Difficulty spikes!

[Zorvox]

Singularity. the first enemy you encounter jumps out of F***ing NOWHERE and starts to rip you're guts out. you only have a pistol when you encounter him, he takes about 1/8 of your health away with each strike (attacks roughly every 0.5 seconds), and you can't move because he's standing on you. oh, and it took about 1 1/2 clips of ammo to kill him because the pistol in singularity is totally weaksauce. took 2 tries to get past that bastard.

 

[Indiscrimi]

Mass Effect 2, Collector Ship mission: No opportunity to prepare beforehand; enemies with shields, armour AND regenerating health; limited ammunition; teammates who die in eight seconds; and NO COVER. I beat it by turning the difficulty to the easiest setting. I'll be trying the higher difficulty again when Bioware decide to make some decent weapons and armour available for download. (I know about the Firepower and Aegis packs, but I know there will be better stuff yet.)

Really? I never had trouble in that mission. Mass Effect, one and two, was kinda straight-forward, normal game difficulty for all difficulties.

But I know what you mean. First time I played it I had no idea what was going to happen. I kept constantly saving lol.

I suppose I neglected to mention that I was playing on the hardest difficulty level (for the Achievement, naturally). It was a cakewalk in Mass Effect 1, being able to build up a character in one playthrough and keeping everything on the next, but Mass Effect 2 makes you buy all your upgrades again on successive playthroughs. Take this with the fact that biotics aren't as useful in ME2 as the were in ME1, and you have a significantly more challenging game - that one fight in particular because of the reasons I mentioned, and there are only so many upgrades you can buy back before being forced to do it.

And yes, biotics weren't as powerful, save for Jack. I stuck with Vanguard for Paragon and Soldier for Renegade. I am on Insanity as Renegade, and am doing a pretty good job. Albeit dying several more times than usual lol.

I wasn't a fan of the very few powers and upgrades you get. Plus most weren't very useful. My Renegade, though, had Reave as an extra skill. Surprisingly enough that works wonders, especially on Vorcha and Krogan, since it stops their ability to regenerate and gives you Health back.

That's uncanny. I use a Paragon Vanguard and a Renegade Soldier too. The Vanguard just sucks in ME2, though. It's annoying. His special power is to charge enemies and his primary weapon is useless at further than three metres, but getting close to enemies gets you dead, fast, even on Casual.

A friend of mine is currently trying to beat Insanity mode with a Sentinel that can use a sniper rifle. He's made it past the Collector Ship, so he might just make it all the way.

I'm assuming you haven't done the Collector Ship on Insanity yet. I wish you the best of luck when you get there. You're going to need it.

That IS quite odd xDD

And I have never used anything besides a Vanguard or Soldier in all my times of playing these two games. Can't force myself to lol. I give my own characters their own stories in my mind (me being an aspiring novelist and all) and I am just not a fan of a sniper, or some tech-savvy mofo. I quite enjoy the killers, or the killers with powers.

And really? My Vanguard rocked the shit out of all. More so than my Soldier. And my Soldier reached 60 on ME1, though that is quite irrelevant, 'cept for the ME2 bonuses. I never powered up Charge. I mostly spent on, first, the Vanguard Status. Then I built up my Inferno Ammo and Cryo Ammo. Never used my powers in ME2, oddly enough. Kinda a waste to be a Vanguard, but oh well lol.

And thanks. It's going to suuuuuuck. But my Soldier is pretty powerful. I think just the feel of being an uber bad ass with glowing eyes and grotesque, yet awesome, scars kinda just pumps me up through the fighting xDD

(Momentarily off-topic.) As a writer and teacher of English, I can tell you that there is no such thing as an "aspiring novelist"; there are only published and unpublished novelists. Good writing is not something to be aspired to; you can either do it, or you can't. Getting a publisher to recognize good writing is the tricky part.

(Back on-topic.) My biggest problem with Insanity mode is that I keep running out of ammo, so when I was using my Vanguard I was usually standing behind cover and spamming shockwave (hence cover being such an impediment for my established combat methods on the Collector Ship). I don't think I used my shotgun at all on Insanity; if I was close enough to use it, I was already dead. And I see absolutely no point in sinking skill points into two different kinds of special ammo - setting things on fire works well for me every time.

Say what you like about that long-range "tech-savvy mofo", but having a shield that can absorb a thousand points of damage and a gun that takes off half of an enemy's health bar in one hit from 100 metres away has worked well for my friend so far.

 

[AwesomePeanutz]

The end of Chapter 4 (Barns) on Dark Carnival in L4D2. Almost impossible on the harder difficluties...

 

[Josh Kurber]

Mass Effect 2, Collector Ship mission: No opportunity to prepare beforehand; enemies with shields, armour AND regenerating health; limited ammunition; teammates who die in eight seconds; and NO COVER. I beat it by turning the difficulty to the easiest setting. I'll be trying the higher difficulty again when Bioware decide to make some decent weapons and armour available for download. (I know about the Firepower and Aegis packs, but I know there will be better stuff yet.)

Really? I never had trouble in that mission. Mass Effect, one and two, was kinda straight-forward, normal game difficulty for all difficulties.

But I know what you mean. First time I played it I had no idea what was going to happen. I kept constantly saving lol.

I suppose I neglected to mention that I was playing on the hardest difficulty level (for the Achievement, naturally). It was a cakewalk in Mass Effect 1, being able to build up a character in one playthrough and keeping everything on the next, but Mass Effect 2 makes you buy all your upgrades again on successive playthroughs. Take this with the fact that biotics aren't as useful in ME2 as the were in ME1, and you have a significantly more challenging game - that one fight in particular because of the reasons I mentioned, and there are only so many upgrades you can buy back before being forced to do it.

And yes, biotics weren't as powerful, save for Jack. I stuck with Vanguard for Paragon and Soldier for Renegade. I am on Insanity as Renegade, and am doing a pretty good job. Albeit dying several more times than usual lol.

I wasn't a fan of the very few powers and upgrades you get. Plus most weren't very useful. My Renegade, though, had Reave as an extra skill. Surprisingly enough that works wonders, especially on Vorcha and Krogan, since it stops their ability to regenerate and gives you Health back.

That's uncanny. I use a Paragon Vanguard and a Renegade Soldier too. The Vanguard just sucks in ME2, though. It's annoying. His special power is to charge enemies and his primary weapon is useless at further than three metres, but getting close to enemies gets you dead, fast, even on Casual.

A friend of mine is currently trying to beat Insanity mode with a Sentinel that can use a sniper rifle. He's made it past the Collector Ship, so he might just make it all the way.

I'm assuming you haven't done the Collector Ship on Insanity yet. I wish you the best of luck when you get there. You're going to need it.

That IS quite odd xDD

And I have never used anything besides a Vanguard or Soldier in all my times of playing these two games. Can't force myself to lol. I give my own characters their own stories in my mind (me being an aspiring novelist and all) and I am just not a fan of a sniper, or some tech-savvy mofo. I quite enjoy the killers, or the killers with powers.

