Do we need "easy mode" any more?

[Madman123456]

"Easy" Difficulties are very easy to do and will give the user two selectable Difficulties instead of two. Make your Game, test it, see if it will be too hard or too easy, then call the finished run "normal" mode.
For "hard mode" add a few enemies, for "easy" remove some. Very easy to do; why would you get rid of this very easy to implement Option?


I will say something though; Developers should get more People to test the Games out. "Easy" should be really easy and "Hard" should be really hard.

Everyone, including your Mom should be able to beat a Game in easy mode after a few tries. While even the most dextrous super pros should not be able to beat any "hard" mode on their first run.

 

[teqrevisited]

Easy still has its merits. I tend to play easy when I'm ill or when I just flat out can't be arsed. Let easy stay, normal and hard+ will always be an option.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Maybe it's also good if you just want a quick, un-frustrating game to pass the time and just want to relax while you're waiting for something, but the challenge is part of the fun and a lot of gamers would have a lot more fun when the game isn't too easy, so why not just go for what you're used to and play on "normal" or "hard" instead?

If you do play on "easy mode", why is this? I'm not calling you out for being a pussy or whatever, how you enjoy your games is up to you and it's perfectly fine to use a feature that's included in the game. I'm just curious as to what function it serves when I suspect a majority of gamers would choose to play on "normal" on their first play-through without even thinking about it.

I'm not really sure, which is why I wrote this post to hear the thoughts of others on maybe if it needs to stay around or if it's just another vestigial organ that gaming has long-since evolved pass the need for. I know it serves a purpose and it has its advantages, but is it really required? And, If it disappeared one day, would anyone even notice?

I will individually address each of your paragraphs here.

First paragraph:

I don't know about anybody else, but if I want a game to be not frustrating I don't want a game to be challenging and in such situations challenges are not part of the fun. Challenges aren't set in stone as always being something that makes a game fun and if removed it is not fun. Really, it all depends on the person and the gaming mood of the person.

Second paragraph:

I've been gaming for 22 years and I still used easy modes quite a bit; it also depends on the game being played. Take the Dragon Age and Mass Effect games: I always do my first play-through on casual(easy mode). I do that because in such games I don't want a challenge right off; I only want to pay attention to the story and see all the game has to offer. I can't do that on the harder settings, because I have to pay too much attention to staying alive, and such settings take much longer to experience the story. Finally, when I beat the game on casual is when I do insanity mode for the challenge and difficulty achievements.

Final Paragraph:

Gaming will never evolve passed easy modes. There will always be new people to gaming that need such modes, and people like me who at times don't want a challenge because it isn't fun for the gaming mood they are in and/or want to experience games with extensive story modes, without having to concentrate on the gameplay.

Edit: I would notice if it disappeared.

 

[Raggedstar]

I rarely play easy mode, but it is necessary for reasons already mentiond. I tend to start on normal unless it's a game in a franchise I feel I've mastered already (or if it's something I KNOW I can handle).

Bayonetta on normal mode is actually pretty tricky, especially if you're not used to the fast-paced hack-and-slash gameplay. It has 2 easy modes, a normal mode, and 2 hard modes. I never went easy (except for trophy whoring), but the higher of the easy settings do kinda ease you in. Teaches you to look for tells and learning attack patterns while not spanking you like in the harder settings.

 

[Sonic Doctor]

Well, some Games do require that you beat certain difficulty modes to gain access to the more difficult ones.

Then there are games like Dead Rising, which stupidly locked the easy unlimited time mode behind the fact that the player had to beat the timed game to unlock that mode.

When I got the game way back, I didn't know that it pulled the three day crap similar to Zelda: Majora's Mask.

Easy mode should not be an unlockable, that is bull crap.

 

[Stryc9]

I was wondering if there's any actual purpose to having an "easy mode" other than it not being "normal or "hard". I guess it serves a purpose of not being either of those because if you took away "easy" then that would make "normal" the new "easy" because there would be nothing below "normal" any more.

