15 BRUTALLY Hard Video Games (That Are Actually Fun)

To our modern-day sensibilities, older games are hard. Especially in the early days of 3-D modelling. Controls were weird, the graphics were boxy and it made even the most simple things seem astronomically difficult. Therefore, not very fun. F-Zero GX was painfully hard when it was released on the Gamecube in 2003, but unlike its contemporaries, it holds up beautifully.

The blisteringly fast pace of each map means that even the slightest wobble will leave you wiping out hard. You have to give F-Zero GX 100% of your attention otherwise the levels will punish you. The controls are twitchy but in a way that feels manageable, slight movements can leave you in a mess but can also mean the difference when hitting a tight corner. The only way to get the fastest times and the highest scores are to learn the tracks religiously until each movement becomes a symphony in your hands.

F-Zero GX is Nintendo's racing gem. Mario Kart is great, but F-Zero is on another level. The fact we have been waiting 17 years for a new iteration of this gloriously punishing racer is almost more painful than totalling near the end of a perfect lap.