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[nekkid]

Recently I've come to appreciate games that have no difficulty settings and just concentrate on being good. GTAV, for example.

 

[ValfarHL]

Still on Hard, I'm 39. If you keep playing, your kills will still be pretty sharp.

As someone who turns 30 in August, this makes me happy to read.
I play games for the challenge and Normal is almost never challenging..at all.


In games that have difficulties ranging from very easy to very hard, I usually pick hard.

 

[Bydobob]

I usually play on hard. Aside from liking a challenge, I sometimes find that replaying the same section over and over again can give you a better appreciation of a game's design.

Dishonored 2 is a recent example of a game that was much better when I restarted on hard. Trying and failing to navigate my way around enemy guards forced me to explore new areas of the map and reappraise the weapons and abilities I had at my disposal. It also gave me a new appreciation of the AI and its dynamic behaviour.

Normal is how games are meant to be played so I play on Normal.

Except that's increasingly not the case these days. There is growing trend of games using fancy names for their difficulty categories, blurring the lines between generic Easy, Normal and Hard. I don't think that's a coincidence. Difficulty categories such as "Squeamish", "Pussy" or "Gutless" (ok, I probably made those up) even provoke you into playing on a harder difficulty level than you might otherwise have selected! Alien Isolation was interesting in that it explicitly recommended Hard as providing the best experience.

 

[drotahorror]

Usually play on Hard, or w/e people end up up recommending for a game if it's too easy or too hard.

I played DooM 2016 on Ultra Violence which I felt was just right. I recently played on Nightmare and found it really annoying and not worth my time. age 32

 

[emalord]

I'm 49 and NORMAL is my take on Videogaming
Yeah, sometimes it feels a little too easy but at least I never feel frustrated

 

[Persona7]

Never normal unless it is forced.

 

[JackelZXA]

Quake 1 is pretty interesting on Easy actually. There's a bit more health pickups than I'd like, but one of the things they do on Easy completely changes the gameplay balance. They replace most of the Ogres with melee enemies like the Fiend. It ends up feeling like a very different game because you can't replenish rockets as easily, and you have more fast melee enemies to deal with. The overall ammo being lower also makes it feel a little more horror-y because you're not as tough. It's pretty interesting and better than I thought it'd be. (Easy in Doom is boring though)

 

[Lanrutcon]

I only play on hard if hard isn't "we just upped the numbers lol". Stuff like Divinity: OS Tactician mode completely changes almost every encounter in the game by giving the enemy consumables, scripted attack patterns that exploit game mechanics, etc.

 

[atpbx]

It depends entirely on the game.

Some games difficulty levels are all over the place.

 

[Kudo]

I dropped Persona 5 to easy cause it's not challenging, just time consuming. Doom I played on Hard as that gave a nice challenge without being overly too hard.
Most of the time though I opt for Normal, I started P5 with Hard but it proved so boring no point in making yourself go through that.
I like challenging games and hand-crafted difficulty like in Souls much more than parameter difficulties.

 

[Truant]

I usually don't have the time to play hard, but I do enjoy the occasional challenge such as Bloodborne.

 

[antibolo]

Same here OP. I'm at a point in my life where I no longer feel any interest in overcoming difficult challenges in video games, because they're all a stupid waste of time anyway. I will not gain anything from it.

 

[Spence]

Most of the time any difficulty higher than normal doesn't make the game harder just more annoying and longer to complete, it's artificial.

 

[ramparter]

Mods please change topic title "Friendship ended with Hard, now Normal is my best friend"

 

[Dr.Wampe]

Fuck normal.. im 39 and I play on easy cause I need to get through all these damn 60 hour games..

Pretty much this. I dont have the time anymore.

 

[Shadow Ranger]

Normal. Hard for the odd game like Uncharted 4. Critical or Proud for KH because they lock stuff behind them. But majority of games I'll stick with Normal (on first play).

 

[Crayolan]

I typically play games on normal because that's what most games are designed around. Hard is for series I'm already very familiar with or replays. Not that I don't like a challenge, I just expect normal mode to be fairly challenging for first time players anyway.

 

[Zeel]

Being 32 with family and a demanding job, I only have a fraction of time left for gaming compared to 10 years ago. I do still play my games on hard though and try to 100% them if possible, so I just play less games overall and concentrate on the really good ones, quality over quantity.

 

[7threst]

Always on normal difficulty. Time is sparse and I like to have as much fun as possible when playing games and dying often because of difficulty isn't fun. Except when we are talking Souls-games. Then dying is part of the game.

 

[Wiped89]

Yup always hit normal the first time I play a game.

Only try hard if I want to replay because I really enjoyed it.

 

[zkorejo]

I never liked playing on hard. I mean.. whats the point of dying over and over and over? Sure its cool when you finally win, but even that feeling gets old (stopped playing bloodborne bcz it got boring for me). I always thought to myself that I KNOW I can beat the game at hard, why waste time.

I love a good challenge and for that I play competitive online pvp but when I am playing a sp game linear or an openworld game, I want to be on an adventure and have fun.

 

[bigol]

Last game i finished at highest difficuty level was The Last of Us.

I'm currently planning to finish Yakuza 0 at hard difficulty because there is a trophy for that and i really want to obtain the platinum for that game. Same with the Witcher 3. But as a rule my first playthrough is at normal difficulty.

 

[Izuna]

I'll play on the hardest difficulty that isn't forcing you to play in a "challenge" sort of way, like Alien Isolation.

CoD is a game with horrible difficulties. The hardest is a garbage game to play where you die immediately after poking your head out, but the one below is super easy.

