Self-Imposed challenges

[Fishyash]

Although this thread has probably been made already, I really like to necro threads that are several months old.

Today I finished the main quest on Skyrim on master difficulty. The catch was I was not allowed to die, and if I died I would have to delete all files on that character, and make a new one.

It was thrilling to say the least, and that will not be the end of his guy's adventures. I want to see how much I can do in the game before I slip up and die.

Escapist, what kind of self-imposed challenges do you attempt? If you haven't done any, what do you think of self-imposed challenges?

 

[LilithSlave]

I occasionally like to play jRPGs on the lowest level possible. It's fun to say you've been able to beat a game at level 5.

This is one advantage that jRPGs have over MMORPGs. jRPGs tend to be among on the more strategic side and I like a good RPG strategy challenge. After all, they were heavily inspired by Ultima. With a jRPG, if I face a problem, it's pretty much never impossible not to win, given enough strategy. So they're great games for challenge plays.

One of my still favourite games to do this with is Final Fantasy IV. Or II as it was originally mislabeled. It's a nostalgic favourite of mine because I remember being wiped out several times on that game as a kid. Playing that game while avoiding most battles as an adult, and winning, gives a rewarding feeling.

 

[krazykidd]

I used to do this all the time as a kid. Mostly with jrpgs. It's because my dad used to do it and i always wanted to compete with him

FF7 : initial weapon run. BEAT the game while using only everyones initial weapons .
FF8: same thing
FF9: No equippes skills. Now i still learned the spells and such , just didn't equip the equipable skills
Legend of legaia : no weapon run. This was hard, but i think ( not sure ) doing this made my rasuru stronger( the actual arm not the skills)
LoZ: OOT , 3 heart run. This is fun , if you have any want to challange yourself do this.
Prinny can i really be the hero, hard mode . F U this is challenging and stressful, no need for added challenge , this will stress you out enough. 1000 lives never felt so short.
Megaman X4 ( i think it was 4). No health upgrade run. Did it with megaman and zero


There are more but i forgot a lot of them .

 

[Swifty714]

Not skipping any of the calls and cutscenes in MGS:2

It was alright until the end of them game.

OH.MY.GOD!

So much pointless dialog.

 

[razor343]

Doing two playthroughs of Star Wars: Jedi Knight Jedi Academy, one where I can only use the force and another where I can only use weapons...Of course there were parts where you kind of have to rely on that which you cannot use but I modded the game subtly enough to accomodate for that. (The modding didn't make the game any easier though.)

 

[NerfedFalcon]

I once tried to do Nuzlocke* for Pokemon Diamond. I stopped after I'd gotten to the second Gym and the only Pokemon I'd lost was planned as cannon fodder. Got boring.

[sub]*Only allowed to catch the first Pokemon you see in each area, and if a Pokemon faints it's "dead" and you have to release it.[/sub]

 

[Terminate421]

I am playing Skyrim without fast traveling, I only walk unless it is a carriage.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Playing FPS games, and winning with the worst weapons available in the game.

I got so good at using the pistols in Call of Duty Black Ops that I could take people out cross map with the CZ75 extended mag, and could win against any other weapon in the game. Good times.

It's unbelievable how mad kids get when you win a free for all with nothing by a pistol, tomahawk, and stun grenades.

 

[The Wykydtron]

I refused i start a new game on Persona 4 when i was drastically underleveled, refusing to grind and basically at one of those points where it's better for everyone if you'd just start again.

Why?

Because i felt like if i gave up i'd be letting my character down. And that made me sad. Oh hello emotions, nice to know you still exist.

Oh and i don't use cheats ever, even in things like SR3 where they're throwing the cheats at you from minute 1.

A more standard example would be from Toegoff's LP of The Witcher 2, he stopped putting points into and using Quen (the invincibility spell) cuz it was breaking the game. Right around the point where it was staggering people when activated and making you invincible. God knows how bad it is when it's maxed out.


Spoilered edit cuz my list of examples is going frankly way to far

Spoiler

Always using Phoenix Wright in UMVC3, i'm sure my team would be far more effective if i went Doctor Doom, Dormy or any other keepaway character, but hey his Difficult but Awesome playstyle intrigues me, i love Ace Attorney and his win screen is just cute.

The rest of my team is Amaterasu and X-23 for those 0.01% of you wondering

 

[scorptatious]

On my third playthrough of Final Fantasy VII, I challenged myself to using only one Enemy Skill Materia. Some of the enemy skills you learn can be ridiculously overpowered such as White Wind and Big Guard. So I only applied it to one person at a time in a party to provide a better challenge and so I can actually make use of the other kinds of materia in the game. Such as the Cover materia.

Let me tell you, it made the final battle against Safer Sephiroth a hell of a lot more difficult and intense. I was kind of relieved when I eventually beaten him.

 

[BaronUberstein]

I am playing Skyrim without fast traveling, I only walk unless it is a carriage.

Please tell me you mean sprint and not walk...walking is so slow in that game. o-o

 

[Phlakes]

Well, I just finished Deus Ex HR doing a pacifist run and getting the ghost bonus on every mission. So basically all I can use is a stun gun, tranquilizer rifle, and non lethal takedowns, and I can never be spotted.

Surprisingly wasn't too hard.

 

[AdeptaSororitas]

I do self made challenges all the time. Recently I did Skyrim where I: 1. Had to stay "in character" 2. Couldn't fast travel except for carriages 3. Had to get 8 hours of sleep a day 4. Had to eat 3 times a day and 5. Couldn't make any armor or weapons save for leather/hide armor. And If I wanted something improved I'd pay for the material in the shop like I was "paying for my weapon to be upgraded"

I also am trying a minecraft game where I'm not allowed to mine underground and one where, after I got everything I needed, I wasn't allowed to go to the surface.

They were tough but are so far VERY fun.

 

[Sagacious Zhu]

I'm playing Skyrim as a psychotic fundamentalist Talos worshiper. Any time anyone refers to the gods as "The Eight Divines" or gainsays Talos' divinity, I have to kill them or beat them into submission if they're quest essential.

I'm two hours in and Solitude is missing half its population

 

[NotAProdigy]

I am playing Skyrim without fast traveling, I only walk unless it is a carriage.

Please tell me you mean sprint and not walk...walking is so slow in that game. o-o

Vegetable soup, my friend. The stamina regeneration stacks, but the health does not. So it's useful to gobble down when you wanna literally run across Skyrim.