History SerialEscalation / VideoGames

* Parodied in ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'' [[spoiler:at the protagonist's trial. When Moe Mortelli takes the stand, the prosecutors ask him if he’s sure of his testimony, and when he says he is, they ask if he’s double, triple, quadruple, quintuple, and sextuple sure. The judge isn’t amused.]]

*** The current damage cap is unknown, but it's likely limited by {{UsefulNotes/BinaryBitsAndBytes}} at this point. The highest damage anyone has reported is north of 4 million in Bozja with specific buffs and attacks.

*** The very first dungeon of Endwalker sets the [[HolyShitQuotient HSQ]]-tone for the expansion. Some of the {{Mook}}s of the dungeons are {{Mecha}}s and [[SpiderTank SpiderTanks]], which [[DegradedBoss were standalone Bosses in Stormblood]] and now the [[PlayerCharacter Warrior Of Light]] fights dozens of them at the same time. The actual Bosses of the Dungeon? Three [[PhysicalGod Primals]], and in the very last fight of the dungeon these three team up to bring down the Warrior Of Light.

* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'': How many [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Moments Of Awesome]] can each character get? How [[strike:over the top]] and [[LargeHam hammy]] can Sanger Zonvolt get? How [[StuffBlowingUp Ex!plo!sive!]] can the attacks get? How powerful can the BigBad be? What new problem can [[TheWoobie Latooni]] have?
** ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier'': How many [[BoobBasedGag gags]] will be shown about Kaguya Nanbu? or how many euphimisms will be inserted into dialogue regarding boobs?

** Which series will get included in the next game and how high will the JustForFun.HolyShitQuotient get as the crossover antics ensue? And most importantly: who will get the fail [[BrightSlap smacked out of them next]]?

** How bizarre can we make the bosses? A fourth-wall breaking telepath, a bisexual flamenco-dancing vampire, the former President of the U.S. in a tentacled battle-suit. A 100-year old plant-man sniper, [[AC:I'm covered in bees!]], said fourth-wall breaking psychic back from the dead and possessing the body of a female cannibal puppeteer dependent on her PowerArmor to live, a sapient helicopter who uses a railgun like a sword and shoots smaller helicopters and is also a Music/{{Vocaloid}}...

** For a series known for its use of [[ClosedCircle claustrophobic environments]], the scope of the games actually just keeps getting ''bigger'' with every installment. ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' took place entirely in an isolated military base; ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2'' had a ProlongedPrologue in an isolated tanker ship, with the rest of the game set in a huge, sprawling industrial plant; ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3'' gave us a whole damn ''jungle'' to play in, complete with separate forest, cave and mountain zones; ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'' took place across '''five separate continents''', and it fully reproduced [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Shadow Moses Island]] and [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2 an Arsenal Gear warship]] as single stages; ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' now promises to feature multiple [[WideOpenSandbox open-world]] stages that are so big that the player needs vehicles to traverse them, and each stage will have a real-time clock directly affecting the game's environment.

** ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' takes this to an absurd extreme. How many enemies can we cram into TheWarSequence? The final levels are considered [[ThatOneLevel Scrappy Levels]] by some, [[Awesome/VideoGameLevels Crowning Levels Of Awesome]] by others for taking it so far it becomes NintendoHard. Just for reference, the last level of ''VideoGame/SeriousSam3BFE'' has '''1700''' enemies, plus a final boss fight.

* ''VideoGame/GhostTrick'': Just how many more insane plot twists can be fit into the game before it ends? How many times will [[spoiler:Lynne]] manage to die and still get revived? What new ridiculously convoluted RubeGoldbergContraption will Sissel use to save someone's life next? The plot twists are so crazy that [[spoiler: finding out that a crazy painter prisoner is randomly painting a picture of you when not a single person has a clue who you are, and that your lovable sidekick is the one who shot you]] are the first things you find out as you play the game. Later on you [[spoiler: stage a prison break, discover that a supposed hostage situation is bungled by the mistaken kidnapping of a seemingly innocuous girl living with Lynne, a manipulator has ghost powers that call the actions of every character into question as he has the power to manipulate people, the little seemingly minor dog character now also has ghost powers, which everyone gets from a meteor. The painter reveals he saw you die ten years ago despite you also dying tonight, in an event where Lynne nearly died and basically ties together the backstories of every character in the game, the manipulator looks just like you, the seemingly corrupt inspector was actually a hatching a BatmanGambit to prove the painter's innocence, the mysterious bad guys have actually been on a submarine the entire time. The wacky pigeon man was helping the inspector all along. Then you go back in time ten years to stop the game from happening. There you find out you've actually been playing as the antagonist's pet cat the entire time, who accidentally shot you in an attempt to frame Lynne. Oh, and to top it all off, that cute little puppy dog? He masterminded the entire game and outwitted everyone. But he's from an alternate timeline where Sissel was such a JerkAss he refused to help anyone.]]

** And on a directly related note, the above are the highest total number of notes in a song from those releases (Nageki No Ki's 2,000-note count was preceeded by Mei's 2,000-note count), not counting console-exclusive charts. [[BrutalBonusLevel remove the song length restriction, and you get a]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCEL__H9678 4459-note endurance test]] [[BrutalBonusLevel that is immediately followed by - you guessed it -]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW34iG4bsQw The first chart to hit 2,000 notes]]

** Steering things away - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwv_vPIL4IQ How]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p_qs3P6nSw ~fabulous~]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfqS-oCnSfc can Ryu* ]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ooIh7zJ_7A and Dai get?]]

** The BonusBoss song [=RAW=], which is [[KobayashiMario literally impossible]].
** [[http://youtu.be/5SZrliXM9Ms Hey! What are you-trying to do?]]

