> Easy Mode

Miss Doronjo

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    [PokeCommunity.com] > Easy Mode

    I'm a person who sometimes play the easy mode difficulty of certain games like Street Fighter, or Persona, or other fighting games of the sort, mainly for practice, however, people have said to me that "real players play more challenging modes". But, as much as I argued with them, they still had their own opinion.

    But... is that really true?

    If you guys have ever played a video game with an option to choose difficulty, have any of you ever played video games on easy mode? If so, how was your experience with the game, compared to harder difficulties? What do you think about the "easy mode" on games in general? In fact, thinking about it... do you think that the Easy mode - or any difficulty setting for that matter, is necessary or unnecessary for different types of games, like fighting games, racing games, or other wise? Any other thoughts?
     
    It's a game, it's supposed to be fun. I'm glad there are difficulty settings on some games, I always try to make sure the game is challenging, but enjoyable. In order to make a chance with Mario Kart, I have to ask my friends to drive on 50cc, when we're playing Mario Party, we'll put the computer on hard, else there'd be no challenge.

    Saying things like "real players play more challenging modes" is just a load of crap to me. If I think easy mode is more fun than hard, who are you to judge that.

    I think that adding difficulty also adds to the replay value of games. You can play a game on easy if it's your first time, and when you feel like replaying it, increase the difficulty to keep things interesting.

    One thing I don't like is something I've seen with games like Golden Sun2, and Pokemon bw2, in which you have to finish the game first, before you can unlock easy/hard mode. -.-"
     
    ...but fighting games aren't fun in easy mode. I usually always go for the hardest in 2D Fighters. It's a better way to practice if you can get behind the AI being programmed to nearly counter every move you do, unless you're practicing combos.

    Anyway, aside from Tekken 6 (and I was still new to 3D fighters), I can't think of any game where I played on easy. I always, always go for normal, and if I liked the game enough I'll play it again in hard, but when I think about it that has never happened. For single player-focused games, the difficulty system as far as I'm concerned always felt like an afterthought. The only game that I felt the difficulty system really made a big difference with was Wario Land 4, where the game was pretty much designed around it to compensate for the short length. There was no easy mode either. The levels just transform in each difficulty, with hard forcing you to actually look everywhere for the treasures and super hard annoying the living hell out of you with clever enemy placement.

    EDIT: Oh, Elite Beat Agents/Ouendan got a really fun difficulty system. But it's a rhythm game, I'm not sure it should count, since rhythm is a genre that actually benefits from difficulty settings. (unless it's Rhythm Heaven.) I was mainly talking about the likes of shooters, adventure, platformers, etc. and not arcade styled games.
     
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    Some games are better not having difficulty settings such as jRPGs, because that's why level grinding exists. A lot of gamers complained about easy settings is because they grew up in the days where games were ridiculously hard, and they want gamers of the next generations to have the same difficulty experience they had decades agos. Extra Creditz, a web series I highly recommend watching, has provided an excellent point about difficulty settings in general in this video, which you guys seem to ignore discussing about from that game difficulty thread from the XY section: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWFzFsHc75U&list=UUCODtTcd5M1JavPCOr_Uydg&index=114

    So what we really need is more tutorials in our games rather amping up the difficulty setting.
     
    I think the option to lower the difficulty is perfectly fine in games since not everyone wants to do crazy stuff like beating Organization XIII on critical mode at level 1. I normally just play whatever difficulty is the most reasonable for me, one that isn't so difficult that I'm constantly on alert mode and not one that is so easy that I can finish the game by repeatedly smashing one button. I do however like to play on the lowest difficulty when I just want to collect things for completion's sake.
     
    I always start off on the hardest difficulty and turn it down if I have trouble with the game.
    I find that if I start on the easy difficulty then I'm not so prepared for harder difficulties in my second run of the game.

    Also I enjoy coming back and beating a boss/level that gave me trouble in a hard difficulty once I am better at the game.
     
    Most of the times I do put the game on Easy, quite rare if I have the game on Normal. Sometimes it's just to get into the habit of the game, and when I get better, increase the difficulty then.
     
