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[Estellex]

By default, I always tend to start on normal, but I want to challenge myself. I am thinking of starting on hard difficulty every time I play a new game.

 

[West Texas CEO]

extra easy

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Normal to learn the game and not stomp it.

 

[GeorgPrime]

By default, I always tend to start on normal, but I want to challenge myself. I am thinking of starting on hard difficulty every time I play a new game.

The hardest but when i find out its not hard just annoying i decrease it to a normal difficulty

 

[Berserking Guts]

Depends on the game. Streets of Rage 4 and Resident Evil 2 I started on Hard.

 

[GymWolf]

Hardest unless is a genre that i'm bad at it or if i think that the difficulty comes from bullshits design.

Today hard really is easy of 20 years ago in most games.

 

[teezzy]

Normal. Just how I like everything else

 

[Mihos]

what ever it defaults at

 

[levyjl1988]

Easy or Normal.
I don't like playing on hard difficulties because:
1) Harder enemies just mean they are damage sponges and you are one-hit killed to frustration. Difficulty without the additional a.i strategies and unique behaviors.
2) Game becomes a chore and not fun.
3) Takes too much time investment when that can be utilized elsewhere.

Most story-driven games I go on easy because I'm there for the narrative action, not be driven by technical gameplay.

I enjoy games like Dark Souls because there is no difficulty option, it varies giving a default difficulty from the very start.

 

[Brian Fellows]

Whatever the default setting is.

 

[poppabk]

 

[DESTROYA]

Why is this on off topic ?

 

[Yoshi]

It depends on the game. Monkey Ball: Easy, because I play through all the difficulties one after another (different levels), Mario Kart: 150cc (so hard), because everything slower is too slow, Uncharted: Started it on easy and would have changed to very easy if it was the PS4 version, because it is a shit game and difficulty just changes how much of a bullet sponges the enemies are. Basically the rule of thumb is: If I think the game is good, I like to have a challenge, but if it is a garbage game, I'll gladly take easy mode.

 

[Nymphae]

Normal/Default because I'm assuming this has been tuned for optimal fun/challenge, usually this does seem to be the case. I don't need super easy modes unless your game is broken/unfun as a result of the tuning, and I don't need an extra hard challenge first time out. Maybe if I really dig something I'll play it on harder difficulties afterwards if I want more time with it.

 

[EverydayBeast]

What about difficulty makes a game good? I think every gamer goes into a game for the game, nothing against difficulty. If I’m playing competitive games my eyes are on winning.

 

[mr.dilya]

I start on normal. If I like the game it gives me an excuse to play through it again on hard. If it’s way too easy I bump it up.

 

[LaughingStock]

Normal. If the game is good i'll replay it on higher difficulties.

 

[Clear]

Normal. Default tuning will have the most time spent balancing, so its the least likely to suffer from spikes/variances.

 

[Hydroxy]

Easy. Because I like to enjoy the story in video games and not be frustrated by repetitive gameplay.

 

[MetalAlien]

I make sure you can see the real ending on easy and then put it on easy and never look back... or maybe just wait until cheats are available and use those.

 

[mcz117chief]

Japanese games usually on a level above normal since they are mostly incredibly easy. Western games on normal every time. Other than that if the game has some kind of "realistic" difficulty then I'll pick that, games like Crysis (Delta difficulty) or Metro (Ranger difficulty) are far more enjoyable on their highest difficulty setting since they don't turn enemies into bullet sponges but actually make them and you a lot weaker.

 

[diffusionx]

Normally, hard mode. I started doing this on Xbox 360 when it became obvious that normal was the new easy. But I'll usually do a quick check online to see what it entails as sometimes hard mode is just terrible (like God of War). Still that's not usually the case, even hard has become easier, normal has become super easy, and easy is game journalist mode.

 

[spawn]

I usually start with hard. If it becomes too hard then I will go down to normal or medium. Never easy

 

[Kamina]

normal or hard

 

[Hotty Botty]

The easiest difficulty. I don’t want to get frustrated and quit the game. I want to be able to enjoy it and the story.

 

[Husky]

It can depend. Sometimes I'll start with normal, sometimes I recognize a game as something I want to be challenged by. Sometimes a game will detail worthwhile gameplay changes with difficulty settings, in which case I may play on the hardest.
Normal or hard, usually.

