Playing games on Easy: opinions

[Frunken]

Now, listen to this, why not actually make unlockable easy modes? Like DMC did, if you died too many times, you'd be presented with the message that easy mode is now unlocked.

Or an even better idea - get rid of difficulty levels completely, and implement dynamic difficulty which scales with the player's skill. I admit I never played God Hand myself, but the concept sounds god damn amazing.

http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20121203

You're going to die in a game -especially on a harder difficulty- when learning bosses, trying new things or simply dicking around.

The idea of a background program in a game silently judging me and adjusting it based on what it thinks I can do is also pretty horrible sounding. If I was in the backyard playing basketball with my dad and he lowered the net for every 5 shots missed, it would be pretty detrimental to actually improving, along with demolishing any fun I was having.

[Zogarth]

I have never played a game on easy. Games with 3 difficulty settings is designed so the middle difficulty is the "real" experience.

[Boathouse]

I just had this pop up today actually. I had just purchased the new Devil May Cry and was talking with a friend who got it before me. She said she had to tone the game down to easy at some points due to the combat being a little too complex (Some monsters are only hurt by certain weapons, can get confusing when you have 4 different types in the same fight). I ended up saying "YOLO (lol)" and went to the Nephilim difficulty, it's the games version of hard. I can't say I'm finding it too difficult.

Honestly though, after beating Dark Souls a few times...no difficulty level on any game has given me much trouble...Sans Tohou...fuck you insane...fuck you...

Easy isn't worth it, you aren't getting your money out of the game, simply put. Play it on normal for optimal experience, play it on hard to get your monies worth. At least in my opinion.

[hiragana]

I dont think ive ever found normal too hard for any games ive played, not so much that id change to easy anyway. Gaming takes practice to stay good at though, i can definately see me struggling with games in 10 years times when i doubt il have as much time to play them, so then i might consider taking it down to easy. Then increasing it back to normal/hard when i retire :P.

[Grading]

If it's a hard game, or a game with a lot of re-playability, I don't mind it. Sometimes you just need to get used to a game.

However, playing through a game on easy ONLY isn't something I'm a fan of. I like being challenged, and usually, easy doesn't give me the challenge I need.
Not to mention it usually doesn't do the game justice either.

[Vankrys]

Your opinion

- Do you support specific achievements for finishing a game at hardest difficulty (such as DEUS EXHR for example)?

- Would you agree for a better or different ending or rewards when finishing a game at higher difficulty?

[hiragana]

Your opinion

- Do you support specific achievements for finishing a game at hardest difficulty (such as DEUS EXHR for example)?

- Would you agree for a better or different ending or rewards when finishing a game at higher difficulty?

Yes & yes, this coming from someone that rarely can be assed to finish action games on the highest difficulty, it rewards players for their time and if i want to see the 'secret ending' so badly i can always just watch youtube.

[Tenhou]

I tend to start out with the standard/default setting, which often is normal. I enjoy challenges in my games, but i also like to get on with the story part. Normal tends to do that quite well for me. I dont often replay a game on a higher difficulty either, unless its Fire Emblem or similar turn based strategy, or theres something else to it, like trying out different characters or taking another route.
But in general i only play a game once, so easy is out of the question (well aside from my first Oblivion playthrough where i had a bit too many levels and a bit too horrible gear).

[Lilfrier]

Your opinion

- Do you support specific achievements for finishing a game at hardest difficulty (such as DEUS EXHR for example)?

- Would you agree for a better or different ending or rewards when finishing a game at higher difficulty?

Yes for the first, no for the second, if the game is part of a series. For Halo 3, I was fine with the Legendary ADDITION, but to change the ending of a game in a series based on difficulty can mess up the plot going forward, in my opinion.

As for achievements, absolutely. The only thing I dislike about achievements is when they have games with online achievements. My distaste for them is that servers can get shut down. For example, I went back and was earning achievements on old NBA 2K games on my Xbox a couple of weeks ago, and there is a SLEW of achievements I cannot get because 2K shut the servers down, and that goes for multiple NBA 2K and MLB 2K games. Then you have the "Earn Every Achievement" achievement, and you're just getting screwed out of too many achievements for wanting to play an older game later on down the road.

I'd rather it be something where they either keep the servers running or they do not have online achievements that will be retired, but left in your achievement history.

---------- Post added 2013-01-28 at 04:27 AM ----------

Depends on the game.
Shit smeared games like CoD or Gears of Wars or Uncharted, that are designed for braindead people, if I ever get a copy, I'll just play it in the easiest setting because I doubt anything changes between difficulties.

Games like Torchlight I play on easy because, frankly, I just want to blow stuff up.
Serious games I play on normal.

In terms of story, nothing changes, but Gears definitely gets harder from Easy to Insane. Oh, and I'll say that CoD 4 was the only game where I actually turned the setting down from Veteran to Hardened because there's one level where the stupid, incessant spawning of enemies made it more of a chore than a challenge.

[Solzan Nemesis]

Never, Only normal and higher.