** The first four episodes (the "Question Arcs") each adds new convolutions to the plot and the mystery behind it, as well as piling up strange occurences in a bid to make both the characters and the reader believe that they are of supernatural origin; and while the later "Answer Arcs" start to resolve some matters, they add plenty of convolutions in other directions.
* ''VideoGame/AceCombat''

** Thought that was hard? How about the newest mutation (Taaannnnkk!), in wich all special infected are tanks, and you only have pills to refill your health!
* The only thing that matches the [[BatmanGambit cunning]] of ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'' players is their [[{{Pride}} hubris]]. Defeating the [[TheLegionsOfHell unspeakable demons]] spawned from glowing pits in previous released had become mundane, and the most ruthless and terrifying entity in VideoGame/DwarfFortress [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential were its players]]. So the [=DF2010=] release decided to up the ante. [[spoiler:If you [[DugTooDeep dig too deep]], you will arrive in ''[[PhysicalHell Hell itself]]''. Then you will be {{Zerg Rush}}ed by ''hordes'' of demons, who are more than a match for an ordinary army of dwarves ''individually'', and do not suffer from ConservationOfNinjutsu; in fact, since a lot of them [[BlobMonster have no organs]] they can only die by being [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe snapped in half]] and some have a single-part body and are evidently ''functionally immortal''.]] After several months, [[LordBritishPostulate this challenge has proven insufficient]]; several enterprising players have conquered it and ''claimed [[spoiler:Hell itself]] as their new home'', eagerly awaiting the next iteration of "Hidden Fun Stuff".

** The cruelty of the players was mentioned above. Let us discuss that. Nobles were pretty annoying, especially in the early days. Nobles thus found themselves the victims of quite a few [[BlatantLies Unfortunate Accidents]]. And of course, there were the colloseums, wherein captured enemies (Or anyone the player was annoyed with) was forced to fight basically any horrible thing that could concievably be captured, as well as a few things that couldn't. Then there was [[SuccessionGame Boatmurdered]], where basically the entire non-fortress part of the map was set up to be flooded with lava. Later players in the game forgot which lever did that. These are all topped by the player who decided, upon realizing that merfolk bones were worth a fortune, decided to capture and breed merfolk for their bones. The attrocities being planned by players at the time of this post no doubt top that.

*** [[ElvesVsDwarves What's more xenophobic than dwarves drowning elven caravans in lava?]] An elf hating his own people so much that he decides to join the dwarven army solely so that he can kill more elves than he could on his own. His hatred for elves was so great, that he was actually made their ruler. Cacame Awemadinedae, The Immortal Onslaught. Elven King of the Dwarves.

** How much [[MadeOfIron damage can Alex regenerate from?]] [[LovecraftianSuperpower How much gorier can the superpowers get?]]. How many tanks, helicopters and APCs can he hijack/destroy with a whip, claw, hammer, blade, super-jaws-of-life-esque-arms, armor, and shield, all made out of ''himself''? Or more correctly, made out of [[IAmAHumanitarian the countless soldiers, zombies, and civilians he devours]]. How much of a bastard can most of the main characters, ''[[RefugeInAudacity including the protagonist]]'', turn out to be? [[spoiler:That last one goes to pot a bit when Alex grows a conscience, but at least the Blackwatch ups the ante on their front to make up for it.]]
** Now there's a [[Videogame/{{Prototype 2}} sequel]] on the way. Thus far, we've seen the ''new'' protagonist turn living, screaming people into tentacle-y grenades; supplex a tank; uppercut a helicopter; and rip multiple soldiers to shreds at once using sticky, springy tendrils that cross entire streets and fling cars around. His mission is to [[RogueProtagonist fight Alex Mercer]]. The code is in Alpha. ''It can only get more insane.''

*** Over 70 characters ''at launch'' (culminating to be 89, filled with over ''a dozen third-party characters''), many of which being long-awaited inclusions (most notably [[Franchise/DonkeyKong King K. Rool]] and [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Ridley]], with VideoGame/BanjoKazooie and [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} Steve]] as [=DLC=], with none other than [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]] being the GrandFinale), 100+ stages, a new Adventure Mode, over ''a thousand'' Spirits (which are a composite of Event Matches and Trophies), a much more in-depth Stage Builder, and even more Mii costumes (including the infamous [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} Sans the Skeleton]]).

* ''VideoGame/MuramasaTheDemonBlade'' has a chapter where the Jinkuro-posessed Momohime ''storms the gates of Hell'' to get the sword he needs for the Soul Transfer. When it's revealed that the sword isn't in Hell, Jinkuro decides on the spot to ''storm the gates of '''Heaven''''' instead and battle the gods to change his fate!

** It looks like the creative process for the [[OlympusMons main legendaries]] has become this: [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Generation I]] has the Pokémon stated to be [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke strongest one ever created]]: Mewtwo. [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Generation II]] introduced Lugia and Ho-Oh, whose stats are on par with that if Mewtwo's. [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Generation III]], however, subverts it as far as stats go -- but then it almost introduced as many Legendary Pokémon in one go as the last pair did combined. Back in full effect in [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Generation IV]] with ''four'' Legendary Pokémon with stats on par with Mewtwo. Additionally, another one officially surpasses Mewtwo and the rest of the legendaries as the strongest Pokémon ever--Arceus. The serial escalation seemed to have come to an end with [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Generation V]]--but in [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Generations VI]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon VII]], the concepts of Mega Evolution and Z-Moves allowed a couple of Pokémon to become so powerful, they're stronger than both Mewtwo ''amd'' Arceus. And in [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield Generation VIII]], a new Pokémon is introduced, with a form so strong, it's the only Pokémon with a base stat total in the ''quadruple'' digits (although this form is unplayable).