And really? My Vanguard rocked the shit out of all. More so than my Soldier. And my Soldier reached 60 on ME1, though that is quite irrelevant, 'cept for the ME2 bonuses. I never powered up Charge. I mostly spent on, first, the Vanguard Status. Then I built up my Inferno Ammo and Cryo Ammo. Never used my powers in ME2, oddly enough. Kinda a waste to be a Vanguard, but oh well lol.

And thanks. It's going to suuuuuuck. But my Soldier is pretty powerful. I think just the feel of being an uber bad ass with glowing eyes and grotesque, yet awesome, scars kinda just pumps me up through the fighting xDD

(Momentarily off-topic.) As a writer and teacher of English, I can tell you that there is no such thing as an "aspiring novelist"; there are only published and unpublished novelists. Good writing is not something to be aspired to; you can either do it, or you can't. Getting a publisher to recognize good writing is the tricky part.

(Back on-topic.) My biggest problem with Insanity mode is that I keep running out of ammo, so when I was using my Vanguard I was usually standing behind cover and spamming shockwave (hence cover being such an impediment for my established combat methods on the Collector Ship). I don't think I used my shotgun at all on Insanity; if I was close enough to use it, I was already dead. And I see absolutely no point in sinking skill points into two different kinds of special ammo - setting things on fire works well for me every time.

Say what you like about that long-range "tech-savvy mofo", but having a shield that can absorb a thousand points of damage and a gun that takes off half of an enemy's health bar in one hit from 100 metres away has worked well for my friend so far.

Aye, I am hoping to one day be a published writer. Big time. I am also going for my English degree, coincidentally.

Well, see, Cryo Ammo was perfect against the big hordes of Husks, I learned. If you shoot their legs with cryo ammo their legs shatter in one shot and they go down. I found it perfect for when I got stuck on that damned Derelict Reaper. I usually used my Fire Ammo for the shields and whatnot, since it burned through quite well. And I learned Mordin (I think I spelled that right) is PERFECT for the battle through the Collector Ship. His Inferno tech worked WONDERS. Plus, having him on your final team makes it that much easier to have every teammate survive. And sending Tali off with the crew members you rescue, since they are the weakest of all the fighters.

And I know what you mean: I have occasionally used the sniper rifle with my Soldier, but I just don't like to for some reason. I refuse to touch one in any shooter I play unless absolutely necessary.

 

[Josh Kurber]

Singularity. the first enemy you encounter jumps out of F***ing NOWHERE and starts to rip you're guts out. you only have a pistol when you encounter him, he takes about 1/8 of your health away with each strike (attacks roughly every 0.5 seconds), and you can't move because he's standing on you. oh, and it took about 1 1/2 clips of ammo to kill him because the pistol in singularity is totally weaksauce. took 2 tries to get past that bastard.

YES! That was a bastard of a game at the beginning. Quite startling too, I might add. I remember spamming shots on the two mutants by the truck and got screwed over so quickly.

 

[imaloony]

Dead Rising, a game I've been wanting to play for a while and just got my hands on, has this.

Dragon Age: Origins tends to do this a bit. There was one part that I simply couldn't do. It was an optional path to the side, and I could have just passed it by, but I was way too stubborn and pressed on until, out of frustration, I flipped the game down to Casual and beat it.

 

[XSA37]

Dead Rising, a game I've been wanting to play for a while and just got my hands on, has this.

I'm not sure if we mentioned it earlier, but the Jeep on Dead Rising. How many people felt like it was impossible to continue the story because four wackos decided to get a jeep with a 50cal that decimates you.

 

[Indiscrimi]

Mass Effect 2, Collector Ship mission: No opportunity to prepare beforehand; enemies with shields, armour AND regenerating health; limited ammunition; teammates who die in eight seconds; and NO COVER. I beat it by turning the difficulty to the easiest setting. I'll be trying the higher difficulty again when Bioware decide to make some decent weapons and armour available for download. (I know about the Firepower and Aegis packs, but I know there will be better stuff yet.)

Really? I never had trouble in that mission. Mass Effect, one and two, was kinda straight-forward, normal game difficulty for all difficulties.

But I know what you mean. First time I played it I had no idea what was going to happen. I kept constantly saving lol.

I suppose I neglected to mention that I was playing on the hardest difficulty level (for the Achievement, naturally). It was a cakewalk in Mass Effect 1, being able to build up a character in one playthrough and keeping everything on the next, but Mass Effect 2 makes you buy all your upgrades again on successive playthroughs. Take this with the fact that biotics aren't as useful in ME2 as the were in ME1, and you have a significantly more challenging game - that one fight in particular because of the reasons I mentioned, and there are only so many upgrades you can buy back before being forced to do it.

And yes, biotics weren't as powerful, save for Jack. I stuck with Vanguard for Paragon and Soldier for Renegade. I am on Insanity as Renegade, and am doing a pretty good job. Albeit dying several more times than usual lol.

I wasn't a fan of the very few powers and upgrades you get. Plus most weren't very useful. My Renegade, though, had Reave as an extra skill. Surprisingly enough that works wonders, especially on Vorcha and Krogan, since it stops their ability to regenerate and gives you Health back.

That's uncanny. I use a Paragon Vanguard and a Renegade Soldier too. The Vanguard just sucks in ME2, though. It's annoying. His special power is to charge enemies and his primary weapon is useless at further than three metres, but getting close to enemies gets you dead, fast, even on Casual.

A friend of mine is currently trying to beat Insanity mode with a Sentinel that can use a sniper rifle. He's made it past the Collector Ship, so he might just make it all the way.

I'm assuming you haven't done the Collector Ship on Insanity yet. I wish you the best of luck when you get there. You're going to need it.

That IS quite odd xDD

And I have never used anything besides a Vanguard or Soldier in all my times of playing these two games. Can't force myself to lol. I give my own characters their own stories in my mind (me being an aspiring novelist and all) and I am just not a fan of a sniper, or some tech-savvy mofo. I quite enjoy the killers, or the killers with powers.

And really? My Vanguard rocked the shit out of all. More so than my Soldier. And my Soldier reached 60 on ME1, though that is quite irrelevant, 'cept for the ME2 bonuses. I never powered up Charge. I mostly spent on, first, the Vanguard Status. Then I built up my Inferno Ammo and Cryo Ammo. Never used my powers in ME2, oddly enough. Kinda a waste to be a Vanguard, but oh well lol.

And thanks. It's going to suuuuuuck. But my Soldier is pretty powerful. I think just the feel of being an uber bad ass with glowing eyes and grotesque, yet awesome, scars kinda just pumps me up through the fighting xDD

(Momentarily off-topic.) As a writer and teacher of English, I can tell you that there is no such thing as an "aspiring novelist"; there are only published and unpublished novelists. Good writing is not something to be aspired to; you can either do it, or you can't. Getting a publisher to recognize good writing is the tricky part.

(Back on-topic.) My biggest problem with Insanity mode is that I keep running out of ammo, so when I was using my Vanguard I was usually standing behind cover and spamming shockwave (hence cover being such an impediment for my established combat methods on the Collector Ship). I don't think I used my shotgun at all on Insanity; if I was close enough to use it, I was already dead. And I see absolutely no point in sinking skill points into two different kinds of special ammo - setting things on fire works well for me every time.

