Poll: What difficulty level do you usually play on?

[Laura.]

Pretty simple question. (YesIusedthesearchbaranddidn'tfindanythinglikethisin14pages).
I used to play in normal until I met Gears of War. Being killed pretty quickly without a reliable health indicator got me a bit angry, so I switched to casual.

There I realised I enjoyed games a lot more when I wasn't trying so hard not to die, so I started playing everything on easy. I appreciate a lot more the environments, plot, voice acting and gameplay stuff (moves, combos, abilities, weapons) when I'm not trying to get to the next checkpoint in 1 hitpoint. It's a more "cinematic" experience.

Sure, I *could* finish the game in a harder difficuly, but what's the point?
(some games I still play in normal if easy proves too dumb)

Besides, who has the time to die over and over again these days?

Do you always start in normal? Do you give it a try in hard before deciding? Start talking.

 

[Emperorpeng]

I feel like a pansy if I play on easy, but that's just my own insecurity. I usually go medium, because I'm not a super-awesome gamer or anything.

 

[DragonChi]

i usually play on easy. i enjoy games more that way. especially when its a story driven game..where making it harder isn't really necessary to get enjoyment out of it. but that's just MY playing style.

 

[The Hairminator]

I usually try new games out on hard. I generally enjoy games more on harder dificulties even if I'm not über good at games in general. It's just that I'm not afraid of trying until I succeed. If something is too hard I eventually go normal though.

 

[Stormz]

I always used to go easy but some games take easy mode to serious and make the game so easy you can play it without dying once or having any sort of challenge. So I almost always go normal mode now.

 

[ElephantGuts]

I usually start on normal, but I often end up finding it too easy and switch to hard.

 

[Zacharine]

I usually start with medium if I'm even somewhat acquainted with the genre. Once I see how the game works and if there is enough challenge for me, I either switch to 'Hard' or continue with 'medium', depending really on the inherent difficulty of the game.

If I've never played the kind of game before, I usually play an hour or so on easy before switching to medium. Easy is usually that: easy, so much so that you can watch a movie simultaneously and still not lose.

so I voted medium, because that's what I usually play, unless we are talking about an RTS or a Master of Orion 2/Galactic Civilizations kind strategy game.

 

[shaltir]

usually start on normal and work my way up, but if its a genre i'm not used to i'll start on easy until i get it. i suck at fighting games in general so i almost always start on easy with those.

 

[Hazy]

Medium first.
Then if I can be bothered, Hard.

 

[NeutralDrow]

I typically start with easy and work my way up, but I'll try anything except "harder than hard" difficulties for a first run.

 

[TheLastCylon]

more of a medium man myself.

 

[Laura.]

I always used to go easy but some games take easy mode to serious and make the game so easy you can play it without dying once or having any sort of challenge.

Yeah, those are annoying . I usually realise it's way too easy when I've played through at least 1/3 of the game... That's why I love games that let you change the difficulty mid-play.
Maybe I'm used to being lied to when a game says "Easy".

 

[wannawanna23]

I set my Xbox to start all my games on hard cause if you play on easy your just not getting the full gaming experience. It takes 2 hours on easy and 4 on hard i just made a game worth 2 more hours by challenging myself. i just feel its needed.

 

[fenrizz]

easy/normal

I don't like dying, and I sure as hell don't like doing the same area more than a few times in a row.

 

[TriggerUnhappy]

Always start on the hardest difficulty possible, is the most fun for me.

 

[Herb sewell]

Depending on the game i ll start on medium or easy then if it's on of the good/evil games ill play again on hard but do the oppisite of what I did before.

 

[ObadiahBlack]

I always play on easy first, then, depending on my interest in the game, I do it again on harder difficulties.

Most proud of reaching the Sniper Ambush in CoD 4 on Hardened, and beating Wanted: Weapons of Fate on all three.

 

[RollForInitiative]

In co-op games, my friend and I usually start off on the middle difficulty and work our way up through the ranks from there. We usually try to finish things off on the hardest difficulty unless it's the equivalent of Resident Evil 5's "Professional" mode; the one-hit kills wouldn't bother us as much if not for the fact that you bled out in a single second to boot.

 

[Griloch]

I often start on hard, leaving the insane for a second run-through. If there are but three difficulties, start on medium, leaving hard for later. I buy games quite rarely, so it's a good chance that at some point, I'll dust off that game and play it again.