Poll: What's Your Deal With Easy Mode

[Ferisar]

A friend of mine plays everything on Easy, because if they don't then they can't partake in the gaming experience. I can't shame the person either, some people might just not be that good at certain games. There's no reason in going "EW, YOU PLAY ON EASY? GROSSSSS." Shame yourself if you feel your standards would not allow you to stoop lower, but don't bring everyone else to be equated to whatever your notion of the SELF is. People aren't the same, yada yada happiness friendship and rainbows.

I do agree that some games should not be accessible to some people, and that's not because of exclusivity but rather because the difficulty is part of what the game is about, and the rest of the experience, while appealing, isn't as rewarding when you can beat it on an alternate difficulty level. Dark Souls comes to mind (an entirely not hard game once you stop being stubborn and start picking up patterns and pathways).

What this really means is that people, individually, should play at the difficulty level of what may be appropriate to them, not in whatever manner would be appropriate to others. This is true tenfold for single-player experiences, because whoever playing has the entirely of the ability to change their own gaming experience rather than hear from the person next to them who incessantly demands they play in his or her way rather than on their own.

 

[Chefsbrian]

When I was young, and starting into my gaming, I'd normally play on easy for my games (Except Starfleet Armada, I was fucking boss at that and would play against normal bots, and sometimes even the harder ones XD) But Unreal tournament got me out of my shell.

Back before I even started into school, my father couldn't afford to have me babysat and obviously wouldn't leave me at home all the time, so he would take me to work and plop me down on one of the floor's demo Computers, which was running the Original Unreal Tournament at the time XD And I would play that, all the time, whenever he couldn't hand me off to friends and close family to watch. And he would slowly turn up the difficulty on me. I don't remember how far he got it up though (Skilled? Veteran? 3-4 tiers above normal at the MOST) but I do remember sitting down years later to play 2003 and it just... Came naturally. I still boot up 2004 every once and a while and do a 1v1 instakill vs Godlike bots XD

So my decision in a game comes from the type of gameplay. COD usually stalls out at normal for me, because in my "Realistic" Shooters I prefer to take things slow, find solid cover and whittle down the enemy. COD loves to respawn enemies if you don't advance, and kill you in three shots DX. Throw me into ARMA 3 and I'll fight down top skill AI in outnumbered assaults and stand my ground. Throw me into Legendary Halo and I'll hold my own. Crank the difficulty on Vanquish and I'll live.

but you turn up the difficulty in COD and I will rage. So yes, I support easy mode, and its because I am a good example of being real good at a few things (RTS, Fast paced like Halo and Unreal, and slow tactical like ARMA) And being 'competent' at the COD's and the Battlefields, and the "Realism is brown" Generic shooters (no hate, just the general group I tend to lump them in XD)

 

[Broderick]

Dark Souls does not be as hard as it is to be a good game.

The difficulty is a gimmick it doesn't need.

(Just saying now, I would not mind the addition of an optional easy mode to dark souls). Mechanically, the game would definitely still be good, but I think the experience as a whole would be hurt if the game was easier. One of the main themes of the game is the inevitability of death, and the struggle against it; by making the game easier, this theme becomes less prevalent, and the world much less threatening. This would hurt the entire premise the game is based on, and I think it would not only hurt the game, but do a disservice the players as well.

That being said, another person's experience with the game does not effect mine, regardless of difficulty. I believe that when Dark Souls fans talk about an easy mode in negative light, it is not because someone else's experience on easy hurts ours, but because it would do a disservice to both the game and the players(as mentioned above); at least in context of the world the game is trying to present to the player. I however can only speak for myself, but take that as you will.

Aside from all of that though, Dark Souls is only hard in the sense that it has a high difficulty curve, and that mostly stems from the lack of information(whether through the lack of a decent tutorial, or the entry of an unfamiliar area) rather than enemies having high health or doing tons of damage(gravelording aside). I figure the difficulty of the game is a tad exaggerated.

 

[Not Matt]

i like it. it is good to have in case i suck at the game but really like it, that way i can get better at it and actually win something and get a sense of accomplishment. I'll rather play smart than hard

 

[Smiley Face]

Generally speaking, if I like a game, I'll play it more than once. The first time around, challenge can get in the way of my enjoyment, particularly if I'm playing something like Mass Effect, where I care about the story, or Hitman, where I want to get it absolutely perfect - games where you'll either be reloading a lot, or reloading really breaks the flow. With those games, I play on a lower difficulty, like easy or normal, on my first playthrough - then on the second playthrough, familiar with the game, I play on the highest difficulty possible, and enjoy that element without it getting in the way of the flow, because on the second playthrough, it's not as important.

 

[Snowbell]

I frequent easy mode when it's available because it takes less time to get through the game. I'm an impatient person.

 

[TheEvilCheese]

I think if a game has easy mode, go for it. I don't have any problem with you playing it. If the devs gave you the option to customize your experience with the game you're welcome to use it.

