Aren't you the guy who played The Last of Us on grounded then complained about it?
Anyway, nope. I play whatever difficulty is the most enjoyable. Usually it's "normal" or "hard" but occasionally I go down to "easy" like I did in Persona 4.
Really depends on the gameplay and what you want out the game. I sitll prefer no option for difficulty though.
I think there's a number of interesting player psychology points tied up around difficulty.
No shame if it's necessary, a fair match for your abilities - but I used to default to the easiest difficulty years ago and started to find some games becoming tedious, which I blamed the game for. Playing Halo more recently on Heroic after playing it years ago on Easy was a heck of a lot more enjoyable (Admittedly I started on Legendary, but after scraping through two levels I decided that that was simply a step too far in the long term and scaled it back!). In retrospect, the tagline for easy difficulty - “Your foes cower and fall before your unstoppable onslaught, yet final victory will leave you wanting more.” was a whole lot more accurate than I'd imagined.
One of the big problems, though, is if you're completely new to a game, you have no benchmark for how difficult you'll find it. You want the right difficulty such that you will finish it, but you don't want to pick wrongly and have to restart the game (fortunately, more games these days have difficulty you can change on-the-fly), so there's a risk of wanting to err on the side of caution and go too easy.
I think I have Infamous to thank for the idea of seriously considering starting on hard: I rather like the way it suggests an appropriate difficulty based on your performance in the tutorial. More games ought to do something along those lines, it gives the player early confidence that they should have faith in their abilities at the suggested level; when you have confidence that you can do a harder difficulty, you're more likely to actually commit to it early on, which will be better for your enjoyment in the long term.
Nope, games are meant to be fun and If a fun experience to you is an easier one that's a ok, this notion that every game needs to be dark souls tough to be taken seriously is rediculous, that being said, if you like a game enough, start on the lower difficulty than as you get better set it up one, doing that for the witcher 3 right now.
Do what every you want but I mean, as an observation easy, even normal is insultingly simple a lot of the time to the detriment of the mechanical considerations put into the balancing the game.
If it's a game you wanna enjoy for the story and you're not into the combat, cool. For a genre you're into though that you just choose to not even fully engage in, I don't get that.
I prefer it when games let you change the difficulty at any time, rather than be locked into a choice for 20+ hours when I have no idea how tough the boss fights are.
When the developers have put in a ridiculous difficulty spike, it's nice to be able to drop down a difficulty level for that one encounter then put it back up again, rather than just quit or have to replay the whole thing. As games have become more sprawling and much longer, it just seems like a reasonable option to offer players.
When 'difficult' basically means bullet sponge, I don't consider it a "difficulty' setting. It's just asking you how much you like to reload, duck and cover between races to the next checkpoint.
I've played a fair few games on easy or normal difficulty for my first run just so I can enjoy the story, collect stuff and unlock trophies.
If I enjoy the game enough I'll then do a hard/hardest run and speed through it as much as possible. No shame in that.
I do however appreciate a game the doesn't offer difficulty settings and respects you as a player to be able to get through it. Bloodborne for example.
The basic purpose of playing a videogame is pure entertainment. So, no why should difficulty level matter.
Of course, in some games a higher difficulty level may be the targeted design for the general audience to enjoy the game more, but that's a slightly different thing in this context.
I mean if someone boasts about beating a game and they only did so by playing on easy, go for it. Otherwise what's the point. It's their free time they chose to spend on a game, the game should be honoured.
Play however you want, I mean what's the purpose of spending money on games only to feel ashamed of playing them at the difficulty you enjoy?
Games have them for a purpose, and games are here to entertain, not shame. Some people like a challenge, others are there for the story, and it's okay to be either.
But realise that you probably screw yourself over by playing in retard mode as most of the games' intricacies and carefully crafted challenges will completely fly over your head giving you a very bland vanilla experience.
What's shameful is outright refusing to try Dark Souls because you're scared it might be too challenging cause that's what you've read that on the internet. Bought my coworker a copy on Steam and that's exactly what he's doing.
As for easy difficulty, I choose it now and again. For example with Witcher 3 as I don't have the time to reload and I'm more interested in the storyline than its (deficient) combat
Everyone here who has admitted they play on easy, you have shot yourselves in the foot.
