How Do Games CHANGE Completely When Playing On Highest Difficulty?

Difficulty selection in video games can add a ton of new challenges. Here's how that actually works at the highest setting.
Thumb Credit: Barry Sundt (artregurgitatio...)
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[@Someonesometing77]

Im trying to play Farming Simulator but this one player keeps mowing my grass.......

[@Someonesometing77]

Trap Koala the mower 27

[@Someonesometing77]

MrFlashu2 lol

[@ChaoticKey29912]

Some say that TheMower27 can mow grass faster than any person

[@rayznyourmaster9219]

drewbert 62 fuck thelegend27

[@owenhavelock9302]

drewbert 62 is it the mower27?

[@josepereira5804]

Witcher 3 on Death March(Highest Difficulty) is only super hard for the first few levels. I think it's the best way to play Witcher because it forces you to use oils, decoctions, and bombs appropriate to the monster you are fighting versus just mashing fast/strong attack until the enemy dies.

[@MarinaMeoli]

Yeah I was going to say that. I always stick to normal difficulty on games that the harder difficulties just mean the enemies take more hits. That doesn't make sense to me, I take no enjoyment out of that. But a game like Witcher 3 was way more enjoyable on the two harder modes. It made you actually play the game like you're supposed to, and the regular and easy modes are just about watching the story be told, pretty much

[@mhdj1234]

I hear this all the time and, don't get me wrong, the Witcher 3 is a fantastic game, but it doesnt force you to do anything. I played on the second highest and then the highest difficulty and it was practically the same experience. I found myself using potions, oils, etc. less because I had gotten better at dodging and spending so much time menuing was annoying. It's a great game fam, but no reasons to suck its dick for everything. Applying oils and equiping the right bombs and shit was a chore.

[@StarkeRealm]

The top two difficulties change the healing mechanics. Going from Normal to Death March results in a different play experience, but if you started with the top two, all you would have seen was some stat inflation on DM.

[@MarinaMeoli]

Does starting off with death march from the beginning make a difference?

[@StarkeRealm]

Yeah, somewhat. Playing on lower difficulties makes it easier to collect potion recipes, which you may not have had access to on death march. If you mean, "does it change the story," no. It only alters the feel of combat, and the player's place in the world.

[@giuseppediserio8145]

Bioshock is a shooter in normal, but becomes a survival horror in the hardest difficulty.

[@FlunkMunkey]

I played bioshock 1&2 on hard damn was i in a frantic panic trying not to get caught lol i loved it

[@eternity9099]

Bioshock was the first game I completed on the hardest difficulty. Still my favorite game of all time.

[@zzxp1]

lol i was going to point bioshock also. Never played on the very hardest, but i sure recommend to everyone, expert or not, to play it in hard, after a normal playthrough i´m comfortably saying hard mode is the way the game is supposed to be experienced.

[@RmZD]

Dead Space's harder settings have a similar effect. Yes the game is always a horror(ish, at least) game, but my god. I actually had to take stress breaks when playing on hard.

[@CidGuerreiro1234]

Bioshock is cake on the "Hard" difficulty... Only the early game is a bit difficult for the lack of resources. Haven't tried "Survivor" yet, maybe on the next playthrough.

[@L30N4KU]

Higher difficulty in games, specially RPGs, makes you take into account a lot more parameters, the game instantly becomes more "tactical".

[@FBragger69]

So well said my friend!

[@FBragger69]

Goes from being just mindless fun to a high octane experience each and every time you play it!

[@loganabshier8819]

Not all games most games just say more health for the opponent less for you I'm sure there are some but most developers are lazy I rather play a game where you may have more ability s like medical supplies or stun darts etc but you can only take the same amount if damage if two bullets kill a man then they kill you to bosses shouldn't be harder to kill health wise if they are a unarmored man just like his mercs that's just dumb

[@manaphylv100]

Agreed. The higher difficulties should encourage you to learn the game mechanics and use skills/items strategically, instead of just "level up and spam normal attacks." What I don't like is when "hard" simply means giving the enemies more HP and damage, because all that does is make the game unnecessarily more grindy.

[@FBragger69]

Yeah I agree, like Skyrim lol!

[@valerie_screws_around]

Someone is definitely going to comment that we actually havent been to the moon...

[@drdubstep9275]

Vincent Scheskat it's funny coz it's true

[@valerie_screws_around]

Dr Dubstep LOOOL theres the first one

[@youngthugfan511]

Vincent Scheskat ada wong live5

[@Legionaer666]

Time for a new conspiracy theory: Humans were actually on the moon. But the footage quality sucked so they hired a Hollywood producer for a recreation.

[@linus-2627]

Actually, we, as in us in this chat nor anybody in the whole youtube community has.

[@caseywinter5252]

Bethesdas Fallout and Elder Scrolls games are terrible in their difficulty modes. They buff enemy damage output while lowering your damage output which makes those super spongy enemies because the balance has shifted twice in favor of the game. The Metro series does a good job of increasing lethality for both the player and enemies and lowering resources on harder difficulties. On the hardest difficulty in Metro it's like playing everyone is glass cannons. You'll be put down in a small amount of hits but so will the enemy while lowering the difficulty will lower the lethality of both the player and enemies

[@Anonymouslyunkown]

Casey Winter Fallout 4 literally tells you that both you and the enemy deal more damage unless you are talking about any of the earlier ones which I don't know.

