I just beat SMB3 last night, did most of it in one sitting (I was at the beginning of world 2m the sand land or something). I haven't played it since I was a kid, and I never actually beat it then. I remembered very little of the game, so it was almost like my first time through. Difficult? Yes, but definately not stupid hard, and very very far from being one of the hardest games ever. I still think the first SMB is harder just because extra lives are alot harder to come by (barring a certain 99 life trick). When I got to world 8 in SMB3 I had like 35 lives (I beat it with 12 mind you, there were a few levels that were pretty crazy. That first tank level coming to mind). But up until world 8 I never died more than a couple of times on a level, and alot of levels I didn't die at all on. Definately an awesome Mario game, and spectacular for it's time. But Super Mario World is still my favorite 2d mario.
As for challenging games, BattleToads on Game boy drove me mad. Never beat that game, I could rarely get past I think it was level 5 "Brain Damage" where a brain just chases you through a series of tunnels for what feels like forever. You just run, run, run, jump and the slightest error, it doesn't actually even have to be an error, it could just be less than absolute perfection and that brain crushes you. Man I hated that stage. And if by some chance I survived it I had few if any lives left to continue the fight. Dear god that game was evil.
Of course arcade games were far more difficult but that's because there was no victory possible. It would just get harder until you were dead.
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