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f3woBOc8pY Asura's]] [[VideoGame/AsurasWrath Wrath]] [[spoiler: That planet sized buddha? Its one of the weakest and presumably, earliest bosses in the '''Whole Game'''!]] Looks like ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' has some competition in this department, now.
** It topped itself again. By fighting with Asura's OldMaster Augus on the moon and getting plunged back to earth by usage of one of the biggest swords in video game history. The game trailers show so far this trope is definately in full play, and how!

* The ''VideoGame/ApeEscape'' series. How many monkeys must be captured for OneHundredPercentCompletion? How large-scale can [[DiabolicalMastermind Specter's]] plans get?

* The ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' series, with each installment being more over-the-top than the last. [[VideoGame/SaintsRow1 The first one]] is rather mild, being more a ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' clone than anything else. [[VideoGame/SaintsRow2 The second one]] gets a little crazier, with you now commanding the Saints and fighting Japanese yakuza members, heavy metal monster truck fanatics, and a rasta drug cartel with ''possible'' supernatural connections, while escorting your lieutenants with helicopter gunships, running naked through the streets, and ending with an aerial assault on a skyscraper and the assassination of a prominent business mogul. [[VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird The third one]] takes this up to eleven, with things like homocidal Japanese game shows, spec ops teams with energy weapons, nearly starting a zombie apocalypse, aerial aircraft carriers, and '''skydiving with a tank'''. [[VideoGame/SaintsRowIV The fourth game]] starts with the player as the President of the United States. Then the world gets invaded by aliens. Then you get superpowers. Things escalate from there. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowGatOutOfHell'' sees the Boss become GodEmperor of the universe before being sent to hell, prompting Johnny Gat and Kinzie Kensington to go on a mission to rescue the Boss and shoot the devil in the face. They also get superpowers and new weapons, such as a weaponized recliner chair with miniguns and locust shooters.

* ''VideoGame/TotalAnnihilation'' and its [[SpiritualSuccessor Spiritual Successors]]. ''Total Annihilation'' featured massive battles in large but still cramp maps where [[{{BFG}} giant artillery guns]] and [[SlapOnTheWristNuke nukes]] can pummel hordes of enemies from clear across the map. Then came ''VideoGame/SupremeCommander'', which featured '''MILES WIDE''' maps where even more impressive and chaotic battles between even larger armies are fought in. And now the upcoming game, ''VideoGame/PlanetaryAnnihilation'', tops this by having said battles taken on a '''[[InSpace GALATIC SCALE]]''', where battles are now fought between dozens of planets in real time!
* ''VideoGame/FreedomForceVsTheThirdReich'' Your first major foe is your old enemy Nuclear Winter. Only now he has nuclear missiles. Oh, and he's giant. Then things get worse. And about halfway through the game things start escalating at an insane rate until [[spoiler: The entire UNIVERSE is destroyed except for your squad of heroes. Fortunately they have a chance to undo it...]]

* The UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars is uses this as one of the marketing weapons of the war. Consoles are constantly advertised has having bigger memory bus/more colors/better sound than it's predecessors/rivals. For example, while Sega and Nintendo were duking it out during during the 16-bit era in the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis vs UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo war, SNK released the UsefulNotes/NeoGeo and claimed it was a 24-bit console[[note]]It was actually 16-bit, it even used the same M68K cpu as the Genesis[[/note]]. When Sega and Sony were duking it out during the Playstation vs Saturn war, Nintendo came out with the UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} and claimed it trumps both just by the sheer bus size alone. And when Sega tried this with the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] by marketing it as a 128-bit console in the 6th Generation era, Sony and Nintendo to retaliated using the same tactics with the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 and UsefulNotes/GameCube[[note]]although Nintendo's were more subtle- they did not outright claim that the console was 128-bit, but the demo for the console that they showed off at expos and trade shows was called ''Super Mario 128''[[/note]]. Thankfully, people has since wised up, and new laws made these kinds of marketing claims illegal.

* ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' had a glitch item called 8F, which usually caused the game to crash when used. Then someone figured out that it was actually making the game read code from an invalid location... which could be manipulated with the right combinations of items and Pokemon. As in, you can write code with Pokemon. As the glitch became better-known, people started pushing the envelope further and further to see what exactly 8F was capable of. Warping to the credits? Sure. Getting infinite amounts of any Pokemon you want? Easy. Opening up a game of Pong? Just hard reset the game when you're done. Turning your cartridge into a creepypasta? That works. Warping to the credits of VideoGame/SuperMarioLand2SixGoldenCoins - wait, what? Apparently, yes! Sending code to a game on the SNES? No one's figured out a use for it yet, but yes, [[http://forums.glitchcity.info/index.php?topic=7722.msg203493#msg203493 you can write code onto a SNES game from a Pokemon game on the Game Boy Colour]] ''with a glitch''. At this point, 8F is limited only by the Pokemon and items you have, and the imagination of the person using it.

* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue''

** If Bayonetta's backstory given in ''VideoGame/BayonettaOriginsCerezaAndTheLostDemon'' were to go by, our Umbran Witch started by slaying murderous, man-eating Faeries who are local threats confined to a single forest, despite their rather ambitious, but incompetent leader. Then there's the angels we all know who gleefully and routinely commit mass genocide, and Loptr, an insane GodOfEvil who wants to take over the universe. Near the end of her career and life, she finds herself dealing with Singularity, a [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} Skynet]]-esque rogue ArtificialHuman who blows up ''2,000 universes'' all by himself.

