I ALWAYS play games on the 'easy' setting.....

[Jekken6]

Usually normal or hard. Sometimes I go to easy (mostly with types of games i haven't played much of).

 

[Ghostkai]

Normal setting followed swiftly by hardest setting possible, always.

 

[Flying-Emu]

The harder the game is, the better it is, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sick of piss-weak games. I want games that kick my ass to the curb and back.

 

[Perhaps]

I play normal because I'm normal.

 

[theimpsarecoming]

FPS's i play medium, third person shooter's on hard, fighters on easy, and everything else on medium

 

[DarthFennec]

I always play easy the first time around, but after I've played a game once I increase the difficulty.

 

[ghostrider409895]

Usually I play my games on the normal level. The first playthrough I try it on the normal setting so it is not excessivly challenging, I can enjoy playing, yet it is not piss poor easy so I can get a challenge and try when I progress.

After that, if it was a really good game, I might play it again. If I play it again, that is where I decided if I want to change the difficulty.
If the game has things I have to find by exploring through levels to get some sort of trophy or unlockable, I will play easy so I can focus more on exploration.
If I get rewarded by playing levels on harder difficulties, I will bump up the game to hard or very hard to see if I can do it.
Beyond that, if I just want to check out the game again and play for fun, I will likely bump it up for a challenge or just play it again on the normal level just to enjoy it again.

 

[Indiscrimi]

A lot of people like the harder settings, eh?

I'm a writer - story is more important to me than challenge. I just want to be entertained and I have nothing to prove. If I really like the gameplay, then I consider going back and playing harder difficulties, but I always start with easy.

 

[Unia]

Depends on the game, I definately start on easy if I have no idea what I'm getting myself into.
I also play Fatal Frame on easy, it's challenging enough for me to keep playing when the mood gets intense, last thing I need is worrying I run into a wall with a fight I can't win ;p

I've run into few games that ramp up the difficulty mid-game, which is very annoying. Either I start on easy and get bored out of my mind for the first 10 hours, or start on normal and enjoy it until I get my ass handed to me.

 

[karloss01]

if i only played on easy difficulties then i wouldn't of bought demon's souls
i only play easy mode if theres something i get out of it. easy archivements, 100% completion rate, new cheats or items. or just dicking around the most recent game i played on easy was Dead space back when it was released after i played normal and impossible modes, it was the only mode i died on because i was cocky having faced them on the tougher difficulties.

 

[AidoruKami]

To be quite honest, I find that playing on easy ruins the experience. That's just my opinion. If I go through a game on easy, have no issues, and it's absolutely no challenge... The experience is just so forgettable. I get angry with games. A lot. I'm always frustrated, and though I oftentimes seem like I'm so angry at the game that it's not worth it, it's the reason that I play the games in the first place.

Like I said... just my opinion.

 

[StBishop]

I normally leave i ton default, turning it to easy if I am getting smashed.
From my experiences, Hard doesn't make things harder, it just makes them cheaper (like in Oblivion, it makes crabs take a metric fuckton of damage, or in Fallout how raiders can take 10 shotgun shells to the face and not bat an eye but 6 pistol rounds in the foot drop your ass).

Yes. You are correct, about Fallout 3 and Oblivion.

However in better other games the game designers don't just give better stats they will quite often improve tactics or accuracy/critical hit chance of enemies.

I play on Hard in most games, and I'm surprised how many of you are happy to be open about playing on easy. I personally feel like the game's beaten me if I can't win on at least normal, but that's my hang up, not yours.

I, like Furburt, feel that I get more play time from a game if it's on hard mode.

Recent example: DA:O. On hard, the initial portion of Redcliffe took me... about an hour or two. Perhaps three.
On normal, less than 45 minuites.

The entire game is shortened by hours, for me, when lowering the difficulty.

It's interesting to see that this is exactly the type of game people quite often drop the difficulty on. Whereas I am more inclined to drop the difficulty on say... (I'm actually at a loss. I'll check my collection.) Saints Row or GTA because I don't play them to "Win" I play them to be a dick.

Also, I rather like Oblivion. I am also waiting until I am done with a number of games to play Fallout 3 properly. Don't flame me please, I don't think those games are bad, just that the difficulty settings are stupid.

 

[Omikron009]

I usually play games on the hardest difficulty settings, because it doesn't feel rewarding to me unless there's some difficulty involved.

Interesting. Are there many games that you have never finished?

Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, because I couldn't beat the well of ancestors segment. It's the only part in any game that's totally beaten me.

Far Cry 2, because it's so damn repetitive. I can take it in short bursts, but it's tough.

Those are the only ones.

 

[Offworlder_v1legacy]

It all depends on the game. If it's a hard/unfamiliar game, i'll play it on a relatively easy difficulty, if it's the opposite usually normal and hard.
A recent example of a game I've played on easy is Oblivion. I finished it about 10 minutes ago, the whole game took me a few days, cos I had the difficulty slider set all the way the left=Really, really, really, really,really, easy.

 

[Beach_Sided]

It's interesting to see that this is exactly the type of game people quite often drop the difficulty on. Whereas I am more inclined to drop the difficulty on say... (I'm actually at a loss. I'll check my collection.) Saints Row or GTA because I don't play them to "Win" I play them to be a dick.

Can you alter the difficulty on GTA?

 

[Talendra]

I usually play on hard, drop it down to normal if it is just frustratingly hard. I love a challenge, so easy is not for me most of the time.
That said, I completely get what you mean, like how I sometimes pop in prototype, which in my opinion is insanely easy unless you are up against a ridiculous amount of foes. It just makes you feel like a complete bad ass, can be fun.
If that is what you enjoy than great, that is what games are for, I just enjoy the challenge and the reward of getting through that part you have been stuck on for the last 3 hours.

 

[Burningsok]

Hello! I'm the opposite, I always play on the hard settings. I like the challenge, and the way it makes the game seem longer, more value for money.

playing on hard for me isn't always a good thing. I get caught up in just beating the game rather then becoming immersed in it. Usually this applies to RPG, or other games that have a high replay value. For me I like getting as much out of my game as I possible can. I usually start on easy or normal, mostly normal though. Only twice have I started on the hardest difficulty, CoD: WaW, and CoD: MW2. Basically it's because the game was very linear and there wasn't a whole lot to take in. I love to sit back and enjoy the scenery of the game it adds so much time the experience. lol I'm sounding like a graphics whore here lol. Oblivion for example; I must of used up a good 8 hours just enjoying the environment, and hell in that span of time I only visited about 3 dungeons and hadn't even started the main quest.
So anyways, usually after I beat the game and I still have the urge to play, I'll nudge that difficulty to the top. Achievements, I have to admit, motivate me a lot to continue playing the game. It's some weird psychological shit with these achievements.
But Overall I do see your side of this, and I don't blame you, it makes it a challenge and it adds play time.
yeah I kinda went off topic a bit. >.>

 

[saiyanwarrior]

I start on easy and work my way through the settings only game that beat me was MGS2 european extrems was the son of satan lol

 

[Kalfira]

It depends on the game. If it's like a shooter or rpg where the fun does not derive from difficulty I play on easy. For survival horror or games like say.... ninja gaiden I will play harder just because it's core to gameplay balancing.