That said, I definitely see Dark Souls benefiting from not having this choice, the ENB video posted earlier in the thread sums it up pretty well. There is a fundamental difference between games you are intended to clear no matter what and games where the risk of failure is very real.

The intent of the developers does not have to cater to every player if it reduces the experience for other players. It's fine if you don't enjoy dark souls because of the difficulty but the game isn't designed for you.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

This might revoke my "gamer" card, but all the games I play are on easy and here is why:

The games that I am play are usually for the story and not combat. Combat can help and I appreciate it if it's good. With that in mind I don't want it to be too stressful (I get enough of that in my WoW raids) so I want the gameplay aspect to be the easiest one. I play the games for the story not to kick my ass because the enemies become bullet sponges (I hate you Borderlands bosses at higher level). The only exception where games are actually made like that such as Dark Souls I usually play regardless of their default difficulty.

On another note but still around the same point somewhat: whenever I encounter a puzzle and it takes me more than 30min to figure it out, I will usually go online and try to find the solution. Puzzles in the games I play are welcomed but only to a certain degree.

I can say the only exception where I actually wanted to see how hard the game was and what changes they would implement in that mode was the Dark mode (which is Insanity without the permadeath) in Witcher 2. It took me longer to finish, but I can say that I quite enjoyed the challenge due to the fact that I love that particular game/franchise.

These are my two cents regarding this topic.

 

[GabeZhul]

Entirely depends on the game, or rather what I want from the game. If I play it for the story (whether the plot or the character interactions) then it's easy for me and I hack the snot out of it to boot. ON the other hand if it's a game that is about finely balanced challenge and gameplay mechanics, I always go with the normal difficulty. I see no point in harder difficulties unless the game is unbalanced in some ways and it's needed to keep up the tension. Say, Skyrim/FalloutNV can easily become a yawnfest after a few hours on lower difficulties if you use an OP build.

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

Yeah, I don't really easy mode either and tend to start my first playthrough's on Normal difficulty but I'm not against having an easy mode. I will admit to using it in the Arcade/Story modes of BlazBlue Continuum Shift EXTEND. Mostly because it was my first attempt at a game like that and that losing some fights sends you on the one-way trip to the bad ending. Also Unlimited Hazama. Fuck that guy!

Every game is someone's first and someone's first leap into a game of that genre, and an easy mode can allow someone to get used to how the game works before jumping into it's real meaty challenges. There are also more story-centric games like Asura's Wrath where an easy mode allows you to quickly speed through the gameplay to get to the plot, without the risk of death breaking the narrative flow.

I still don't see why people are bitching about Dark Souls II's easy mode. It's not like the game's forcing you to use it, you can still have it as balls hard as you like but now people who want to enjoy the story/lore (if those exist in Dark Souls) without having to worry about getting killed every 2 minutes.

 

[MrFalconfly]

I use easy on some games (especially on games where the focus is on the story, and being bogged down for the tenth time that day really kills flow).

And why do people even have a problem with an easy mode on Dark Souls? Key word is "MODE", as in optional. It wont subtract your experience, just create a new slightly more forgiving one for other people.

It's not like the mere existence of an easy mode somehow magically makes the hardmode a pushover.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

My feelings about 'easy' mode are mixed, mostly depending on the type of game being played.

In terms of FPS games and the like - which are all about testing skill, accuracy, reflexes and timing - then personally I crank up the difficulty as high as it will go. After all, in a test of skill where is the fun in not testing yourself? However, I still don't have problems with different difficulties in these games because everyone has to start somewhere.

In terms of RPG games and the like - which are all about story, world-building, character development and so on - then I'll leave the difficulty on normal, or even change it down to 'easy'. Those games are about narrative story-telling rather than skill at arms, so it's a pleasant change of pace to let the plots of these games pan out at a calmer, more sedate pace - especially if I'm trying to ease down after spending the last three hours beating my head against a LASO run on Halo.

As a sidenote, another point about open world RPGs is that setting the difficulty lower doesn't have to make the game easier. Sounds strange, but let's take that Frost Troll in Skyrim as an example. Now playing on Adept difficulty you're maybe looking at being level 8 before you attempt that bugger. But what about using Apprentice difficulty and trying that fight at level 5? Even though the difficulty is lower, because you're taking on enemies technically way out of your league the challenge of the encounter is the same, and the narrative flows at a quicker pace - which is useful for people with families and jobs and the like who can't afford to grind levels for days on end.

TL;DR: I reckon FPS games should be played on 'hardest', but I do use the easier modes on RPG games.

 

[fenrizz]

I'm 26, work a full time job and have 2 kids.

I haven't the time nor the patience to play the same mission/Level/whatever 10+ times.
I mostly play on normal or easy.