 

[Wink]

You don't always have to fuck hard, in fact sometimes that's not right to do.
It really depends on the game. Most cases for me though harder difficulty reveals more of a games systems and intricacies so it is the way to go.

 

[ZAMtendo]

I usually go normal. I go easy if I just wanna experience the game as quickly as possible. I go hard if I really want that achievement.

 

[Sanctuary]

I'm killing shit left and right, and feeling like the badass I was meant to be.

Isn't that typically how "normal" has been since around 2005? It's almost never any kind of challenge, and you typically can just wade through enemies with little care. That can't hold my attention for long.

I've now decided that I'm no longer a Hard or Very Hard player, and I'm ok with that. It was a tough decision, but I'm glad I made it. What about you, GAF?

Really does depend on the game, but I usually start out on Hard and only move down (if that's available after starting) if Hard is just that from health and damage bloat by a severe degree. So much so that the game feels less rewarding and more of a slog. Depending on how Hard was implemented, I'll often do my replays on Very Hard. Some games though, even on the hardest difficuly is barely a challenge though.

Spoiler

Horizon

edit: I don't know what to really call it, but before the "mainstreaming" (???) of gaming during gen 7, I almost always started on Normal and moved up on a subsequent playthrough.

 

[crazy monkey]

I am always easy or normal player. Never hard.

 

[Wolfgang Jr]

 

[Harlequin]

Never bothered with hard TBH. In most games all it does is make the combat harder and I almost never like combat in games to begin with so there's no reason for me to use it. If there were difficulty settings for platforming sections, I'd probably always be picking the highest difficulty for those, though.

 

[Drillary Clinton]

I usually go Hard mode. The hardest if it's in a series I'm accustomed to. But it can also be contextual depending on the game.

 

[Taliban Stan]

I start on normal and then adjust. Sometimes I drop games because they don't let you change difficulty in the middle. Especially if the game is mediocre and I'd have to restart.

Anyways, they make difficulties for a reason. It's not surprising some people like different ones. That was probably the whole point of different ones to begin.

 

[EmiPrime]

Normal all the way.

Only Platinum Games (and Clover before them) can consistently make harder difficulties that are worth playing.

 

[Samanosuke Akechi]

I am surprised that I can put up with tough games/hardest settings these days considering I'll be 30 next year. I mean I'm doing various Neo Geo SNK fighters on the hardest settings for some reason, lol.

The last game I completed was FFX HD in 2015. Getting all the summons, ultimate weapons was a chore. And right before that was bloodborne. So I've taken an extended break from games. But easier games are definitely more my speed as a rule.

 

[dex3108]

I always play on Normal. There are very little games I play for the challenge and even some of them have challenges not related to difficulty level. I play games usually to relax and visit other worlds and enjoy in them.

 

[Demicore]

I always play on hard myself, but I'm not sure age is the only reason why you struggle with the harder difficulties. I really think devs have finally seen the light and are starting to make their games harder, after a long period of dumbing them down for some weird reason.

 

[Sizzel]

Unless you get your identity from being "good at videogames" or somehow get value from it... who cares? In my real life.. being able to beat games on survivor or insane difficulty has little value and I am not skilled enough to make it fun...so normal is just fine for me. If was wildly skilled at video games and got off on the mechanical/twitch reflex challenge...than yeah...I would need hurt me plenty level of difficulty.

Video games aren't a lifestyle any more than movies or books are for me. I play at whatever level I enjoy. I dig souls because there is just that level . I don't like where they take the base game and make things sponges or spam more at you.

 

[Shifty]

Always start low and move up. It's way less fun to get your teeth kicked in because you aren't picking up what the game is putting down, versus doing well and actually noticing yourself getting better at the game.

 

[DylanEno]

I play on normal now not because my skills have dulled, but because hard modes generally mean more grinding, enemy units, bullet sponges, etc. It's seldom ever fun. But more importantly, because as an adult I just don't have the time to slog through that shit anymore. I need to be able to complete a game asap or I'll never get around to finishing it or moving to another one.

Life's the real hard mode, man.

 

[m00h]

I always played on hard back in my school and student times. Now I have a full time job and run a small business, so it's even hard to dedicate two hours to gaming every day. I made the transition from hard to normal some time ago, and also started to like story driven games more and more. I have enough of challenge in my everyday job routine, so games doesn't necessarily have to cover that need.

 

[Alpende]

I usually pick hard from the start and stick with it.

 

[WAR recon zero]

Easy and i use cheat engine if possible

No time!

 

[Fisty]

I pick hard on games where there is no incentive besides increased challenge.

Always hard

 

[the most mountain of dews]

I am Fucking awful at video games

exactly why I mostly play on normal.

 

[Anteater]

i mean just play on whatever difficulty you find fun

no one is gonna judge you

well except gaf if you tell us about it

 

[BleedOrange]

Wait til you come to the land of easy, my friend.

I rarely have the time to play games on Hard nowadays (pushing 30), but I will never stoop so low as to play on Easy.

Ugh

 

[Anteater]

i mean I tried uncharted games on easy for some trophies and it was sorta fun, i was just running around just punching everyone to death

 

[dezzy8]

I do normal on first runs. If there's a trophy and I love the game enough I'll play again on hard.

 

[dezzy8]

Easy and i use cheat engine if possible

No time!

Damn. You might as well watch a playthrough on YouTube.

 

[Nose Master]

I usually start on hard and then bump it down if it's just increased numbers / bullet sponges etc. Some hard mode are ridiculous, some are cake. Depends on the game.

 

[Kssio_Aug]

I always played everything through Normal mode, except games I aim for achievements or that it happens to be so fun that I decide to give it a try or replay on higher difficulties.