Say what you like about that long-range "tech-savvy mofo", but having a shield that can absorb a thousand points of damage and a gun that takes off half of an enemy's health bar in one hit from 100 metres away has worked well for my friend so far.

Aye, I am hoping to one day be a published writer. Big time. I am also going for my English degree, coincidentally.

Well, see, Cryo Ammo was perfect against the big hordes of Husks, I learned. If you shoot their legs with cryo ammo their legs shatter in one shot and they go down. I found it perfect for when I got stuck on that damned Derelict Reaper. I usually used my Fire Ammo for the shields and whatnot, since it burned through quite well. And I learned Mordin (I think I spelled that right) is PERFECT for the battle through the Collector Ship. His Inferno tech worked WONDERS. Plus, having him on your final team makes it that much easier to have every teammate survive. And sending Tali off with the crew members you rescue, since they are the weakest of all the fighters.

And I know what you mean: I have occasionally used the sniper rifle with my Soldier, but I just don't like to for some reason. I refuse to touch one in any shooter I play unless absolutely necessary.

Wow. I didn't know that about Cryo Ammo. And I don't think I've ever tried Mordin's Inferno tech. Thanks for the tips: I'll keep them in mind for my next run at Insanity.

I don't like sniping either, but when I'm playing on the hardest difficulty, fighting fair is not high on my list of priorities. Do whatever works, right?

 

[-Seraph-]

Been playing Ys7 for the past few days and that games difficulty spikes can get crazy, the bosses will just kick your ass in such an unrelenting way. The game is fun and addictive, normal enemies are easy enough to deal with with a few heavy enemies to slow you down. Dungeons are fun, simple enough to get through. It's all fast, fun, and relatively easy as you just steamroll enemies; and then you get to the bosses. Holy shit do those assholes hurt, and you betcha you'll go through multiple tries on a boss before beating it if you don't know how to properly dodge, flash guard, and read their patterns.

Epic epic boss fights, but they get pretty hard core and the difficulty spike is a straight up 90 degree angle the second those monstrosities show up. Damn bird thing at the top of the Wind sanctum was a total *****, I fear and anticipate the final boss.

 

[rt052192]

the lord of the rings: the third age. that part with the balrog had me stumped for months, but after I finally defeated it the next few play-throughs were a breeze. Now that I think of it that game was great, they should make a similar such game based off of LoTR.

 

[Josh Kurber]

Mass Effect 2, Collector Ship mission: No opportunity to prepare beforehand; enemies with shields, armour AND regenerating health; limited ammunition; teammates who die in eight seconds; and NO COVER. I beat it by turning the difficulty to the easiest setting. I'll be trying the higher difficulty again when Bioware decide to make some decent weapons and armour available for download. (I know about the Firepower and Aegis packs, but I know there will be better stuff yet.)

Really? I never had trouble in that mission. Mass Effect, one and two, was kinda straight-forward, normal game difficulty for all difficulties.

But I know what you mean. First time I played it I had no idea what was going to happen. I kept constantly saving lol.

I suppose I neglected to mention that I was playing on the hardest difficulty level (for the Achievement, naturally). It was a cakewalk in Mass Effect 1, being able to build up a character in one playthrough and keeping everything on the next, but Mass Effect 2 makes you buy all your upgrades again on successive playthroughs. Take this with the fact that biotics aren't as useful in ME2 as the were in ME1, and you have a significantly more challenging game - that one fight in particular because of the reasons I mentioned, and there are only so many upgrades you can buy back before being forced to do it.

And yes, biotics weren't as powerful, save for Jack. I stuck with Vanguard for Paragon and Soldier for Renegade. I am on Insanity as Renegade, and am doing a pretty good job. Albeit dying several more times than usual lol.

I wasn't a fan of the very few powers and upgrades you get. Plus most weren't very useful. My Renegade, though, had Reave as an extra skill. Surprisingly enough that works wonders, especially on Vorcha and Krogan, since it stops their ability to regenerate and gives you Health back.

That's uncanny. I use a Paragon Vanguard and a Renegade Soldier too. The Vanguard just sucks in ME2, though. It's annoying. His special power is to charge enemies and his primary weapon is useless at further than three metres, but getting close to enemies gets you dead, fast, even on Casual.

A friend of mine is currently trying to beat Insanity mode with a Sentinel that can use a sniper rifle. He's made it past the Collector Ship, so he might just make it all the way.

I'm assuming you haven't done the Collector Ship on Insanity yet. I wish you the best of luck when you get there. You're going to need it.

That IS quite odd xDD

And I have never used anything besides a Vanguard or Soldier in all my times of playing these two games. Can't force myself to lol. I give my own characters their own stories in my mind (me being an aspiring novelist and all) and I am just not a fan of a sniper, or some tech-savvy mofo. I quite enjoy the killers, or the killers with powers.

And really? My Vanguard rocked the shit out of all. More so than my Soldier. And my Soldier reached 60 on ME1, though that is quite irrelevant, 'cept for the ME2 bonuses. I never powered up Charge. I mostly spent on, first, the Vanguard Status. Then I built up my Inferno Ammo and Cryo Ammo. Never used my powers in ME2, oddly enough. Kinda a waste to be a Vanguard, but oh well lol.

And thanks. It's going to suuuuuuck. But my Soldier is pretty powerful. I think just the feel of being an uber bad ass with glowing eyes and grotesque, yet awesome, scars kinda just pumps me up through the fighting xDD

(Momentarily off-topic.) As a writer and teacher of English, I can tell you that there is no such thing as an "aspiring novelist"; there are only published and unpublished novelists. Good writing is not something to be aspired to; you can either do it, or you can't. Getting a publisher to recognize good writing is the tricky part.

(Back on-topic.) My biggest problem with Insanity mode is that I keep running out of ammo, so when I was using my Vanguard I was usually standing behind cover and spamming shockwave (hence cover being such an impediment for my established combat methods on the Collector Ship). I don't think I used my shotgun at all on Insanity; if I was close enough to use it, I was already dead. And I see absolutely no point in sinking skill points into two different kinds of special ammo - setting things on fire works well for me every time.

Say what you like about that long-range "tech-savvy mofo", but having a shield that can absorb a thousand points of damage and a gun that takes off half of an enemy's health bar in one hit from 100 metres away has worked well for my friend so far.

Aye, I am hoping to one day be a published writer. Big time. I am also going for my English degree, coincidentally.

Well, see, Cryo Ammo was perfect against the big hordes of Husks, I learned. If you shoot their legs with cryo ammo their legs shatter in one shot and they go down. I found it perfect for when I got stuck on that damned Derelict Reaper. I usually used my Fire Ammo for the shields and whatnot, since it burned through quite well. And I learned Mordin (I think I spelled that right) is PERFECT for the battle through the Collector Ship. His Inferno tech worked WONDERS. Plus, having him on your final team makes it that much easier to have every teammate survive. And sending Tali off with the crew members you rescue, since they are the weakest of all the fighters.

And I know what you mean: I have occasionally used the sniper rifle with my Soldier, but I just don't like to for some reason. I refuse to touch one in any shooter I play unless absolutely necessary.

