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6. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (Super NES)

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was so ridiculously hard that Nintendo executives actually blocked its North American release because they were worried it would frighten gamers in the United States.

If the numerous flying enemies and random gusts of poorly timed wind didn’t get you to crack your controller, there were always the booby-trapped power-ups. Gamers have always correctly thought of a power-up in Mario Bros. as a good thing, but not in The Lost Levels. Sprinkled throughout the game were poisonous one-up mushrooms that would instantly take away a life, rather than give you a bonus one.

The best part is that these deadly fungi actually look the same as their helpful cousins, making it a dicey proposition to pick up anything in this game.
Hardest part: The enemy placement is much more random and frustrating in The Lost Levels. Anybody who has turned on an NES knows a game like Mario Bros. inside and out, but in this devil-spawn Goombas and Koopa Troopas will pop out of nowhere for a quick kill.
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