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

As far as I'm aware, Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim all use that same logic of "we didn't actually make a Hard mode, just give you and enemies damage multipliers." New Vegas, by comparison, has a completely separate Hardcore Mode that adds several personal survival elements to the game. That's *actually* a difficulty select to me.

[@caseywinter5252]

KkM Rage lol no you are totally wrong on that. Fallout 4 does a inverse damage multiplier as difficulty goes up or down. Lower than normal? Damage of the player goes up while damage of the enemies goes down. Higher than normal? Damage of the player goes down while damage of the enemies goes up. Survival in Fallout 4 literally halves player damage while doubling enemy damage

[@caseywinter5252]

UltimaKeyMaster Agreed. Hardcore mode for New Vegas was a real difficulty setting. Changing stimpaks to healing over time, food not healing, ammo having weight and having to manage sleep, food and water. Unlike the artificial difficulty of Fallout 4 Survival of requiring you to sleep to save and halving player damage while doubling enemy damage

[@mushfiqrahman4557]

Casey Winter um fallout 4 also has ammo with weight and stimpaks take like 30 seconds to heal you along with other healing items

[@thedevilitself3894]

Ever since dark souls...... ive only played games on hard mod, that game broke me and then rebuilt me.

[@wungusbill_]

Not even kidding, me too.

[@kayodoubleu3310]

Yep. Me too

[@Saito.P]

I find hard mode more fun since it takes you longer to finish and makes you look at everything in the game to find an advantage or something useful to use

[@PhysicistGamer]

Dark souls has changed something fundamental of ourselves...

[@JUsTFoRKiXx619]

Bloodborne has done the same for me... I still have unhealed emotional and psychological wounds from the Blood Starved Beast. 😂😑😔

[@CariagaXIII]

being ugly is just playing on hard mode

[@JustShotsForMeh]

Having a stacked wallet is finding a speedrunning glitch.

[@pablodaproducer8507]

At least when u ugly people got low expectations of u so its easier to surprise them

[@nomercy8989]

The Souls series needs a harder difficulty.

[@darkescobar13]

nomercy8989 I think it's called ng+

[@kelvinmartinez4900]

The soul series is made to test your patiences.

[@benf8220]

nomercy8989 it has a hard mode you have to beat the regular game to get it, my guess is you haven't

[@MrYoungHegelian]

Nioh

[@davidwu3106]

nomercy8989 play with a banana or rockband controller

[@misterb3037]

I'm my opinion harder difficulty should mean smarter not more bulletsponge and harder hitting like a.i in civ 5 on harder difficulty they practically cheating

[@nichtdiemama3708]

in my opinion it should be both a little bit.

[@bensemusx]

Na bullet sponges are super boring unless they are some kind of armored creature. Harder difficulties requiring more tactic are the best. turing everyone into glass canons is tons of fun and realistic. Most people are down after a bullet or two, not 10 head shots.

[@overwatchplayer7826]

Tomslav s

[@monkeybomb1232]

civ 5 is a spreadsheet just like every other civ game. the only real fun way to play is with silly builds with a certain goal in mind from the start with certain civs or against actual people.

[@michaldvorak2501]

precisely, like F.E.A.R.

[@ScootPalgrom]

Surprised no mention of Resident Evil 7 Madhouse Mode. Literally a different game.

[@leandre1986]

That was the very first game I thought of watching this vid

[@thousandyoung]

Overrated game. It offers so little just like Crapcom. Evil Within 2 will be 10 times better.

[@kangaroojack6273]

Madhouse was stupid- You needed to finish the game on Normal, before being allowed to play on Madhouse *Ruined the whole game for me, Normal was a Joke WAY-too-Easy and then by the time I got to Madhouse I lost the "unknown element" *Which really is the best fucking part about a horror game... Super upset Madhouse isn't available from the word Go-->

[@kangaroojack6273]

I'm a RE vet~ It's "Veteran-Difficulty" or waste of Time~ Didn't like being forced into Normal, really didn't like being forced into Normal, why you ruin the game by making me play Normal...>Da'fuck Normal!

[@ShitOwl]

guess what it wasn't...

[@BrutalBa5sMixedBag]

I like to play on Normal Difficulty. Mostly because, if it's too hard, I can drop back to Easy, if it's too easy, I can crank it up to Hard.

[@bluesy92]

BrutalBa5sMixedBag I play on whatever the default is. Because that is the way the developer intended the balance. If it is too hard or too easy on the first playthrough, I feel it takes away from the experience. On subsequent playthroughs, I'm ok with changing it up.

[@notproductiveproductions3504]

God of War: yeah no, once you choose _that_ difficulty, you’re locked

[@acylouni6472]

Why I like Witcher 3 at the highest difficulty is because you have to use Alchemy and Oiling mechanics and also you have to look at your bestiary as well. You don't really need them in lower difficulties. And that mechanics can add fun to your adventure in Witcher.

[@lordmorgoth7]

acy Louni yeah hard diffculty does make you feel more like a witcher

[@Jafin16]

Eh... if you wear heavy armor (ursine set) and just chug a bunch of the same potions every major fight (swallow, thunderbolt, tawny owl) it's not really hard at all. Lighter armor and building only swordsmanship...well, that's a different story.

[@hola_chelo]

Well, I played with light armor (Feline) and it was easy as you said, didn't really need the oiling part which just makes you hit more, and the bestiary is ok but sometimes they just don't work, for example some monsters are advised to be taken out with igni for example and igni just does them 200 dmg and doesn't even stun them (by stun I mean the burning animation that they can't move from), but axii on the other hand stuns them for a lot of time, and quen makes everything easier...