Wow. I didn't know that about Cryo Ammo. And I don't think I've ever tried Mordin's Inferno tech. Thanks for the tips: I'll keep them in mind for my next run at Insanity.

I don't like sniping either, but when I'm playing on the hardest difficulty, fighting fair is not high on my list of priorities. Do whatever works, right?

To be honest, I didn't know either lol. While playing through that one random side quest on a planet, the one FILLED with Husks, I accidentally turned on my Cryo ammo and shot one in the legs and it died right then and there. Surprised the hell outta me. And yeah, I never liked using Mordin, and honetly wouldn't have if he hadn't died the first time I played Mass Effect 2. (when it came out on 360 I rented the next day. I just recently bought both games for my new laptop.) And When I looked through his moves I used Inferno and it busted right through Harbinger's Shield. Amazed the hell outta me, so I now have a new respect for the hyper-active alien.

What I found funny about his death the first time I beat ME2, was how much I HATED him. Couldn't stand him to even talk to him once I finished his Loyalty quest. So I spent a long while pondering to myself, "Hmm... the only teammate to die was the one person I never liked. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

And you are quite right on that. I just hate how my teammates (Usually Miranda and Garrus) just stare, dumbfounded, as enemies walk right past them and blast me in the only cover nearby for like a mile (major exaggeration). I kept dying in the mission to get Jack because they were complete buffoons. I mean, it's hard to play unfair when your teammates don't even fuckin' HELP you play unfair.

 

[Indiscrimi]

Mass Effect 2, Collector Ship mission: No opportunity to prepare beforehand; enemies with shields, armour AND regenerating health; limited ammunition; teammates who die in eight seconds; and NO COVER. I beat it by turning the difficulty to the easiest setting. I'll be trying the higher difficulty again when Bioware decide to make some decent weapons and armour available for download. (I know about the Firepower and Aegis packs, but I know there will be better stuff yet.)

Really? I never had trouble in that mission. Mass Effect, one and two, was kinda straight-forward, normal game difficulty for all difficulties.

But I know what you mean. First time I played it I had no idea what was going to happen. I kept constantly saving lol.

I suppose I neglected to mention that I was playing on the hardest difficulty level (for the Achievement, naturally). It was a cakewalk in Mass Effect 1, being able to build up a character in one playthrough and keeping everything on the next, but Mass Effect 2 makes you buy all your upgrades again on successive playthroughs. Take this with the fact that biotics aren't as useful in ME2 as the were in ME1, and you have a significantly more challenging game - that one fight in particular because of the reasons I mentioned, and there are only so many upgrades you can buy back before being forced to do it.

And yes, biotics weren't as powerful, save for Jack. I stuck with Vanguard for Paragon and Soldier for Renegade. I am on Insanity as Renegade, and am doing a pretty good job. Albeit dying several more times than usual lol.

I wasn't a fan of the very few powers and upgrades you get. Plus most weren't very useful. My Renegade, though, had Reave as an extra skill. Surprisingly enough that works wonders, especially on Vorcha and Krogan, since it stops their ability to regenerate and gives you Health back.

That's uncanny. I use a Paragon Vanguard and a Renegade Soldier too. The Vanguard just sucks in ME2, though. It's annoying. His special power is to charge enemies and his primary weapon is useless at further than three metres, but getting close to enemies gets you dead, fast, even on Casual.

A friend of mine is currently trying to beat Insanity mode with a Sentinel that can use a sniper rifle. He's made it past the Collector Ship, so he might just make it all the way.

I'm assuming you haven't done the Collector Ship on Insanity yet. I wish you the best of luck when you get there. You're going to need it.

That IS quite odd xDD

And I have never used anything besides a Vanguard or Soldier in all my times of playing these two games. Can't force myself to lol. I give my own characters their own stories in my mind (me being an aspiring novelist and all) and I am just not a fan of a sniper, or some tech-savvy mofo. I quite enjoy the killers, or the killers with powers.

And really? My Vanguard rocked the shit out of all. More so than my Soldier. And my Soldier reached 60 on ME1, though that is quite irrelevant, 'cept for the ME2 bonuses. I never powered up Charge. I mostly spent on, first, the Vanguard Status. Then I built up my Inferno Ammo and Cryo Ammo. Never used my powers in ME2, oddly enough. Kinda a waste to be a Vanguard, but oh well lol.

And thanks. It's going to suuuuuuck. But my Soldier is pretty powerful. I think just the feel of being an uber bad ass with glowing eyes and grotesque, yet awesome, scars kinda just pumps me up through the fighting xDD

(Momentarily off-topic.) As a writer and teacher of English, I can tell you that there is no such thing as an "aspiring novelist"; there are only published and unpublished novelists. Good writing is not something to be aspired to; you can either do it, or you can't. Getting a publisher to recognize good writing is the tricky part.

(Back on-topic.) My biggest problem with Insanity mode is that I keep running out of ammo, so when I was using my Vanguard I was usually standing behind cover and spamming shockwave (hence cover being such an impediment for my established combat methods on the Collector Ship). I don't think I used my shotgun at all on Insanity; if I was close enough to use it, I was already dead. And I see absolutely no point in sinking skill points into two different kinds of special ammo - setting things on fire works well for me every time.

Say what you like about that long-range "tech-savvy mofo", but having a shield that can absorb a thousand points of damage and a gun that takes off half of an enemy's health bar in one hit from 100 metres away has worked well for my friend so far.

Aye, I am hoping to one day be a published writer. Big time. I am also going for my English degree, coincidentally.

Well, see, Cryo Ammo was perfect against the big hordes of Husks, I learned. If you shoot their legs with cryo ammo their legs shatter in one shot and they go down. I found it perfect for when I got stuck on that damned Derelict Reaper. I usually used my Fire Ammo for the shields and whatnot, since it burned through quite well. And I learned Mordin (I think I spelled that right) is PERFECT for the battle through the Collector Ship. His Inferno tech worked WONDERS. Plus, having him on your final team makes it that much easier to have every teammate survive. And sending Tali off with the crew members you rescue, since they are the weakest of all the fighters.

And I know what you mean: I have occasionally used the sniper rifle with my Soldier, but I just don't like to for some reason. I refuse to touch one in any shooter I play unless absolutely necessary.

Wow. I didn't know that about Cryo Ammo. And I don't think I've ever tried Mordin's Inferno tech. Thanks for the tips: I'll keep them in mind for my next run at Insanity.

I don't like sniping either, but when I'm playing on the hardest difficulty, fighting fair is not high on my list of priorities. Do whatever works, right?

To be honest, I didn't know either lol. While playing through that one random side quest on a planet, the one FILLED with Husks, I accidentally turned on my Cryo ammo and shot one in the legs and it died right then and there. Surprised the hell outta me. And yeah, I never liked using Mordin, and honetly wouldn't have if he hadn't died the first time I played Mass Effect 2. (when it came out on 360 I rented the next day. I just recently bought both games for my new laptop.) And When I looked through his moves I used Inferno and it busted right through Harbinger's Shield. Amazed the hell outta me, so I now have a new respect for the hyper-active alien.