[-Zait-]

I usually play games on the mid difficulty. Not too hard and not too easy. If I beat that then I move up to harder. I don't like games that are mind numbingly easy, but I also don't like games that are going to take me 6 hours to get through one level. A challenge is good, but mind melting hard difficulties aren't for me, unless I have nothing else to do.

[Mothhive]

Lowest difficulty I'll go is Normal. If a game isn't even a little bit challenging, what's the point in playing it? Obviously that doesn't apply to extremely story driven games like The Walking Dead, Dear Ester, etc, but they don't have difficulty settings anyway.

[Shinzai]

Another thing about difficulty: A lot of horror games with difficulty settings have their scare-factor completely negated by playing on Easy. Dead Space 1 on Normal just didn't have any intimidation factor to me, so when I got to the end of Chapter 2 without taking much more than a scratch, I started over on Hard and found the challenge I wanted. I was suddenly intimidated by groups of mobs, not because they jumped out of vents, but because they could and would kill me.

[N-7]

Yes for the first, no for the second, if the game is part of a series. For Halo 3, I was fine with the Legendary ADDITION, but to change the ending of a game in a series based on difficulty can mess up the plot going forward, in my opinion.

As for achievements, absolutely. The only thing I dislike about achievements is when they have games with online achievements. My distaste for them is that servers can get shut down. For example, I went back and was earning achievements on old NBA 2K games on my Xbox a couple of weeks ago, and there is a SLEW of achievements I cannot get because 2K shut the servers down, and that goes for multiple NBA 2K and MLB 2K games. Then you have the "Earn Every Achievement" achievement, and you're just getting screwed out of too many achievements for wanting to play an older game later on down the road.

I'd rather it be something where they either keep the servers running or they do not have online achievements that will be retired, but left in your achievement history.

Why do you people care about achievements? it is just a bunch of arbitrary numbers.

[Marston]

Depends on the game. Especially games like Ninja Gaiden will rape you even on easy if you haven't played such games before. Also, anything Touhou related is probably harder on easy then most games on normal or hard mode.

[Joeydivision82]

Some responses strayed from my original point, although this is full of great feedback.

But what if its for the purpose of clearing out your backlog, but normally play a harder difficulty, would you then put some on easy, just to get a few games finished? Or will you continue to wait to finish them on Normal/Hard/Legendary/Insanity?

[Zao]

Usually I choose the hardest setting available from the beginning. The exception being strategy games. And the Witcher 2.

For playthroughs after that I either choose the next highest setting if one was unlocked or I go with the easiest.

[zoomgpally]

sometimes you just want to enjoy the story. Also it makes you feel like a god. it's a good thing.

THIS!

I usually play through a game on easy first just to actually get a chance to follow the story, then i go normal(or hard if it was REALLY easy)

---------- Post added 2013-01-28 at 02:04 PM ----------

But what if its for the purpose of clearing out your backlog, but normally play a harder difficulty, would you then put some on easy, just to get a few games finished? Or will you continue to wait to finish them on Normal/Hard/Legendary/Insanity?

Id call that playing for the story

[shise]

I find it lame because I like to enjoy the games, and the only way I enjoy is having a challenge.

For me playing games on easy mode is like logging into RFactor with all the possible car helps you can plug... makes no sense at all

---------- Post added 2013-01-28 at 02:11 PM ----------

Anyways, there's no game which is that hard.

Everyone can basically faceroll nowadays games on hard settings, and it's not a brag out, it's the truth because they are doing games easier in order to allow every player to make it.


I'm mostly done with games. Since I love aviation and racing I basically play wow and use FSX and RFactor; wow as a hobbie (tho I paly less and less as years pass by), FSX as I can't fly yet and some mods there are just as real as a real life plane.
Rfactor because it's the hardest competition simulator I've ever seen. Mostly because you can find really, REALLY, good players there. No other game/simulator has yet given me such challenge feeling, being 10 laps overtaking and being overtaken by a player with the same driving skill as you, being wheel to wheel entering a corner, taking care not to touch each other... you simply can't feel that anywhere else, even less when you can screw it up at any second as you have no car aids (hard settings if you prefer))


That kind of feelings you can't have on easy settings (car aids in this case)

Out of that, I play the new FPS as they come out (tho I never pay for them, kill me if you wish, imo they do not deserve it), and those are the kind of games I also play in hard dif settings, otherwise It would be a waste of time (imo) and well, I might give the new GTA V if it comes out in 2 or 3 months.

[Sigrun33]

Some responses strayed from my original point, although this is full of great feedback.

But what if its for the purpose of clearing out your backlog, but normally play a harder difficulty, would you then put some on easy, just to get a few games finished? Or will you continue to wait to finish them on Normal/Hard/Legendary/Insanity?

Why play a game just to see it through and "get it over with"? If I am going to play the game, its going to be how I want to do so, and again that is generally as difficult as the game allows. If slogging through it on easy just so you can watch the ending is so important, why not just watch it on Youtube and skip it over?

I find the journey just as important as the destination, and again, I'll play through them at the difficulty I want. I'll get through my backlog when I get through my backlog. I've got 2 kids (read: limited playtime) and I'm working my way through. I imagine those with more free time should have zero problem getting through their library of games regardless of difficulty.