Correctomundo

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #151

Hard only in very rare cases where I've got the game down to an art and I'm replaying to see if the increase in difficulty enhances the game. Otherwise, it's normal the rest of the time.

I don't have anything to prove to anybody.

 

J

Justinh

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #152

SciencePilot said:

I'm hard for life.

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You're supposed to see a doctor if it lasts for more than four hours, I believe.

I usually play though on Normal for the first run and bump it up to hard if I actually end up liking the game. Lately I've just started the game on the harder difficulties because I've found myself getting used to how easy the normal mode would be and that would make hard mode... harder to play later on.

 

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Eylos

Banned

• May 27, 2017

• #153

For one Second my Brain readed "fuck hard... is my New Jam"

I must watch less porn, i think its Like that friends episode

 

AnUnbiasedGamer

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #154

I played all of skyrim on easy. One of the most relaxing times in my gaming history.

 

A

AaronMT86

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #155

Depends on my backlog and how quickly I want to get through a game these days

 

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NinjamicWZ

Banned

• May 27, 2017

• #156

Screw normal. They need to start including Abnormal as a difficulty option in games.

The only way to complete the game is glitch through everything, refuse to take any cue or direction the game design is giving you, and have illogical, yet savant-like logic puzzles that make the most obtuse old school point and click adventure game item combination solutions seem 100% obvious.

 

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night814

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #157

EVA UNIT 01 said:

I always fuck hard

Click to expand...

Boom

Fuck normal. I have so little gaming time I'm always on the easiest setting unless it's far too easy then I'll bump it up.

 

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LiLSnorpSnorp

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #158

I don't anymore because of time restrictions, rather than age

 

C

Chitown B

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #159

I'm fine with Hard if it's fair. If it just bullet sponges everything and makes situations unfair, then fuck Hard.

 

S

slick7rick

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #160

I'm in the opposite situation: always played on Normal as a child, but now I play everything on Hard. I thank Bloodborne for turning me onto these difficulties.

 

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Archanfel

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #161

As someone who beat The Evil Within on Akumu mode when it released, IWBTG on Very Hard, Ninja Gaiden Black on the difficulty just before master ninja (there were so many), and plenty of other difficult bullshit. I can now say fuck hard with you. I've staked my claim in the ability to crawl through the abyss of unimaginable difficulty. I'm 30 and I have more things to do than twitch through one hit KO attacks and traps. Or expend hundreds of rounds in a fleshy sponge of meat. I've still got the skill. I just don't have the time anymore. Occasionally I'll find myself playing something like the new doom on the hardest setting. Well not the iron man one but just below it. But I don't go looking for the toughest challenges like I used to anymore.

 

F

fossi8

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #162

Same here but the only game I can't play below "hard" is Fifa, playing vs CPU under world class makes it sooo boring

 

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mokeyjoe

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #163

slick7rick said:

I'm in the opposite situation: always played on Normal as a child, but now I play everything on Hard. I thank Bloodborne for turning me onto these difficulties.

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Yeah, I've definitely got better at games as I've got older. Probably more patience and focus or something.

I used to play everything on easy - didn't see the point of making things hard for myself. These days I'll go for normal, and put up the difficulty if I go for a second playthrough or something.

 

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PensivePen

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #164

I prefer to play on harder difficulties more often now as they encourage me to engage more thoroughly and learn the systems in depth. A game's faults are also much more likely to be apparent on higher difficulties, where it's less easy to shrug off setbacks that might be the result of poor design (badly telegraphed attacks, poor hit detection, unavoidable damage, etc).

 

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castaction

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #165

Lol im on easy, i have less time to play so i need to finish those game faster , i finished horizon zero dawn on easy

 

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PlayALLtheGames

Banned

• May 27, 2017

• #166

These days I typically use Normal and Advanced (as opposed to Hard or Expert). I want to keep the gaming moving and I've honestly found that those typically offer enough of a challenge that it doesn't feel pointless.

 

Z

Zippedpinhead

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #167

Amen! And Preach!

