Difficulty of Games

[ScarredLungs]

What difficulty do you play games on? Do you play on the easiest settings and just enjoy the story and mechanics or do you play on the harder difficulties to give yourself a challenge?

I like the challenge and will generally play all my games on the hardest difficulty. Although it takes me a long time to complete games, I feel it is more rewarding (albeit more frustrating at moments) as I progress and beat the game.

You?

[Al_The_Strange]

Start with medium or normal, then adjust as needed.

I play games to feel empowered and rewarded. There's nothing rewarding to me about getting sniped in the head every two minutes, or getting killed after one hit, or missing one step and having to replay the whole thing again, or anything like that. To me, this can be punishing, which just leads to frustration and rage. I learned to take it easier with the games--I might ease back on shooters, but open world, RPGs, strategy, and other styles I might challenge myself more as long as I don't get overwhelmed or punished brutally doing so.

Trophies and New Game+ might entice me to try harder modes on replays, but this would be on a game-by-game basis. Some turn out to be a breeze on hard. But if it's too punishing, I won't bother.

EDIT:
Sometimes, I manage to surprise myself.

I got through all of Wolfenstein: The New Order on normal. The last level was tough, but it took me several replays to beat the final boss. I really didn't think I could do it again on Uber mode (for the trophy), but I was grateful to discover the glitch that let the trophy ding when you play only the last level (by removing patches). Playing that last level on Uber is brutal, had to take it one step at a time through each checkpoint. Must have taken hours. I really didn't think I could handle that last boss again, given my experience from the normal playthrough. So when I got to that point, I buffed myself as much as I could, maxed out the ammo, dual-wielded the rocket-launcher rifles, and went into it and unloaded everything I could. The fight was over in like 12 seconds--the platinum trophy dinged, and I was all like WTF just happened?

Been lucky enough to complete the difficulty requirements for other games too, like 2016's Doom. But some, I'll never touch again. Bayonetta is one example--I think it probably gets better on replays, but there is one part in the beginning I absolutely cannot get past (because it's timed and requires a very specific fight move to complete--I barely managed to get it on normal after a jillion retries, but to do it again on hard, hell no). I've also given up on specific challenges (like the Flappy Goat thing in Goat Simulator, it's stupid). In the end, I realize it's better to just give up on some things instead of wasting time, energy, and stress on petty trophies and challenges like that.

[Musashi]

I tend to start on Normal, unless it's a game from a series I'm more familiar with. How high I go depends on how well I take to the game, and its rules.

One example: I played Resident Evil 5 initially on Normal, then moved it up to Veteran. When I played the Remaster, I started off on Veteran and went as far as I could without stopping to farm cash for upgraded guns until I was too overwhelmed to go any further, at which point I replayed old levels for money and a few missed trophies and things. I finished it up on Veteran, then I played it on Pro with Infinite Ammo, which was crazy hard, but doable with enough persistence. I would need retries and settle for lower grades on some levels, but it was still fun to finally clear them.

This subject makes me think of the love-hate cases of Kid Icarus Uprising and Smash 4. I like the gameplay in both cases, and I find them more fun on their hard settings, but I tend to err on the side of Easy with them because they have annoying rules. Losing in either of them causes a lot of items to spill; in fact, the higher the difficulty the bigger the losses. Worse yet, in order to Continue where you lost, the difficulty gets forced down a level, almost defeating the purpose of continuing at all. The forced drop in difficulty means the only real Re-Try is a complete restart of the Stage/Run, assuming you didn't lose too many coins from your previous defeat.

Short of it is that if the harder settings are more engaging and more satisfying and the setbacks reasonable, I'll play them. If no, I'll just play it on Normal.

[dyne]

Lowest difficulty. As I've grown older I realized I don't want to get angry at something that's supposed to be fun.

[Groot]

Originally Posted by dyne

Lowest difficulty. As I've grown older I realized I don't want to get angry at something that's supposed to be fun.

That's why I stick to normal too. I don't have time to game everyday so when I sit down to play I don't want to get frustrated over the ridiculous difficulty requirements.

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by Groot

.....I don't have time to game everyday so when I sit down to play.....

Same here. That being said, it can take me a long time to finish a game with not playing daily and a harder difficulty.

[evoll]

Yeah I just stay with normal since I don't have as much time for single player games. Most of the time I play bf4 with my gaming clan.

[Talal86]

Normal

[Firefoxie]

I generally start on the easiest level before going to other difficulties, that way I can get to know the mechanics of the game and to develop various strategies for the higher modes. Depending on the game, I won't go past normal though. I like a challenge, but I'd rather experience the story the developers set out to tell without many hiccups on the first play through. I like the narrative to have a consistent flow, and not be interrupted by me failing a fight twelve times on hard or something, lol.

[A Tortured Duckling]

Always the hardest for me.

I like the challenge and the fact that it takes me longer to complete it. I hate spending money on a game and breezing through it like it's nothing.

Besides, starting a game on the hardest available difficulty the first time often gives you the achievements for the lower difficulties in one go.

[Kevin Ridge]

Normal is the way to go. I'll drop it down to easy early on if I'm struggling and bump it back to normal when I start to level up/find my way in game. Play games for enjoyment so don't want to get beaten down with extreme difficulty. Harder difficulty to me usually means bullet sponge enemies, aimbot accuracy by AI and other bogus stuff. Hate those games that have difficulty trophies too.

[DVD Phreak]

It depends on whether I can freely save my games or not. Most games today don't have that, so I usually play normal. But Dishonored, Fallout 4, and some other ones let you freely save, so I played Hard. The lack of free-save, IMO, counts as one notch up from normal difficulty.

[evoll]

Originally Posted by DVD Phreak

It depends on whether I can freely save my games or not. Most games today don't have that, so I usually play normal. But Dishonored, Fallout 4, and some other ones let you freely save, so I played Hard. The lack of free-save, IMO, counts as one notch up from normal difficulty.

This is a really good point, it's a pain when you can't save and have to play a whole section or level over.

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by evoll

This is a really good point, it's a pain when you can't save and have to play a whole section or level over.

Agreed. Playing Witcher III on Death March Mode is not too bad, especially since I can save anywhere, save it be middle of combat.

[DVD Phreak]

Another factor is whether I can change difficulty mid-game or not. If I can, I'm more willing to start with higher difficulty.

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by DVD Phreak

Another factor is whether I can change difficulty mid-game or not. If I can, I'm more willing to start with higher difficulty.

Save it be for Dark Souls, which has no difficulty level, I do not know of a game that restricts your difficulty after you start the game.

[Mouse]

I tend to play on Easy mode but I play a lot of RPG games where I care more about the Story than the gameplay. There are exceptions like Witcher 3 where I managed to beat it on the hardest difficulty but is one of the few games where I really enjoy the gameplay. The whole mechanics of it are great.

[dyne]

Originally Posted by cvm

Save it be for Dark Souls, which has no difficulty level, I do not know of a game that restricts your difficulty after you start the game.

I'm currently going through the Darksiders remaster and you cannot change after the game is started. I've seen some others.

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by dyne

I'm currently going through the Darksiders remaster and you cannot change after the game is started. I've seen some others.

Interesting. That is one of the select few games that I know of that have that restriction.

[Dirk504]

I start on hard for Gears of War and God of War. All other games are played on normal.