** The very, very first taste of gameplay, before even the prologue, consists of a battle against an army of angels on a broken clock tower ''currently falling down the side of an enormous cliff.'' And it only ramps up from there, up to actually killing ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu God]]'' by punching her so hard her soul flies off her body]] and direct her soul past all planets right into [[HurlItIntoTheSun the sun]]. This is even slowly applied throughout the game by a tonnage measurement of Bayonetta's attacks. Her first few powerful attacks measure in kilotons. Then megatons. Then ''gigatons''. [[spoiler:And against the aforementioned God? ''Infiniton''!]]

** If Bayonetta's backstory given in ''VideoGame/BayonettaOriginsCerezaAndTheLostDemon'' were to go by, our Umbran Witch started by slaying murderous, man-eating Faeries who are local threats confined to a single forest, despite their rather ambitious, but incompetent leader. Then there's the angels we all know who gleefully and routinely commit mass genocide, and Loptr, an insane GodOfEvil who wants to take over the universe. Near the end of her career and life, she finds herself dealing with Singularity, a [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} Skynet]]-esque rogue ArtificalHuman who blows up ''2,000 universes'' all by himself.

** Made to be a distillation of this trope. To put things into perspective, the very, very first taste of gameplay, before even the prologue, consists of a battle against an army of angels on a broken clock tower. A broken clock tower ''currently falling down the side of an enormous cliff.'' And it only ramps up from there. By the climax, the JustForFun.HolyShitQuotient climbs every ten seconds or so, as you pull off more and more increasingly insane stunts, including but not limited to:
*** [[spoiler: Surfing the middle of a street on a river of ''molten lava'' using a ''dead angel'' as a surfboard.]]
*** [[spoiler: Shooting your monster of a father in the face. With ''[[ImprobableWeaponUser lipstick]]''.]]
*** [[spoiler: Escaping the Earth's atmosphere by driving up the side of a titanic rocket with ''a motorcycle''.]]
*** And of course, the coup de grace, [[spoiler:[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu KILLING GOD]]. '''[[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome By punching her so hard her soul flies off her body]]''' and then you direct her soul past all planets and right into [[HurlItIntoTheSun the sun]].]]
** This is even slowly applied throughout the game by a tonnage measurement of Bayonetta's attacks. Her first few powerful attacks measure in kilotons. Then megatons. Then ''gigatons''. [[spoiler:And against the aforementioned God? ''Infiniton''!]]
** How much more overtly over the top can Bayonetta's sexuality get?

** While we're at it, just how many things has Bowser survived? [[VideoGame/SuperMarioSunshine Falling thousands]] [[VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld of feet]], [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros being engulfed by lava]], [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBrosWii being crushed by a castle]], [[VideoGame/PaperMario being blasted the world's resident godlike entities multiple times]], [[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy being caught in a black hole's epicenter]], [[VideoGame/PaperMarioStickerStar being dropped off a tall building]]... And when he does die? [[VideoGame/NewSuperMarioBros1 He's revived as an invincible moving skeleton]]. Bowser will never be wiped out.

** Just how many Servants can you fit in a Grail War? ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' and its [[LightNovel/FateZero prequel]] keeps it at about 7 (Gilgamesh and [[spoiler:True Assassin]] notwithstanding). Then it's revealed in the original version of ''Prototype'' that Saber would've had to fight the previous War's six Servants on top of the threats he already faces. ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'' tops that by having two teams of 7 and a supervisor in the form of Ruler, [[spoiler:two of them, in fact]]. ''VideoGame/FateExtra (CCC)'' has ''128'' Masters all fighting (though gameplay and story limitations means the player gets to see about 15 of the actual participants) for the Grail. ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' allows you to use all those Servants and then some, even allowing you to swing by other eras' Grail Wars with all of ''their'' Servants. ''LightNovel/FateRequiem'' trumps them all with everybody on the planet but the protagonist getting Servants as a result of an unspecified war.

** ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' introduced Pseudo-Servants, Servants that manifest with human vessels, starting with Zhuge Liang in [[LightNovel/FateZero Lord El-Melloi II/Waver Velvet]], with the game continuing to release Pseudo-Servants inhabiting the vessels of previous Nasuverse characters. However, the event "Servant Summer Camp" introduced a summer variant of Kiara Sessyoin, a former antagonist from ''[[VideoGame/FateEXTRA Fate/EXTRA CCC]]'' and already a summonable servant, as a Pseudo-Servant for Yao Bikuni. And in Lostbelt 6, [[spoiler: Caster Cú Chulainn, initially thought to be a variant of the Lancer Servant from ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', is revealed to a Pseudo-Servant of the Norse God Odin]].

** Series-wide, this is showcased with the third-party characters included over the years. First, it was VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog and [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]] in ''Brawl'', then Franchise/MegaMan, VideoGame/PacMan, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud Strife]], and [[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} Bayonetta]] in the Wii U and 3DS titles (and that's before delving into the possibilities opened up by [[VirtualPaperDoll Mii Fighters]], with some DLC including costumes of yet ''more'' third-party characters), and then [[Franchise/{{Castlevania}} the Belmonts]], [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ken Masters]], and several DLC characters, including the likes of [[VideoGame/Persona5 Joker]], VideoGame/BanjoKazooie, [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Sephiroth]] and [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]].

