What difficulty level do you start off with?

[The Thief]

Really depends on the game, but I'll usually choose the second hardest difficulty. It gives me enough challenge to make the game last longer while leaving a good reason to replay it if I find the game worth it. But if the first few levels are too difficult I'll usually start over on the next difficulty down, and if they're too easy then the next one up.

 

[Ultrajoe]

In Any game i immediately start on the hardest mode possible, even if its something like 'nightmare evil death mode for pros'

on an RTS, this is so i can learn everything an AI will throw at me, and so i find that kind of difficulty and demanding mental juggle the normal, or else it will be twice as hard coming from medium or easy.

On an FPS it is so i find that difficulty the normal, so in truth its not that demanding, i you learn to play that ways its nothing special, and once you've done this a few times on a few games, your 'Mr Awesome'

Your mind simply adapts, push it to its limits and its limits expand

 

[Frybird]

In Racing Games (Arcadey Ones) and Shooters i usually go for the second hardest as well.

Especially if i know beforehand that the game will be rather short.

I'm rather surprised that, after i found the previous Installments rediculously hard in the latter half, i'd wish i could make the missions in GTA IV a bit harder...

 

[shatnershaman]

Easy call me a retard i don't care I like feeling like freaking god.(Then hardest to get my gamerscore up... yes I'm pathetic.....)

 

[talon92]

gotta say that i hate the AI in many rts's, cause, as the Franco said, they all cheat like hell, so in rts games i start on normal, no higher than that.
in fps's tho, i start it up at hard because i don't play the AI to test myself, just for laffs at how crazy hardcore enemies get. then i play people for real, because no matter how good an AI is (as long as its not cheating) it won't be as creative as humans can be in a firefight (just look at bf 2 and 2142 those AIs suck massive dong, even on the hardest setting)

 

[Pingrash]

I normally start at normal difficulty. Then if it gets too hard then I'll drop it to easy but that doesn't happen too often.

I tend to do better at console games than pc games now but I don't know why.

 

[R31NDR]

depends on the game, if its something like PGR I'll start on Platinum, if it's Guitar Hero/Rock Band (Guitar only) then I'll start on Hard, if it's an FPS I'll generally start on medium if it's on console or hard if it's on PC

 

[Zamber0ni]

I generally start with hard, since it seems to be better to tone down the difficulty 1/4 the way through a game than beat it and then decide it was too easy.

Plus it seems games have been made laughably easy in the past few years. Bioshock was laughably easy, even on hard. The brass balls achievement was a free 100 gamerscore, really.

 

[Blayze]

If a difficulty level has more content added to it (Plok), then I'm sold. When it comes to Infinity Engine games, if I get more EXP for a difficulty level then I choose that one. I'm currently working my way through the original Icewind Dale on Insane difficulty on Heart of Fury mode (Recommended for level 9+ parties who've already completed the game... or was that 13+?)... with a team of level 1s. I appear to have hit a small snag in the form of too many Goblins to kill. Sure I'll work around that sometime soon...

 

[Sibren]

I always start one below the highest difficulty. That way, most of the time the game is challenging enough, while at the same time one has another playthrough to look forward to. Starting at the highest difficulty feels like a shame, because when you're done you're done.

 

[The Reverend]

I tend to start on the hardest, I try to get the most challenge out of the game, and I generally don't have the time/cant be arsed to play through it twice.

 

[RoThgar]

I play on the hardest I can, while that means there is really no re-playability i find the easier settings not challenging enough. i.e. crysis, COD4, quake 4, etc etc

 

[Kedcom]

"Nightmare" setting of course! Ah Doom.... how I loved thee...

But actually I'm fibbing, I usually play games on medium and then switch to harder if it's turning out to be too easy.

 

[Necrohydra]

Chalk up another one to medium. Once in a while I start on hard, though.

 

[sicDaniel]

In most FPS, I play the hardest difficulty. Doom3 and Quake4 for example are far too easy on medium, having full health and armor all the time really makes the game less intense.
Strategy games or simulations like Sim City i always play on easy, because these games I just want to play without thinking too much.

 

[nightfish]

Hard, anything less isn't a challenge.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

Game default for the first run-through; later run-throughs at progressively higher difficulties until it isn't fun anymore or I top out. I don't think I've ever played a game on "Easy"; if "Normal" is pounding me into the dirt, I tend to just abandon the game entirely.

-- Steve

 

[Conqueror Kenny]

Start on easy then i will turn it up one by one as i start to learn what i am doing.