• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Difficulty Modes that Insult the Player

Young Magus

Junior Member
I want this to happen in a videogame one day:

"You've died three times in row, would would like to drop it to a lower difficulty?"

YES
NO

Player picks "YES"

"There is no lower difficulty."

and then the game loads to the most recent checkpoint or w/e.

I would pay good money for this.
 
2292026-photo.jpg
Thanks for sharing this. This gave me an idea. I think I'll name the easiest difficulty mode in one of my games PussyPunkBitch.
 

Wonko_C

Member
mO62cFR.gif


Seriously though, loosen up. There are lots of things in videogames that should be considered insulting *coughhandholdingcoughondiscDLCcough*. This is far from being one of them.
 

Nev

Banned
What's gonna be the next thing to get offended by? This is getting ridiculous.

Anyways Assassin's Creed difficulty really is an insult.
 

Durante

Member
Instead of being insulted by easy modes, I love it when hard modes insult your lack of a life. "Why are you even playing this you maniac" etc...

ViRcHjY.jpg


That last one is pretty appropriate.
I wanted to post the same thing. Love the Touhou difficulty descriptions.
 

Hypron

Member
Fuckin noooope! Demon's Souls was the hardest of the bunch. Or at least it had the hardest parts. Flamelurker, Allant, Maneaters. The entire last level was a total bitch. Demon's was hard as shit.

Did you play it first? 'Cause I played it after the other two games and it definitely wasn't the hardest. Allant is only hard at level 1 (he telegraphs his moves like a mofo, they're extremely easy to avoid), Maneaters have shit AI and are weak (they don't do much damage at all and attack slowly so it's very simple to just get through the fight by healing every time you get it) and Flamelurker is the only hard boss (and even then if you're levelled up properly it's not too bad). Lots of bosses are just puzzles that just become super simple once you figure them out.

The last level is only hard because of the blue dragon, which you can take out easily enough.

Even finishing Demon's Souls at SL1 is simple. I died a couple of times against Allant and Flamelurker but completely breezed past all the other bosses. I played Dark Souls 2 at SL1 right after and it was a fuckload harder.
 

autoduelist

Member
Me playing dozens of Civilization V games on Settler difficulty is an insult to mankind, but I just can't stop doing it. I just don't like to risk not winning most of the time.

God forbid somebody loses a game! I know that sounds snarky, and I probably do mean it that way, but... what is the point of playing if you can't lose?
 
I can't believe people actually felt insulted by it lol, I just get a chuckle out of it, I'm also sure there were a few games that insulted when you chose to exit the game? Maybe it was Rise of Triads? Can't remember.
 
I thought the OP would be about how Diablo 3's difficulties (before Torment) were too easy and thus, insulting. Hard difficulty isn't actually hard at all.
 
Not so much as a mode as it is a penalty if you skip a hard level a la Ninja Gaiden...

'Splosion Man forces you to wear a tutu if you choose to skip a level.
Ms. 'Splosion Man, on the other hand, had this.
 

JDdelphin

Member
th62p2R.png


It's just poking fun at you. A bit more creative way of naming difficulties than "easy, medium, hard, extra hard". After all, you are playing as macho Nazi slaying machine BJ Blazkowicz

latest


1338755356-00.jpg


wolf3d.jpg


Is that the face of a man who does things on Easy?


That's the face of a man who shoots himself in the chest a few times if his enemy misses too many times "just to keep it sporting"
 

Pandy

Member
That's the face of a man who shoots himself in the chest a few times if his enemy misses too many times "just to keep it sporting"
Lol.

I thought this thread was going to be about games that have insultingly easy and hand-holdy 'Normal', or even 'Hard', difficulty modes. Prodding the player to try more challenging dificulty levels while still allowing them to experience the game at a gentler pace is something that should be encouraged, and I fully endorse the examples in Wolfenstein, as well as recent Mario games, and the upcoming MGSV.
 

Haunted

Member
Instead of being insulted by easy modes, I love it when hard modes insult your lack of a life. "Why are you even playing this you maniac" etc...

ViRcHjY.jpg


That last one is pretty appropriate.
"for people who don't fit in the real world"

DAAAAAAAMN


Also gives this picture:

aUqG8CR.png


a whole other layer. :lol
 

shockdude

Member
Instead of being insulted by easy modes, I love it when hard modes insult your lack of a life. "Why are you even playing this you maniac" etc...

ViRcHjY.jpg


That last one is pretty appropriate.
Describing the hardest difficulty as "Prayer for IT Data Security" is actually really funny when you think enough about it.
 

rdaneel72

Member
Sin and Punishment: Star Successor's difficulty settings made me chuckle:

Easy : You will be coddled
Normal : You will be challenged
Hard: You will be punished



Truth!
 

gioGAF

Member
Lol, I find this kind of thing funny. I remember my friend playing Ninja Gaiden Black on Ninja Dog mode. It was awesome, pink ribbon ftw.