* Mamono Sweeper. It starts out [[http://www.hojamaka.com/game/mamono_sweeper_easy/en.html easy]], then harder with larger boards like the original VideoGame/{{Minesweeper}}, then proceeds to the [[http://www.hojamaka.com/game/mamono_sweeper_ex/en.html extreme mode]], which has more "mines" per area, then [[http://www.hojamaka.com/game/mamono_sweeper_b/en.html blind mode]] which plays exactly like the actual minesweeper, i.e. ''touch the mine and killed''. The hardness does not end here. The extreme and blind modes are then combined into the [[http://www.hojamaka.com/game/mamono_sweeper_h_ex/en.html huge]][[http://www.hojamaka.com/game/mamono_sweeper_h_b/en.html mode]]. Who knows if more harder modes are out?
* ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Super Smash Bros. Brawl]]''. Holy shit, forget Serial Escalation, try Serial ''Acceleration''. Where to begin with how insane this game is?
** The ridiculous number of trophies, stickers, stages, and characters can take an eternity to locate, particularly the former two. It's doubtful whether or not it's even possible to get that coveted OneHundredPercentCompletion.
** The entirety of the Adventure mode. ''It's not even a '''mode''' so much as an '''ENTIRELY INDEPENDENT GAME''''', complete with bosses, cutscenes, plot twists, incredibly difficult platforming segments... the list goes on and on...
** The items. You could spend forever trying to find item combos and such, but the arsenal itself is over-the-top crazy.
** The Masterpieces. They included playable demos of many of the characters' most famous games. Really more of an advertisement for the Virtual Console, but still... wow.
** Custom stages. [[StopHavingFunGuys Now the purists can make fair and balanced stages on their own.]]
** Easter eggs. In the cargo ship that is this game, good like finding all of them. But they're there.
** The number of modes. Despite the large number available at default, there are still more to find. Really.
** What third-party characters will be included next?! First, it was VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog and [[Franchise/MetalGear Solid Snake]] in ''Brawl'', then Franchise/MegaMan, VideoGame/PacMan, [[Franchise/StreetFighter Ryu]], [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII Cloud Strife]], and [[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} Bayonetta]] in the Wii U and 3DS titles (and that's before delving into the possibilities opened up by [[VirtualPaperDoll Mii Fighters]], with some DLC including costumes of yet '''''more''''' third-party characters)!
** ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' could fill up an entire page all on its own, but it is possible to condense it into a short summary: over 70 characters ''at launch'' (culminating to be 89, filled with over ''a dozen third-party characters''), many of which being long-awaited inclusions (most notably [[Franchise/DonkeyKong King K. Rool]] and [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Ridley]], with VideoGame/BanjoKazooie and [[VideoGame/{{Minecraft}} Steve]] as [=DLC=], with none other than [[Franchise/KingdomHearts Sora]] being the GrandFinale), 100+ stages, a new Adventure Mode, over ''a thousand'' Spirits (which are a composite of Event Matches and Trophies), a much more in-depth Stage Builder, and even more Mii costumes (including the infamous [[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} Sans the Skeleton]]).

** SerialEscalation in its truest form: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsWhVhgEEV4 BLACK Label Hibachi]]. Also, it's currently theorized that, to get to the TrueFinalBoss BEYOND that boss, you have to no death the entire game plus Hibachi. Watch the video and see exactly how SerialEscalation that seems.
** And here's said True True Final Boss, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI25niUOtbc Zatsuza]].

** ''VideoGame/EndlessFrontier'': How many [[GagBoobs gags]] will be shown about Kaguya Nanbu? or how many euphimisms will be inserted into dialogue regarding boobs?

* ''VideoGame/EverQuest'': With [[CapcomSequelStagnation fifteen]] [[ExpansionPack expansion packs]] and another on the way, it's difficult for an outsider (and many of EQ's longtime fans) to fathom the question, "How far will we go in finding new threats to the world of Norrath's safety?" By the third expansion the players had already [[AllPlanetsAreEarthLike been to the moon]]; in the fourth we [[GodIsDead killed most of the gods in their own homes]] (they got better). By expansion thirteen we had gone to [[AfterTheEnd a parallel world]] of sorts, killed an overlord of sheer [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority brutal evilness]], unwittingly [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly helped]] a [[AGodAmI malicious new god]] come to power, then killed the new god, and then killed him again because he didn't stay dead. Also, we defeated a ridiculously powerful dragon [[OminousFloatingCastle and his gnomish cohorts]]. Most recently, we saved the timestream and all reality as we know it from [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere a guy]] who was secretly [[TheManBehindTheMan pulling the puppet strings]] behind the evil overlord from eight expansions ago. How exactly is the dev team supposed to top that? By sending us to stop [[Franchise/KingdomHearts the heart of the world]] from being corrupted by evil energies, apparently.

* ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave'': What ordinary object will become the next [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity Plus One]] [[strike:Sword]] [[strike:fish]] [[strike:crate]] [[strike:flower]] pastry? Will you give it to the undead male lead, the 13-year old girl, the talking rabbit, the anthropomorphic bottle, or the [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins exploding penguin]], [[VerbalTic dood]]?

** How many different {{final boss}}es can we have? Before the Halloween Update, three. After, four. As of Wrath of the Lamb, a total of six, with a temporary bugged seventh. As of ''Rebirth'', there are a total of eight final bosses. Mom, Mom's Heart, It Lives, Satan, Isaac, ???, The Lamb, and Mega Satan. Then ''Afterbirth'' adds Ultra Greed to the mix. And [[spoiler:Hush]] isn't technically a final boss, but it way more difficult than the previous bosses, so it might as well be one. ''Afterbirth+'' then adds Ultra Greedier and [[spoiler:Delirium]] who is now the final boss faced after [[spoiler:Hush]] but has a chance to be fought after every other final boss including Mega Satan. Since ''Repentence'' is the final official expansion,'''[[spoiler: The Witness]]''' from ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaacAntibirth'' -- now renamed [[spoiler:Mother]] -- is officially part of the final count alongside [[spoiler:'''DOGMA''' and the TrueFinalBoss, '''THE BEAST''']], adding the number to '''[[spoiler:FIFTHTEEN]]'''.

