Degrees of gaming

[VGV]

Difficulty settings ... when you've gotten your hands on that latest precious gaming gem you've been anxiously anticipating the last 6 months (barring any delays that is) You finally reach that moment in time where you make it known to your social circle that you needn't be bothered for the coming weeks for you are about to embark on something we refer to "AAA gaming goodness"

By design it is so that all games come with their difficulty setting on medium or average. Easily accessible and equally easily beatable. Kind of like grabbing a meal at any fast food establishment. Frug atmosphere, quality or any kind of long lasting impressions. Out of the box and press start ... here we go !

Here's the point ... over many years of gaming, I've learned that starting out any good game on the hardest difficulty setting greatly contributes to the whole overall experience. In the beginning it can be frustrating, but once one comes to grips with the true gaming mechanisms, the subtleties, one also discovers how the game was truly meant to be experienced. It forces you to think harder, to come up with truly creative ways of getting through a passage in the game. It also makes the gaming experience that much more realistic.

Case in point : tried Oblivion on the hardest difficulty setting ? One hack of the sword from the enemy and your dead ! One lethal fire blast spell and your six feet underground. I would figure that to be a bit more realistic than an enemy hacking away at you indiscriminately and your health bar just slowly fading away.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

I always play games on Normal, unless they become too easy or too frustrating (Ninja Gaiden 2). If a game is really balanced, then Normal is usually that middle ground of difficulty, and that's where I find the most fun.

I really never saw the point of playing a game on the hardest difficulty except if I needed to be challenged even more. I don't give any extra props to someone who beat something on "Mind Melting" hard difficulty, nor do I take anything away from someone who beat a game on "Easy as 1-2-3" difficulty.

[VGV]

RBH that's cool, you're right in the end it's that fun-factor we're after. LOL, somehow by playing games on hard I put more effort into them. One more game that comes to mind which forced me to rethink my approach because of this was BioShock. Instead of relying only on weapons to get through the levels, I was forced to solve each and every situation in a creative manner.

My favorite had to be using the Hypnotise Big Daddy plasmid. See a big daddy wandering about, find another one who also happened to be in the area ... hypnotise one of them, make him follow you and just fire off one shot at the big daddy you didn't hypnotise.

Yup you guessed it, the big daddy under your control will go mad once the other one attempts any kind of attack on you and will ravish the other one. Great way of saving up on ammo and health LOL !

[Glockstar]

I only tried the Hypnotize Big Daddy plasmid for that purpose one time. Their battle ended up being a long drawn out affair that I got seriously bored with. It took f...o...r...e...v...e...r. I seriously could have walked away and made some salsa con queso. I think it ended being like that because they fought themselves onto some stairs. But whatever, it ruined it for me and I never tried that tactic again. But I do plan on playing the game on Hard sometime tho' and I'm sure I'll use it then.


As far as playing games on the hardest difficulty settings... Generally speaking, I feel the same as RBH. However, I do have to say that there have been a few games where playing it on the hardest difficulty setting seemed like it was the quintessential experience for that game; like, that's the difficulty setting the game was meant to be played on. Like Call of Duty 2, for example.

And I do find myself playing games on the hardest difficulty more and more lately. No doubt Achievements have something to do with that tho'. :p

[Cuddly Knife]

Some games weren't meant to be played on the hardest difficulty, like ninja Gaiden 2. Hell, it's barely beatable on Normal. As for picking difficulties, it depends on the game and my overall experience in the genre. I will usually do it on default, but some games, after I play them for a few minutes, make me go to an easier difficulty. Bioshock being one of them. Usually happens with FPS.

What you been up to, VGV? Long time no see.

[VGV]

Hi Glock & CK, how's ya doin ?

Hehehe ! Writing this response in the early morning while riding on a train somewhere in Europe. Been here for almost a year now :)

You guys are right, depends on the game if a ramp up in difficulty really adds something to the overall experience. Like Glock I do find myself playing more and more on harder difficulties and found it to be a rewarding experience. BioShock on hardest difficulty is a truly awesome and frightening experience, you should try it Glock.

And yeah, the Big Daddy fight takes forever ... watch the lumbering jacks go at it, oh is it midnight already, well at least the incapacitated big un left a boat load of cash :D

[Mochan]

I usually play 3D action games on normal, play FPS shooters and RPGs on hard (if they have such a setting). Some games make me go down to Ultra Easy just so I can get some progress (like Ninja Gaiden, Ghosts and Goblins, etc.) I am simply not good at these games.