I don't know how much the rest of you know about hardcore gaming culture (I'm an expert), but honor and shame are huge parts of it. Its not like it is in mobile gaming where you can become successful by buying gems. If you screw around on easy mode, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.
What this means is hardcore gamers, after hearing about this, are not going to want to play games with you, nor will they keep you on their friends list. This is HUGE. You can laugh all you want, but you have alienated real gamers with this move.
Publicly apologize and play Dark Souls on deprived or you can kiss your friends list goodbye.
'Difficulty' is a funny thing. I played through PS3-TLoU on one of the easier settings and had a great time, a really great time with it. But I've also made low/SL1 completions of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls 2, and equally enjoyed those. Playing TLoU:R on a harder difficulty earlier this year was not a more enjoyable experience, though I was a little patience-less with it.
When I load up a shooter these days, I'll seek out a lower difficulty there. When I load up a racing game, I'll seek out the harder, or hardest of difficulties (whether via AI or driving aids).
As for finding time or fucks to give about how other people play games: nah, I have neither.
I'm not particularly great at action games such as God of War so I play them on easy, I am good at FPS so I tend to play on a higher difficulty unless the experience becomes frustrating.
I tend to play games on Hard, and then I play on the hardest difficulty after I get comfortable with the game to mop up some achievements/trophies.
What I don't get is my buddy (Whose skill set ranges from average to slightly above average) will play on the hardest difficulty from the get go just for achievements/trophies, and it takes him forever to finish.
Most games above normal difficulty become an excercise in how much bullshit you're willing to tolerate. It's only worth it if you want to brag on the internet.
However just don't brag about it later saying how good you are in the game or how the game is so easy (lol).Believe it or not i've seen youtubers and twitch streamers playing Dark Souls (and DS2 ) while they were overleveled as fuck,used guides and chat spoilers,summoned players and NPCs and then said that the game "was just too easy for them".Seriously fuck that attitude.
No. One big exception: if you play it at the easiest level, you don't get to come online and complain the game was too easy or the AI was dumb because that was the experience you selected.
In this day and age 'normal' in a big budget game is designed to be completed by anyone with a pulse. But I don't care specifically about what you do, when I was a kid I had to put everything on easy and it was often still impossible for me even then.
Now while I don't give a shit about how you choose to enjoy your game, it bothers me when dealing with people who play games on baby settings and act like experts on forums. TLOU being the most obnoxious in recent memory, good luck playing it like a shooter when every single drawer you open has nothing in it. But apparently according to Internet Pro Gamers it was just a movie with no actual gameplay.
Vanquish is kind of like that too sometimes, you just want to slide around and punch things but on the harder modes that's not smart. But as you get better at movement it becomes less dangerous to stay out of cover. The challenge missions are tough but do-able with the right technique.
Then you unlock God Hard and it's pretty clear that the game was never meant to be played like that. It is not fun.
I think it's fair game to play on whichever difficulty pleases you. The whole point is to have fun.
I usually play in whichever difficulty teaches (not unfairly punishes me) the core mechanics in the game. In my first few years of gaming I used to play a lot of games with a complete disregard for the core mechanics of gameplay.
Some games tought me better than others. The game that showed me "How" it was supposed to be done was "Armored Core 3: Silent Line" for PS2. You could finnish the story without really learning how to properly manouver your AC. But there was no chance in hell you could defeat the top 20 in the arena playing like that. You had to adapt, change, and learn.
Since then, I buy few and fewer games each year, but I enjoy them to the core (even when most of the get mixed or averages reviews)
My friend and I were discussing both this and playing games for trophies well past the point of it being fun when we both kind of realized what a waste that is. Its about enjoyment. If you enjoy the challenge go for it, if you're in it for the story/experience turn the difficulty down.
For me it depends on the kind of game. Games that are very story driven, or cinematic experiences like Uncharted or Last of Us, or most RPGs, I play on easy most of the time. I'm getting old and don't feel like getting frustrated by games anymore.
But sometimes, when a game is more focussed on the gameplay itself, where you need to use all features to its full extent, it feels better to play at least on the default setting. Platinum games like Vanquish and the two Bayonettas come to mind here, Ninja Gaiden as well.
Depends on the game. If it's heavily story based, I will play it on easy just to experience the story with very minor interruptions. I follow that up with a hard playthrough once the suspense is gone.