 

[Vyper1X]

For the last few years i've started playing most games on hard for my initial play through, unless you need to unlock it by playing normal. But I like games to be challenging, even if I suck at them I keep retrying until I get through. It's mostly because I love the feeling of completing a game that was a challenge, the best feeling i've had while gaming was the first time that I completed Dante must Die in Devil May Cry 3, will never forget that day.

 

[Aesir23]

For me, it really depends on the game I'm playing. Usually I'll play on easy mode first since I really just want to play through the story and have fun. Once I've beaten a game I'll generally play it again on harder difficulties. There are occasions, however, where the easy mode has been too easy for me on my first playthrough and I'll just go to a harder difficulty.

The only game where I've been irked by how easy or difficult it was is DmC. It was still a solid game but with the previous instalments you had to work to get the higher rankings (not important but it's nice knowing you kicked ass). In DmC I was getting S rankings and higher without really trying.

 

[lacktheknack]

Well, it obviously depends on the game.

Point and click adventure games tend to have no difficulty modes, because puzzles are hard to difficulty-adjust.

Games that revel in their difficulty - like Dark Souls or Super Meat Boy, which were designed with a very specific difficulty in mind - don't need difficulty settings.

Puzzle games tend to ascend in difficulty naturally, so they don't need them either.

Beyond that, everything should have difficulty settings. I prefer Normal mode, but my sister prefers Easy mode. Why shouldn't she be allowed to play a standard platformer just because she's easily frustrated?

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

With the sorts of games I tend to play, I generally prefer to set them on harder difficulties. There are always exceptions of course. Dawn of War 2, for example, doesn't really get harder to play as the difficulty spikes; it just gets more tedious. Minor bosses are capable of instantly killing one of your squad members (and you only have four of them) and if you aren't careful can wipe out your team in an instant. They achieve this while being able to simply shrug off all the firepower you can throw at them as they happily soak damage for minutes as you constantly run around trying to keep at least two guys fighting at all times.

I guess that I tend to play on high difficulty when the challenge produces a fun result and eschew such options when the challenge is entirely artificial and tedious. This is why, for example, I don't particularly care for the Souls series - the problem isn't that the game is difficult but rather that it forces a style of play that's simply far to slow and measured for my tastes.

 

[DeltaEdge]

To be honest, although I am completely fine with other people playing on easy mode, and scorn people who advocate against other people choosing how they play, I never play on easy mode myself for my cheap gamer pride. It just bothers the hell out of me if I can't beat a game at the original level was created to be played at, and it feels very satisfying to be able to clear the game at it's proper difficultly or higher, although, for me, there's usually a diminishing return past normal mode, and the return often becomes practically non-existent at the ridiculous difficulties

i.e., I played through about half of Tales of Xillia on moderate[ easy > normal > moderate > hard]) and was wondering why I was getting curb-stomped so badly by bosses, and even regular monster encounters sometimes, then I shifted to normal after I realized, and the game became much more manageable, and the difference was like night and day. And even though I was supposed to be getting higher exp/gald bonuses on moderate[the base exp/gald do not change over difficulty levels], I found myself getting better bonuses in normal mode due to being able to wrack up larger combos, and juggle enemies for longer. And I don't even want to consider playing hard, at least not until a second playthrough after getting the right equips to pretty much nullify any kind of elemental damage, and the OP weapons that increase every time you kill a monster, which I probably won't do because I feel like it saps the fun out of a higher difficulty if I am just giving myself a cushion to keep playing at my current comfort level, without really being challenged.

Also, an afterthought about easy mode. Please remember that easy is relative to the standard difficulty, and having an easy mode doesn't automatically sap any and all challenge from the game, it just makes it marginally easier for players who want a similar experience, but lack the skills to play at the proper difficulty level, which will still probably challenge them greatly. Easy mode doesn't mean taking a boss with 1k hp and lowering that to 100 and taking away all its armor, it just means making it marginally more approachable, like maybe reducing it's stats by 20-30% or so. Of course, if a game fucks up its modes and they are all out of proportion to each other, then that's for that specific game, not every easy mode that has ever existed.
(tl;dr A game that's bone-crushingly hard that has an easy mode, will probably still be hard in easy mode, just scaled down.)

 

[Specter Von Baren]

If it's a game that has a very unusual control scheme or is complicated and I need time to figure things out then I'll go with easy mode. Something like Elite Beat Agents is a good example of when I, immediately and without remorse, played through easy mode before going to normal mode and I saw it as more of me training for the harder difficulties.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

(Just saying now, I would not mind the addition of an optional easy mode to dark souls). Mechanically, the game would definitely still be good, but I think the experience as a whole would be hurt if the game was easier. One of the main themes of the game is the inevitability of death, and the struggle against it; by making the game easier, this theme becomes less prevalent, and the world much less threatening. This would hurt the entire premise the game is based on, and I think it would not only hurt the game, but do a disservice the players as well.

Well that's the point of a difficulty level though. It's so everyone can find their level of challenging. What's a rewarding grind for some may simply be an impossible wall for others.