What I found funny about his death the first time I beat ME2, was how much I HATED him. Couldn't stand him to even talk to him once I finished his Loyalty quest. So I spent a long while pondering to myself, "Hmm... the only teammate to die was the one person I never liked. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

And you are quite right on that. I just hate how my teammates (Usually Miranda and Garrus) just stare, dumbfounded, as enemies walk right past them and blast me in the only cover nearby for like a mile (major exaggeration). I kept dying in the mission to get Jack because they were complete buffoons. I mean, it's hard to play unfair when your teammates don't even fuckin' HELP you play unfair.

I know! Your teammates are so completely useless in ME2. In ME1, even on Insanity, your teammates got shit done without you taking every single bullet for them. Is it normal for AI to get worse in a sequel? Or did Bioware just not bother to balance the difficulty this time?

(I forget to say this earlier: Good luck with your English degree.)

 

[Josh Kurber]

Mass Effect 2, Collector Ship mission: No opportunity to prepare beforehand; enemies with shields, armour AND regenerating health; limited ammunition; teammates who die in eight seconds; and NO COVER. I beat it by turning the difficulty to the easiest setting. I'll be trying the higher difficulty again when Bioware decide to make some decent weapons and armour available for download. (I know about the Firepower and Aegis packs, but I know there will be better stuff yet.)

Really? I never had trouble in that mission. Mass Effect, one and two, was kinda straight-forward, normal game difficulty for all difficulties.

But I know what you mean. First time I played it I had no idea what was going to happen. I kept constantly saving lol.

I suppose I neglected to mention that I was playing on the hardest difficulty level (for the Achievement, naturally). It was a cakewalk in Mass Effect 1, being able to build up a character in one playthrough and keeping everything on the next, but Mass Effect 2 makes you buy all your upgrades again on successive playthroughs. Take this with the fact that biotics aren't as useful in ME2 as the were in ME1, and you have a significantly more challenging game - that one fight in particular because of the reasons I mentioned, and there are only so many upgrades you can buy back before being forced to do it.

And yes, biotics weren't as powerful, save for Jack. I stuck with Vanguard for Paragon and Soldier for Renegade. I am on Insanity as Renegade, and am doing a pretty good job. Albeit dying several more times than usual lol.

I wasn't a fan of the very few powers and upgrades you get. Plus most weren't very useful. My Renegade, though, had Reave as an extra skill. Surprisingly enough that works wonders, especially on Vorcha and Krogan, since it stops their ability to regenerate and gives you Health back.

That's uncanny. I use a Paragon Vanguard and a Renegade Soldier too. The Vanguard just sucks in ME2, though. It's annoying. His special power is to charge enemies and his primary weapon is useless at further than three metres, but getting close to enemies gets you dead, fast, even on Casual.

A friend of mine is currently trying to beat Insanity mode with a Sentinel that can use a sniper rifle. He's made it past the Collector Ship, so he might just make it all the way.

I'm assuming you haven't done the Collector Ship on Insanity yet. I wish you the best of luck when you get there. You're going to need it.

That IS quite odd xDD

And I have never used anything besides a Vanguard or Soldier in all my times of playing these two games. Can't force myself to lol. I give my own characters their own stories in my mind (me being an aspiring novelist and all) and I am just not a fan of a sniper, or some tech-savvy mofo. I quite enjoy the killers, or the killers with powers.

And really? My Vanguard rocked the shit out of all. More so than my Soldier. And my Soldier reached 60 on ME1, though that is quite irrelevant, 'cept for the ME2 bonuses. I never powered up Charge. I mostly spent on, first, the Vanguard Status. Then I built up my Inferno Ammo and Cryo Ammo. Never used my powers in ME2, oddly enough. Kinda a waste to be a Vanguard, but oh well lol.

And thanks. It's going to suuuuuuck. But my Soldier is pretty powerful. I think just the feel of being an uber bad ass with glowing eyes and grotesque, yet awesome, scars kinda just pumps me up through the fighting xDD

(Momentarily off-topic.) As a writer and teacher of English, I can tell you that there is no such thing as an "aspiring novelist"; there are only published and unpublished novelists. Good writing is not something to be aspired to; you can either do it, or you can't. Getting a publisher to recognize good writing is the tricky part.

(Back on-topic.) My biggest problem with Insanity mode is that I keep running out of ammo, so when I was using my Vanguard I was usually standing behind cover and spamming shockwave (hence cover being such an impediment for my established combat methods on the Collector Ship). I don't think I used my shotgun at all on Insanity; if I was close enough to use it, I was already dead. And I see absolutely no point in sinking skill points into two different kinds of special ammo - setting things on fire works well for me every time.

Say what you like about that long-range "tech-savvy mofo", but having a shield that can absorb a thousand points of damage and a gun that takes off half of an enemy's health bar in one hit from 100 metres away has worked well for my friend so far.

Aye, I am hoping to one day be a published writer. Big time. I am also going for my English degree, coincidentally.

Well, see, Cryo Ammo was perfect against the big hordes of Husks, I learned. If you shoot their legs with cryo ammo their legs shatter in one shot and they go down. I found it perfect for when I got stuck on that damned Derelict Reaper. I usually used my Fire Ammo for the shields and whatnot, since it burned through quite well. And I learned Mordin (I think I spelled that right) is PERFECT for the battle through the Collector Ship. His Inferno tech worked WONDERS. Plus, having him on your final team makes it that much easier to have every teammate survive. And sending Tali off with the crew members you rescue, since they are the weakest of all the fighters.

And I know what you mean: I have occasionally used the sniper rifle with my Soldier, but I just don't like to for some reason. I refuse to touch one in any shooter I play unless absolutely necessary.

Wow. I didn't know that about Cryo Ammo. And I don't think I've ever tried Mordin's Inferno tech. Thanks for the tips: I'll keep them in mind for my next run at Insanity.

I don't like sniping either, but when I'm playing on the hardest difficulty, fighting fair is not high on my list of priorities. Do whatever works, right?

To be honest, I didn't know either lol. While playing through that one random side quest on a planet, the one FILLED with Husks, I accidentally turned on my Cryo ammo and shot one in the legs and it died right then and there. Surprised the hell outta me. And yeah, I never liked using Mordin, and honetly wouldn't have if he hadn't died the first time I played Mass Effect 2. (when it came out on 360 I rented the next day. I just recently bought both games for my new laptop.) And When I looked through his moves I used Inferno and it busted right through Harbinger's Shield. Amazed the hell outta me, so I now have a new respect for the hyper-active alien.

What I found funny about his death the first time I beat ME2, was how much I HATED him. Couldn't stand him to even talk to him once I finished his Loyalty quest. So I spent a long while pondering to myself, "Hmm... the only teammate to die was the one person I never liked. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

And you are quite right on that. I just hate how my teammates (Usually Miranda and Garrus) just stare, dumbfounded, as enemies walk right past them and blast me in the only cover nearby for like a mile (major exaggeration). I kept dying in the mission to get Jack because they were complete buffoons. I mean, it's hard to play unfair when your teammates don't even fuckin' HELP you play unfair.

I know! Your teammates are so completely useless in ME2. In ME1, even on Insanity, your teammates got shit done without you taking every single bullet for them. Is it normal for AI to get worse in a sequel? Or did Bioware just not bother to balance the difficulty this time?