Since having kids, I am all about the lowest difficulty that opens up all possible story ramifications.

In other words, the only way I play on anything harder than normal is if I can't get the real ending without beating it on hard.

 

T

Timu

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #168

Shredderi said:

Am I the only one who has become like 2-3 times better at video games as I've grown older?

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I've gotten way, way better when I'm older now compared to my younger days, and I was already decent at games back then. I can play harder games, be able to beat games I wasn't able to when I was a kid, and do the hardest setting often as well.

 

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JustAnotherOtaku

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #169

Easy4Lyfe

 

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Zojirushi

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #170

I love when developers let me know what the "intended" difficulty is. The way Halo is meant to be played etc. I choose whatever that difficulty is.

 

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MTC100

Banned

• May 27, 2017

• #171

Dubz said:

I've been playing video games on Hard, or Vey Hard since I was a wee lad. I'm getting older now, and my skills are deteriorating...and well, it kind of sucks.

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I stopped playing on hard too for the most part. I've started playing Fire Emblem Fates on Hard and damn did I get my butt kicked... Now I play it on normal, hard enough for my tastes.

I lost all my pride, I even played Persona 5 on easy.

-That said, after 100 hours of Zelda BotW, I can't wait for Hard mode to be released as I want to play it another 100+ hours and see everything but normal mode just wasn't a challenge anymore, due to the resourceful way I've played the game...

 

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Bananajama

Banned

• May 27, 2017

• #172

I only rock hard when ya a game I know I'll enjoy from start to finish.

Otherwise it's normal and I'll plough through it.

Had a fun one last week - Mate was playing Rez Infinite I think it's called on PS4 and asked for my help to finish it (stuck on area 5)

Warmed up on area 1 to understand what the controls were then dived in to area 5 - finished first try! Lol

 

M

mr lurtle

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #173

I usually read up beforehand how hard the hard modes really are. The last few CoDs for example have been pretty easy but I couldn't be bothered with the veteran difficulty since Modern Warfare. RPGs I mostly play on normal or even easy because they are usually more than long enough without dying all the time and I don't have the time to grind.

 

P

pretty done

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #174

castaction said:

Lol im on easy, i have less time to play so i need to finish those game faster , i finished horizon zero dawn on easy

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Are you playing games for the story or are you just playing them to check another game off your list? I can understand normal but easy is just... why even bother playing? You could go afk and nothing would even happen to you.

 

E

Eusis

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #175

NinjamicWZ said:

Screw normal. They need to start including Abnormal as a difficulty option in games.

The only way to complete the game is glitch through everything, refuse to take any cue or direction the game design is giving you, and have illogical, yet savant-like logic puzzles that make the most obtuse old school point and click adventure game item combination solutions seem 100% obvious.

Click to expand...

Nope, Gabriel Knight 3 will keep that crown.

EDIT: Though there's something to be said for a whole game of cat stache puzzles. Has to have that delicate balance of "that ALMOST made sense before I gave it actual thought" rather than "bang rock against tent pole to make turkey dinner."

 

A

AgentOtaku

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #176

Im with you OP... everytime i think i wanna play something on Hard, i always get reminded that my mids 30s self aint bout that life anymore
Thin line between something being challenging and just becoming tedious work

 

S

Sad Affleck

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #177

Demoskinos said:

I like hard mode on most games although it does depend. Some games I don't think have very well balanced hard modes.

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Yeah. Too many games cop out of offering a bigger but still fair challenge and just turn enemies into bullet sponges. Beating a harder enemy that forces you to use new strategies and tactics is fun, beating the same enemy using the same method you used on normal only now it takes twice as long is bad difficulty mode design.

 

M

MTC100

Banned

• May 27, 2017

• #178

I also feel a bit like difficulty levels are a lazy way of the developer in terms of balancing, you never had that stuff on the NES, SNES or even N64/PS1 Era(I think). There were harder or easier games, sure but for the most part they were fair.

