News: Game Difficulty As a Virtue

[News Bot]

The Wii and various mobile gaming platforms have done wonders for the trend toward casual or "easy" games. But the success of a few recent titles, despite their difficulty, has caused some to wonder whether the pendulum has swung too far; whether a little frustration can be seen as a good thing. Quoting: "The evidence is subtle but compelling. For one example, look to major consumer website GameSpot's Game of the Year for 2009: Atlus' PS3 RPG Demon's Souls, which received widespread critical acclaim - none of which failed to include a mention of the game's steep challenge. GameSpot called it 'ruthlessly, unforgivingly difficult.' Demon's Souls was a sleeper hit, an anomaly in the era of accessibility. One would think the deck was stacked against a game that demanded such vicious persistence, such precise attention - and yet a surge of praise from critics and developers alike praised the game for reintroducing the experience of meaningful challenge, of a game that demanded something from its players rather than looked for ways to hand them things. It wasn't just Demon's Souls that recently flipped the proverbial bird to the 'gaming for everyone' trend. In many ways, the independent development scene can be viewed on the macro level as a harbinger of trends to come, and over the past year and into 2010, many indies have decided to be brutal to their players."


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[MarieWoodell]

Has it occured to anyone we all like all of them depending on what mood we are in. Sometimes I love a challenging game that requires me to play it on the easiest setting the first time to get used to the settings and sometimes I like a game thats nice and easy so I get that sense of achievement sooner.

Catering for both and the ones in between is highly likely to be sensible.

[Ze-Tomb]

Originally Posted by MarieWoodell

Has it occured to anyone we all like all of them depending on what mood we are in. Sometimes I love a challenging game that requires me to play it on the easiest setting the first time to get used to the settings and sometimes I like a game thats nice and easy so I get that sense of achievement sooner.

Catering for both and the ones in between is highly likely to be sensible.

Yeah.
I find that Mass Effect 1/2 (here he goes again) can cater to easier, middle and hard with Casual, Normal, Veteran, Hardened (unlocked) and then Insanity (unlocked).

[MarieWoodell]

Originally Posted by Ze-Tomb

Yeah.
I find that Mass Effect 1/2 (here he goes again) can cater to easier, middle and hard with Casual, Normal, Veteran, Hardened (unlocked) and then Insanity (unlocked).

Yeah I like games like that. Especially if you can then go through again keeping your character at the level you got it to at the end of the first run through.

[Ze-Tomb]

Originally Posted by MarieWoodell

Yeah I like games like that. Especially if you can then go through again keeping your character at the level you got it to at the end of the first run through.

Not to mention gear, skills and money too!

[MarieWoodell]

Originally Posted by Ze-Tomb

Not to mention gear, skills and money too!

Yeah that's always fun. I liked doing that with Baldurs gate. You could restart and import your main character again and do it on a harder setting but with a much better character.

[Ze-Tomb]

Originally Posted by MarieWoodell

Yeah that's always fun. I liked doing that with Baldurs gate. You could restart and import your main character again and do it on a harder setting but with a much better character.

Too Human is like that.
You bring back absolutely everything to the new game.
Or if you want to, stop mid campaign and re-play the levels you;ve already done (previous runs included) and have extra things ot kill and what not.

Much harder to levle on Too Human than Mass Effect by far.

[MarieWoodell]

Originally Posted by Ze-Tomb

Too Human is like that.
You bring back absolutely everything to the new game.
Or if you want to, stop mid campaign and re-play the levels you;ve already done (previous runs included) and have extra things ot kill and what not.

Much harder to levle on Too Human than Mass Effect by far.

I like those kind of games. You can make it as easy or as hard as you want. It's so much mroe flexable. I also like the oens that as you complete tasks you gain rewards of some kind which make it easier to do the next time. Usually you can get further each time you play the game.

[Ze-Tomb]

Originally Posted by MarieWoodell

I like those kind of games. You can make it as easy or as hard as you want. It's so much mroe flexable. I also like the oens that as you complete tasks you gain rewards of some kind which make it easier to do the next time. Usually you can get further each time you play the game.

And in the case of Too Human, kill the hoards of crazy robots (goblins ) faster.

[MarieWoodell]

Originally Posted by Ze-Tomb

And in the case of Too Human, kill the hoards of crazy robots (goblins ) faster.

Yeah that too. Always fun.