[@acylouni6472]

Yeah I feel you on that one, but still harder difficulty makes you grind gear, search special armor sets like Feline and Swords. But I do think Quen is a bit op like you said.

[@lordmorgoth7]

Loket Jakoprase thing is you have to make enemies level up with you. then anyonr can die quick you or them

[@MrQwerty227]

I like easy games. I don't pay $60 to be frustrated.

[@ashraful555]

GIT GUD :P

[@tinktink360]

MrQwerty227 that's what dark souls 1-3 are for

[@islamnazirov]

Are you a MAN ? (if you really are) then go watch some MANLY stuff ... Like ... Doom Bloodborne Battlefield Arnold's muscles (F'ck i dunno what is manlier than that) :p You'll get more manly , and , stop shoving some of that easy GAY shit up ur A$$

[@islamnazirov]

+ashraful alam #yes

[@AceKite00]

But those are the joys of not just being a gamer, but as a human in general. We strive and strive until we get SO good, that normal just isnt fun anymore.

[@lForsakenProductions]

Timesplitters 2 had a great feature regarding difficulty. The stages of the game were longer the higher you went in difficulty. For example the Serbia level on easy ends under the dam. On normal it ends at the dam and on hard it ends on the other side of the dam (after you have to take down a helicopter). If I remember correctly, it has been a while since I have played. It gives you a much better experience in my opinion. Yes the enemies are amped up in ai and in base stats (very minuscule), but the fact that you legitimately get more game for playing on hard is a great idea. The story you get from easy is the same and you have enough skills to advance and a reason to since you are seeing more. May be biased since I love Timesplitters 2 immensely lol

[@dixonbutts800]

Play everything on "normal" to start. Then, if the game was good enough to warrant a 2nd play-through, I decide what difficulty based on how "normal" went. Typically don't care for hardest modes unless it's Fallout. Some of ya'll are insane with these difficulties lol.

[@duskthunder9274]

Fallout🤦‍♂️ fallouts harder difficulties are trash my boi

[@fica1137]

Some of the people here are masochists

[@FluffySylveonBoi]

@@duskthunder9274 True, I prefer easier ones in Fallout, it is more fun :)

[@lukakapanadze6179]

Ah BUT FALCON! Witcher 3 on hard mode is SO much more enjoyable! But seriously in hard mode parrying, oiling your weapons, actually putting thought in your skill tree actually matters. On nornal difficulty it is just mashing square until the enemy dies, that's not fun unlike in bayonetta where mashing one button is actually fun. Also hard mode is far from impossible.

[@soulaimaneagalf5264]

Luka Kapanadze And by hard mode you mean Death March? because Blood & Broken Bones pretty much gives you the entire experience and the fact that you can't regenerate health with meditation makes you think more strategically about every group of bandits or beasts you encounter. That mode just seems like the best way to play the game without encountering that torturous loading screen after death too many times.

[@lukakapanadze6179]

Soulaimane Agalf​ Yea that could work too but I beat the game on death march on my first playthrough and even though it was hard at start the more you level up the easier it gets. And the end of the game it was very easy. And thats on death march.

[@soulaimaneagalf5264]

Luka Kapanadze I'm having fun with it at B&BB at the moment but i can always up the difficulty once it gets too easy down the line. Only recently got back into gaming after years of not playing anything so i'm still adjusting to it all

[@lukakapanadze6179]

Soulaimane Agalf great way to come back with one of the best games in recent times. Nice that you didn't completely give up on gaming as missing the witcher 3 would be quite a shame

[@soulaimaneagalf5264]

Luka Kapanadze I'm just 18 so the last time i was into video games was as a kid pretty much. And it was mostly adventure & racing games back then. I spent my free time in high school watching movies and listening to music instead of gaming. But since i decided to pick up a ps4 less than a few weeks ago i feel like i've been missing out big time. So it's fair to say that i'm genuinely blown away by the nuance and scale of The Witcher 3 so far.

[@ecap6776]

Curious as to what other gamers think of this. I don't like playing hard mode right off the bat because for me it breaks immersion. I don't feel like my badass character in whatever game I'm playing would be so weak as to die every few minutes. I feel like they should have been prepared and equipped to take on the games challenges on equal footing, If I die it should be my fault, not the fact that my legendary hero is seriously underpowered.

[@ecap6776]

For example halo, playing on legendary is not an immersive experience, it's what I'd do for fun maybe afterwards. The chief should be able to take a hit or two, but I shouldn't have to cower behind a rock most of the time, only briefly peeking out to kill or do a bit of damage to an enemy.

[@tiktokexposed898]

Ecap that sounds cool dawg

[@EdwardoLover]

I never thought about it that way but that actually makes sense to me.

[@bensemusx]

lol I loved Halo on legendary. I die but I'm personally playing the game for a challenge, not so much an rpg where I want my play through to represent what would actually happen if that character were real and facing this challenge. In rise of the tomb raider I actually found the game way too easy on the second hardest difficulty (I couldn't chose the hardest as it required a restart). Poison arrows were an AOE 1 hit kill to anything. I didn't like that I had to not use a weapon to give some challenge.

