Poll: What's Your Deal With Easy Mode

[Unia]

Having the option to change difficulty is always welcome, even if I don't end up using it. I usually start on normal and then change if I get bored/frustrated.

I did lower difficulty in Oblivion sometimes if I came across something that was curbstomping me repeatedly, because I didn't want to go spend several hours doing whatever before actually finishing that quest. Also dropped down to easy in boss battles in Deus Ex:HR because screw boss battles in that game.

What I don't like is when a game only lets me pick a higher difficulty after beating it once. There's no excuse for that, even with Diablo clones.

 

[Tomster595]

I played easy modes when I was a little kid, but not anymore. It's good that its there so little kids and really unskilled players can see the whole game, but it doesn't belong in every game.

 

[mitchell271]

On occasion. In games where I care more about the story than the gameplay, then I'll play on easy. If I want a challenge then I'll play on hard. Why limit yourself to a difficulty standard if you're not having fun?

 

[KOMega]

Depends on the game and depends on how it's implemented.

For example if it were multiplayer or has interaction with other players in anyway, then an easy mode should be excluded or segmented away or between players.

Otherwise, it's completely up to if the developer wants to/has the time to.

 

[The Random One]

Easy Mode is for those times when the designers couldn't be arsed to make combat feel good. I won't force myself through a boring sequence in the sake of what should be entertainment. Well... actually, I guess I will, as long as it's just boring, and not frustrating boring.

Hepler was right, some games should have a button to skip gameplay. Or maybe have good gameplay, but that just might be asking too much.

As for games that actually work, I usually play on Normal, and will only switch to Hard if I really like the game, or if Normal is way too easy.

 

[Johnny Impact]

I don't care if games have easy mode or not. I never use it. I play Normal the first time, Hard for replays.

 

[RaNDM G]

I cannot enjoy a game if there is no semblance of challenge to it. Easy is fine for little kids who never held a controller before.

For me, a game only needs two modes. Hard, and Mike Tyson Hard. The joy and relief of overcoming an incredibly difficult obstacle in a game only comes when the odds are against you.

 

[ERaptor]

Depends on the game. Certain genres or specific games should be tweakable to personal preference. On the other hand, games like Dark Souls are built around a set of Difficulty, that expects you to be careful, learn about Enemies and enviroments and ofc makes you learn from your mistakes. As opposed to a "i want to win"-Difficultyslider that kills the whole experience. People who demand an easy mode for games like this should simply stop playing, since it was obviously not made for them.

 

[Phantom Kat]

I pick whichever difficulty setting doesn't make the game boringly easy nor frustratingly hard for how I want to play it. I don't have such low self-esteem as to judge my "manliness" by the difficulty setting on a videogame.

 

[Amakaze]

I'd say it definitely depends on the game.

I tend to start on normal and then ramp it up on other play throughs if I really dig the game, though one notch up is usually more than enough for me, except in Tactics games where my enjoyment of the game is fundamentally tied to the enjoyment of the mechanics.

However, in games where I don't find 'The game' particularly engaging, like Bioshock, Mass Effect, and so forth, I will often turn the difficult down to easy. I'm never seriously challenged and can burn my way through enemies in order to get more story, which is the fundamental reason I play the game. Replaying sections in those games don't appeal to me because the shooting is just spacing between the story (or decision points, as the case may be) and I could care less whether its a challenge or not.

 

[Whateveralot]

I play it a lot, so I have no problem with it (obviously, that would be hypocritical).

However, whether I play easy or hard, depends on the game. If my experience is that I can play it on hard mode (games like InFamous and Uncharted) without it distorting my view of the game (getting stuck very often, etc), I do so. I'm up for a challenge.

 

[skurz]

I think the Devil May Cry reboot tackled alternative difficulties decently, though it still had the annoying Easy, Normal, Hard modes.

After beating the game once, another mode called Son of Sparda was unlocked- the only difference is that "big" enemies show up earlier and all enemies are stronger.

After beating the game on that mode, two more are unlocked: Dante Must Die! and Heaven or Hell.
Dante Must Die! mode is an extreme version of Son of Sparda that upon completion gives you a great upgrade.
Heaven or Hell mode allows you to kill anything in one hit, but you also die in one hit. Very fast paced and fun!

Then, possibly taking it too far, after beating it on Heaven or Hell, Hell or Hell is unlocked, where all enemies are upgraded..... and you die in one hit.


While I enjoy a good challenge, after beating DmC on its "hard" difficulty, I was a bit too drained to want to play harder and harder levels, and Heaven or Hell was only obtainable after beating the damn game twice already.

Thats actually where the old DMC's shine the most compared to the new DmC. Where as normal *surprise motherf***er its hard" mode in DMC3 was challenging, and DMC4's normal was just as challenging, DmC is unfortunately dumbed down and easily breakable (fully upgraded Drive.... *facepalm*). As soon as I beat Son of Sparda I went into Dante Must Die and 2 hours in was bored to tears... then it froze. I know, I know, I grew up with the old DMC's where I'd play DMD till my heart stopped functioning from the 60fps but talk about inconsistency... you'd think if you were using an IP that had difficulty modes that were strangely hard yet still fun and provided a challenge it wouldn't be so watered down in a reboot. But hey... not even Ninja Theory can defend what they did.

