Deep Dungeon isn't so hard. The only tough part is slapping enough DEF and +HP gear onto a SMN to allow them to survive Zodiac it when it's cast on them.

I also forgot to add a few other accomplishments for Tactics:

Learned Ultima on Ramza.

Obtained all the Genji Equipment via Stealing.

Bred and DOMINATED with a full 5/5 team of White Tiamats with 999HP

The name of that dolphin was Ecco, btw.

Thanks. It's been forever. I need to break that cart back out some time. That and Sonic the Hedgehog.

Up, Down, Left, Right, Hold (A), Press [Start]

[Taskmage]

Re: Biggest Videogame Challenges

I suppose beating Gradius III on Arcade mode should go on this list. At that difficulty the enemies never stop firing and explode into bullet clouds when they die (maybe that was just on consecutive playthroughs). It was nowhere near the amount of bullets produced by contemporary bullet hell games, but on the other hand it wasn't designed with that in mind, so there were no deliberate safe spots in attack patterns and such. It was all emergent.

I beat Mass Effect 1 and 2 on insane difficulty. Nowhere near the difficulty of some of the self-imposed challenges mentioned so far, but still an accomplishment. ME1 just becomes retarded on insane as most enemies gain near-perfect damage immunity abilities, but you can still ragdoll them so you basically just have to kick them around the floor until their immunity cools off and then they'll die. ME2 was a far better game in insane diff than on normal or hardcore though, imo. In retrospect that amount you can get away with on lower difficulties is huge. I basically had to relearn how to play for insane and the way it really forces you to play much more strategically, using every ability and piece of cover to its fullest, makes it a lot more fun and of course rewarding when you succeed.

---------- Post added at 04:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:37 PM ----------

Learned Ultima on Ramza.

Obtained all the Genji Equipment via Stealing.

Bred and DOMINATED with a full 5/5 team of White Tiamats with 999HP

Did the first two but never touched breeding. And it's not that Deep Dungeon kicked my ass or anything, I just usually for some reason or another put the game down and stopped playing shortly after entering Deep Dungeon every time. Sortof like the way every time I buy a chocobo egg I coincidentally end up feeling like I want to take time off from XI.