(I forget to say this earlier: Good luck with your English degree.)

(Oh, why thank you, sir. I need it >_<)

Well, they got a little dumb between Star Wars: KOTOR games too. I also love how you have to hold their hands through EVERYTHING! "No, Jack, use your pistol for longer distance, not your shotgun." "No, Garrus, you little idiot, use your sniper because you are better with it." It's like, sheesh! They are little children. It's why being an asshole Renegade guy gives me so much joy. He says the stuff I, myself, want to say to them. Then come the creepy glowing eyes while talking in darkness. Sooooo omnious and amazing, hahahah.

I am actually going to start working on Female Shepard (Paragon, of course) because the second game isn't so tempting to make you cheat on your ME1 lover as a female. As a guy I can never turn down Miranda. I just can't. Compared to Ashley, especially. Ashley is too butchy and "Grr" for my tastes. Miranda is gorgeous, fun, flirty, everything. And a better fighter than Ashley, stupid A.I. or not.

 

[drzoidbergmd]

LOTR: The Third Age. Three hours of badassery, slight jump in Theoden's Hall. What happens next? Helm's Deep...nine constant fights with no save points at ALL! And your enemies consistently have better armor and almost four times as many hit points as your previously unprepared party. So, being caught off guard as such, you do what any sane person would do and rely on the movie insertion characters to save you from taking an Uruk-hai long-spear up your newly presented backside.

I definately had problems with this. 9 fights with no save points... That was hell. I just had to keep using Idrial's spells to keep her and the movie hero alive. Your party gets screwed but they live. Anything else and you just get destroyed.
Also, on the same game, Sauron without Morgul Decay (The thing that takes away all enemy armor, regardless if it's a boss or not. IE: The most overpowered thing in the game. Shame you only get about 2 of them.). That guy is tough.
It's still one of my favourite games ever though. I may go and play it now you've reminded me. Thanks

Anytime. I sold my copy about a year ago, but I've really been wanting to play it lately.

 

[Indiscrimi]

Mass Effect 2, Collector Ship mission: No opportunity to prepare beforehand; enemies with shields, armour AND regenerating health; limited ammunition; teammates who die in eight seconds; and NO COVER. I beat it by turning the difficulty to the easiest setting. I'll be trying the higher difficulty again when Bioware decide to make some decent weapons and armour available for download. (I know about the Firepower and Aegis packs, but I know there will be better stuff yet.)

Really? I never had trouble in that mission. Mass Effect, one and two, was kinda straight-forward, normal game difficulty for all difficulties.

But I know what you mean. First time I played it I had no idea what was going to happen. I kept constantly saving lol.

I suppose I neglected to mention that I was playing on the hardest difficulty level (for the Achievement, naturally). It was a cakewalk in Mass Effect 1, being able to build up a character in one playthrough and keeping everything on the next, but Mass Effect 2 makes you buy all your upgrades again on successive playthroughs. Take this with the fact that biotics aren't as useful in ME2 as the were in ME1, and you have a significantly more challenging game - that one fight in particular because of the reasons I mentioned, and there are only so many upgrades you can buy back before being forced to do it.

And yes, biotics weren't as powerful, save for Jack. I stuck with Vanguard for Paragon and Soldier for Renegade. I am on Insanity as Renegade, and am doing a pretty good job. Albeit dying several more times than usual lol.

I wasn't a fan of the very few powers and upgrades you get. Plus most weren't very useful. My Renegade, though, had Reave as an extra skill. Surprisingly enough that works wonders, especially on Vorcha and Krogan, since it stops their ability to regenerate and gives you Health back.

That's uncanny. I use a Paragon Vanguard and a Renegade Soldier too. The Vanguard just sucks in ME2, though. It's annoying. His special power is to charge enemies and his primary weapon is useless at further than three metres, but getting close to enemies gets you dead, fast, even on Casual.

A friend of mine is currently trying to beat Insanity mode with a Sentinel that can use a sniper rifle. He's made it past the Collector Ship, so he might just make it all the way.

I'm assuming you haven't done the Collector Ship on Insanity yet. I wish you the best of luck when you get there. You're going to need it.

That IS quite odd xDD

And I have never used anything besides a Vanguard or Soldier in all my times of playing these two games. Can't force myself to lol. I give my own characters their own stories in my mind (me being an aspiring novelist and all) and I am just not a fan of a sniper, or some tech-savvy mofo. I quite enjoy the killers, or the killers with powers.

And really? My Vanguard rocked the shit out of all. More so than my Soldier. And my Soldier reached 60 on ME1, though that is quite irrelevant, 'cept for the ME2 bonuses. I never powered up Charge. I mostly spent on, first, the Vanguard Status. Then I built up my Inferno Ammo and Cryo Ammo. Never used my powers in ME2, oddly enough. Kinda a waste to be a Vanguard, but oh well lol.

And thanks. It's going to suuuuuuck. But my Soldier is pretty powerful. I think just the feel of being an uber bad ass with glowing eyes and grotesque, yet awesome, scars kinda just pumps me up through the fighting xDD

(Momentarily off-topic.) As a writer and teacher of English, I can tell you that there is no such thing as an "aspiring novelist"; there are only published and unpublished novelists. Good writing is not something to be aspired to; you can either do it, or you can't. Getting a publisher to recognize good writing is the tricky part.

(Back on-topic.) My biggest problem with Insanity mode is that I keep running out of ammo, so when I was using my Vanguard I was usually standing behind cover and spamming shockwave (hence cover being such an impediment for my established combat methods on the Collector Ship). I don't think I used my shotgun at all on Insanity; if I was close enough to use it, I was already dead. And I see absolutely no point in sinking skill points into two different kinds of special ammo - setting things on fire works well for me every time.

Say what you like about that long-range "tech-savvy mofo", but having a shield that can absorb a thousand points of damage and a gun that takes off half of an enemy's health bar in one hit from 100 metres away has worked well for my friend so far.

Aye, I am hoping to one day be a published writer. Big time. I am also going for my English degree, coincidentally.

Well, see, Cryo Ammo was perfect against the big hordes of Husks, I learned. If you shoot their legs with cryo ammo their legs shatter in one shot and they go down. I found it perfect for when I got stuck on that damned Derelict Reaper. I usually used my Fire Ammo for the shields and whatnot, since it burned through quite well. And I learned Mordin (I think I spelled that right) is PERFECT for the battle through the Collector Ship. His Inferno tech worked WONDERS. Plus, having him on your final team makes it that much easier to have every teammate survive. And sending Tali off with the crew members you rescue, since they are the weakest of all the fighters.

And I know what you mean: I have occasionally used the sniper rifle with my Soldier, but I just don't like to for some reason. I refuse to touch one in any shooter I play unless absolutely necessary.

Wow. I didn't know that about Cryo Ammo. And I don't think I've ever tried Mordin's Inferno tech. Thanks for the tips: I'll keep them in mind for my next run at Insanity.

I don't like sniping either, but when I'm playing on the hardest difficulty, fighting fair is not high on my list of priorities. Do whatever works, right?

