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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're counting down our picks for the 10 hardest Nintendo
00:14GameCube games that will truly test your mettle.
00:26Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:30the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
00:35Bankaito's Origins The Bankaito's JRPG series is often overlooked,
00:50something that's a real shame given that it's deeply engrossing, innovative, and
00:54enjoyable.
00:55And the games are also incredibly challenging, especially when it comes to Origins.
01:00For the uninitiated, Bankaito's Origins is a card-based JRPG, where battles are turn-based
01:05utilizing a deck of various cards for both offensive and defensive maneuvers, and everything
01:11in between.
01:12Where the first game was a tad bit more accessible, Origins really takes the difficulty up multiple
01:17notches, especially during the intense boss battles.
01:20It's up to the primary guardian spirit to guide Seiji and pals through this immersive
01:24yet utterly challenging JRPG.
01:32Alien Hominid Developer The Behemoth sure does create some
01:42wacky and over-the-top games.
01:43Yes, I'm very much looking at you Castle Crashers, and especially BattleBlock Theater.
01:482004's Alien Hominid is a run-and-gun game with tons of zany action.
01:53Interestingly, and you might have guessed from the game's art style, this game actually
01:56started life as a flash game before being brought to other platforms.
02:00The side-scrolling run-and-gun gameplay is downright punishing here, so don't let those
02:05cartoony graphics trick you.
02:07Blasting your way through secret agents who intend to thwart you is fun and frantic, given
02:11that you have an uber-powerful blaster and plentiful upgrades.
02:14However, one simple hit spells death, so make sure you have eyes in the back of your head
02:19to keep track of everything.
02:28Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2 Rogue Leader Apart from being one of the pinnacle premiere
02:39games on Nintendo's handle-adorned cube-shaped box of goodness, Star Wars Rogue Squadron
02:442 Rogue Leader is also incredibly difficult.
02:47Most aerial dogfighter-style games are pretty darn challenging, and Rogue Leader certainly
02:52fits into that mold.
02:53This is a pure twitch-reflex game where you must be ready to battle other Star Wars-themed
02:57spacecraft coming at you from any and every angle.
03:01Some stages in this game are also quite confusing to navigate, which doesn't really help when
03:05you already feel overwhelmed by enemies.
03:07However, the gameplay is so top-notch, and the visuals so striking, at least for the
03:11time, that you will want to persist no matter what.
03:22Resident Evil Zero It's a shame that more people don't discuss
03:34Resident Evil Zero in the wider RE discussion, because it's actually a solid survival horror
03:39game all around.
03:40Downright punishing?
03:41Yes, definitely, but incredibly fun nonetheless.
03:45Resident Evil Zero stars Rebecca Chambers and Billy Cohen, who must explore a derelict
03:49umbrella facility to decipher the nefarious goings-on.
03:53The iconic train location in this game is a real highlight.
03:56Now, while most RE games are tough, Zero really doesn't hold back.
04:00Whether it's the labyrinthine level layouts, or the enemy encounters, or the tough-as-nail
04:04puzzles, Zero isn't for the faint of heart.
04:07Fortunately, though, the game lets you swap between Rebecca and Billy so you can attempt
04:11to forge ahead in this harrowing world.
04:22Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem One of the very rare M-rated Nintendo-published
04:35games out there, Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem is a gem of a game, but like most
04:40survival horror games of its era, it's also very, very challenging.
04:44Taking on the role of Alexandra Roivas, players explore a spooky Lovecraftian mansion, before
04:50being yeeted into the body of a historical figure to battle supernatural beings and solve
04:54conundrums in various time periods.
04:56It's all incredibly innovative and enjoyable, and really scary at times, but you will be
05:01your head in confusion more often than not as you try to move forward in this game.
05:06Combat is functional, but rough, and the puzzles don't give much leeway for experimentation.
05:11However, Eternal Darkness is all about the vibes, and it has spooky vibes in spades.
05:16Don't let the challenge level deter you, I mean, please, Nintendo, remake this game
05:20for the Switch too for goodness sakes, we'd be ever so grateful.
05:31Metroid Prime 2 Echoes
05:40The follow-up to the illustrious Metroid Prime, Echoes doesn't hold back when it comes to
05:44challenge level.
05:45Echoes once again thrusts you into the boots of Samus, as she explores various realms and
05:50biomes of Aether, all while battling space pirates and aliens alike.
05:54Interestingly, Echoes leans more heavily into narrative and lore in comparison to the first
05:59game.