** The achievements for OneHundredPercentCompletion have also seen some escalation: the original achievement for this was Golden God (Pre-''Rebirth'', it was attained by getting every item and achievement in the base game[[note]]this gets bugged in the Christmas update, as defeating Krampus gets you a Lump of Coal, which upsets the item tracking and gets you the Golden God achievement with one item still uncovered[[/note]], while in ''Rebirth'' itself, you have to defeat both ??? and the Lamb to attain it). The Wrath of the Lamb expansion adds the Platinum God achievement for getting everything[[note]]the Lump of Coal bug also applies to this achievement[[/note]], and [[https://external-preview.redd.it/hsfEvO0USN4glnSR_AaC4E8JLWqxtfTIUxuQDCtf6B8.png?auto=webp&s=78580673c104c252508cd3bf4403ffc0474326f6 the in-game achievement splash screen]] has a little "[[OverOneHundredPercentCompletion 110%]]" written on it. ''Rebirth'' adds [[SecretCharacter The Lost]] and his unlockables, and getting ''those'' nets you an achievement called "The Real Platinum God", [[https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/543010758916058079/B4BDCA3497EB93B4375907FAE125B913EFE8F58D/?imw=5000&imh=5000&ima=fit&impolicy=Letterbox&imcolor=%23000000&letterbox=false complete with "111%" written on the splash screen]]. The Afterbirth expansion adds the 1001% achievement for getting everything within said expansion, and its Afterbirth+ equivalent, 1000000%, requires you to complete the Bestiary as well. Finally, Repentance's take on the achievement, "Dead God", [[https://preview.redd.it/3gfmgpmle1x81.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=3c7c82d4e76d0025017114c29b1f205e830c1e00 doesn't even bother with percentages]].

** The achievements for OneHundredPercentCompletion have also seen some escalation: the original achievement for this was Golden God (Pre-''Rebirth'', it was attained by getting every item and achievement in the base game[[note]]this gets bugged in the Christmas update, as defeating Krampus gets you a Lump of Coal, which upsets the item tracking and gets you the Golden God achievement with one item still uncovered[[/note]], while in ''Rebirth'' itself, you have to defeat both ??? and the Lamb to attain it). The Wrath of the Lamb expansion adds the Platinum God achievement for getting everything[[note]]the Lump of Coal bug also applies to this achievement[[/note]], and [[https://external-preview.redd.it/hsfEvO0USN4glnSR_AaC4E8JLWqxtfTIUxuQDCtf6B8.png?auto=webp&s=78580673c104c252508cd3bf4403ffc0474326f6 the in-game achievement splash screen]] has a little "[[OverOneHundredPercent 110%]]" written on it. ''Rebirth'' adds [[SecretCharacter The Lost]] and his unlockables, and getting ''those'' nets you an achievement called "The Real Platinum God", [[https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/543010758916058079/B4BDCA3497EB93B4375907FAE125B913EFE8F58D/?imw=5000&imh=5000&ima=fit&impolicy=Letterbox&imcolor=%23000000&letterbox=false complete with "111%" written on the splash screen]]. The Afterbirth expansion adds the 1001% achievement for getting everything within said expansion, and its Afterbirth+ equivalent, 1000000%, requires you to complete the Bestiary as well. Finally, Repentance's take on the achievement, "Dead God", [[https://preview.redd.it/3gfmgpmle1x81.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=3c7c82d4e76d0025017114c29b1f205e830c1e00 doesn't even bother with percentages]].

* Let's look at ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaac''. How many different {{final boss}}es can we have? Before the Halloween Update, three. After, four. As of Wrath of the Lamb, a total of six, with a temporary bugged seventh. As of ''Rebirth'', there are a total of eight final bosses. Mom, Mom's Heart, It Lives, Satan, Isaac, ???, The Lamb, and Mega Satan. Then ''Afterbirth'' adds Ultra Greed to the mix. And [[spoiler:Hush]] isn't technically a final boss, but it way more difficult than the previous bosses, so it might as well be one. ''Afterbirth+'' then adds Ultra Greedier and [[spoiler:Delirium]] who is now the final boss faced after [[spoiler:Hush]] but has a chance to be fought after every other final boss including Mega Satan. Since ''Repentence'' is the final official expansion,'''[[spoiler: The Witness]]''' from ''VideoGame/TheBindingOfIsaacAntibirth'' -- now renamed [[spoiler:Mother]] -- is officially part of the final count alongside [[spoiler:'''DOGMA''' and the TrueFinalBoss, '''THE BEAST''']], adding the number to '''[[spoiler:FIFTHTEEN]]'''.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' has gone this way. What started as a traditional (if not caught in an oversaturated market) UsefulNotes/WorldWarII experience hit upon a new stride with ''Call of Duty 4: VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' that took the series into the present day and sparked a revolution amongst military-based first-person shooter games. The ''Modern Warfare'' series itself went through its own SerialEscalation, trying to capitalize on the [[ShockingMoments Shocking Moment]] of the first game's [[spoiler:nuclear detonation]] but the games in the years following the close of the series in 2011 have tried to one-up their modern-day forerunner by adding fancy near-future (drones in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOpsII'') and exotic future tech (exosuits in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyAdvancedWarfare'') as well as injecting more dramatic scenarios to the narrative (South America banding together to launch a KillSat strike against the US in ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts''). The 2016 installment, ''Infinite Warfare'', continues the trend by [[RecycledInSpace sending the series to space]].

** It looks like the creative process for the [[OlympusMons main legendaries]] has become this: [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Generation I]] has the [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke strongest Pokémon ever created]]. [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Generation II]] has two legendary Pokémon with stats as high as the supposed strongest Pokémon ever. [[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Generation III]], however, subverts it as far as stats go -- but then it almost introduced as many Legendary Pokémon in one go as the last pair did combined. Back in full effect in [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Generation IV]] with ''four'' Legendary Pokémon with stats on par with the supposed strongest Pokémon ever created ''and'' another that surpasses it. The serial escalation seems to have come to an end with [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Generation V]].
** After over 20 years, we have achieved '''''890''''' Pokémon.

