If you're playing a game for the first time, and Hard mode is available, do you select it?I heard doing a Hard playthrough of SMT Nocturne before even playing normal was a cultural thing for a while (obviously everyone was still following guides though)
No.
Case by case basis
not sure ive ever done that. normal is the default unless maybe its some weird remake or spiritual successor or something im already familiar with, but cant even think of an example
>>11990137>I heard doing a Hard playthrough of SMT Nocturne before even playing normalThis is what I did lmao. I've played 3 like 4 times but never on easy.One day I'll try the hardtype mod
I tried to do that in Shadow of Rome, and regretted it. Weapons break so easily on Hard that in some battles you'll end up fighting with your fists.
>>11990137Normal mode is the most balanced way to start your game. If you enjoy it and win, then go at the game once more since you've learned it's nuances and game mechanics, but with an additional difficulty curve.
>>11990137I always google first to see what changes. If it's just enemies getting more health or you getting fewer lives I play on normal. If it's about different enemy behavior I play on hard. If it's about different enemy or obstacle placement I might try both normal and hard to see what's more fun
>>11990137I only select hard mode on first play if it's the default - like in Goldeneye.
>>11990137i play normal unless i know the game is easy regardless.case on point for the ratchet and clank series.
I play on the hardest mode on Kingdom Hearts (Proud/Critical).Every other game I choose normal.One exception is Valkyrie Profile. It must be played on Hard to see almost everything (there are Easy/Normal-exclusive dungeons).
>>11990401Proud for KH 1 feels like a slog every time I do it
>>11990163Did you use guides or read up some strats or completely blind? What got you to select Hard on your first playthrough?
I expect hard to be what I'm supposed to pick.
no. if it's a story heavy/rpg game, easy first playthru to unlock the secret hard mode, then do hardest for 2nd playthru if i enjoyed it. anything else is default difficulty then hardest. inbetween difficulties aren't interesting. doom is the exception because it turns into speedrun autism and i'm not into that
>hard mode is available from the beginning >it's basically the same game with souped up enemy stats intended for a NG+ and can't be done without exploits on a new savethanks WotS>hard mode is not available from the beginning>the difficulty curve actually makes sense and is a decent challenge from a new save, so if you want to experience it without falling asleep rolling through normal mode first you have to download a completed savefuck you Golden Sun TLA
>>11991771I didn't even know Golden Sun TLA had a hard mode.
I have no rhyme or reason. Arcade games I play on default settings because they still give a good challenge. For Crusader No Remorse I went with No Remorse difficulty which is the highest, and ReLoaded the hardest difficulty as well. Shinobi games I just played on default. With Panorama Cotton I played it on normal then played it again on hard.I just do whatever, as long as it isn't easy.
>>11991834You need to have a completed savefile to select it when starting a new game. The power level increase across the board is not that high that it becomes insurmountable without grinding, but is enough to have most encounters push your shit in if you just try to spam summons. Most boss fights demand efficient djinni management and/or item invokes, unless you're willing to spam mist potions or shit like that.
>>11991702The thing is with SMT is that it's only hard until you get a reliable set of -kaja and -unda spells.
Anyone pretending like they're always playing on Hard on a first playthrough has not beaten Silent Hill 3.
>>11990137Usually I just pick normal because you would hope thats the intended difficulty the game was made forHard mode is for a second playthrough
>>11992305skill issue, learn to strafe, use ampoules, melee it with the katana when it's head is down.
>>11990137If it's a series or genre I feel confident in, Hard Mode is fine. Getting burned by one of Konami's try-Hard-Mode-to-get-the-full-game endings as a kid in the 90s conditions you.
>>11992305>>11992317I treated SH 3 like I had 1 and 2 when I beat it for the first time last year and legit almost got soft locked in the final area because of supplies. Good on it for that.
>>11992305Is it even worth it? I beat SH2 on hard but regretted it because all it did was make the boss fights drag on too long without a real increase in challenge, so I toned down the difficulty for SH3.
>>11992317>strafeStrafe Shakespeare.(the puzzles change on Hard, and not in a good way)
>>11992780>and not in a good wayFiltered
>>11990137I always, ALWAYS play games on Normal difficulty. In fact I've given up on playing games that only had Easy and Hard as difficulty choices before.
>>11990137Some random SNES platformer? No, if I'm not leaving it on normal, I'm putting it on easy and maxxing out lives/continues so I can see more of the game on my first play through.
>>11990201>Normal mode is the most balanced way to start your game.No it isn't. It's the one that's designed for idiots. Sometimes it's better than other modes and sometimes it's worse (unless the player does happen to be an idiot in which case hard mode will always be worse). There is no reason to think normal mode is best for a skilled player across all games. Unfortunately there's also no way for a lone, uninformed person to tell which mode is best for a given game without taking a gamble and trying one...
>>11993029That is nonsensical.
Normal is fine, if I like the game I will give it another go on Harder difficulties.
>>11993470Normal mode is the default, otherwise it'd be called something else. Hard and expert mode are for people who, clearly, have experience with the game and want to challenge themselves by playing the default game with more hurdles. That would not be considered "normal." English can be your friend.
>>11994790Except he's right in practice that normal is usually the braindead baby mode for normies option.
>>11993019Et tu, Horatio?
>>11990137Nope. I'll give them a shot on replays. I assume hard modes are for people who already know the game mechanics pretty well.
>>11990137I'm not a tryhard ultra gamer but i find that normal modes post the 5th gen(though the trend had already emerged at that point) regularly fail to uphold their end of the bargain. I want a fun adversarial relationship with a game where it will teach me something then throw me into the deep end with it. I'm of course not arrogant enough to think I'd be likely to master anything of significant depth on the first run of a game but I'd still like to be tested and face some adversity. most normal modes end up being so limp that I stumble through them first try, any care I apply to the mechanics being taught feels more like house rules I'm imposing on myself than what the game expects of me.
>>11993473Elaborate.
>>11990137YEAH BOY. I love it raw and obnoxious all day every day.
>>11994790Exactly
>>11990137I've replayed through Digital Devil Saga 2 multiple times and I have never played it on normal difficulty
>>11994824Maybe if you're playing a more modern game. Most arcade like games will give you a decent amount of resistance, then there's the second loop. Hell, even the Genesis version of Altered Beast loops.
>>11996290Why with this series specifically and not others?
>>11992294This. I wish I could have selected hard mode in SMT 4 on my first go, it's so I was never going to play it more than once. Fantastic game, but by 3/4 of the way through I was basically invulnerable
