Choose Your Difficulty

[Xanatos]

Which level of difficulty do you usually choose when a game gives you such option?

I usually go with normal, though as of late it's easy peasy for me. I don't really have time nor nerves to take up the challenge anymore, I just want to experience all the game has to offer without much headache, and if I really like it I'll raise difficulty up a notch on my second playthrough.

Right now I'm playing PES 2012, as usual I choose the Top Player difficulty as I'm rather confident in my skills and I consider my self a pro at Pro Evo series. Nevertheless, no matter how good you are you still need 10-20 matches of practice to adjust to all the changes and little tweaks they made over it's predecessor. Thing is, even after all those matches I still get brutally beaten, this will be probably the first time since PES 4 where I'll have to severely reduce difficulty and adjust from that point on.

[Michael Swayne]

I usually start at the lowest difficulty and work my way up. For example, in Project Gotham Racing, I will complete a race at the lowest setting first. Then, depending on how I performed that time, I will adjust the finishing requirement accordingly. The same goes for sports games. The first match I play will be at the easiest possible setting, and as I win, I will adjust the opponents strength to give me a challenge.

Then there are some games, like shooters, that I will not play at higher difficulty levels. I am not very proficient at shooters, and so I normally have trouble at the easiest difficulty levels. After finishing the training levels of Dirge of Cerberus, it suggested I try the higher difficulty. But that was only because I memorized the training level.

I just started a file of Kingdom Hearts today, and put the difficulty setting at Expert. I have already died twice. Either because the game is truly difficult at Expert, or because I haven't played in a while and need to refresh my memory on how to play.

[Angantyr]

Last game I played on Hard was R&C CiT, the only thing I had trouble with was I kept running out of ammo but I always had my trusty wrench. All the challenges were the same regardless of difficulty so the only thing that was different was the enemies did more damage and had more health. It didn't help the weapons weren't nearly as good as on 3.

The only game I ever had trouble with was DA on normal. Seriously I'm sure I was doing something wrong but I figured it was similar to FFXII but I got my ass handed to me so much. On easy it's a completely different story but I can't be bothered going through it now.

[Rowan]

much like Xanatos, I usually just go with normal difficulty. In the case of the game "Catherine" I was forced to unlock the hidden 'super easy' mode as that games difficulty at certain points became very frustratingly hard, and I dont like to become frustrated when I game. That games difficulty already had to be altered for release due to the japanese complaining about how hard it was (thats when you know its actually too hard).

[Kurt Zisa]

Usualy if it's my first time playing a game i'll go for easy mode just to try things out and see how well/badly i'll do.

All the games i'm playing now are on Hard or at least Hardish Mode. Tekken 5 is on Hard but that's more like semi medium with a touch of hard. There's at least two or three more to go before it's on Expert.

I've always found Kingdom Hearts can be played at any difficulty without much trouble. I only play Proud Mode for the extra achievments you get at the end.

Oh and when I play Final Fantasy X it's always set to the standard sphere grid, simply because I don't like the expert one.

[Mystyrion]

much like Xanatos, I usually just go with normal difficulty. In the case of the game "Catherine" I was forced to unlock the hidden 'super easy' mode as that games difficulty at certain points became very frustratingly hard, and I dont like to become frustrated when I game. That games difficulty already had to be altered for release due to the japanese complaining about how hard it was (thats when you know its actually too hard).

There was literally times when I would do the same thing over and over and over until I could figure out the next part of the puzzle in Catherine. I would go from like 100+ extra lives down to 20 just to pass the level.

As to the OP, I hardly ever take the more challenging route. Most of the time I just don't have the time to put into it. I'm always buying new games, its just not in my interest to play it. But if I have some time on my hands I might go back and play it if I enjoyed the game enough.

[loaf]

When I was younger and more into video games then I am now I usually started on Hard. Nowadays I just start on Normal, I really dgaf anymore.

I will eventually crank the difficulty up when I play thru it a couple of times again. Only play it on Easy if I just want to get the game done and over with for some reason.

[Halie]

I always choose Normal mode when starting a new game and then if it's too difficult I switch to Easy, which happens frequently. I tend to be really bad at games when I'm first playing them.

I always choose Expert sphere grid on FFX, though. But I've played that game so many times it's a wonder I don't have the grid memorised.