06:00In terms of gameplay, this follow-up keeps with what works in the OG Prime, and sort
06:04of spices it up with new gameplay tweaks and additions, such as the parallel map-shifting
06:09dimensions of the Light Aether and Dark Aether.
06:12Echoes is brimming with fun gameplay around every moody corner, but Retro Studios upped
06:16the difficulty quite a bit in this game, which certainly frustrated some players.
06:20Either way, it's still worth experiencing it just for the astounding visuals and overall
06:24ambiance.
06:34Mega Man Network Transmission
06:42We really don't hear too many people discuss Mega Man Network Transmission in the wider
06:46Mega Man discourse.
06:48Perhaps a large part of this is because Network Transmission is quite an impenetrable game,
06:53even for fans of the series.
06:54Part of the Battle Network games, Transmission is all about Lan Hikari and his digital avatar,
06:59MegaMan.exe.
07:00Lan and his online counterpart must thwart the misdeeds of the World 3, an organization
07:05that is certainly up to no good.
07:07While Network Transmission might just look like a standard action platforming game, it
07:11doesn't hold back punches when it comes to its gameplay.
07:14Knowing when and how to swap between Lan and MegaMan.exe is the key to success in this
07:19game, but it's not often clear when to do so.
07:22That in combination with tough enemy encounters and some confusing level layouts makes Network
07:27Transmission a truly tough GameCube game.
07:37Super Monkey Ball 2
07:48It's funny, when you look at Super Monkey Ball 2 with its cute and colorful art style,
07:53it's pretty hard to imagine a game that seeks to punish your every single move.
07:57However, that's just what you get in this game.
07:59Yes, it's brilliantly fun to roll around maze-like obstacle course stages in your monkey
08:04ball, but my goodness, this game will really test your reflexes and wits in equal measure.
08:09I mean, the goal really is simple, guide your titular monkey in a ball to the end of the
08:13stage while avoiding hazards and falling off into oblivion.
08:17What's easy on paper, though, doesn't necessarily translate to being easy in action.
08:22Super Monkey Ball 2 requires pure precision in order to navigate the increasingly difficult,
08:27yet still utterly charming and enjoyable stages the game throws your way.
08:30Good luck.
08:31F-Zero GX
08:48Our penultimate entry for this list could be interchangeable with our first entry, but
08:52for our money, F-Zero GX is not quite as hard as our next game.
08:56However, anyone that's played GX will know it is still downright brutal at times.
09:01Trying to control your futuristic racecraft as it zooms along the sci-fi tracks at blisteringly
09:06inhuman speeds is certainly no easy feat.
09:09F-Zero has always been synonymous with uber-fast racing, but GX ratchets that frenetic speed
09:14up to 100.
09:16Up to 30 racers can duke it out in various races, with the sole goal being to make it
09:20to the finish line as quickly as possible.
09:23Tight reflexes, pinpoint precision, and resilient nerves are all necessary to achieve that coveted
09:28first place podium finish.
09:30You'll be having a splendid time during all of it, to be sure, but man oh man, F-Zero
09:35GX is one heck of a challenging futuristic racer.
09:46Ikaruga
09:55And here we are, without a doubt the toughest
09:58GameCube game out there, Ikaruga.
10:00If you know anything about hard video games, then this should come as no surprise really.
10:04Ikaruga is a brutal and punishing shoot-em-up with bullet hell elements.
10:08Seriously, you are seeing all of this on screen right now, right?
10:10It's beyond hectic and overwhelming, but in the best way possible of course.
10:14Ikaruga was created by Treasure, a developer known for incredibly hard games in general.
10:20Now, what makes Ikaruga truly special and unique in the shmup genre is the game's
10:24polarity system, whereby you can swap between black and white polarities in order to defeat
10:29foes, while ensuring your survival of course.
10:32This element is thoroughly baked into the game's core design, which means you need
10:35to master polarity in order to even have a chance at success here.
10:39Basically, your ship's color will absorb bullets of the same color and will take damage
10:43on the polar opposite color, and vice versa with taking on baddies.
10:47It's a brilliantly simple yet utterly immersive gameplay system that ensures you are always
10:52one step ahead in your mind in order to get past just one more stage.
11:04So do you agree with our picks for this list?
11:06Everyone has a different idea of what makes a hard video game, so do let us know in the
11:10comments which GameCube games you find to be tough as nails.
11:23Thank you for watching this video from Mojo Plays.
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