ThePlayStation 3andXbox 360generation of gaming saw the industry take a noticeable shift in terms of difficulty. With games becoming longer and consumers buying more, developers didn’t need to use difficulty as a way to artificially elongate their games. This trend of easing difficulty, which spanned multiple decades, would come to a peak with the PlayStation 3. The vast majority of games released on the PlayStation 3 had a noticeable amount more hand-holding than PS2 or PS1 titles, as developers and publishers wanted to ensure that players didn’t become frustrated with their games and stop playing, an increasing trend.
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Despite this, the PlayStation 3 generation is also responsible for thecurrent trend of difficulty in gaming, which has seen games become more challenging and hand-holding be less prevalent. The 10 entries on this are to thank for this, as they reminded players of how rewarding a tough game can be.
10Hotline Miami
Hotline Miamiis a fitting game to kick this list off with, as it was a throwback to classic shoot em' uptitles of the 80sand 90s. The top-down shooter wasn’t simply about all-out violence though, as stealth was often a valuable alternative that players needed to utilize to say alive.
Despite theshort campaign of only 5 hours,Hotline Miamiwas well received by critics, scoring87 on Metacritic. As well as the excellent action gameplay,Hotline Miamiis remembered fondly for its excellent soundtrack, for which it wonIGN’s Best PC Soundaward.
9Monkey Island 2 Special Edition: LeChuck’s Revenge
Originally released during the height of the point and click era of gaming in 1991,Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revengereceived a HD remake on modern consoles in 2010.
At a time without online walkthroughs or YouTube guides, many point and click games offered tie-in guide books or even helplines that stuck players could call for a cost. This money-making idea meant that manypoint and click gameshad a handful of painfully tricky puzzles in them, to convince players to pay for help.Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revengeis home to one of the genre’s most infamous sections, the Monkey Wrench puzzle. The puzzle simply requires players to turn off a pump; the issue is, that there is now wrench insight. The solution, believe it or not, is to hypnotize a monkey with a banana on a metronome, then use it as a literal wrench. To make this puzzle even more difficult for some players, the term “monkey wrench” is very uncommon in many countries, making it almost impossible.
8XCOM: Enemy Unknown
A remake and reboot tied into one,XCOM: Enemy Unknownrejuvenated theXCOMfranchise and brought the turn-based tactics genre to a mainstream audience. The game was lauded by critics and won Game of the Year awards from multiple outlets includingGameSpyandKotaku.
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XCOM: Enemy Unknown’s developer Firaxis Games didn’t worry about lowering the game’s difficulty to appeal to a wider audience, and instead offered a realistic yet punishing experience that removes any sort of respawning feature for squadmates. The game’s aiming mechanic that is centered around hit percentages became infamous for its seemingly unfair accuracy at times.
7Braid
Released in 2008 by Number None,Braidis a puzzle-platformer that was one of the pioneers of therise of indie gaming. The game was designed by Jonathan Blow and is known for its deceiving story with a powerful message behind it.
For someone that simply rushes through platforming levels to get to the end as efficiently as possible,Braidwill seem like an odd choice for this list, as many levels can simply be completed by simply running from one end to the other with little or no obstacles in the way. For 100% completionists, however, the game requires players to utilize the numerous time-manipulation mechanics to collect puzzle pieces. Moreover, 8 stars can be collected in the game, one of which requires players to stand on a cloud for nearly 2 hours (real-time) as it slowly moves across the screen.
6Wipeout HD
The eighth entry into theWipeoutseries,Wipeout HDreleased in 2008 to universal praise and an impressiveMetascore of 87.
Sony Computer Entertainment and Studio Liverpool’s game certainly didn’t have an easy start to life, asWipeout HDhad numerous delays due to epilepsy issues, then received heavy criticisms from fans who were angry at the long load times caused by adverts. The load times were a particularly frustrating issue as the series kept its 90s difficult, meaning many restarts were needed.
5Vanquish
SEGA and PlatinumGames’cult classicreleased in 2010 and was a futuristic experience for players not just because of its sci-fi setting, but because of its numerous innovations to the third-person shooter genre that earned itGameSpot’s accolade of Best Original Game Mechanic.
One of the game’s many innovations was its weapon upgrade feature, which was also a source of the game’s difficulty. On hard mode, the player’s weaponry is downgraded upon death, and on God Mode, the entire upgrade mechanic is removed.
4Killzone 2
The PlayStation 3 had a difficult start to life, with the console’s frequent delays and high price handing an audience to Microsoft’s Xbox 360. One of the ways that Sony looked to win back the favor of its audience was with the second entry to its exclusiveKillzonefranchise.
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Released in 2009, Guerrilla Games' first-person shooter, like many games of its era, wasn’t too taxing on normal difficulty. The toughest difficulty level Elite, however, significantly ramped up the challenge and remains to be one of the toughest campaigns in the history of the FPS genre.
3Demon’s Souls
From Software’sDemon’s Soulsreleased in 2009 with little marketing. Those that trusted the complementary reviews and took a chance with the little known game were rewarded, asDemon’sSoulsgave players the first taste of the Soulsborne gameplay formula that would capture audiences and influence the gaming industry moving forward.Demon’s Souls, like the rest of the Soulsborne franchise, is unforgivingly difficult and offers minimal hand-holding as players are forced to use their intuition, exploration, and combat skills to progress through the game.
Demon’s Soulswas recently remade on the PlayStation 5 and receivedthe joint-highest Metascoreof the Soulsborne series along withBloodborne.
2Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
A port of the Xbox 360 gameNinja Gaiden II, Team Ninja’sNinja Gaiden Sigma 2released in 2009 and brought the notorious difficulty of theNinja Gaidenfranchiseto modern audiences.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2differentiated itself from the original Xbox 360 iteration of the game by adding new bosses and online co-operation. The hack and slash game was well-received, scoring a respectable83 on Metacritic.
1Dark Souls
The second Soulsborne game and first entry into theDark Soulstrilogy released, much likeDemon’s Souls,with little marketing and fanfare. It’s now almost a decade after the game was initially released, and it is considered to be one of the best and most influential games of the PlayStation 3 generation.
Similar toDemon’s Souls,the game combines its punishing difficulty with minimal hand-holding. The praise and acclaim thatDark Soulsreceived in the years following its releaseheavily influenced the gaming industry; particularly because excessive help screens, maps, and quest markers are now looked down upon by some players.