I guess the OP was mad that he landed on the "Can I play, daddy?" difficulty. If you suck at something, there is nothing wrong with admitting it. There is also nothing funny if someone else thinks the whole thing is funny ;-)
 

Toad.T

Banned
The two Prinny games. IIRC, the easiest difficulties are depicted like the Wolfenstien example in the OP. Ages since I played them, though.
 

void666

Banned
"Mommy, this game is making fun of me." :(

That's what i've been talking about. Everything is offensive, sexist, racist nowadays.
 

Radnom

Member
What about a player with a disability preventing them from having quick reactions or input?

Does playing on a lower difficulty level make them a "baby" or a "pussy"?

Nothing wrong with poking fun at players from time to time, and I'm definitely not saying these difficulty jokes should be removed, but is playing a game on a lower difficulty level really mock-worthy in all cases?

Also, if I had to play a game on a lower difficulty level for whatever reason, I guess I'd be off put by it doing something like giving me a pink scarf or whatever. Not offended, but it'd be kind of annoying if the game made you look different or miss out on content simply for not playing on a hard difficulty mode. The beauty of video games is the fact that everyone can get something different out of them.
 
What about a player with a disability preventing them from having quick reactions or input?

Does playing on a lower difficulty level make them a "baby" or a "pussy"?

Nothing wrong with poking fun at players from time to time, and I'm definitely not saying these difficulty jokes should be removed, but is playing a game on a lower difficulty level really mock-worthy in all cases?
So what are you saying then?
 

Gusy

Member
Wow OP.. really? if this light harmless joke gets to you....life is going to be pretty tough for you.

Enjoy yourself a little bit
 
What about a player with a disability preventing them from having quick reactions or input?

Does playing on a lower difficulty level make them a "baby" or a "pussy"?

Nothing wrong with poking fun at players from time to time, and I'm definitely not saying these difficulty jokes should be removed, but is playing a game on a lower difficulty level really mock-worthy in all cases?

Also, if I had to play a game on a lower difficulty level for whatever reason, I guess I'd be off put by it doing something like giving me a pink scarf or whatever. Not offended, but it'd be kind of annoying if the game made you look different or miss out on content simply for not playing on a hard difficulty mode. The beauty of video games is the fact that everyone can get something different out of them.

Anyone with common sense should know the developers weren't directing the joke towards people who are disabled. What makes someone a "baby" or a "pussy" in this context is the conscious decision to play an easy mode, not that life dealt you a bad hand or needing to due to a handicap. Just ask yourself, can you honestly fathom that the developers remotely intended this to be directed towards physically handicapped people? Can you?

Look, not every discussion needs a devil's advocate. Some things are just silly and this thread is one of them. You bringing in disabled people into the equation is not just reaching as hell but, ironically, it's offensive to disabled people with enough common sense and rationale to tell the difference when a joke is directed towards them or not. If the difficulty was labeled "retard" or "gimp" then you'll be onto something.
 

6.8

Member
I even think easy is a bad word. Think of the people that might think the game implies that they are sexually easy. That's offensive!

They should name it "difficulty challenged". It's clearer and it won't offend anyone.
 

televator

Member
fJoM9eU.png


Cute naming, but probably embarrassed a great many adults who thought they were 'too good' for kids...

I couldn't sleep after beating this on the kid mode. I toughed it out on adult and beat it, then I swore off difficult games forever and ever. lol
 

joecanada

Member
Yeah, it was the same for Mass Effect 3, only 4% of players finished the game on the hardest difficulty, Insanity, it was really shocking to hear it was that low. I think that I have grossly overestimated the skill level of your average gamer.

Meh skill maybe, sometimes I play games on easy just to get them over with, especially bad games when I get bored. Trophies turned off on easy is a bad idea in my opinion especially if casual gamers are playing your game, but I don't care either way. If a game is boring after a bit it goes to easy and then beat it.
Better than just quitting cuz you never know.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
I remember playing Viewtiful Joe. I didn't think it was too hard, only standard beatemup hard. I eventually got to some space station level and there was some kind of puzzle with platforms and lights and I spent over an hour fucking with stuff trying to figure out how to open the next part of the level with no enemies around before quitting and never finishing the game because I moved on to Mega Man collection. To this day I never looked up the solution to that puzzle.
 

Palculator

Unconfirmed Member
What about a player with a disability preventing them from having quick reactions or input?

Does playing on a lower difficulty level make them a "baby" or a "pussy"?

Nothing wrong with poking fun at players from time to time, and I'm definitely not saying these difficulty jokes should be removed, but is playing a game on a lower difficulty level really mock-worthy in all cases?

Also, if I had to play a game on a lower difficulty level for whatever reason, I guess I'd be off put by it doing something like giving me a pink scarf or whatever. Not offended, but it'd be kind of annoying if the game made you look different or miss out on content simply for not playing on a hard difficulty mode. The beauty of video games is the fact that everyone can get something different out of them.

So everything's fine? This is a thing that only happens "from time to time." It's not exactly widespread or the norm.
 
Top Bottom