I usually don't play the "ultra hard" mode just "hard" because Ultra Hard is often too unbalanced and there is no way you will convince me that that is "the way it was meant to be played" ultra hard is usually for the die hards who need a challenge. Usually the Hard Mode is enough to not have a dumbed-down game and have all the AI features/etc that you are supposed to experience.

I remember playing Bioshock on Hard and I remember cleaning house in it, though without having to rely on some silly Big Daddy tactics. I also remember me getting my ass creamed by Big Daddies left and right but who cares the regenerator is right around the corner. Bioshock is one of those stupid games where you don't care about dying at all so I honestly don't see the point of going through all that roundabout stuff. Want to conserve ammo? Just whack the big daddies with a wrench they will go down eventually. There is nothing "awesome" about Bioshock and there is certainly nothing "frightening" about it unless Ultra Hell Hard difficulty disables the regenerators (which it doesn't).

[ilnadmy]

I play all games on Normal. Then if I really like the game I'll play on Hard. Then if I still really love the game then I'll play through it on Ultra Hard. The only games I've ever actually played on Ultra Hard are Call of Duty 2, God of War, and Call of Duty 4. The only one I finished on Ultra Hard was Call of Duty 4; technical problems prevented me from finishing the other two (for COD2 my Alienware went up in smoke, and for GOW my memory card failed on me and I couldn't load my save game). I find that Normal is usually more than enough challenge on the first time through, especially since the first time I play through I'm exploring the world, experiencing the story, and getting to grips with the gameplay. The second time through I know exactly what to expect, so cranking up the difficulty is the only way to infuse something fresh into the gameplay.

Edit: I'm now playing through Mass Effect a second time, but I've put the difficulty setting down to Easy, simply because the fun of the game doesn't come from the combat but from the exploration and the story and the dialog. Plus, the only reason I'm playing through again is to see how being a "good guy" affects the story, so I'm trying to get to the end as quickly as possible. No side quests, no exploration, and most definitely no frustratingly difficult combat with the sometimes ridiculously unbalanced set-pieces (Matriarch Benezia anyone?).

[VGV]

Mochan you are one helluva bad dude :)

[Mochan]

The Electro Wrench owns Big Daddies!

[VGV]

Very creative solution, hehehe ... more hands-on than watchin' the big daddy's go at it. Didn't think of juicing up the good ol' wrench :thumbsup:

[Mochan]

The ELectro Wrench is actually pretty effective as it shocks the Big Daddy into paralysis for a few seconds. Electric Eel + Frozen Field is pretty evil. Being a plumber in this game is really the most effective solution.

[VGV]

Really cool Mochan, you know what you're doing ... you approached this one by perfecting your melee skills. I on the other hand relied on ranged attacks (hypnotize big daddy, telekenisis to take explosive barrels and hurl them at enemies and insect swarms to shoot away at quick enemies making them stand still fighting off the swarm surrounding them)

Your technique of paralyzing enemies is invaluable, I used the long ranged equivalent : electro bolt.

Man I respect you for finishing this one close range ! Thx for the tips :)

BTW did you make any use of hacking turrets and cameras ? I don't think I would've gotten through this one on the hardest difficulty setting without this added technique.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Edit: I'm now playing through Mass Effect a second time, but I've put the difficulty setting down to Easy, simply because the fun of the game doesn't come from the combat but from the exploration and the story and the dialog. Plus, the only reason I'm playing through again is to see how being a "good guy" affects the story, so I'm trying to get to the end as quickly as possible. No side quests, no exploration, and most definitely no frustratingly difficult combat with the sometimes ridiculously unbalanced set-pieces (Matriarch Benezia anyone?).

I didn't know you played Mass Effect. How does it compare to the 9.9 rated Jade Empire? I actually enjoyed the combat. 3rd person shooting? Oh, yeah. Plus, there's no need to be tactical with the teammates, as long as they stay out of the way.

BTW, when will MGS4 show up for you? In the next few days? There's a thread in the PS3 forum. Most have finished it (not me), it's easy to bypass any spoilers that have been mentioned.

[Mochan]

I use Electro Bolt, too. That plus the wrench lets you handle pretty much anything in this game, LOL. That and Vita Chambers.

As for turret hacking didn't I tell you already? Being a PLUMBER is the way to go in this game. :)


Mass Effect by the way seems almost like a carbon copy of KOTOR except with better combat.