[Pete]

I just keep it on medium, unless the game forces me to shift it up or down, depending on how much fun/ frustration I'm having.

I've ragequit Brink for this reason... several times.

[Dodie16]

I usually go for normal. Occasionally easy if it's something I have no real experience/patience with (shooters, for one...). It's a humbling experience when you still get a game over on the easy difficulty though.

[Taco-Calamitous]

For a while I'd been doing easy, because I don't like being frustrated and just want to get the main gist of the story. Recently I've taken it up a notch to normal because I was starting to feel like a pansy. Never played on hard though. Still probably a pansy. Not a hardcore gamer. Have no street cred. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

[Lily]

I just opt for normal first run through on everything, though when i first played KH2 I was told to play on proud mode as it wasn't much difference anyway. An HOUR I was stuck on Xaldin......

Other than that, when I first played Time Splitters 2 I started on easy becasue I couldn't get used to the controls, and I decided I hated it, I was bored one day though, played through it all on easy got the hang of it and was addicted to it for quite some time after that

[ZantetsukeN]

I go for Normal on most games, unless it's a shovelware game, in which case I try and get/do everything in one playthrough (achievements etc). One example here is the Green Lantern movie-tie-in game, which I started on the hardest difficulty (Emerald Knight, or something).

Although, if I do another playthrough of a game I will be more inclined to up the difficulty. For example, I am currently on my third playthrough on ME3 on Xbox, and I am on Insanity mode. Also, I'm doing Gears of War on Hardcore at the moment.

But on all first playthroughs of a game, I will go for normal. Unless it's really, really hard. But I am yet to find a game to challenge me like that

[Martin]

Right now I'm playing PES 2012, as usual I choose the Top Player difficulty as I'm rather confident in my skills and I consider my self a pro at Pro Evo series. Nevertheless, no matter how good you are you still need 10-20 matches of practice to adjust to all the changes and little tweaks they made over it's predecessor. Thing is, even after all those matches I still get brutally beaten, this will be probably the first time since PES 4 where I'll have to severely reduce difficulty and adjust from that point on.

The early Pro's were so much fun, but I didn't really think anyone played them past 2008 - the mass migration back to FIFA. I guess you learn something new everyday!

I'll go Normal/Hard dependent on whether I know the series and how good I am at that genre of game. At the end of the day it's nor always a similar scale. For instance, a game like Diablo starts off with Normal and it's so docile it's an actual effort to die. Playing normal on something like Demons' Souls and you cry to your mum. So like most people have said, normal is a good way to assess how much the game has changed from predecessors should there be any, or a good way to enjoy a new game. I don't really dabble with easy unless I absolutely have to - this is very rare though.

[Rhaps]

I crank it on lunatic, baby.

I used to keep everything on normal, however. I'm not sure what got into me, but now whenever I am offered a challenge, I take it as high as I can get it. Needless to say, Kid Icarus: Uprising was a bitch for me, as was Touhou, but most games aren't so bad. It's just that occasional spot that makes everyone super frustrated that makes Hard Mode seem like a bad idea.

I should dial it back down, however. I've noticed that I've begun to take hard mode challenges outside of gaming. For instance, tonight I went out for some wings, and the menu had basic wings, and then a spice customization rating from 1-9.

My face still hurts.

[Xanatos]

The early Pro's were so much fun, but I didn't really think anyone played them past 2008 - the mass migration back to FIFA. I guess you learn something new everyday!

FIFA improved vastly over the years and has been better footy since 2008, I still play PES for three reasons though: Master League, challenge (always been more challenging than FIFA) and great community responsible for some of the best patches I have ever seen.

[DragonHeart]

Generally I start on Normal. If I like the game enough to play again, I'll take it to Hard mode. If I feel like it. I play mainly for story and frankly, most difficulty settings are more cheap than challenging. In my opinion. I've gotten to a point where I find that sort of thing frustrating and don't find the bragging rights or whatever to be worth the effort.

That said, the only game I've ever really had to turn down the difficulty on in recent memory was Dragon Age: Origins, and then only for certain parts. It's one of those games I put on hold until I really feel like putting in the time to plan out my build and all that.

[Pie Bot]

Easy, I know some people like to play games for the challenge, but not me, I play games to have fun, so I don't like it very hard (and well ... I can't handle difficulty very well)