Game Difficulty

I'd like to see what you think about game difficulty. How hard or easy to you like your games? Do you like being able to adjust the difficulty level? Do you like a challenge?

I've been thinking about this in recent months because of I've been playing Hyrule Warriors and Smash Bros. (Wii U). Honestly, when I'm playing a game, I want to have fun, that is my priority. I want to enjoy my gaming experience. However, there are many games that offer challenges, some of which can be down right frustrating. Sometimes, I get really frustrated and therefore have to take a break from the game to calm down and relax a bit. Sometimes, I just have to search the Web for strategies and guides. That can be greatly beneficial because it often helps me learn how to play a game better, such has been my experience with Hyrule Warriors.

So, I don't personally like too much challenge when playing a game. However, if I can complete a challenge, I do feel glad that I completed it and am also grateful that it's over. There are many times when I wish I could just cheat. I know that sounds lame, but at least it's honest. The problem with that is that playing games on a Nintendo console doesn't usually allow you to do that.

I find www.gamefaqs.com to be very useful, but YouTube also has some great videos, which I've also found very helpful. Otherwise, I just "Google it." What do you think? Are there any particular websites that you find to be very helpful when it comes to a challenging game? Do you buy strategy guides? I have a good number of them, but I have pretty much stopped buying them because GameFAQs and YouTube pretty much have what I need.

I'm looking forward to seeing your thoughts.

Timogorgon Member wrote on 02/14/2015 at 10:49pm

I have no shame in admitting that I rarely set the difficulty on games to hard. I usually play normal or easy, depending on the game. My game time these days is pretty limited, so when I do play I want to 1) not be frustrated and 2) feel like I made some progress in my game. If I keep dying and repeating the same area over and over, that's not fun for me. It really does depend on the game I'm playing though. Some games are plenty difficult even on easy (looking at you, FTL).

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/14/2015 at 11:56pm

Thank you very much for showing me that you feel the same way about playing games ("not be frustrated"). I like progress, too, just like in real life.

That said, I know you often play FTL, which makes me think you're either really good or a glutton for punishment. Hahaha. You're probably way better at the game than I am, I'm sure you've clocked in more hours on it. Still, it is fun. Some games it just takes some experience or "Googling" to figure it out and get better and then it becomes more fun.

Thanks for paying attention to the Forums!

Timogorgon Member wrote on 02/15/2015 at 04:15am

I still usually play FTL on easy, but that's partly because I'm still trying to unlock the Crystal ship, which requires beating the game with both the A and B layout of every ship (except the Lanius one). Otherwise I would start playing on the harder difficulties and seeing how far I can get. I think that's the last thing I need to unlock, since I think I have the B and C layouts of all the ships now.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/15/2015 at 04:20am

Wow, I'm impressed, but seeing how often you play the game, I'm not too surprised. I'm not sure what I have to unlock, I know I've unlocked very little. I also always play on easy. At least one Roundtable discussion I watched mentioned how hard the game is even on easy. That's the thing about "rouge-likes." Hehe. Still, I have not beaten the game. I may have made it to the end once. Still, I think the game is another Cheerful Ghost favorite. I should play it more.

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/15/2015 at 11:04pm

On game difficulty. Like you, I play games for escapist fun. So the more fun and engrossing, the better. After playing Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm and having a blast playing it, I realized I don't need a game to be challenging to be fun. In fact, SC2 HoTS might be the easiest single player game i've played. Kerrigan is REALLY overpowered and the advantage her powers give you are really great in the single player. I had so much fun I never really thought to increase the difficulty, I had a good time just being overpowered.

That said, I do enjoy some challenging games too like Binding of Isaac, Hotline Miami and others it's just at the end of the day I like having fun with good gameplay and stories.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/15/2015 at 11:25pm

Yeah, I really enjoyed Heart of the Swarm for the same reasons. It was fun with Kerrigan being overpowered! It reminds me, now, of a mission in Red Alert 3 (Uprising, I think) where you get to be this psychic girl who is pretty overpowered, too. Similar missions, similar fun!

When it comes to games like the Dooms and Quakes, I pretty much always entered into "God Mode." I had fun playing that way. I also cheated on the Resident Evil games (the ones that I got for the GameCube). I must have gotten a GameShark for the GameCube to do that. I found a "hack" to cheat on the Wii for Resident Evil 4, but the game crashed at a point and I wasn't able to get through the rest of it.

****BTW, Jon, did you get see my last PM?****

Timogorgon Member wrote on 02/22/2015 at 07:19pm

It really does vary from game to game though. Like trying to play Halo on easy is kind of ridiculous, the enemies practically fall over dead just by you looking at them. :P Sometimes setting the difficulty higher is more fun, especially if you feel like you've mastered the game on easy and now you want it to feel challenging again.

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