Hardest dificulties that are ACTUALLY BLOODY HARD!

[Starke]

Fallout: New Vegas. HARDCORE.

...is pathetically easy compared to STALKER on Stalker (Normal).

Seriously though, Clear Sky or Call of Pripyat has got to be it. I've finished Shadow of Chernobyl on Master, but CoP had me dead the first time I ran into a Boar.

Way to make me feel like an idiot for posting what I personally thought was the most difficult. Thanks a lot.

You're welcome. Honestly, even on very hard, New Vegas is not that difficult. It seems to be a popular choice in here, but it just isn't that hard. Now, if you're modding it, you can easily bump it into a much more challenging level, but the Vanilla game isn't that bad. It does require you to look at the game differently, but it doesn't make it hard.

The STALKER games use a similar kind of difficulty, but are far more murderous about it.

Look, it was a subjective question to begin with. New Vegas on Hardcore is the most difficult that I have played. No need to incessantly beat me over the head with your opinion. I'm not doing that to you, am I? I'm not even arguing that Clear Sky or Call of Pripyat are more or less difficult than NV on HC. I can concede that. Why must you prove that you are superior to some random person on the internet?

I'm not. New Vegas seems to be a popular answer. It set it's difficulty to scale up from romp to Project Purity at the end of 3. Except, Fallout 3 is a very easy game, even on higher difficulties. There are a lot of games out there that are flat out harder. New Vegas' hardcore mode kicks it over into a different type of challenge, which is pretty similar to the STALKER games, in it's behavior and considerations.

You're also not the only one holding up New Vegas as a paragon of difficulty, it's not.

 

[Jakub324]

Authentic mode on Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. The only way you can get any kind of reticule is by not being in cover. I stuck with Veteran.

 

[RanD00M]

Demon Souls specifically the valley of defilement if you played it you should know what im talking about also persona 3/4

Demon's Souls doesn't really count since there is no adjustable difficulty.

But there is a hidden, harder setting. If you beat the game and start over it ramps it up another 40%.

But that does not make the difficulty adjustable, which is pretty much the point of the thread. So including DS is wrong just by the simple rules the thread makes.

 

[efrafa_6]

Bethesda's Fallout games on Very Hard is extremely difficult, Ninja Gaiden Sigma was just ridiculous and about Demon's Souls, I got to NG+7 at SL 632 and just couldn't do anymore, such a difficult game.

 

[kinapuffar]

Catherine on the hardest difficulty is brutal.
"A difficult game appears; It's the killer. Don't die."

Any Metal Gear game on the aptly named European Extreme difficulty.
Because Europeans are more hardcore than all the others combined.
This difficulty is so hard, that the game gives you a game over if you get spotted. Not because the goal is to never get spotted, but because the game knows that there is no fucking way you'll ever survive if you do, so you might as well quit and try again.

 

[dave1004]

IWBTG. Also known as, I Wanna Be The Guy.

Seriously. Go play it. GO PLAY IT. There's a demo. Play it and scream in rage. I promise you, you will punch SOMETHING. Friends? Family? Pets? Games? You'll destroy them all. Then eat them. I promise you, this game is haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard.

 

[SkyHawkMkIV]

Fallout: New Vegas. HARDCORE.

...is pathetically easy compared to STALKER on Stalker (Normal).

Seriously though, Clear Sky or Call of Pripyat has got to be it. I've finished Shadow of Chernobyl on Master, but CoP had me dead the first time I ran into a Boar.

Way to make me feel like an idiot for posting what I personally thought was the most difficult. Thanks a lot.

You're welcome. Honestly, even on very hard, New Vegas is not that difficult. It seems to be a popular choice in here, but it just isn't that hard. Now, if you're modding it, you can easily bump it into a much more challenging level, but the Vanilla game isn't that bad. It does require you to look at the game differently, but it doesn't make it hard.

The STALKER games use a similar kind of difficulty, but are far more murderous about it.

Look, it was a subjective question to begin with. New Vegas on Hardcore is the most difficult that I have played. No need to incessantly beat me over the head with your opinion. I'm not doing that to you, am I? I'm not even arguing that Clear Sky or Call of Pripyat are more or less difficult than NV on HC. I can concede that. Why must you prove that you are superior to some random person on the internet?

I'm not. New Vegas seems to be a popular answer. It set it's difficulty to scale up from romp to Project Purity at the end of 3. Except, Fallout 3 is a very easy game, even on higher difficulties. There are a lot of games out there that are flat out harder. New Vegas' hardcore mode kicks it over into a different type of challenge, which is pretty similar to the STALKER games, in it's behavior and considerations.

You're also not the only one holding up New Vegas as a paragon of difficulty, it's not.

So you chose to attack me because I'm the only one to respond. Nice. Also, what about PERSONAL EXPERIENCE did you not get? I'm not saying that New Vegas is a "paragon" of anything. I'm saying that in my PERSONAL EXPERIENCE Hardcore in New Vegas is the hardest I've seen. I've not played any of the Stalker games. PER-SON-AL EX-PER-I-ENCE for me is in New Vegas. I hope you understand that by now and not try and lump me in with everyone else who says "OMG HARDEST GAME EVAR".

