Difficulty spikes!

[JWRosser]

First time I played through FFIX I was stuck on Gizamaluke for ages, but I think that is because I had no idea how equipment worked and what not.
Also FFX I used to get stuck on the Sinspawn Gui and also when you first fight Seymour. I don't know why - both were a piece of piss whenever I played through the game again.

More recently I tried Fallout 3 on Very Hard difficulty. I've managed to complete it now, but I must say, those first few hours after leaving the Vault with minimal weapons and equipment are a *****. Mostly I found myself hitting and running. Also in Mothership Zeta the aliens with the little forcefield things around them were pretty damn solid. It was a case of running and planting Bottlecap mines mostly - occasionally showing my face to try and disarm them...
Apart from that, the rest of the game was surprisingly easy.

 

[Yarpie]

No idea if i have been ninja'd but:

Halo 3.
Legendary.
Cortana.

I second that. I did that with a friend, and even with the whole "stay alive until the other guy respawns"-trick, we still got absolutely destroyed by that level.

 

[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.

 

[Shilkanni]

Dragon Age had some difficult random encounters at first, like the time it made you fight a LEGION of wolves with traps all around.

Yes, 1st wolf encounter = reload and hope you don't get it.

 

[gamerguyal]

Psychonauts has a well documented case of this. The first half is easy, but still brilliant, and then there's that sudden huge spike in difficulty. With controls as imprecise as that, it's quite frustrating.

Also, CoD 4. The Pripyat mission, with the end of level defence. It was going so well up to that point.

That fairground level was nasty alright... especially on Veteran.

Yeah, that part was pain. I tried everything, but it didn't work. I gave up eventually.

The best way is to hide behind the bumper cars and plant a lot of claymores. The rest is all luck, dodging grenades and a bit of 'de skillz'.

That part took a lot of tries and a good amount of luck for me. I ended up just hiding in a small shed, prone on the ground, while dozens of grenades rained down all around it. I just shot anyone that came through the door and waited until the chopper arrived. And when it did get there, I still had to time my exit so as to not get blown up by the grenades that were still being thrown.

 

[XSA37]

In the same vein as in the Red Dead bears... Red Dead Mountain lions. Those things would come out of absolutely freaking nowhere and pretty much 1-hit you with no warning. It's pretty annoying when you're tracking a bounty down only to get 100 yards from his base and get killed by a freaking cat.

 

[Echo136]

Uh... in Oblivion the Necromancers were always my *****, unless they were high enough level to summon powerful Daedra, then they were an issue until you snuff out the caster. And that HL2 fight was hardly a problem.

My biggest nightmare was the chariot race and subsequent boss fight afterwards in Prince of Persia: Two Thrones. That was so annoying, Ive never come so close to wanting to break the disc.

That's where my poor lil brother gave up on the game... what an absolute dick of a checkpoint that was. I was only able to beat it on easy mode.

As for Oblivion's necromancers... did you do Meridia's quest in Howling Cave? Care to share how you beat it? Because as soon as I set foot in that room I get staggered repeatedly by the ten plus enemies and don't even get a sporting chance to fight back!

If I remember right, that was a pretty tough fight, but I was well prepared. I was a warmage, alteration and destruction with heavy armor and enchanted robes (to keep burden down) and an enchanted mace/shield combo, along with enough potions to supply an army (mostly stolen). By the time I was lvl 15 or so I had acquired enough damage reflecting enchanted stuff that most damage reflected right back at the enemy so I didnt have to worry much.

 

[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.

 

[SimuLord]

Top floor of the Tower of Nido in Phantasy Star II. There's a new enemy called a Blaster that appears for the first time there, and it's such a radical step up in class from anything fought to that point that it's a very unpleasant surprise and a nearly guaranteed sign you need to level-grind about three extra levels.

Very annoying.

 

[PerfectOutlaw]

I found Lost Odyssey to have a wonky difficulty curve, albeit I've only played the first few hours. Most mobs are straightforward enough, but there are a few who seem to exist to make you cry. An hour of walking through mountains and I bump into a Sarbella, who somehow dodged all physical attacks I threw and countered them, killing my whole damned team before I can say "boo." Don't even get me started on the early bosses... Two words: Down Burst

 

[jamie1000001]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Jumper yet. Samuel L Jackson the invincible end boss...1 Hit takes like 1/3rd to half your health away. The combat system is so broken because he won't stop moving so his good and bad sides constantly change.

That was the only game I ever snapped the disk in anger with. The rest of the game was a peace of cake and then that...left me raging for weeks lol.Didn't anyone else find the end boss hard?

It may of been lack of sleep on the day why I failed so epically though.

Also Bad Company when you have to blow up the two bridges was really hard on hard until you found out what to do.

 

[DustyDrB]

Oh wait. Horizon on Mass Effect 2. You know the part. You really have to plan it out, especially on Hardcore and Insanity. And count on your squad members shooting at the husks across the field while ignoring the ones beating on their skulls.

 

[Durxom]

-le snip-

wut?!?!? what about disgaea?!?!

the whole game is one fucking difficulty spike. you need to fucking grind for a couple of hours, then you start playing then it is easy then 4 levels later you need to grind even more...

and don't even get me started about after the game ends. god! why is the level cap lvl 9999?!?!?

i cant even get to level 200 without busting my ass. it took me 100 hours just to get 150!

Hehe, that's not really a difficulty spike then, that's more just a very hard game... what is it by the way? An RPG?

Well to answer that question, its more of a TBS(turn based strategy)game, more akin to something like Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, or Final Fantasy Tactics.

And also, while it may be hard, it is also fun as hell, since there is so much to level up and do and buy and kill.

Random Gameplay video:

 

[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.

 

[XSA37]

Oh wait. Horizon on Mass Effect 2. You know the part. You really have to plan it out, especially on Hardcore and Insanity. And count on your squad members shooting at the husks across the field while ignoring the ones beating on their skulls.

Agreed. Those damn things would swarm you and you couldn't do anything about it. Oh, and on another note, how about the Praetorians? Those things were absolutely the worst part of that game. They would randomly show up and own your face just for laughs. Ten restarts later and you would finally do it, only to get killed by a husk rush.

 

[fishman279]

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

 

[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.

 

[Feste the Jester]

Also, CoD 4. The Pripyat mission, with the end of level defence. It was going so well up to that point.

I'd be tempted to agree with you but then I remember I thought the whole game was hard, particularly when I tried veteran.

 

[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

 

[Josh Kurber]

Oh wait. Horizon on Mass Effect 2. You know the part. You really have to plan it out, especially on Hardcore and Insanity. And count on your squad members shooting at the husks across the field while ignoring the ones beating on their skulls.

Agreed. Those damn things would swarm you and you couldn't do anything about it. Oh, and on another note, how about the Praetorians? Those things were absolutely the worst part of that game. They would randomly show up and own your face just for laughs. Ten restarts later and you would finally do it, only to get killed by a husk rush.

I may have horrible skills in the enemy names, but I remember the worst enemies in ME2 being those big ass husks with the tumor growing out of their backs and those bastard biotic powers that took out my shield in one hit.

And I found the best way to take out the Husks is to use Cryo ammo and shoot their legs. They usually shatter in one shot and fall. Helped quite a lot on the derelict Reaper.