Back in the day, games were for those who were more devoted- they were created to be hardcore. As games became more popular, a wider range of people were introduced. Some were hardcore, but most were less so. In order to adapt to a changing market, games started to shift to the easier side of the spectrum, making it so that both the hardcore and the casual gamer could enjoy the art. In some ways, i like it better this way. There is far less frustration involved, and gamers can actually complete games without spending an unreasonable time at it. Because of this, creators can add more content, making a deeper game that players can still explore. On the the other hand, of course, there is a little less satisfaction having completed a game compared to the old ones.

Dude retro games are challenging the modern games they make the games to easy. They should at least put more effort in making it harder for you to beat.

Not sure if I already posted here or not yet, but...

I honestly don't find Retro Games very difficult at all. Obviously some do have their own challenges making them a bit hard, but given practice, they become as easy as any other video game, Nya~.

However, I do find newer games to be much easier. Basically, ClearAsCrystal's picture summed up the reasons why. They give you a ton of achievements/trophies nonstop in them, basically to make you feel good I'd assume, keeping you more interested in it, and with the whole thing of Checkpoints being added everywhere in the whole game.

Anyways, like I said, I don't feel like Retro Games are very difficult at all. If anything, the reason for why they are "Very difficult" is probably due to the experience you have in the games you're playing, Nya~.

Oh yeah, many retro games are very hard like Battletoads (including is one of the most difficults ever)or Mortal Kombat. It took me very long time to finally beat MK 1 and 2, specially if they are in hard mode. When u reach the middle of the tower it becames really tough to face.

I think the reason games were so hard back in the day was because game designers wanted to provide people with a challenge, trying to make the best game they could so that they could survive.   Games like LoZ 2 and so on are incredibly hard but this was to put a challenge out to the players.  Today's games are just made to make money and make the game really flashy.  They have decreased the difficulty because they remember games like Simon's Quest and would rather more people buy the game to play it and not have people rage against them for making an impossible game.  That or games are starting to take on the trend of society, some people in the industry just realize people just don't want to try as hard.  I think this should change I feel like I should be challenged and not feel like I'm spending 60 bucks on a game I can beat in one sitting over 5 hours long.

I believe that this fact happens becuase the modern games maker decided to make the games easier so people can enjoy the games more, and probably because the retro video games didn't have the function to get a auto save after every certain amount of places you pass on the game.

Many modern games are players friends and are short with maybe twenty hours of game play.

Games aren't supposed to be all easy. Look at FF13, that game holds your hand for the first FIFTY hours of play! 

You're supposed to be challenged when playing a game...

That's what they do nowadays. They create games for the "casual gamer", but they won't make games that are challenging for those who are "hardcore". This is one of the reasons the New Super Mario Bros. games could be better. It seems the only levels that are hard are really just annoying, not exactly hard. This is true for too many games now.

Retro games were less informative, there was a smaller community of gamers, and the limitations on how the game could be designed were probably also a factor. These days, since video games are rather popular, games are being designed for a broader variety of people, meaning that they have to accommodate for every potential player.

I'm not really sure about this question, but I think the reason why may be is that games way back then had no save states. I'm not too sure when the first game was made with save states, but the earliest one I know is Pokémon Red/Blue in 96'

Retro games are indeed much more difficult. I grew up playing them, but hadn't realized the change in difficulty until I started retro gaming a few months ago. I feel there are a few reasons for it:
First of all, they want to make it so that everyone can enjoy the full story. For example I saw a game in the store just the other day that had a "chapter select" and said "Never get stuck! Chapter select allows everyone to reach the story's climax". Also in an interview with the developer of the newest Ninja Gaiden, one of the designers said they were considering making a setting where the player would never see a "game over" screen, so that all levels of skilled players could enjoy the full game. I do think this has something to do with the rise in popularity.
Next, I agree that a considerable part of the reason is the switch from 2D to 3D playing arenas, as has been stated, left right movement made evading dangers nearly (if not completely) impossible at times. Also the environments are more interactive and thus adds a degree of ease.
Finally, characters are capable of far more now than they used to be, making it easier to defeat foes.

I've always known that I enjoy games which offer me a challenge.  However, it had been awhile since I had the pleasure of playing one.  Yesterday I found one, and after completing the game... I was totally blown away.   It was so awesome to have that feeling of success, and to know I had to work for it.  Yes, I wish all modern games were more like retro games.... They offer so much more satisfaction.