Nowadays you can't tell, some games are a challenge on easy while others aren't that hard on "hard". There are only a hand full games that ship without any difficulty settings(mainly from Nintendo or From Software) and they kinda feel "right" the way they work.

 

R

roytheone

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #179

I started hard on the last of us, but quickly dropped it to normal because I was getting frustrated. So yeah, normal all the way.

 

DAHGAMING

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #180

I always normal it, online is were hard is and I get destroyed.

 

M

MTC100

Banned

• May 27, 2017

• #181

roytheone said:

I started hard on the last of us, but quickly dropped it to normal because I was getting frustrated. So yeah, normal all the way.

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TLOU is one of the few games I've played through twice, I also started on normal but then went with hard for my second playthrough, it really was a very different experience and totally worth it. I think this is one of the few games where difficutly modes are justified. -I wanted to play it a third time on easy but I've lost interest half way through and never touched it again since then...

 

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PantsuJo

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #182

27 and I have time only for normal difficulties.

Jobs abs studies are already set on "very hard" in my life.

 

C

catspit

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #183

Archanfel said:

As someone who beat The Evil Within on Akumu mode when it released, IWBTG on Very Hard, Ninja Gaiden Black on the difficulty just before master ninja (there were so many), and plenty of other difficult bullshit. I can now say fuck hard with you. I've staked my claim in the ability to crawl through the abyss of unimaginable difficulty. I'm 30 and I have more things to do than twitch through one hit KO attacks and traps. Or expend hundreds of rounds in a fleshy sponge of meat. I've still got the skill. I just don't have the time anymore. Occasionally I'll find myself playing something like the new doom on the hardest setting. Well not the iron man one but just below it. But I don't go looking for the toughest challenges like I used to anymore.

Click to expand...

I agree... Time becomes much more important when you add things in like children and a wife.

 

M

MTC100

Banned

• May 27, 2017

• #184

Comandr said:

I started playing P5 on normal. Ended up getting CRUSHED multiple times in one of the dungeons. Finally threw my hands up and turned it down to easy. Exp and gold coming in finally felt like it was at a level that it should be. Kept it on easy. Regret nothing.

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Same, P5 felt a bit overtuned, unless you love to grind for hours, then normal might be fine. I never touched hard and you could even download the insane difficulty later on(which I did but never touched). I have a feeling hard and above is only viable for a new game+

 

Outrun

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #185

Normal for me, unless it is Halo.

 

N

Nightbird

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #186

dmaul1114 said:

Always been my jam as I've never really played games for the challenge.

The older I get (38) the more games I play on Easy as well. Mainly things were I don't like the combat and am just there for the story.

Click to expand...

Same, playing games for the challenge doesn't excite me anymore.

 

S

Smasher89

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #187

Hard usually, but fps is a exception, did play H:ZD on hard though which felt decently balanced even though it didn't require me to learn all the ins and outs of the combat mechanics.

 

J

jonjonaug

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #188

Alphahawk said:

Normal for me, I always just assumed that that's how the devs intended it to be played.

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This depends on the game. Dragon Age: Inquisition, Shin Megami Tensei IV Apoclypse, and Etrian Odyssey Untold 1+2 all have "hard" difficulty modes that are pretty obviously the intended difficulty because lower difficulty modes don't encourage you to explore gameplay options. Doom 2016 has a very good rhythm to its gameplay, but you won't really get it unless you play on Ultra Violence or Nightmare mode because enemies won't kill you quickly enough to necessitate running around as much.

 

S

sirap

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #189

I used to rock Normal for the longest time but after Dark Souls I always play on the hardest difficulty available on the first playthrough.

There's just something super rewarding about getting good, no matter how broken the difficulty is.

 

K

kiaaa

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #190

MTC100 said:

Same, P5 felt a bit overtuned, unless you love to grind for hours, then normal might be fine. I never touched hard and you could even download the insane difficulty later on(which I did but never touched). I have a feeling hard and above is only viable for a new game+

Click to expand...

If you kept up with your confidants, P5 was a joke on normal past like Palace 3.