Games that are all gameplay and little story I tend to play on hard from the get go.
I usually play on normal, and if things get too dicey I'll tone it down.
I would also crank the difficulty alllllll the way down when playing oblivion because it felt a lot cooler to stealth around and shoot a dude in the head and take him down in one shot instead of shooting him in the head and have him chase after me so I have to pull out my sword with my shitty sword skill and go hand to hand with the guy.
In an interesting twist of fate, there's one dude in my circle of friends who always plays everything on the hardest difficulty and we always make fun of him for it.
I've read so many different posts on how, for example, The Last of Us must be played on Survivor and anything less isn't the way the game is meant to be played. Now almost everyone is saying to play games on whatever difficulty you'd like. This place makes my head spin at times...
When 'difficult' basically means bullet sponge, I don't consider it a "difficulty' setting. It's just asking you how much you like to reload, duck and cover between races to the next checkpoint.
yeah, that's something that does really bother me. games like uncharted just turns into waves and waves of shooting galleries and it gets tiresome after a while. i'm pretty sure I played Uc2 on easy.
sometimes with a game I just want to play through it and never play through it again. tlour and currently tomb raider being examples. i played tlour on survivor on purpose because while it is the greatest game i've ever played, i have absolutely no desire to play through it again.
same with tr...it is a pretty good game so far, but i don't like it enough to play through it again, probably. so i'm hard. if i do, i'll probably switch back to easy.
OP, play your games whichever way you'd enjoy them. I love the Uncharted series, but in every entry, I switched the difficulty from normal to easy whenever the supernatural stuff kicked in towards the last chunk of the game. I don't feel the slightest bit bad or cheap about it. It kept the experience flowing at a good pace without being frustrating or demanding more of my time.
People should just play what they want, how they want. Others' opinions couldn't matter less here.
Unless you're a mobile gamer. Then you need to curl up in a fetal ball of shame for contributing to the growing cancer.
P.S.
I'm kidding. Of course everyone has equal merit regardless of platform choice. (Mostly.)
just curiously, when you beat the uncharted games, did you get the trophy for normal or easy since you switched down? i know for certain games in order to get the hardest difficulty trophy you have to NOT switch down at any point during the game, but I wonder if this also applies to lower difficulties as well.
Aren't you the guy who played The Last of Us on grounded then complained about it?
Anyway, nope. I play whatever difficulty is the most enjoyable. Usually it's "normal" or "hard" but occasionally I go down to "easy" like I did in Persona 4.
Really depends on the gameplay and what you want out the game. I sitll prefer no option for difficulty though.
No. Maybe you're thinking of someone else. I played it on survivor, but my "complaints" didn't really have much to do with how hard the game was. at least I don't think it did.
But realise that you probably screw yourself over by playing in retard mode as most of the games' intricacies and carefully crafted challenges will completely fly over your head giving you a very bland vanilla experience.
The Last of Us for instance is just a mindless shooter on easy with nothing of the gripping tension you get from playing on harder settings.
I personally never play on easy. I dont even like easy games, they annoy me. I actually complained a lot that Mass Effect 2 was so easy, Insane difficulty was a joke in that game.
Of course not. Just don't complain that "X" game is too easy without making it known that you're playing on easy mode. The same should go with complaining about "X" game being too hard if you're playing it on the highest difficulty.
Quick saves in retro games. They're available on most (all?) emulators, and also on things like the Wii U and 3DS virtual consoles, the retro games in Rare Replay, and so on.
No shame whatsoever, as long as you enjoy it. I played Witcher 2 on easy after a few hours on normal and I don't give a fuck. Combat was a mess so I refused to "learn" it.
It's just a video game. Do whatever floats your boat. I try not to play on Easy just because some games are WAY too easy at that setting, and you never really figure it out until you're too far in. That being said it's a great way to get through games in your backlog you don't necessarily want to play for weeks on end. If I do it that's usually why. Only time I never entertain the idea is for a game I'm really excited for.
It depends on the game. If its a story driven game or one where the higher difficulties are just poorly designed (Uncharted 3 for example) go for it on easy. But games where the whole design is about mastery of combat or gameplay systems and learning to overcome challenges, why even bother playing the game if you put it on easy? Most character action games fall into the latter category.
