Why Play On Hard?

[Katana314]

Certain games aren't really fun when there's not much you can do to counter the increasing difficulty. I played BF:BC2 on hard, and rather than challenging it just felt frustrating. Things like rhythm games though, normally just feel more and more intense on harder difficulties. Most games I just keep it on easy.

 

[Henrik Persson]

Mostly I do it because I feel that lower difficulties don't provide a challenge, without which it isn't really a game. Occasionally I do it to make the game more immersive (I also like to add permadeath into the mix, unless the game is a linear RPG). Fallout 3 is a good example, it's a world that's meant to feel deadly, on normal difficulty you feel like a god let loose into a world filled with bugs for you to crush.

 

[Void(null)]

frustration is fun

No.
[HEADING=3]No.[/HEADING]
[HEADING=2]No.[/HEADING]

Frustration if anything, is the opposite of fun. If I'm playing & get frustrated, that's when I know it's time to stop playing.

Yeah, I've played a game once on Hard. It was Prototype, & it was smooth sailing until the morgue level. Hard modes tend to just piss me off.

Prototype was one I cracked the difficulty up on, anything else felt too easy. Only thing that gave any real problem was the end boss.

Same thing with Torchlight. But Stalker I barely finished on Medium difficulty.

 

[DeleteThisPlease]

I love harder difficulties. They feel more... immersive. It's more fun for me because the 'easy' levels just are not... immersive. It makes me feel like 'IMMORTAL GOD MODE ACTIVE' just being walked though the story. I want to earn my story. (This is why I went back for more in GOW 2 and played solo on Insanity mode... well, that and lack of other people to play with in person and on Live.)

 

[oppp7]

Pretty much achievements and similar things.

 

[Mr. Mike]

Feeling challenged and that greater sense of accomplishment is what does it for most people, hell it does it for me.

 

[JaymesFogarty]

I love to play horror games, and only high difficulties can really instill the tension that comes with ammo and health scarcity. For example, Dead Space can be called a rather laid back sci-fi horror game. Now, play it on impossible, and you'll understand just how effective the horror is...

 

[Jonatron]

I never used to, but then I got a 360 and achievements. I like 'beating' games, then I like annihilating games. If a game really takes my fancy I do it the honor of trying to beat it to as strong a degree as possible. This includes level caps, completion %, difficulties, and in the case of 360 games, achievements. ME has been the first to attract me so, so I spent weeks 1000/1000-ing it, including beating it on Insanity (although to be fair, new game plus makes it cake), ME2 will be done soon, but it'll take time. Rearmed is far too hard, but I'd like to get there eventually (Got to like the 20th challenge room. God those things... take like >50 attempts...) Shadow Complex is one I'd like to have defeated too. Bionic Commando 2008 would be nice to have 100%'d, but the game was poorly designed in that respect - I might have to buy a guide for it ( might also just use GameFaqs)

 

[Sarah Kerrigan]

Bragging rights mostly, but usually it's because make easy REALLY easy (though i know for some games, this is not the case)

 

[Danglybits]

Why climb mountains? It's a challenge, challenges are fun. I change difficulty settings on games to spice things up a bit and force me to make different decisions about how I play. It keeps games from getting repetitive when I still want to play them. Oh, and to show off.

 

[Mr. Purple]

<color=purple> Well, first, don't play it on hard if you don't enjoy it or you can't take it. Do it if you want a sense of accomplishment, or you're bored or to challenge yourself.

 

[hopeneverdies]

I love the difficulty, to see my limits, to see how much I've mastered the game. Sometimes when even the hardest difficulties fail to challenge me, I add little details of my own to up the ante. The replayability of simply adding your own challenges makes me love the game that much more.

 

[derelict]

Well, gotta have SOME way to grow the e-peen so you can brag about it.

 

[PH3NOmenon]

I start out most games on Hard.

Switching back to Normal if you can't beat the game is better than blazing through it on Normal and then complaining about the game being too short.

I like to get challenged, and still have to option to make the challenge easier. Hard lets you do that!

 

[BloodPusAndRust]

I play the harder difficulties to "hate fuck" the games that I buy.

 

[GodofDisaster]

I always start a game on normal, but if I do choose to play on hard during my second play through. Then it's mostly for the challenge the trophy award is an added bonus, as I personally view the feeling of victory as a more satisfying prize.