To be honest, I didn't know either lol. While playing through that one random side quest on a planet, the one FILLED with Husks, I accidentally turned on my Cryo ammo and shot one in the legs and it died right then and there. Surprised the hell outta me. And yeah, I never liked using Mordin, and honetly wouldn't have if he hadn't died the first time I played Mass Effect 2. (when it came out on 360 I rented the next day. I just recently bought both games for my new laptop.) And When I looked through his moves I used Inferno and it busted right through Harbinger's Shield. Amazed the hell outta me, so I now have a new respect for the hyper-active alien.

What I found funny about his death the first time I beat ME2, was how much I HATED him. Couldn't stand him to even talk to him once I finished his Loyalty quest. So I spent a long while pondering to myself, "Hmm... the only teammate to die was the one person I never liked. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

And you are quite right on that. I just hate how my teammates (Usually Miranda and Garrus) just stare, dumbfounded, as enemies walk right past them and blast me in the only cover nearby for like a mile (major exaggeration). I kept dying in the mission to get Jack because they were complete buffoons. I mean, it's hard to play unfair when your teammates don't even fuckin' HELP you play unfair.

I know! Your teammates are so completely useless in ME2. In ME1, even on Insanity, your teammates got shit done without you taking every single bullet for them. Is it normal for AI to get worse in a sequel? Or did Bioware just not bother to balance the difficulty this time?

(I forget to say this earlier: Good luck with your English degree.)

(Oh, why thank you, sir. I need it >_<)

Well, they got a little dumb between Star Wars: KOTOR games too. I also love how you have to hold their hands through EVERYTHING! "No, Jack, use your pistol for longer distance, not your shotgun." "No, Garrus, you little idiot, use your sniper because you are better with it." It's like, sheesh! They are little children. It's why being an asshole Renegade guy gives me so much joy. He says the stuff I, myself, want to say to them. Then come the creepy glowing eyes while talking in darkness. Sooooo omnious and amazing, hahahah.

I am actually going to start working on Female Shepard (Paragon, of course) because the second game isn't so tempting to make you cheat on your ME1 lover as a female. As a guy I can never turn down Miranda. I just can't. Compared to Ashley, especially. Ashley is too butchy and "Grr" for my tastes. Miranda is gorgeous, fun, flirty, everything. And a better fighter than Ashley, stupid A.I. or not.

I'm pretty sure bedding someone just before having to decide the fate of the galaxy and then disappearing for two years constitutes a "one night stand", so fidelity isn't really an issue. I just can't stand Ashley. She keeps flirting with you, and every time you flirt back, suddenly she's miss "I could kill you with one hand". A lot of people complain about the poetry; I don't mind it, but what puts me off most is the fact that she's religious. I'm sorry, but religion and sex don't go well together. Bottom line: I always go for Liara T'Soni. She's smart, attractive, soft-spoken, psychic, and...well...she's an alien! Come on! It's worth it for the novelty alone!

As for ME2, I hate Miranda. I lived in Australia for four years, so the accent does nothing for me at this point. And she's a straight-up *****. It's always, "wah wah! Daddy didn't love me! Me me me!" Shit, I've dated girls like that in real life. It f*cking sucked, dude.

...This exchange has wandered pretty far from the initial topic of difficulty spikes, eh?

 

[Jerious1154]

I found GTA 4 pretty easy for the most part. Most of the missions can be beaten just by being patient and staying behind cover until everything is dead. But I don't even remember how many times I died on that mission where you have to steal the heroin from the bombed out hospital and then escape the cops.

The building is a maze, there are cops and gang-members who apparently have decided to team up to take you out, and as soon as you find a way outside there are more cops, no cover, and no vehicles. I eventually managed to steal a cop car with a sliver of health and make it out of there.

 

[Josh Kurber]

Mass Effect 2, Collector Ship mission: No opportunity to prepare beforehand; enemies with shields, armour AND regenerating health; limited ammunition; teammates who die in eight seconds; and NO COVER. I beat it by turning the difficulty to the easiest setting. I'll be trying the higher difficulty again when Bioware decide to make some decent weapons and armour available for download. (I know about the Firepower and Aegis packs, but I know there will be better stuff yet.)

Really? I never had trouble in that mission. Mass Effect, one and two, was kinda straight-forward, normal game difficulty for all difficulties.

But I know what you mean. First time I played it I had no idea what was going to happen. I kept constantly saving lol.

I suppose I neglected to mention that I was playing on the hardest difficulty level (for the Achievement, naturally). It was a cakewalk in Mass Effect 1, being able to build up a character in one playthrough and keeping everything on the next, but Mass Effect 2 makes you buy all your upgrades again on successive playthroughs. Take this with the fact that biotics aren't as useful in ME2 as the were in ME1, and you have a significantly more challenging game - that one fight in particular because of the reasons I mentioned, and there are only so many upgrades you can buy back before being forced to do it.

And yes, biotics weren't as powerful, save for Jack. I stuck with Vanguard for Paragon and Soldier for Renegade. I am on Insanity as Renegade, and am doing a pretty good job. Albeit dying several more times than usual lol.

I wasn't a fan of the very few powers and upgrades you get. Plus most weren't very useful. My Renegade, though, had Reave as an extra skill. Surprisingly enough that works wonders, especially on Vorcha and Krogan, since it stops their ability to regenerate and gives you Health back.

That's uncanny. I use a Paragon Vanguard and a Renegade Soldier too. The Vanguard just sucks in ME2, though. It's annoying. His special power is to charge enemies and his primary weapon is useless at further than three metres, but getting close to enemies gets you dead, fast, even on Casual.

A friend of mine is currently trying to beat Insanity mode with a Sentinel that can use a sniper rifle. He's made it past the Collector Ship, so he might just make it all the way.

I'm assuming you haven't done the Collector Ship on Insanity yet. I wish you the best of luck when you get there. You're going to need it.

That IS quite odd xDD

And I have never used anything besides a Vanguard or Soldier in all my times of playing these two games. Can't force myself to lol. I give my own characters their own stories in my mind (me being an aspiring novelist and all) and I am just not a fan of a sniper, or some tech-savvy mofo. I quite enjoy the killers, or the killers with powers.

And really? My Vanguard rocked the shit out of all. More so than my Soldier. And my Soldier reached 60 on ME1, though that is quite irrelevant, 'cept for the ME2 bonuses. I never powered up Charge. I mostly spent on, first, the Vanguard Status. Then I built up my Inferno Ammo and Cryo Ammo. Never used my powers in ME2, oddly enough. Kinda a waste to be a Vanguard, but oh well lol.

And thanks. It's going to suuuuuuck. But my Soldier is pretty powerful. I think just the feel of being an uber bad ass with glowing eyes and grotesque, yet awesome, scars kinda just pumps me up through the fighting xDD

(Momentarily off-topic.) As a writer and teacher of English, I can tell you that there is no such thing as an "aspiring novelist"; there are only published and unpublished novelists. Good writing is not something to be aspired to; you can either do it, or you can't. Getting a publisher to recognize good writing is the tricky part.