[@K0sm1cKid]

I never played a Witcher game prior to the Witcher 3 so maybe this logic is incorrect. But I felt like I wanted to play on an easy difficulty because Geralt is a 100 year old superhuman. It felt wrong for him to not cut dudes in half and murder wolves with ease. :P

[@WhoodaHell]

Diablo 2. Finally win and the game tells you there are higher difficulties. "Huh, I guess I'll try nightmare" head out into Blood Moor and the first pack you see ravages you.

[@eminemsdisciple8169]

Mark Williams cool

[@bangotesla6796]

LOL!!! fuckin' hell yeah

[@SebReaperGaming]

D2 is cool in that it gives you different challenges, to the point of being unfair. Nightmare adds more unique monsters, more minions, and later on adds immunities. Act V adds monsters from other acts too. It acts more like a transitional difficulty, harder than Normal but still somewhat forgiving. Hell is, well, hell. All monsters have immunities, even more uniques, the damage scaling is absurd and your AR sucks. you WILL be stunlocked and slain a lot, and often it only takes two hits. There are only a few viable builds, compared to Normal which allows you to use a fun but inefficient build.

[@Hound851]

@@SebReaperGaming Indeed. I somehow managed to beat nightmare difficulty with my trap assassin, but got got stuck on Blood Raven on hell difficulty. Her skeletons are immune to lighting damage, and my physical damage was not enough to produce a single corpse to blow up.

[@SebReaperGaming]

The worst thing for a trapsin is Hell Act IV your fire/light traps deal no damage, and that act is jam-packed with mobs

[@kizam5760]

I always go for the hardest difficulty allowed without beating the game first. I don't have time to replay much games so I like to feel all that the developer has to through at the player the first time around. Also the feeling of finally defeating a super hard enemy after a dozen attempts is so good.

[@shishaceo5204]

I'm playing Dishonored 2 on highest difficulty and not killing anyone. And the AI is smart as fuck man. But overall i thought it was a bit harder. I always play my games at harder difficulty now. They become way better. Witcher 3 being the best at hardest

[@malm7054]

I played the shit out of Dishonered 1 but i still didn't bought Dishonered 2. is it actually good like the previous game?

[@shishaceo5204]

Dishonored 2 is an amazing game. It's definitely worth it. But i bought it on sale. I wont buy it for 60$ since its really short

[@shishaceo5204]

Not 'really' short but still its like 10 hours.

[@malm7054]

Ok then maybe i will buy it and if its anything like dishonered 1 then trust me it is *Not* going to be 10 hours long...

[@broliy2100]

I find that Witcher 3 is the best and worst example of difficulty changing the game XD due to it in my opinion being a game that you have to play on the hardest difficulty to get the full experience due to how big of a change the difficulty makes

[@aye-jae]

Finish a game at a hard difficulty first, then become a boss when playing normal.

[@IshidaNikurasu]

xD I did that with The Witcher 3.. Played at Death March, then Normal.. Never finished on Normal

[@thebowlzack]

I love this channel. the videos are always fantastically framed, the topics are always interesting, and they always deliver a unique point of view that doesnt leave me going " well yeah... obviously" great job gameranx!

[@bughunt343]

fallout 4 on the survival is completely diiferent game but with the same story

[@m97polska]

No shit, I thought story changes too

[@Rails2Revolution]

All Call of Duty titles on Veteran honestly become so bad and robotic. As soon as you pop out of cover you get enemies literally turning 180° to shoot you halfway across the map with an submachine gun no human could shoot accurately at that distance. It really just becomes about learning the spawn points for every single campaign level, and what actions "trigger" enemies to stop spawning at each stage. Kms

[@nicholaicorbie]

dont forget rushing checkpoints

[@xbfalcon83]

I've been near the end of MW:R for months and cbf going back to it for this exact reason lol

[@xinfyre3978]

Arma 3 AI in mods like epoch will hit you with a smg a good 150m outside the effective range. ITS TERRIBLE

[@grato555]

Had this problem in the russian underground bunker in black ops 1.

[@rookiebear1124]

nothing compared to the German and Japanese baseball players of CoD:WaW. there isn't a second there wasn't a 2 grenades in front of you 3 behind you and one already in your ass. then if you run you'll be shot immediately

[@ThatOneguy-cg2sw]

The last of us on grounded difficulty was a bitch to beat.

[@spaceytree3099]

Baby Jesus I still can't beat it on grounded. I beat survivor mode though

[@ThatOneguy-cg2sw]

idk I have beat it on every mode except survivor mode. Mainly because im too lazy to play it again but also because I have too much trouble with Bills town.

[@vitorkiguchi4670]

Survival mode made me realize the shortage of bricks. I'll try grounded mode later, but if it has less bricks than survival mode ... heads will roll. Mostly Joel's.

[@marc4008]

I've beaten grounded 3 or 4 times. Before the first time, I actually beat the game 12 times, so it wasn't as hard because I knew where all the enemies were.

[@Sublime-fo6ug]

Baby Jesus Truly was Jesus

[@jakestockton4808]

I kinda wish most games had custom difficulty levels like racing games do. In racing games, you can turn off racing lines or make tire wear and damage a thing. Why can't we have modes where you can't use certain weapons or pick up armor? Someone will probably say that sounds stupid, but I like options... Don't you?

[@CidGuerreiro1234]

Can't you simply choose not to use certain weapons or pick up armor? I usually do that with games tha thave a "rage meter", i.e. a special power that makes you ridiculously strong for a few moments and can usually be stored for the tighest situations. That mechanic usually makes games way too easy.

