Poll: Can Games have lasting entertainment without any challenge?

[ThePizzaGuy556]

Basically the title, i was thinking about it while playing oblivion today and realizing my character is no longer affected by spells and reflects almost all damage back to his opponent. After that realization i no longer want to play oblivion :/. I really enjoy challenge and if its lost then i feel like turning the game off.

So is challenge important to you?

 

[RollForInitiative]

On a personal level, no, I can't find games enjoyable without challenge. The challenge is a big part of the entertainment for me. I get incredibly bored otherwise.

 

[AmrasCalmacil]

For me, yes. I like to experience everything around me, sometimes I'll lower the difficulty just to take a slower pace through an action packed segment and appreciate what's there.

It's a different sort of entertainment than the adrenaline of trying to get my wanted level as high as I can in Grand Theft Auto, but I enjoy it nevertheless.

I only ever really do this after playing through on a difficulty setting I feel comfortably challenged on though.

 

[nima55]

I actually like it (sometimes)when I'm completely overpowered and can kill anything that looks at me wrong.

 

[VaudevillianVeteran]

Yes, that's why I find it silly to have games like Arkham Asylum have a free-reign at the end. It was brilliant to get the Riddler Trophies but in the end, all the enemies were gone and after that, nothing. Challenge keeps a game together.

 

[nukethetuna]

Not for me, no. I usually restart new games on a harder difficulty if I find myself blazing through them too easily.

 

[Gorden Springel]

No a game without any kind of challenge isnt fun, why even play the game if everything is just handed to you automatically without any kind of effort put forth?

 

[Shockolate]

For me, it's possible.

Pokemon for example, is very well known for it's single player being piss easy.

Because it is. And I still love it.

So, yeah.

 

[Lord Beautiful]

While there can be entertainment had from a lack of challenge, I don't think that entertainment could be sustained.

For example, let's take a look at Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II. Once I got to the end of the game, I was an absurdly powerful Jedi Weapon Master who effortlessly plowed through goddamn Sith Lords. And is was fucking righteous.

However, the game was only like that for the last hour or so. If it was like that for the entire game, it wouldn't be anywhere near as fun and those moments of casually destroying the Dark Side's finest wouldn't have anywhere near the impact it did had I not struggled a little on the journey there.

 

[Klitch]

I first want to point out that the question you're asking in the poll and the question you're asking in the OP aren't the same.

Challenge is important to me, even for genres that can typically get by without it like RPGs. It's always a nice feeling when I've spent half an hour on one challenge an finally get past it. That said, Challenge is just one part of a great, enjoyable gaming experience and not a particularly vital one. I would easily place story, mechanics, and interface above challenge in terms of importance for game enjoyment. As examples, Pokemon is easy and I love it. Dragon Age: Origins is really hard on the top difficultly level and I love it.

In short, my answer is "yes" for your poll and "no" for your OP question.

 

[NeutralDrow]

The challenge drastically lowers on a lot of games I play through once, but I usually find it in myself to replay them. Sometimes, it's fun to tread familiar ground and stomp everything flat based on how my skills have grown.

Like playing Devil May Cry 3 on normal difficulty and wasting everything in my path (has to be normal; easy enemies don't have enough health to last through the more fun combos). As well, if there are things I just want to try in the game, I'll sometimes lower enemy difficulty to pull them off. The Kick Me Challenge in God Hand is like this...I can't even imagine doing that on Normal or Hard.

If you're talking just straight playing and not replaying, though, the answer is easier: yes. I admit, there've only been a few parts of recent Zelda games that were genuinely difficult, but the rest of the game is still a blast (I'm thinking especially Wind Waker's overworld).

 

[Layzor]

Not usually, but you can play somehting like Heavy Rain on easy and still enjoy it for the narrative.

 

[UltraDeth]

I actually like it (sometimes)when I'm completely overpowered and can kill anything that looks at me wrong.

Aye aye, sir. I totally agree. I love working so little for such unfair upgrades

 

[Giantpanda602]

Yes, I wouldn't consider Heavy Rain a challenge.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

No it ruined the newish PoP game for me. You know the one with cel/toon shading. I don't usually go for a challenge on first run through so I do that on normal or hard. After that I step it up for the really game(to me).

 

[sarahvait]

Sure, if you like the experience enough. I think if differs from person to person. I mean, I had the disney Pocahontas game on my Sega Genesis back when and it was pretty easy. I could breeze through the whole thing in about an hour. But I think I played that game at least ten times; there was something so enjoyable and relaxing about it; I also think I started to play through on speed runs to see how fast I could beat it.

Besides, almost all games lose their challenge after the first run through, because unless you have the option to crank up the difficulty, you'll know exactly how to beat it. But hasn't stopped me from playing Silent Hill 2 over 8 times.

 

[hopeneverdies]

Even if it is easy, I can forgive it if I'm still having fun with it. That's the whole point of a videogame. To enjoy yourself. If a game fails to engage you after you've mastered it, then it loses appeal. But if it still manages to be enjoyable, then yeah they have staying power.

 

[nima55]

I actually like it (sometimes)when I'm completely overpowered and can kill anything that looks at me wrong.

Aye aye, sir. I totally agree. I love working so little for such unfair upgrades

Ma'me not sir lol =P

 

[sylekage]

Yes I think so. For example, in Modern Warfare 2, they have a bonus level that's a museum. You can press a button and the exhibits come to life and you have to fight them. It is really fun being given almost every gun and them saying "Go ahead, go murder for a bit, have fun!" I can't tell you how many times I've run back and forth with different weapon combos just shooting people.

Captcha.

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