I mean, I can't imagine normal being a problem even without the confidants.

 

T

TAD

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #191

I do find that having less time to play games means normal is the way to go. A lot of the time I just want to play the game and have a moderate challenge rather than having to go back to checkpoints every 10 minutes

 

R

R&R

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #192

Pretty much always play on normal, but the older I get I have noticed that if the game is highly reflex based I find myself lowering the difficulty as/if needed. Racing games I still play on hard or higher.

 

R

roytheone

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #193

MTC100 said:

TLOU is one of the few games I've played through twice, I also started on normal but then went with hard for my second playthrough, it really was a very different experience and totally worth it. I think this is one of the few games where difficutly modes are justified. -I wanted to play it a third time on easy but I've lost interest half way through and never touched it again since then...

Click to expand...

That's the nice thing about difficulty settings: people get to play how they like. I got frustrated with hard and dropped to normal and had a blast. Other people will find normal to easy and want to challenge themselves on hard. Everyone wins!

 

Necron

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #194

I play most stuff on easy/normal if I can. However, I'm also up for a challenge like Souls/Bloodborne sometimes. I think most of the time I feel as though hard/very hard mode is just lazily put in there without much thought or balance. Getting difficulty modes right isn't easy, though. Hmm, I should probably try out The Last of Us on harder difficulties one day.

Edit: this reminded me of games where a "hidden difficulty" changes based on how well you are doing. I remember Resident Evil 4 incorporating such mechanics. Also, easy mode actually left out the more difficult stages out of the game. I think more games should incorporate this fluidity in terms of difficulty instead of the static one you select at the start of the game. It's probably a lot harder to control and get right, though.

 

A

Asd202

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #195

I started Persona 5 on hard and I was like this is not fun, switched to normal. However later in the game I went back to hard and the game was getting to use and I really started to like the challange.

 

S

sn00zer

Member

• May 27, 2017

• #196

I recently have done the opposite. I'm starting to love crafting my own difficulty with game settings.

Most games with HUD options I'll try and only keep on the minimum of what I think I need. You have to wiggle around a bit to find the right settings, as there are some aspects that just need a HUD. Horizon is surprisingly playable with a lot of the enemy indicators and stealth indicators turned off as there is a ton of visual and audio feedback to indicate these things already. Went through the game on Hard this way on top of the Dynamic HUD and it was incrediby awesome.

Hitman was a joy to play with most of the objective indicators set to the lowest setting or off as it really requires you to explore.

Titan fall 2 hard mode was great because you are still insanely over powered just with lower health.

I think devs in recent years have a really good handle on challenge v. difficulty, but many of those tweaks are hidden in the game settings.

 

D

doemaaan

Member

• May 28, 2017

• #197

I don't have the patience for Hard mode. I'm a controller thrower. I'll start every game on normal, but if it starts giving me trouble I have no problem putting it on easy.

 

J

JBourne

maybe tomorrow it rains

• May 28, 2017

• #198

Right there with you, Dubz. My time to play games is already so limited, I hate having to replay anything. There will always be exceptions (normal can be too easy in some games), but for the most part I stay away from hard mode these days. Work stresses me out enough, I don't like coming home and getting frustrated with a game when I'm trying to relax.

 

B

Blindy

Member

• May 28, 2017

• #199

I play Hard or the 2nd highest difficulty usually unless I know its going to be for a game that is notoriously ridiculous. Get an unsatisfying feeling playing on Normal and I cannot remember the last time I put easy on.

I very rarely if at all go for nightmare or crushing or whatever the game's highest difficulty ends up being.

 

R

Roboculus

Member

• May 28, 2017

• #200

Unless I'm finding the game to be way too easy, I usually just stick with the default option.

I find the harder difficulties in a lot of games make me play a lot more conservatively then I would like. I'm generally not interested in higher difficulty modes if all that changes is increased damage and HP for enemies.

I like it when games change things up more in higher difficulty modes. For example, Perfect Dark would actually give you different objectives for missions depending on the difficulty.