I usually stick to a set difficulty, because sometimes you don't know what the game is going to throw at you. Or what they consider "hard". Sometimes hard means more attacks, sometimes more health, sometimes you get less abilities/hud. Its too random for me most of the time, I don't think I've found a game that does it good.
Your opinion on adjustable difficulty throughout a game.
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I'm definately for adjustable difficulty. Going in, you often can't be certain what this particular game's interpretation of 'Easy', 'Normal', 'Hard' or 'Dude, you're a fucking masochist!' is going to be as well as certain players finding certain tasks, enemy patterns more frustrating than ohters. Plus there are moments in the game where the difficulty capriciously spikes up and I don't want to have to go all the way back to the beggining just because I got stuck on some obnoxiously arduous boss battle at the mid-way point, especially when the game never attains that level of complexity from there on in. Someone above mentioned MGS and that particular example really grinds my gears in this context because the only way for me to get the good ending is to beat that mash the circle button as fast as you can challange which is totally incongruous to the more methodical, stealthy nature of the rest of the game and I can't hit it fast enough on Normal. So instead of giving me the option to switch difficulty for that one section and then switch back, I have to start all over and play through on Easy mode on an already pretty easy game, meaning I'm just waltzing through the entire thing just so I can do that one bloody QTE properly. >.> While in certain scenarios I feel as though the game has bested me when I have to cave in and fleetingly lower difficulty for a particularly tough section, the option definately spares me a lot of frustration in the long run and I'm glad when it's there. 
I like the adjustable difficulty, though I do try to stick with what I started with at the beginning of the game. But take Modern Warfare 2, specifically: The Favela level where you're running through the streets of a town filled with 3 story buildings and every window/door/roof has at least 4 pissed off south americans shooting at your face. I believe the mission is officially called "The Hornets' Nest" and it's quite aptly named because you're literally getting shot at from all directions. Call me a pussy, but I couldn't get through that level even on frickin' Normal difficulty, I had to bump it down to Recruit which was particularly embarrassing because I had gotten up to this point while playing on Hardened!
So yeah, without adjustable difficulty I wouldn't have gotten past that level and would have had to start the game over. So really I don't see a problem with it.
So yeah, without adjustable difficulty I wouldn't have gotten past that level and would have had to start the game over. So really I don't see a problem with it.
In most games it is definitely a good thing, but in some games, mostly skill-based ones such as IWBTG, Dark Souls, etc. it is a bad thing because of the huge temptation to make it easier on the fly, which would ruin the enjoyment.
I personally almost never adjust the difficulty but that's probably just my stubborn ways. I can't think of a reason why the option shouldn't be there. If I want a constant challenge I'll just leave the difficulty where it is but if somebody else is breezing/struggling through the game it's their prerogative to adjust the difficulty on the game they purchased. Not like it affects me within my game so I'm always pro-choice