What's your default starting difficulty?

[Amdor6]

In case of RPGs, FPSs, action games and similar I always start on Normal. Not that I'm a hardcore tr00 pl4yer, but unchallenging games are getting boring fast, and I almost never have trouble keeping up on the default medium setting.
There are exceptions, however· Playing through Dragon Age I found myself more times than I would like to in the uneasy situation when a fight was too hard on Normal.
On the other hand, I beat Mass Effect on Insanity and found it not very challenging. ME2, I beat on Insanity twice.
In strategies, I usually begin on a lower difficulty setting, to get accustomed with mechanics, than gradually raise the bar.

 

[DanielBrown]

Easy. Only with a few games that I've started out with Normal when I'm after a slight challenge. Mainly play games for mindless fun. Pulling my hair because I struggled to the end and can't beat the last boss isn't fun for me.
When I've finished a game on Easy or Normal I always bring the difficulty setting up one step the next time I play it however.

As a side note; I recently finished Rise of the Argonauts on the hardest difficulty setting and was amazed that it was just as easy as when I played on the easiest setting. Perhaps the developers just sucked at the difficulty curve, but it has made a bit more open to try harder settings.

 

[BoredRolePlayer]

After playing Cod4 on hard I no longer do that, cause I want to beat my games.

 

[ScorpSt]

Usually normal, but if I start having problems, I'll switch to easy. I don't usually go for higher difficulties until I get the hang of normal.

 

[busters]

Usually normal, cause I assume that's how the game developers want the game to be played. If it turns out to be a little too easy/hard for me, I adjust the difficulty accordingly.

 

[Rodin]

Hardest available.
Reasons:
I like a challenge for 1.

If I don't particularly like the game I only have to play through it once to get the achievements (in most cases(Dark Sector be damned!))

Finally, If I DO like the game I can then play through it again on a low difficulty absorbing the story as best I can.

 

[likalaruku]

Easy.

I'm lazy & don't like to be challenged, plus I hate anything that stinks of bravado or machismo.

 

[eternal-chaplain]

I always start on medium. No questions asked...except for when I first started playing Guitar Hero, because I wasn't good enough for medium. ^_^

I did like how Infamous starts you on medium, and while you can change it at any point in the game, if you're doing really good, it changes you to hard and if you're doing bad, it changes you to easy. : )

 

[Miles000]

FPS games... Usually 1 down from hardest.
RTS games... Usually normal.
RPG games... Usually normal.
Other games... Usually normal.

Will often kick it up though.

 

[fragmaster09]

easyest, so 'easy'/'recruit' for shoothers, 'very easy' for those that let me, but after i beat the single player, i either play through my favourite missions/levels of easy/normal or try a speedrun on easy or try a run on normal, then hard, then higher(if appliccable)

or Peaceful

(who gets that very easy one)

here's a tip:

Spoiler

ssssSSSS

here's the answer:

Spoiler

MINECRAFT OF COURSE!

 

[Kitoxe]

This year ive started to play every game in the hardest mode availible the last games i played where Dead space 2 and Dead rising 2 i dont own an xbox 360 but the similarities with other games made it easyer but still kind of a challenge now games that have crippled my strategist pride, Fire emblem shadow dragon and Radiant dawn but still ill try keep up with hard modes.

 

[Daddy Go Bot]

Normal.

Unless it's a fighter or RTS, then I tend to start at the easiest.

 

[Drexlor]

I usually start on normal. I save harder difficulties for 2nd playthroughs and I only use easy to get trophies.

 

[Suicida1 Midget]

Second hardest difficulty. Gives me a challenge, gets me ready for the toughest. Then go to easy for a god run. Only in rts do i go with normal, just so i know how the economy works, and play around with army squads.

 

[RantingLombax]

Normal. It's the best way to go.

 

[Darth_pipsqueak]

That depends. If it's an adventure game, well then, it's hard i guess, because then i can put the difficulty back on normal if the challenge gets too big.
In RPGs though, i play it on normal because i've had some REALLY rubbish situations in them...