** How specialized can a Servant class get? The Assassins initially were ranked from the 19 members of the Hassan clan (that changed), while the Rulers were initially servants of God (also changed). ''VideoGame/FateExtra'' introduced the concept of special classes that only one Servant can have, like Saver [[spoiler:Buddha]] and Funny Vamp/Temptress (a possible class for [[VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}} Arcueid Brunestud]]). As of ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', we have the Moon Cancer class, which consists of [[VideoGame/FateExtra B.B.]] and for the longest time ''only'' B.B. (until Ganesha/Jinako showed up, turning it into generally Moon Cell-only).

** How specialized can a Servant class get? The Assassins initially were ranked from the 19 members of the Hassan clan (that changed), while the Rulers were initially servants of God (also changed). As of ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', we have the Moon Cancer class, which consists of [[VideoGame/FateExtra B.B.]] and for the longest time ''only'' B.B. (until Ganesha/Jinako showed up, turning it into generally Moon Cell-only).

** Just how many Servants can you fit in a Grail War? ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' and its [[LightNovel/FateZero prequel]] keeps it at about 7 (Gilgamesh and [[spoiler:True Assassin]] notwithstanding). Then it's revealed in the original version of ''Prototype'' that Saber would've had to fight the previous War's six Servants on top of the threats he already faces. ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'' tops that by having two teams of 7 and a supervisor in the form of Ruler, [[spoiler:two of them, in fact]]. ''VideoGame/FateExtra (CCC)'' has ''128'' Masters all fighting (though gameplay and story limitations means the player gets to see about 15 of the actual participants) for the Grail. ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' allows you to use all those Servants and then some, even allowing you to swing by other eras' Grail Wars with all of ''their'' Servants. ''LightNovel/FateRequiem'' trumps them all with everybody on the planetbut the protagonist getting Servants as a result of an unspecified war.

** Just how many Servants can you fit in a Grail War? ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' and its [[LightNovel/FateZero prequel]] keeps it at about 7 (Gilgamesh and [[spoiler:True Assassin]] notwithstanding). Then it's revealed in the original version of ''Prototype'' that Saber would've had to fight the previous War's six Servants on top of the threats he already faces. ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'' tops that by having two teams of 7 and a supervisor in the form of Ruler, [[spoiler:two of them, in fact]]. ''VideoGame/FateExtra (CCC)'' has ''128'' Masters all fighting (though gameplay and story limitations means the player gets to see about 15 of the actual participants) for the Grail. ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' allows you to use all those Servants and then some, even allowing you to swing by other eras' Grail Wars with all of ''their'' Servants. ''LightNovel/FateRequiem'' trumps them all with everybody but the protagonist getting Servants as a result of an unspecified war.

** ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' introduced Pseudo-Servant, servants that manifest with human vessels, starting with Zhuge Liang in [[LightNovel/FateZero Lord El-Melloi II/Waver Velvet]], with the game continuing to release pseudo-servants inhabiting the vessels of previous Nasuverse characters. However, the event Servant Summer Camp 2020 introduced a summer variant of Kiara Sessyoin, a former antagonist from ''[[VideoGame/FateEXTRA Fate/EXTRA CCC]]'' and already a summonable servant, as a pseudo-servant for Yao Bikuni. And in Lostbelt 6, [[spoiler: Caster Cú Chulainn, initially thought to be a variant of the Lancer servant from ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', is revealed to a pseudo-servant of the Norse God Odin]].

* ''VideoGame/GeometryDash'': After the original seven official levels, the new levels just kept getting harder and harder until the difficulty of some levels had to be changed and the demon difficulty was introduced. Then the community-made levels came up: Ice Carbon Diablo X, which was once the hardest level in the game, is now considered one of the easiest Extreme Demons (not that there are many levels harder than it, though). Bloodbath, which was also one of the hardest levels in the game, isn't even in the top ten anymore. Sonic Wave, which was considered the hardest level in the game for over a year, got topped by Yatagarasu in 2016 (although Yatagarasu eventually moved to #2) and again by Erebus in 2017. And Erebus is only 1 minute long. Fast forward to 2020...and hoo boy, talk about [[DifficultySpike these sadistic level creators and their list demon children]]. Ice Carbon Diablo X has been all but gone, Bloodbath is no longer one of the 100 hardest demons (and on the verge of dropping out from the 150), and both Sonic Wave and Yatagarasu got kicked out of the 25 hardest demons club. And Erebus? That 1 minute long level which debuted at the top in 2017? It's ''easier'' than Yatagarasu now, and there are two ''harder and just as short'' levels than it; Kowareta was added to the list in August 2019, as the ''5th hardest'', and is just '''48 seconds long.''' Cognition is a bit longer at a minute and 4 seconds, but debuted as the ''3rd hardest'', and has yet to fall out of the top ten as of September 2020. And more new Extreme Demons are vying for the top, such as the 1.9-styled former '''impossible''' level Tartarus, and the insanely oppressive El Dorado remake, The Golden, both of which punched Zodiac, the near-4-minute beast of a Top 1 level, to ''3rd.'' Not to mention many other wannabe demon makers out for blood and that top spot, making ridiculously hard and absolutely crazy levels like Firework, Eternal Night, Spectre, and such, as well as levels already in the ''verification'' process, like a ''Sonic Wave remake'' called Sonic Wave '''Infinity'''. Don't believe me? [[https://pointercrate.com/demonlist/ This here is the demonlist.]] Good luck beating [[HarderThanHard anything on that list]].