Singelli : You can't leave us breathless, waiting in anticipation.

What game was it you just played?

warmaker : It was the one I most recently reviewed.  ^.^

It's called "Out of this World" and is through SNES.

Considering the fact that I beat most of the retro games I've ever played when I was like 8... no, I don't think they were that difficult. If a little kid can beat them, they can't be all that tough.

Yeah, modern games seem easier to me... but I'm an adult now with like 2 decades worth of gaming experience. Of course they're easy comparatively!

If I go back and play those old games I played as a kid, those will seem pretty easy to me too.

I don't believe the games are really being made THAT much easier. We're just older and more experienced now.

Give a first-time gamer Mega Man 9 (it's retro styled, but still a "modern" game in as far as when it was made) and they'll probably have a fit over how hard it is.

Also a lot of older games that I've played actually used cheap tactics to be "difficult" without legitimately being challenging. This is most evident in oldschool RPGs. They basically just made the stat increases from area to area ridiculous so enemies quickly became massively stronger than you unless you spent hours of level grinding. The game wasn't legitimately hard so much as time-consuming. It was only hard if you were under-leveled and it took no real strategy to fix this... just mindlessly run in circles until you get a random encounter and mash A until the enemies die.

And speaking of old games that were easy, what about the original Pokemon? If you try to play the game strategically with a wide arsenal of types to use and stack type advantages against enemies... well, the game could get tedious without spending hours of grinding like in any other RPG... but if you decide to just use your starter for literally every single battle in the game... it's actually a breeze. Moreso if your starter was Bulbasaur because the type advantage of the first two gyms makes them doable without help and by that point, you should be significantly over-leveled. By the time you reach the fire gym, you'll be one-hit killing the enemies despite having a type disadvantage if you do things this way 'cause your Venusaur will probably be like level 60 or 70.

I do believe some modern games are trying to actually make games that allow you to win more on strategy than mindless grinding or other non-tactics. These are far more interesting and can provide a fun challenge since the difficulty works your brain.

The arcade explains a lot why retro games are harder in general.  They made it difficult so people would need to spend more money on the game to progress further.  Some had no 'official' end.  Basically it just kept getting faster and harder until it was insane.  So with the consoles..these were the games people were already playing, just now there was no need for quarters.

As time went on, companies realized they needed to attract different kind of players...the 'casual gamer'.  So they had to make the games more user friendly to appeal to more people.  Difficulty levels are just a way to include the hardcore gamer also.  The casual gamer will have fun on the easier mode, and the hardcore gamers enjoy the challenge of the harder modes.  Me I am somewhere in between.  Neither a casual player or a hardcore player.  Most of what I play is challenging, but in a different way..as I play mostly strategy games.  I am not a hardcore gamer who can keep up with all the fast and furious clicking that a Real time strategy game takes, but I am very good at turn based strategy..normally :p.

Anyhow, there are very challenging games out there, games are still made for the hardcore gamer..but they make more 'user friendly' games because it sells.  More people buy it, just to pass the time..and they make more money.  Look at any flash based game pretty much.  Time wasters, easy if you can afford the 'perks', and harder if you want to do it without paying.  But they sell, and they make a ton off of them..so they keep making them.

I think this has to do with a flaw in human evolution. One that desperately needs to stop.
Everyone wants things simpler and easier, it's what we as a whole progress towards.
I for one despise most of the things that's key functionality is 'simplicity.'
It's likely to be a major downfall in humanity and it shows with our video games!
Luckily we can play hard mode on a lot of games that seem too easy.

I have noticed how some retro games are harder than others and in some instances considerably harder to some of the modern games of today.
However I do not mind it personally, would it be nice if some of the modern games of today posed more of a challenge in terms of difficulty?
Yes...but with most games these days there are a number of difficulty levels for those hardcore gamers lol
Every now and then thou they will slip out a modern game that is a challenge.
And those games to me are the ones to get because if they give you that much of a challenge on normal you know the harder modes are going to be tough and I like that. It lets me test out my skills lol

If you're talking about the original Super Mario Bros from 1985 than that's easy, but if you're talking about the Lost Levels Mario game than that is SUPER hard.