 

[Madara XIII]

I've played quite a few games and after playing them on Normal the first time through, the hardest difficulty didn't seem that bad afterwards, if anything, there were only slight changes, yes I did notice the difficulty change, but I wasn't really that bothered by it.

But what games have you played where the hardest difficulty made you think, "**** me, that was HARD, not sure if I'll be able to complete this any time soon".

I'm talking about the type of hard that used to exist in some games in the old days, not the hard where there are few saves and obvious game flaws, but the type of hard that makes you grit your teeth and clench your fists.

Heaven and Hell Mode
Or Dante Must Die Mode on the Original Devil May Cry 3.

One hit and you're automatically dead. I DARE YOU TO TOP THAT!!!!

 

[AceTrilby]

Unlikely candidate - Blood Stone. If you get shot twice on 007 difficulty you're dead. If you're unlucky (which is often) it's a one hit kill. Blindfiring doesn't tend to protect you at all, and you often get swarmed by enemies who would usually be considered dumb for charging your covered position. On the bright side, they're terrible shots, and timing your shots between reloads and bursts of fire becomes second nature.

Also, seconding IWBTG. I think that game broke Ultrajman's mind when he LPed it...

 

[Madara XIII]

IWBTG. Also known as, I Wanna Be The Guy.

Seriously. Go play it. GO PLAY IT. There's a demo. Play it and scream in rage. I promise you, you will punch SOMETHING. Friends? Family? Pets? Games? You'll destroy them all. Then eat them. I promise you, this game is haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard.

What do you have to bring in Satan's Game? I swear to god whoever made that game was a sado/masochist

 

[baseracer]

Perfect Dark on Perfect Agent is pretty hard. I cannot beat the first Chicago level. It doesn't help there aren't any checkpoints like in new shooters.

 

[Starke]

So you chose to attack me because I'm the only one to respond.

No. For one thing I didn't choose to, nor did I, attack you.

Nice. Also, what about PERSONAL EXPERIENCE did you not get?

The part I responded to, I got. The unilateral statement, or the fear that this is some kind of campaign of terror, I do not get.

I'm not saying that New Vegas is a "paragon" of anything. I'm saying that in my PERSONAL EXPERIENCE Hardcore in New Vegas is the hardest I've seen.

Then, I would recommend a wider gaming diet. Anything from Hitman: Blood Money to (the original) Deus Ex should give you a better handle on what is and isn't a difficult game.

I've not played any of the Stalker games. PER-SON-AL EX-PER-I-ENCE for me is in New Vegas. I hope you understand that by now and not try and lump me in with everyone else who says "OMG HARDEST GAME EVAR".

I don't think there was any lumping.

 

[Mr Companion]

CoD4 on Veteran; still not completed it.

Edit: In fact, have only done 2 proper levels; I couldn't get past Charlie Don't Surf's TV station.

Oh feck yes, I remember that TV station and yes that is one of the only games I have played where hardest is genuinely near impossible. I got quite a bit further than the TV station, but don't be under any idea that I fared any better, I was just more determined.
Nope, I died on the F**KING ferris wheel of inevitable death, that bit is physically impossible and I refuse anybody who says otherwise.

 

[Starke]

.

If you want a wider diet of difficulty in your games, I'd recommend in no particular order:

Deus Ex: The original can still be found on steam for 10 bucks. The difficulty actually comes in when you try to follow a "pure" firearms or stealth approach. Other approaches tend to be much easier.

Hitman: Blood Money: The Subtitle. The Hitman titles tend to focus on a particular approach that minimizes risk, and as such, "proper" runs don't incur much difficulty.

Operation: Flashpoint: The original game, not the sequel. Also the ARMA titles from Bohemia interactive. Not so much hard first person shooters as brutally realistic combat simulators. I'm using their description, but it fits.

Metro 2033: more mainstream, and on the lower difficulties, actually pretty easy, but it sets up a nice challenge level.

Mafia 2 (and presumably the original): if you thought GTA was too unrealistic.

Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines: It's $20 on Steam, so make sure you know what you're getting into before you get it. Like Deus Ex, it's not so much hard, as it works against the concept of pure firearms or pure stealth.

System Shock 2: returning to this recently, I've found it easier than I remember. It's also a ***** to track down, but it is definitely worth finding, and for many it is a pretty good high water mark for murderous gaming.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2: I'm not sure this is actually that hard, I remember knocking it out in about six hours. But, what it is, is an FPS that mandates a much more conservative playstyle that will help you massively when dealing with genuinely hard games.

As for STALKER, Shadow of Chernobyl is manageable, but if you don't get the gameplay basics down there, Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat will maul you almost immediately. If you're interested, I'd say skip Clear Sky altogether, it isn't worth the price, time, or energy, and go from Shadow of Chernobyl straight to CoP.

If you want non-shooter suggestions, I can cough some of those up as well.