Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers (NES) - The "2-Player" Challenge

Rules: Complete the game on 2-player mode - without a 2nd player. In other words, finish the game while carrying the 2nd player's character. NOTE: In order for this challenge to work, you must always have both chipmunks alive. If one runs out of lives, the other must kill off the other one as well. This way, you'll gain control of both chipmunks. If only one chipmunk dies and you keep playing with the other one, the challenge is obviously over.

Synopsis: Here's a bizzare challenge that I found somewhere online. All weirdness aside, you'd be surprised how much this changes the gameplay. It'll take quick thinking to get through this one, especially during the bosses. My advice: always make sure the 2nd player (the one you are carrying) has at least one more extra life than the 1st. There will be several times you'll have to put him down, which will cause him to be open to enemies.

My results: I sucessfully completed this one. To tell you the truth, I had a lot of fun doing it. It's not too tough, but it's definitely more challenging than playing the game the normal way.

Contra/Super C (NES) - The Pea Shooter Challenge

Rules: Complete the games without obtaining a single weapon upgrade - including rapid fire.

Synopsis: This is a challenge that is harder than it sounds. No, it's not insanely difficult, but when I realized how much I depended on weapon upgrades (the spray gun in particular), I had to re-evaluate my strategies for different areas of the games. Let's face it - the normal gun is weak. With the weapon upgrades, most bosses can be defeated rather quickly with no harm done. Using the craptacular pea shooter, however, certain bosses are a nightmare to fight. The battles are twice as long, meaning you at a greater risk of losing a life.

My results: I beat both games without getting a weapon upgrade. Overall, I'd say beating Contra is harder only because the firing speed for the default gun in Super C is noticably faster.

Contra/Super C (NES) - The "No Shooting" Challenge

Rules: Reach the end of the side-scrolling stages without firing your gun.

Synopsis: Here's a fun little challenge that someone thought of on the GameFAQs Contra Message Board a long time ago. All you have to do is reach the end of certain stages (with the exception of 2, 4, and 8) without firing your gun. So the question becomes apparent: how do you kill the enemies? The answer: you don't! You'll have to learn how to jump over them AND dodge their attacks at the same time. Good luck!

My results: The only thing I've been able to do with this challenge is get to the end of the first stage without shooting.

Final Fantasy (SNES) - White Mage Quest

Rules: Complete the game using four white mages - the weakest characters in the game.

Synopsis: Wow. This is a tough one. For all those who thought this game was too easy, here's your chance to increase the difficulty. For those who have never played the first game in the legendary Final Fantasy series, the white mage was created for the soul purpose of healing the other members of the party. Everything else about them sucks (for lack of a better term). Their attack power is laughable, ranging from a miss to 3 hit points per attack. Their defense is even worse, as they fall from even the weakest of attacks. So in other words, they are pretty much useless in combat. Should you accept this challenge, you better get used to running from battles. Also, the HARM spell is probably going to be the best way to gain experience through undead foes.

My results: I have not had the pleasure of trying this challenge, nor do I plan to. Don't get me wrong, I think the challenge is brilliant, but I simply don't like the game enough to try something like that.

Legend of Zelda, The (NES) - The Swordless Quest

Rules: Make it to Ganon's room without ever picking up a sword. NOTE: it is not possible to complete the game without a sword because Ganon can only be defeated by using a sword.

Synopsis: In the olden days, playing The Legend of Zelda without a sword was unthinkable. Nowadays, however, swordless questing is one of the most popular ways of playing the game. In many ways, playing the game without a sword changes to mechanics. Instead of mindlessly slashing you way through endless monsters, you must carefully dodge them instead (much like Pac-Man). Of course, the challenge becomes ten times easier once you obtain the magic wand (and if you're good, you can do this early in the game).

My results: Unlike several challenges, I actually tried this one. It was a little tricky, but with patience and good planning, I was finally able to get to Level 9.

Legend of Zelda - Majora's Mask, The (N64) - The 3 Day Challlenge

Rules: Complete the entire game without using the Song of Time to restart the 3-day cycle.

Synopsis: As several of you already know, I'm not exactly a huge fan of Majora's Mask. Nevertheless, this challenge always caught my interest. There are several people who believe this challenge is impossible, but I think otherwise. Yes, it is a very difficult challenge, but if you memorize where to go and what to do, the game can easily be completed in the allowed time (remember: there are only four dungeons in this game). Of course, this requires extreme planning, since certain key items can only be obtained at certain parts of the day (Epona, for instance).

My results: I only played through this game once. I don't plan on playing through it again yet alone trying this challenge.

Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time (N64) - The 3 Hearts Challlenge

Rules: Complete the entire game without obtaining a heart container.

Synopsis: This challenge is nothing huge - simply finish the game with three hearts. The best advice I have is to find the four bottles as early as you can so you can store fairies in them at all times. Do this, and if you're good at the game, you'll be fine. For a harder challenge, skip getting the defense upgrade outside of Ganon's Tower. Without that upgrade, the enemies in the Tower will destroy you in at least two hits.

My results: I managed to complete the game with only three hearts, but I picked up the defense upgrade. :b

MegaMan 1-8 (Various Sytems) - The Arm Cannon Challenge

Rules: Complete any MegaMan game using only the standard arm cannon (this includes bosses).

Synopsis: This is a fun one. Although getting through the stages themselves aren't too much of a hassle with just the arm cannon, the bosses are a different story. You'll have to carefully study their patterns and learn how to dodge their attacks. Your days of clobbering them with their weakness are over! Of course, there are a few exceptions to the challenge. For example, in MegaMan 2, the final boss can only be defeated with BubbleMan's weapon.

My results: I was able to complete MegaMan 2 with only the arm cannon. I haven't tried any of the other games.

Super Metroid (SNES) - Minus One Hour

Rules: Complete Super Metroid in less than an hour (on the game's clock, that is).

Synopsis: Super Metroid is one of the best games to do a speed run. It's not just about playing fast - it's about planning your game. In order to achieve a low time, you'll have to find all the game's shortcuts and choose a route that best fits you. It's a fun challenge, and trust me - you'll get better everytime you play.

My results: I am five minutes shy from completing this game in under an hour. I guess it's time to re-configure my route.

Super Metroid (SNES) - The 15% Run

Rules: Complete Super Metroid with the lowest possible percentage of items - 15%.

Synopsis: Hmm...where to begin? First off, I'd like to say that this challenge requires a lot of practice. If you aren't good at the wall jump, practice it. If you can't do the bomb-jump, practice it. With only 15% of the items, you won't have the luxuries of several of the game's power-ups. Therefore, you'll have to rely on primitive ways to reach new areas. Also, the boss battles (Ridley in particular) will be hell, considering your only working with 3 energy tanks. Just recently, a glitch was discovered that will allow you to finish the game at an even lower percentage (14%).

My results: I haven't tried this one, but I may someday. I'm still working on completing the game in under an hour.

Super Metroid (SNES) - The No Bosses/Mini-Bosses Run

Rules: Obtain as many items as you can without fighting any bosses or minibosses (with the exception of the first Torizo).

Synopsis: Like many of the challenges on this page, this one is not intended to complete the game. Instead, it is meant for the player to think outside the box. The Super Metroid experts out there have concluded that 72% is the highest possible item percentage...so far. That's quite a lot, considering you can't obtain key items such as the varia suit without defeating a boss. Can one get more than 72%? Try the challenge and see for yourself.

My results: I haven't tried this one either, but I probably will someday.

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