OT: I don't easy mode. Its not fun.
Remember God Hand's "easy" mode? That was the last game I played on easy, after that experience I want THAT easy mode in every game pls.

Its also why I like Dark Souls. Here are the difficulty settings in case anyone is curious:
-New Game
-Load Game

I never played the original games, but they sound much better than the reboot. The reboot made me feel so frustrated at how ridiculous and broken the combat system felt, and replaying the same game over and over with different enemies was so dreadfully boring. I'm glad to know that the reboot isn't too much like the series!

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

I don't really mind the inclusion of an Easy Mode in games and I can see why it would exist in the first place.

For many people, they are new or unfamiliar with a genre/game series. So rather than die or lose the game due to its normal or hard difficulty, they want to get the basics right and probably switch to a harder difficulty once they've done so.

As for me, if I'm unfamiliar with the game series, I usually start at the normal difficulty, so that I can get the hang of the gameplay. If it's a series that I'm familiar with, I'll choose between Normal and Hard (Normal because I know that it would be more enjoyable this way, or Hard in order to provide more of a challenge).

 

[Raikas]

I'm all for different difficulty settings in games and don't understand why so many people are offended by the idea of them. Personally it makes no difference to me (I generally play on the "normal" setting for games with 3 levels of difficulty (or on the 4th for the ones with 5), so it actually makes no difference to me - my experience would be the same regardless. But I understand that some people want certain elements to be more challenging, while others are playing for the atmosphere or the story, so I think it's a good feature in general.

Well the way I see it, easy difficulties aren't for you or me, they're meant as a way to give gamers who are new, less experienced or just not very skilled, a way into the game so they can enjoy it as well.

I think that's a bit dismissive of the people who play for the atmosphere/story elements (although I agree that it's just a way to let other people enjoy the game). I was just commenting in another thread about people I know who are not new to games or inexperienced, but they're just not interested in the combat elements of certain games, so they appreciate being able to have an easy way to get to the next environment or plot point.

 

[kickyourass]

I'm all for different difficulty settings in games and don't understand why so many people are offended by the idea of them. Personally it makes no difference to me (I generally play on the "normal" setting for games with 3 levels of difficulty (or on the 4th for the ones with 5), so it actually makes no difference to me - my experience would be the same regardless. But I understand that some people want certain elements to be more challenging, while others are playing for the atmosphere or the story, so I think it's a good feature in general.

Well the way I see it, easy difficulties aren't for you or me, they're meant as a way to give gamers who are new, less experienced or just not very skilled, a way into the game so they can enjoy it as well.

I think that's a bit dismissive of the people who play for the atmosphere/story elements (although I agree that it's just a way to let other people enjoy the game). I was just commenting in another thread about people I know who are not new to games or inexperienced, but they're just not interested in the combat elements of certain games, so they appreciate being able to have an easy way to get to the next environment or plot point.

I can understand that, perhaps I should have phrased it, "Primarily meant as a way to give less skilled games an in." Because there's nothing wrong with people who want to play on easy for the atmosphere or the writing, and I think developers should be mindful of that fact, but at the moment the thinking to making lower difficulty is USUALLY "This is for people who aren't as good." Maybe not exclusively, but usually.

 

[MrBaskerville]

Depends on the game, if it´s bloody annoying to play (Not all games have gameplay and controls that are suited for very high difficulties), i´m going to go with easy mode but eles i prefer a challenge.

 

[cridia]

Generally I tend to play it on normal, but these days I gravitate towards easy modes as well. Especially now that games have become part of my research and more than enjoyment, time has become of the essence. I also don't have many qualms with cheat codes or abusing glitches anymore either, especially when the game contains excessive grinding if you want to complete it legit. Often nowadays, I just need to understand what a certain challenge is like, rather than experience it in all of its difficulty. Or if I have to analyze the atmosphere or things like narrative elements, in which case I have no use for challenge at all anymore.

 

[thebakedpotato]

I love easy mode. All of the fun from a game, none of the strangling yourself with a controller cord in frustration.

 

[Miral]

I don't usually get a lot of time to play, so while I default to normal mode I'll happily kick it down to Easy if it's getting too long-winded. I don't really see the point of Hard modes -- usually it's not really harder, it's just more frustrating and grindy (because usually it just ends up being a health tweak of some kind). And that's something I don't ever want in a game. Games are supposed to be fun, not annoying.

 

[Extra-Ordinary]

I never play games on their very easiest or their very hardest, exceptions obviously made for the few games that only have two difficulty settings or arcade-y games like Pac-Man DX CE or the Bit.Trip series.
But I do play easy when I play co-op. I just find it more fun than dying a whole bunch. That said, I have some good memories of going through Legendary runs through the Halo games co-op.