 

[MrS]

Hard

 

[Fbh]

Usually the one above normal . I find it to be the most enjoyable one in most games, challenging enough so you aren't breezing through the game but not hard enough that you are constantly dying and having to repeat sections

What about difficulty makes a game good? I think every gamer goes into a game for the game, nothing against difficulty. If I’m playing competitive games my eyes are on winning.

Having the game push back a bit is just more fun to me. It gives combat encounters more tensions and it often forces you to fully utilize mechanics you might ignore if you can just basically button mash your way through the whole game.

Like for example I have this "personal rule" where I don't use healing items during Boss battles in Yakuza (except for the final boss in Kiwami 1, fuck that shit) and I think it really make them shine. Because now you actually need to figure them out, learn their combos and moves and how to counter them. But while playing normally you can just button mash them to death (Healing items are easy to stock up on in the game).

 

[ThatStupidLion]

usually hard.

 

[Belmonte]

Normal or hard, but most of times is normal.

I like challenging games a lot but there is a catch: Great games shine even more in harder difficulties but there are others which doesn't have good enough game design to deserve the trial and error of harder difficulties.

It is not the punish that is fun to me on hard. It is the feeling that each choice I make in the game matters, because I can die easily. If the choices are lame or too limited, what is the point?

On the other hand there are bosses in Ninja Gaiden, Dark Souls, and DMC that I repeated 20+ times in a row because thinking how to beat its pattern, "solving the puzzle" of its movements was a lot of fun.

 

[TaySan]

Either normal or hard mode depending on the game. Halo games I like to play on Heroic

 

[BigBooper]

Normal. It's extremely rare I bump it up nowadays. I even knocked it down to the easiest for Wasteland 3 recently. I do that if I don't like the gameplay but think I might like the story.

On the other hand, the C&C remaster I played most of the missions on hard. Mostly I just have little patience if I don't enjoy the gameplay.

 

[DogofWar]

Normal.

And very few games deserve the "Hard" playthrough.
The Witcher 3, Doom 2016 and Doom: Eternal (not counting Ultra Nightmare in the Dooms) are the only games this gen that I actually finished on the hardest -customizable- difficulty.

I just don't have enough time to grind games anymore.

 

[Aggressive Carrot]

I play on normal for the first playthrough. If I decide to go a second round I sometimes play on hard. I can't remember the last time I played a game on easy.

 

[GAMETA]

Normal. It's the base design of the game. All balancing was done with normal in mind, so it's the game as it's intended to be played.

 

[Kadayi]

Normal. If I'm 100% it then I might play it on hard if that's a requirement, but generally normal firstly.

 

[Woffls]

Normal unless I’m anticipating janky bullshit or boring gameplay and just want a story.

Oh and heroic for Halo obvs

 

[eot]

Depends on the genre, if it's one I'm quite comfortable with (like an FPS) then I usually play on hard. If it's a CRPG where you need to know all the systems to have a chance then I just do the default difficulty.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Depends on the genre honestly.

 

[Rentahamster]

Whatever the developer's intended gameplay experience is supposed to be or balanced around.

Usually that's normal.

If a game dev says that hard is the real difficulty, then I'll start with hard.

 

[Halo0629]

Normal. I feel like I'm cheating myself if I choose easy.

 

[Ellery]

If a game has two difficulties then I go for highest, if it has 3 or more then I start with the second highest

 

[wvnative]

Depends on the game, mostly normal, but all Kingdom Hearts games go straight to the highest difficulty.

 

[Breakage]

Normal. Always normal.

 

[12Goblins]

If there's 3 options; the most difficult
If there's 5 options; the 4th

 

[thief183]

If there's 3 options; the most difficult
If there's 5 options; the 4th

Same, and If I get stuck, I refuse to lower them down. It is like admitting that I'm getting old.

 

[Faenrir]

Hard.

I'll admit, sometimes i have to start over or change difficulty.
But i don't like games that are too easy.<

Some games i only play in the most difficult one, like the deus ex series.

 

[GymWolf]

Normal. Just how I like everything else

Do you eat not-hardened torrone?

 

[teezzy]

Do you eat not-hardened torrone?

I'll be completely honest. I don't believe I've ever actually had that before.

I'm not much for desserts, especially not now that I'm a fatty fat fat.

 

[Bandit Messiah]

Normal for the first playthrough, then I ramp.it up to max to see how bad it can get before I rage quit.