*** [[ElvesVsDwarves What's more xenophobic than dwarves drowning elven caravans in lava?]] An elf hating his own people so much that he decides to join the dwarven army solely so that he can kill more elves than he could on his own. His hatred for elves was so great, that he was actually made their ruler. Cacame Awemadinedae, [[AwesomeMcCoolname The Immortal Onslaught]]. Elven King of the Dwarves.

*** X had a whole arena of [[BonusBoss bonus bosses]], many with HP totals higher than Omega Weapon, but the strongest was Nemesis, who had ten million HP but even he was weaker then non-arena superboss Penance who had '''twelve million HP''' a well as '''independently acting arms each with half a million'''. XII was even worse with Yiazmat who has over '''fifty million HP''', can '''trick you into restoring all of it,''' doubles its stats and halves the damage cap of damage dealt to it when it nears death, and can combo for over a hundred thousand HP. XIII was seemingly a step back, with the superboss having 15 million HP, but considering the damage cap being higher, they had to raise its strength ''[[UpToEleven through the roof.]]''

** And now that ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' came out, [[UpToEleven the baseline of crazy has exponentially increased.]] [[spoiler: The game STARTS with Raiden taking on a Metal Gear RAY and [[CurbstompBattle destroying it it with almost insulting ease.]]]] How bat-shit insane can we make the new villains? How advanced can we make the technology? How many enemies can we cut up? [[LudicrousGibs In how many pieces?]] [[RuleOfCool How many more spectacular feats of physics-defying badassitude during the next Boss Fight?]] [[GutturalGrowler How much more like Batman can we make Raiden sound?]] Then again, this one was made by Creator/PlatinumGames, so the escalation was to be expected.

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' uses this as a learning method, with the puzzles starting incredibly simple, then getting rapidly more complicated. Just how many portalling techniques can be combined in THIS test? [[UpToEleven Turned Up To 11]] in the advanced test chambers in the "Still Alive" re-release.

** Finishing the game by yourself is considered an achievement. Taken UpToEleven by these two guys who actually finished the game in [[http://screwattack.com/videos/I-Win-at-Battletoads TWO PLAYERS MODE]]. No cheats (not that it'll help), no assists, on a classic NES. They used a PAL cartridge which fixed a GameBreakingBug, if you wanted to know.

* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' takes itself [[UpToEleven so over the top]] that it never so much as ''considers'' stopping at UpToEleven. The plot is as follows: [[PersonOfMassDestruction Alex]] [[ImAHumanitarian Mercer]] is sent into an UnstoppableRage over being infected with [[TheVirus a virus]], causing him to go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against an [[SemperFi entire fucking army]] that's backed by ''another'' [[ArmiesAreEvil entire fucking army]] (this one comprised entirely of [[PsychoForHire psychos for hire]]), plus a goddamned ZombieApocalypse and a BigBad [[spoiler:that goes OneWingedAngel on him]], and he ''[[OneManArmy kicks the shit out of them all]]''. ''By himself''.''The whole game'' is a SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome.

** It topped itself again. By fighting with Asura's OldMaster Augus on the moon and getting plunged back to earth by usage of one of the biggest swords in video game history. The game trailers show so far this trope is definately in full play, [[UpToEleven and how]]!

* Just how hard can the last boss of the ''VideoGame/ArcanaHeart'' fighting games (as well as fighting games in general) [[SNKBoss get]]? [[UpToEleven Really]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEzi4soBnJc REALLY]] hard, thats how.

* The ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' series, with each installment being more over-the-top than the last. [[VideoGame/SaintsRow1 The first one]] is rather mild, being more a ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' clone than anything else. [[VideoGame/SaintsRow2 The second one]] gets a little crazier, with you now commanding the Saints and fighting Japanese yakuza members, heavy metal monster truck fanatics, and a rasta drug cartel with ''possible'' supernatural connections, while escorting your lieutenants with helicopter gunships, running naked through the streets, and ending with an aerial assault on a skyscraper and the assassination of a prominent business mogul. [[VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird The third one]] takes this UpToEleven, with things like homocidal Japanese game shows, spec ops teams with energy weapons, nearly starting a zombie apocalypse, aerial aircraft carriers, and '''skydiving with a tank'''. [[VideoGame/SaintsRowIV The fourth game]] starts with the player as the President of the United States. Then the world gets invaded by aliens. Then you get superpowers. Things escalate from there. ''VideoGame/SaintsRowGatOutOfHell'' sees the Boss become GodEmperor of the universe before being sent to hell, prompting Johnny Gat and Kinzie Kensington to go on a mission to rescue the Boss and shoot the devil in the face. They also get superpowers and new weapons, such as a weaponized recliner chair with miniguns and locust shooters.
* ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' is already an offbeat game, featuring an OccidentalOtaku with a [[LaserBlade Beam Katana]] fighting a wide range of colorful assassins, including (but not limited to) a private detective with a revolver, an African-American school girl with a [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana]], a homicidal HenshinHero, and a cranky old lady with a WaveMotionGun concealed in a shopping cart. The sequel, ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes2DesperateStruggle'', outdoes itself with more assassins to fight that are even more outlandish, such as a rapper whose boombox turns into armored gauntlets, a college football star piloting a HumongousMecha (which you fight with a mecha of your own), a slasher villain with a combination axe[=/=]flamethrower, and a Russian cosmonaut with a KillSat. The spin-off ''VideoGame/TravisStrikesAgainNoMoreHeroes'' introduces the zany premise of [[TrappedInTVLand fighting your way through video games]], allowing for even more outrages boss fights, while ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroesIII'' cranks the weirdness UpToEleven by having the player fight not assassins, but ''[[NinjaPirateZombieRobot fugitive alien superheroes]]''!