[@marioshepherd6375]

I did that with mad max

[@pandaswithchairs7645]

Hard mode is actually more just "Enemy's have more HP and hit harder"

[@duskthunder9274]

Ik that’s why I just don’t even bother with it unless the game is easy

[@Porkmeat]

minesweeper though

[@jellybeanfactory21]

i want to say so much, but ill settle with yes. minesweeper.

[@asherandai1000]

sometimes second and third guesses if you get unlucky and don't uncover a section... i've had that happen before

[@djprojugs6606]

Kyle Nott you mean like when you play with max bombs on biggest board and only 10 spaces are safe lol. yeah I'm really unlucky with that one lmao.

[@noicemcnoiceface4006]

Hard mode is in some game pure BS, not that is harder, but deaths feel cheap or AI has aimbot accuaracy. Like in CoD by example

[@WeebMasterYoda]

Jack Pineda Theres this one part in uncharted 1 were the enemies can shoot you while your in a cutscene. On brutal difficulty your killed immediately during the cutscene and have to rely on luck to progress.

[@utopicdistortion4330]

Games like Perfect Dark and Devil May Cry too.

[@_narrows]

+Hungry Saiyan574 Oh god,why'd you have to remind me of that?

[@_narrows]

MW1 was ridiculous! Even if they weren't looking at you,bullets would shoot out of the back of their heads and instantly kill you.

[@j-lon3564]

Jack Pineda well they are bots so they have aimbot accuracy even if they are missing shots Ok i'll leave now bye

[@jrgen7527]

dude you have reached the absolute most insane veteran level in this. You are seriously skilled and so entertaining! my favorite youtube channel. FUCK just listen to that juicy backing track

[@ryanizer7368]

I felt that Horizon Zero Dawn at the hardest difficulty was awesome. It forced the player to use all of the info presented to them to take every edge they could get against say a thunderjaw. I felt like a boss after taking down my first. Same goes for the Witcher 3. I loved that the fights slowed down and became more about choosing your moment, oils, decoctions, bombs, and overall build.

[@lilmoist516]

I don't judge you if you do this, but I think that no one should play DOOM on "I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE"

[@rohitchaoji]

I played it on that difficulty when I was literally too young to die IRL. I was a 10-year-old just learning to play FPS games. It's amazing how well that game has aged, though. Ultra-violence and Nightmare difficulties are fun. Even more so in Brutal Doom. Unless you meant the new one, in which case I have no opinion since I haven't played it.

[@mr.hankeythexmaspooteamhea6136]

+Gabriel Kero Yeah, even "Hey, not too rough!" should only be played as a tutorial difficulty.

[@sizzlebelch947]

I have played doom 4 on very hard, but easy is definitely needed because I had a friend who barely played games and could barely kill an imp by himself on easy so it's need for non gamers. Trust me it was embarrassing

[@XxBaseball013xX]

I like ultraviolence. It pushes my skill of the game to the next level. I die every now and then from stupid mistakes. I couldn't imagine playing on nightmare. you pretty much can't get hit more than a few times

[@excessiveone9952]

Gabriel Kero why?

[@MrCholoPants3415]

How the fuck do you guys consistently produce engaging content? Almost every popular channel goes the "top 10 list" and 9/10 things they list are absolutely retarded. You guys give really excellent analyses in nearly every video.

[@jordonc715]

Slootyboot thats why we're subbed mate

[@mattyy450]

Slootyboot r

[@ql9087]

FragHero can be pretty good too

[@djprojugs6606]

Quinnical Depression Yesterday i just watched fraghero talk about things you might not know your Xbox could do and one of them was plugging in a keyboard and using it but in the video they showed a clip of someone using a mouse and keyboard but they were playing "the last of us" which is a PlayStation exclusive lmao.

[@RedBearNAaron]

Philip Crotty oh wow, that is a quintessential fail...XD

[@kevinlasher2812]

I enjoyed the commentary, but the endless cycle of stock images made it not very engaging visually. I'd like to see more gameplay clips detailing the current narrative topic.

[@Crawldragon]

I really like these messaym or mopxedm videos you guys have been doing lately. it gives the channel a bit more heft, more bite, than a million top ten lists ever could.

[@CativaBR]

One of the games I jumped in straight at the highest difficulty level was Deus ex mankind divided, not only was the AI more aware, but the mission pointer was also disabled, so you had to actually look for stuff, or hear NPC conversations to find certain objectives, instead of a magical pointer telling you where it was.

[@meghanhause9435]

Yep, but in my mind that dose add a bit of realism that game, because that is what you would do in real life.

[@mikeb6410]

Witcher 3 on Death March after lvl 10 is basically normal mode.

[@vn3202]

True. Except at the beginning of Hearts of stone: that Toad the Prince fella really challenged me, and also the other enemies felt stronger!

[@alphonseelric5722]

yeah death march wasn't as hard as the narrator was making it out to be.

[@loonneye]

V N Glad that I'm not the only one.

[@amiao5284]

Death March in TW3 was a joke except for Eredin and the final vampire boss from Blood and Wine. I died more on those two on DM than any of the Dark Souls 3 bosses up to NG 5+

[@abduluddin5645]

Mike B Facts but if you dont make a tank build and more of a witcher build then the game rewards you for learning the lore of the witcher world. You will learn how to exploit the weaknesses of your opponents and what oils decoctions etc to use instead of playing it on easy and literally just mashing the square and triangle button(fast attk and strong attk). Ive never played on easy so i dont know if im undermining easy mode when i say its prob possible to beat it with a rusty novigrad blade.