(Back on-topic.) My biggest problem with Insanity mode is that I keep running out of ammo, so when I was using my Vanguard I was usually standing behind cover and spamming shockwave (hence cover being such an impediment for my established combat methods on the Collector Ship). I don't think I used my shotgun at all on Insanity; if I was close enough to use it, I was already dead. And I see absolutely no point in sinking skill points into two different kinds of special ammo - setting things on fire works well for me every time.

Say what you like about that long-range "tech-savvy mofo", but having a shield that can absorb a thousand points of damage and a gun that takes off half of an enemy's health bar in one hit from 100 metres away has worked well for my friend so far.

Aye, I am hoping to one day be a published writer. Big time. I am also going for my English degree, coincidentally.

Well, see, Cryo Ammo was perfect against the big hordes of Husks, I learned. If you shoot their legs with cryo ammo their legs shatter in one shot and they go down. I found it perfect for when I got stuck on that damned Derelict Reaper. I usually used my Fire Ammo for the shields and whatnot, since it burned through quite well. And I learned Mordin (I think I spelled that right) is PERFECT for the battle through the Collector Ship. His Inferno tech worked WONDERS. Plus, having him on your final team makes it that much easier to have every teammate survive. And sending Tali off with the crew members you rescue, since they are the weakest of all the fighters.

And I know what you mean: I have occasionally used the sniper rifle with my Soldier, but I just don't like to for some reason. I refuse to touch one in any shooter I play unless absolutely necessary.

Wow. I didn't know that about Cryo Ammo. And I don't think I've ever tried Mordin's Inferno tech. Thanks for the tips: I'll keep them in mind for my next run at Insanity.

I don't like sniping either, but when I'm playing on the hardest difficulty, fighting fair is not high on my list of priorities. Do whatever works, right?

To be honest, I didn't know either lol. While playing through that one random side quest on a planet, the one FILLED with Husks, I accidentally turned on my Cryo ammo and shot one in the legs and it died right then and there. Surprised the hell outta me. And yeah, I never liked using Mordin, and honetly wouldn't have if he hadn't died the first time I played Mass Effect 2. (when it came out on 360 I rented the next day. I just recently bought both games for my new laptop.) And When I looked through his moves I used Inferno and it busted right through Harbinger's Shield. Amazed the hell outta me, so I now have a new respect for the hyper-active alien.

What I found funny about his death the first time I beat ME2, was how much I HATED him. Couldn't stand him to even talk to him once I finished his Loyalty quest. So I spent a long while pondering to myself, "Hmm... the only teammate to die was the one person I never liked. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

And you are quite right on that. I just hate how my teammates (Usually Miranda and Garrus) just stare, dumbfounded, as enemies walk right past them and blast me in the only cover nearby for like a mile (major exaggeration). I kept dying in the mission to get Jack because they were complete buffoons. I mean, it's hard to play unfair when your teammates don't even fuckin' HELP you play unfair.

I know! Your teammates are so completely useless in ME2. In ME1, even on Insanity, your teammates got shit done without you taking every single bullet for them. Is it normal for AI to get worse in a sequel? Or did Bioware just not bother to balance the difficulty this time?

(I forget to say this earlier: Good luck with your English degree.)

(Oh, why thank you, sir. I need it >_<)

Well, they got a little dumb between Star Wars: KOTOR games too. I also love how you have to hold their hands through EVERYTHING! "No, Jack, use your pistol for longer distance, not your shotgun." "No, Garrus, you little idiot, use your sniper because you are better with it." It's like, sheesh! They are little children. It's why being an asshole Renegade guy gives me so much joy. He says the stuff I, myself, want to say to them. Then come the creepy glowing eyes while talking in darkness. Sooooo omnious and amazing, hahahah.

I am actually going to start working on Female Shepard (Paragon, of course) because the second game isn't so tempting to make you cheat on your ME1 lover as a female. As a guy I can never turn down Miranda. I just can't. Compared to Ashley, especially. Ashley is too butchy and "Grr" for my tastes. Miranda is gorgeous, fun, flirty, everything. And a better fighter than Ashley, stupid A.I. or not.

I'm pretty sure bedding someone just before having to decide the fate of the galaxy and then disappearing for two years constitutes a "one night stand", so fidelity isn't really an issue. I just can't stand Ashley. She keeps flirting with you, and every time you flirt back, suddenly she's miss "I could kill you with one hand". A lot of people complain about the poetry; I don't mind it, but what puts me off most is the fact that she's religious. I'm sorry, but religion and sex don't go well together. Bottom line: I always go for Liara T'Soni. She's smart, attractive, soft-spoken, psychic, and...well...she's an alien! Come on! It's worth it for the novelty alone!

As for ME2, I hate Miranda. I lived in Australia for four years, so the accent does nothing for me at this point. And she's a straight-up *****. It's always, "wah wah! Daddy didn't love me! Me me me!" Shit, I've dated girls like that in real life. It f*cking sucked, dude.

...This exchange has wandered pretty far from the initial topic of difficulty spikes, eh?

lol they tend to wander when I get in conversations with people in these forums.

And I mention it, because if you keep your romance going, without cheating, up until ME3 you get a bonus. If you cheat on your ME1 lover in ME2, then there will supposedly be consequences. And I dunno, Liara never really got a rise out of me (not meant to be a sexual pun neither -.-). And then she became a ***** in ME2. Made me do Renegade things. But they are making another DLC where you can continue your relationship with her.

Now, is it me, or did you also spend a loooong time choosing on who to give up on Illos? I HATED the decision... I liked Ashley, but Kaiden was Shepard's best friend (or closest thing to) in ME1... I honestly hate myself everytime I make the choice, except when I am a Renegade.

As for Miranda, I don't know... it was her, Tali, or Jack... and honestly, out of the three, Miranda was the best. She was very good looking, especially her Mo-Cap actress. Amazing... assets. And despite all the whining, it was hard for me not to like her, especially when she became LESS of a ***** later on.

 

[Freshman]

"reach out with the force and grab that destroyer" (force unleashed) it took me 2 hours to bring down the damn destroyer, because if it wasnt oriented just right, you couldnt pull it down, and if you got that far, you couldnt pull it down the rest of the way because tie fighters spawn to attack you before you can totally crash it, so you have to defend yourself, in which time, it has magically floated back up and turned.

 

[ServebotFrank]

The Persona series had several spikes in difficulty that it made me want to crunch up my controller and throw it. Beginning of Persona 4 was quite easy until you get to the first real boss that loves to kick your ass by spamming fire on your party member Chie who has a fire weakness so the boss gets extra attacks. then the game gets easy again then the second boss kicks your ass until you grind five levels then the game slowly goes down easy street for the rest of the game.

Dead Rising does not have the difficulty spikes everyone says in my opinion and I beat that game when I was just turning 11.

Resident Evil 5 has one annoying bit where you're playing co-op against the final boss and the second player has to constantly press the button but will almost always fail. After about an hour I took the controller from my friend and did it in about six tries. With my other friend we had to cheat to win.

 

[Swinedog08]

God of War 2, Theseus on Titan Mode. After 20 minutes of fighting, getting hit by one of his ice bolts, which stunned you for just long enough for the minotaurs to do the big overhead axe smash and one shot you.

Or if that failed accidentally rolling into the one hit kill ice spikes in the ground. >_>