    Difficulty selection will always be one of the cornerstones of modern gaming because it adapts the game to the user's skill level. Not all people who play video games are adept enough to play the intended difficulty, and some just plain don't WANT to. I'm one of those people; I prefer the easiest difficulty on the first playthrough so I can zip through the story and then go back and replay it for an actual challenge.

    Difficulty levels are a double-sided coin: Not only do you get the easier choices, but you get the brutal ones like Heaven or Hell in Devil May Cry games. Just how some games might be a bit too hard for some people, they might be too easy for others. This warrants an additional difficulty to make the game more challenging, and what happens to the Normal difficulty? It gets known as "the easy one".
     
    When there's the option of Easy/Normal/Hard, I always give Normal a go first, before I decide if I want to continue forward with that, or jump ahead to Hard (or higher). Only twice in the past 10 years or so can I say I've ever played a game on Easy. The first was when I played Guitar Hero the first time, and the other was with Battlefield 3's campaign. I'm absolutely awful at first-person shooters, and I struggled my way through even on the lowest difficulty. I don't even want to bring up how bad I did the one time I played multiplayer...
     
    The only games I'm playing on easy are some fighting games. Mostly because the final boss is cheap and kicks my ass even on easiest. But then again, other opponents are too easy unless I play normal or hard. I really hate it when games make the last boss 100 times more difficult than previous opponents. Sure, he needs to be difficult, but I hate it when they make him cheap, like not flinching or having some ultrafast moves. I'll never forget Shao Khan or what's his face from Mortal Kombat.

    I always play non-fighting games on either normal or hard. It depends on the genre, but if I'm familiar with it, then I'm picking hard.
     
    I do have some irrational pride about my motor skills. No matter how tough things got in DMC3, I never switched to a lower difficulty. And it pisses me off every time when the death screen asks me if I want to switch to a lower difficulty. I play Monster Hunter extensively as well, and every time I tell myself not to get obsess with clearing a stupid Tigrex in record time. But at the end of the day, ego would creep up on me and I'll frustrate myself.

    I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't even start having that kind of thought. No way of playing is 'truer' than the rest. Gaming is suppose to be an entertainment and do whatever that gets you entertained. But it is too late for me.
     
    To be honest, the difficulty of video games seem to be much easier to me than older games, even on the hardest difficulty. I don't really know why but I guess it's to appeal more to casual gamers.

    For me i'm split between a hardcore and casual player. Typically when I play any game I play it on the highest difficulty setting for a challenge, otherwise I play on the easiest to just experience the story or to just have fun with the game.

    As far as the difficulty spike from easy to the highest for video games, it really just depends on what game it is because it's always different.
     
    As I said in the OP, I play easy mode on certain games like Street Fighter, or other fighting games of the sort. That's because I'm... not really the best when it comes to those fighting games (well, except for BlazBlue), so, easy mode is sort of a cushion for me. I honestly find it as more enjoyable than playing it in hard mode, unless there comes the time on where I'd magically get better, in which I miiight be more prompted to play those sorts of games in harder modes.
     
    When I was young, I always chose easier difficulty settings due to how much I sucked at video games. Nowadays, I only use them If a game ticks me off enough to make me switch.

    I disagree with many people who dislike easy difficultly levels. Just a couple years ago, Dark Souls was heavily criticise by fan because From Software dared to put a Easy Mode into the game to make it more accessible. They were 'Dumbing down for the filthy casuals', as some would put it.

    This is silly. From Software aren't taking away your to ability to play the game on easier settings, as there are some people who like to get there money's worth from a game. However, because of their skill level; or lack thereof; they can't be satisfied due to the difficulty.

    I will say this though: if your are going put a easy mode in, make is accessible from the very beginning. Making it a unlock able makes is completely useless, especially if the people who would need the easy mode can't access it, causing a vicious cycle.
     
    I do use easy mode.
    On Ultimate Ghosts N Goblins. It stops me from breaking everything.

    That being said though, I do love a good challenge. :3
     
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