[@Th3Raz96]

I really enjoyed The Last Of Us on the hardest difficulties, I generally only play games on hard difficulties at most because the Nightmare/Hardcore/Survival modes become a little ridiculous, but when it's done right it's a fulfilling experience. TLOU was one of those games. Combat became a tactical situation, had to decide how you would go through an area, which enemies to deal with first, how to perform with maximum efficiency with your limited supplies. Resource management was fantastic at the hardest difficulties, things are not in plentiful supply so you have to really think about how to spend your resources, how to upgrade your inventory and character. Really great fun all whilst being very challenging, and not overdoing the difficulty.

[@CountDuckula83]

I'm older than you. I still own all those fighter games. I'm proud to be an old gamer. We're awesome man. Wear that badge with pride. 😁

[@holisticlove6631]

50p For 3 Lives on Golden Axe. I'd always wait for another kid to come to the machine.

[@YourPalKindred]

The hardest difficulty of The Last of Us. Literally disables a main mechanic of the game that makes it that much more doable. I think it also disables the small "Hum" noise you get when you're being seen, and enemies spot you a lot faster

[@door_productions4896]

Edgelord Malone It's also impossible to unlock all shiv doors on grounded difficulty because you don't get enough materials.

[@YourPalKindred]

Door_Productions ah yeah that too. Say good bye to resources and bullets, and say hello to apocalypse choking simulator 2012

[@MrTehNoms]

The hum is still there, and it's a fawkin life saver for me. It also seems like distance and lighting play a very critical role in being noticed. I've strangled a human, had the hum play throughout the entire animation, and it didn't stop until I hid again. I could see the guy who could have seen me, but I was in a dark room and half covered by a desk. The lack of all resources in general is complete ass, though. Not having bullets really makes me value bricks. But, when the game forces you to play the game like a shootemup, it will give you bullets to succeed. Like that part when you get inside the high school.

[@YourPalKindred]

Rayshaun Preston ah ok. I haven't played on Grounded my bad

[@MrTehNoms]

whaaat 😤 how you gon comment that and never played it? lol

[@vesselinkrastev]

It definitely depends on the game. Like you said many games just don't do difficulty very well. I often play on hard - or the difficulty level that is directly above the default one - because I assume that the game will be too easy on normal and will be able to just rush through it without having to learn to play well. In addition to that I can rarely afford second playthroughs so I try to get the most out of my first playthrough. Unfortunately, a some games are just brutally unfair on hard and I end up realizing that I would have had more fun if I had played on normal. I try to do research beforehand so that I have some idea of hod difficult a game is before I start playing.

[@wickedwitt04]

I used to play on the most difficult setting for the ability to feel like I belonged to the core of "elite" gamers, since I've been gaming for 25 years. Now I start every game on the most difficult setting but have no qualms reducing difficulty on games that use the unfair and artificial rules for their top difficulty settings; as I play games for enjoyment and I want to feel as though I have accomplished something when I finally finish each game. I am no better than anyone who played the game through on a lower difficulty setting. Games are now more than the coin eating arcades of yesteryear- they are expressions of thought, expressions of art, and interactive journeys. It is up to each player to get out of the game what they hope to based on their own individual preferences and goals.

[@ezrakohl2598]

Ahh Falcon I enjoy your honesty keep up the good work

[@Tomatgurka]

Mass Effect 2 and its second most difficulty setting; Hardcore, was a good example of challenging gameplay. It felt fair to the player but it still punished mistakes and sloppy performance from the player itself, while the mechanics themselves still felt intact and balanced.

[@Chopstick2U]

I'll piggyback on your mention of Mass Effect. ME2 is one of the few games where I finished an Insanity play through and really enjoyed the experience. ME2 and ME3 are definitely two games that really change at higher difficulties. The most obvious change is that common enemies often have shields or armor on higher difficulties, which forces you to intelligently use a variety of weapons and powers to disarm them and progress. There were so many aspects of ME combat that I didn't learn until my Insanity run. Biotic combos, tactical squad commands, and lots of passive power effects all deepened the experience. I know it's possible to bring all this knowledge into the normal difficulty, but I just blasted through that campaign, largely using the same assault rifle

[@spuddsoft4173]

I agree the increase in difficulty honestly made the game feel more realistic. Playing through the game on normal it felt a little silly that shields armor and barriers came standard issue with your crew but only the elite enemies has them equipped. How many of those did I turn to omnigel in ME1? Why can't three huge criminal organizations afford to but standard issue shields? In addition the enemies were more accurate.. I had to use cover or I would die, no exceptions! It made Shepard feel like a competent soldier on a mission rather then a walking indestructible reaper killer.

[@dodzidenudzakuma]

I too will piggyback on the mention of Mass Effect. I played all the games on the hardest difficulty and I feel like it really changed the game play. There were a number of jokes about the toughness of an Asari Commando or Krogan soldiers that didn't make sense if you played the game on the lower difficulties. On insanity, when you see an Asari Commando coming at you and you know they're decked out with a barrier, shields, and a shotgun, you start regrouping your team fast. Additionally, you start micromanaging your team more to prevent them from dying all the time. In ME3, playing on insanity meant instant death from grenades. You start using cover differently and you start paying more attention to when enemies are throwing grenades to flush you out of cover. It is an intense game.