You answered your own question in the first paragraph of your post.

Also, there are some people out there who play on easy just to get through the game for the story because they don't have the time or patience to keep repeating certain challenging parts of the game on harder difficulty settings.

 

[FalloutJack]

When I was a child, I played as a child and thus had easy mode. Now that I am older and wiser, normal mode IS my easy mode.

 

[SextusMaximus]

Yes, yes we do.

/thread.

 

[chadachada123]

As much as I love games like Demon's Souls that lack difficulty options, for nabbing achievements I much prefer setting it on easy mode so that I don't have to try hard AGAIN just to pick up some collectables or whatever.

Games, however, should be mode around normal or hard mode and then made easier for easy mode, rather than making it with easy mode in mind and then just turning up the health for harder modes.

 

[Souplex]

We don't need it, other people do.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Yes it is required I can't believe you would suggest otherwise. We always need real easy modes that are easy and real hard modes that are hard.

 

[Ashadowpie]

i've been playing games almost all my life and for some reason i terribly suck at them, i almost need easy mode cuz if i die more than 5 times in the starting, i actually lose interest. no one likes 'game over" and like the one guy said, its a different kinda fun when you can just blast your way through all the baddies without cursing and throwing the controller from stress cuz your screwing up all the time.

 

[Reaper195]

Yes, fuck yes we do. I tried playing Mass Effect 3 on Normal and kept getting raped. TO the point where I was about to give up. One difficulty change later, and I'm enjoying the game thoroughly. Same with Mas Paynes, Just Cause, Halo, Call of Duty, and almost all games. For a vast amount of people, it's not about a challenge. It's about the fun of a game. Hell, the only reason I play DayZ is simply to test my survival skills. If it weren't for the fact that I
ve always wanted a zombie survival game, DayZ could go fuck itself.

Also, when on Easy on ME3, being a Vanguard makes you feel like a Biotic God. Biotic charge into group, Nova, heavy melee, pull on guys in distance, heavy melee, biotic charge guys still in air, defeat Reapers, become sentient machine god. Like colour blue.

 

[Vegosiux]

Also, when on Easy on ME3, being a Vanguard makes you feel like a Biotic God.

Well, that's not a good thing. I mean, we know how Biotic Gods tend to end up if left to their own devices... *cough*ME2 Biotic God*cough*

 

[Faladorian]

That depends what the developer's idea of "normal" is.


Some games are bone-crushing on normal.


Hell, when I played Dragon Age: Origins, I could play the whole game on normal with a mage, but with a rogue i had to switch to easy to beat the freaking tutorial.



So yeah sometimes it is. Also, if i just want to speed through to get story I'll choose easy. Like KH Chain of Memories. I did Sora's story on normal, then riku's on beginner because I wasnt interested in playing cards anymore and just wanted the story.

 

[rob_simple]

I find easy mode useful when I just want to run through a game to experience the story or if I'm just doing a sweep for collectables and don't want to deal with dying every ten minutes as well.

So no, there is absolutely no reason to lose easy mode especially since it's presence is doing no harm.

 

[JMeganSnow]

If nothing else, easy mode helps people who want to get screenshots or similar.

Lots of people play games for lots of different reasons--and the same person may have different goals at different times. They're more likely to keep gaming as a part of their lifestyle if games are flexible enough to meet their goals.

 

[malkavianmadman]

I think it depends on the game and how they do it. If they just make the enemies morons that sucks but if the enemy is just as smart but not as numerous or not as tough thats ok. As for game type some games just have a story you want to follow, I played my first game of vernum: Escape from teh pit on casual so I could just focus on the story.

 

[devotedsniper]

I'd consider myself a "hardcore gamer" (I guess) and I usually play on either easy or normal, it's not because I suck (I used to be very good at online fps's), it's more the fact that when it's on easy or normal I can enjoy the story better, dying alot because of the jacked up difficulty is just frustrating and can totally kill a game for me.