[@DaWurfmaul]

Yeah I was thinking of Mass Effect 3 while watching the video. I usually don't play the most difficult modes but because I played a lot of multiplayer in ME3 I had to make the singleplayer harder. Otherwise it was just boring. And yes it changed the whole experience. I remember my first run on insane difficulty where I really had to adept to all the grenades coming at me. You just don't have that much time, you're often forced to change position which made the game a lot better. It's just not that static anymore.

[@BlackDerek]

Just started playing it on insanity a few days ago. Learned really quickly that I could not let my squad use their abilities all willy-nilly.

[@aidanhammer6968]

Dying Light on nightmare is a survival horror. On easy it is more of an action adventure. Very fun either way.

[@alexanderwoods4341]

only problem with dying light on higher difficulties is that the enemies turn into damage sponges. I dont like the idea of having to bash a zombie in the head 20 times to kill it.

[@user-tz5ss9ip2m]

But if you unlock certain skills that kill them with one hit(like stomp)you don't need to use your weapons frequently

[@danielbaisch9944]

Dying light was great fun

[@Mystic-Dust]

Uhh... I don't think there is an easy difficulty. The lowest is the normal difficulty.

[@Disturbance42]

Dying Light on anything other than Nightmare was boring as fuck. It actually made the game challenging, and fun.

[@Wolvandhiek]

I love hard difficulty because it encourages you to pay great attention to tutorials, game mechanics, enemy types, weapons and ofc you're expected not to screw up in it, that is if you're really hardcore into gaming ofc.

[@williamcolt1073]

any of the devil may cry series.

[@CidGuerreiro1234]

I never found DMC 3 to be difficult. Finished it on Dante Must Die difficulty without too many issues. Same for 4. Bayonetta was extremely more difficult in my opinion, and much harder to master.

[@nightmaresx4132]

Alien: isolation Xenomorph Easy-Dumb, almost never finds you Normal-Pretty smart, moves towards noises and looks in stuff and all that Hard-kinda Advanced, appears more often. Nightmare-Most Advanced A.I, u will rage and the difficulty also bases the rarity of ammo (I'm playing on normal)

[@ReleasedHollow]

Nightmares X I played normal first time, went in understanding I would die a bit, but even on normal that thing seemed difficult to deal with. I remember one death in particular, I was hiding in a locker and the xeno came close so i held my breath, the xeno sniffed and turned around, stood there and began to walk away so I figured it was safe so i exhaled (it was quiet), xenoMcdongface 180 pivoted on a 0 axis, ripped me out of locker and killed me. I quit after that, went back later to try to make up lost progress and xenocheeky britches didn't even show up.

[@Artrysa]

I played Skyrim in the hardest difficulty once. Man fuck that shit. I got killed by bloody wolves! I used to 1v1 a goddamn sabertooth tiger!

[@ronnieraines7090]

You died to a wolf in skyrim... I mabey, have died to a wolf before on legendary, after fighting a blood dragon if I recall (that fight was not fun I hid under a arch for most of it, and still died a couple of times) . My health got so low the wolf hit me and I died right after I looted the beasty.

[@mimicatzillacatonthemounta6715]

Artrysa I don't like playing skyrim on hardest difficulty, you still get the same stuff. The only thing that changes is that the fights last a lot longer

[@Artrysa]

Really? My fights are quite alot shorter.

[@mimicatzillacatonthemounta6715]

Artrysa idk but whenever i tried playing harder i just need a lot more arrows take them down with some more dying and that is all there is to it, i guess it does make you pay more attention to making potions and stuff but i just don't find it very satisfying

[@UltimaKeyMaster]

The only thing Difficulty affects is enemy damage if I recall correctly. You just needlessly take damage multipliers but it's still pretty stupid AI.

[@bellron4296]

in some games when you put hard on the AI they get aimbot XD

[@holisticlove6631]

I like it.

[@erakattack]

hard on

[@KyranSparda]

Call of duty modern warfare trilogy. The A.I can full spray you, and HEADSHOT you with P90 when you can't even see where they're shooting from.

[@josephdanejackson]

@@KyranSparda I'm noticing this even going back and playing Call of Duty 2, again. They might have all had aim-bot grenade spams on the higher difficulties.

[@ReddoX30]

I usually play on the second to last hardest difficulty. It usually provides a challenge, while also being fair.

[@Delpino666]

I loved the way Perfect Dark did it on the N64. The higher the difficulty, the more objectives you had to do to accomplish the mission. I remember the first mission still: on easy you just had to reach an elevator, on medium you had to get they key from an enemy and then reach the elevator, on hard you also had to hack the security system first and on super hard you also needed to get an enemy hacker to move to a certain point and do a certain action.

[@alexanderwoods4341]

yeah just like goldeneye on the 64. think both games were made by the same people too. those were the days.

[@GenJotsu]

It satisfies people that don't have real obstacles in their lives. You know, like staying alive.

[@GenJotsu]

More than a billion people don't have basic access to electricity. More than 2 billion don't have access to adequate sanitation.

[@nathanseward2399]

GenJotsu well that got dark really quick...

[@GenJotsu]

Just saying people need obstacles in their lives, whether they want it or not is irrelevant.

[@Dylan-pp5fg]

GenJotsu That's actually very true

[@K0sm1cKid]

Or going to school, I stopped playing hard games when I started college. lol

[@sethero298]

Uncharted 2 had a really cool way to play hard mode, and is one of my favorites to this day. Put it on insane difficulty, and all the enemies can one-shot you. Now, I can't remember the cheats name, but once you unlock it, it'd let you kill everything in one hit. The enemies can kill you in one hit, and you can do the same to them. That's the most fun I've had playing a games hard mode.

[@ZardozXerxes]

Thief and thief two had amazing harder difficulty modes that added new things and places as well as more tougher enemies that they forced you to interact with to complete many hard objectives.

[@demongrenade2748]

Metro series is definitely one of those games that changes for the better at the highest difficulties. You and the AI are on equal grounds in terms of damage output and health. That being said, you are both glass cannons. You really have to think to get through combat encounters to out-do the ai. If you don't, you'll die over and over. You'll also need to be on-point with your shooting because supplies are low and fuck-ups mean death. Just overall, Metro is at its best at the highest difficulty. Its hard but very fair.

[@nikosmeim6180]

DemonGrenade274 Same on Fallout 4s survival mode

[@MegaShadows007]

I dislike hard mode on RPGs which have a skill based/ gear system, simply because you generally have to use the "Top Build" in order to play most effectively, and I think being able to experiment freely in these systems is part of the fun, you might not be max DPS, but you're having more fun. I like hard mode in other style games though, Guitar Hero for example, as it's a straight up challenge (Purely based on player skill) That said, I've been recently playing through Witcher 3 on Death March (currently in the 3rd Act) and while I have a planned build, planned items etc, It's not taking away from the experience because of what Witcher is, I.E You are a monster hunter. Common topic in the game and books is how easily people can die of drowner or nekker wounds... Now these monsters feel like a real threat. It really added to the immersion.

[@broliy2100]

Was literally gonna mention Witcher 3 then I read the rest of your comment XD

[@demonpride1975]

i HATE difficulty in rpgs. a lot of them use rng for loot, so you are basically crippled if your luck sucks.

[@hola_chelo]

everyone has their different difficulty according to their playstyle, I completed TW3 and both DLCs in 100 hours exactly (except one gwent card that couldn't find anywhere) and it was really easy, I would take contracts 10 or 20 lvls higher than me cause otherwise it was boring and the bosses just hit more, they aren't more intelligent or have to be defeated with a mechanic that OI had to learn first, it was pretty boring actually, ended up with 100k gold and had nothing else to spend... wanted to start NG+ but I was too bored, maybe in a few months... I just think it was too easy.

[@MegaShadows007]

I definitely feel that Witcher becomes easier the further you get, at the beginning literally everything could kill you if you made a mistake, later on, you could play with your eyes closed and stay alive

[@TheCrown1313]

Great video as usual! Sekiro Shadows Die Twice! both hard modes are insane and actually make the game better if you're willing to deal with the brutal difficulty.

[@ripperjack.8647]

The last of us-grounded mode

[@ahmadwahbi1212]

That mode is called seen=dead

[@marioshepherd6375]

Is that mode on ps3?

[@justwatch7091]

@@marioshepherd6375 That mode is 5$ on PS3. Free on PS4.

[@metalheadblues]

@@justwatch7091 imagine paying more to make your game more difficult.

[@justwatch7091]

@@metalheadblues Haha can't imagine

[@ThePppp89]

Replaying The Witcher games at their hardest difficulties is... a humbling experience. For example in The Witcher 3 if you finish the game on normal you feel confident on being able to easily beat NG+ on Death March thanks to your Mastercrafted gear. You are then one hit killed by a wolf.

[@xinfyre3978]

makes you really appreciate the spells and potions you ignored on normal huh? Dont worry, it did for me too.

[@insertname1667]

Fr0styy_iz_i now see I was constantly using the spells, potions and oils throughout my normal,play through because granted my reaction timing is just not as good as it use to be, so I can honestly say that I needed the extra help.

[@abduluddin5645]

ThePppp89 lol is really like that? not tryna be a snob but ive known nothing but deathmarch and im still on my first playthrough. your comment made me smile. i guess when you play it long enough on deathmarch your timing just becomes impecable and your knowledge for the lore expands. im 80 hours in and when i see an opponent i know what oils decoction and bombs to equip that will help me in the fight without having to look at the beastiary.

[@joejesusCZ]

Yup, after 380 hours and several playthroughs I agree - you can get used to any difficulty, after about 100hours, the hardest difficulty became just a day-to-day regular job, it's all about the timing and your surroundings awareness.

[@ThePppp89]

Yeah, what I mean is the first hours, of course after some time it gets much easier.

[@djukor]

I remember when i borrowed my friends PS3 to play Uncharted 3. Before that i mostly just played the first 2 games on normal and enjoy them as fun little action games whit interesting set pieces. I played Uncharted 3 on the hardest difficulty on a dare the AI was phenomenal. Enemies ware flaking me spamming grenades when i spend way to long in cover. Last time i had that much fun playing the game was the original Fear on PC. Unfortunately most games just give enemies more HP and Damage. Not realy changing the way i play but simply forcing me to spend more time playing the game.

[@lavaproof8137]

djukor Now play it on brutal on ps4

[@wungusbill_]

The last of us becomes an adrenaline pumping, heart stoping rollercoaster on grounded difficulty

[@holisticlove6631]

Probably one of the best games on PS4 despite being remastered. Jump up the difficulty level it's an amazing experience.

[@watcher99999]

"Witcher 3 on hard isn't fun because it's "impossible" but dark souls if fine because I can beat it." Makes perfect fucking sense.

[@alphonseelric5722]

lol.

[@SovereignwindVODs]

that...actually does make sense. I don't see where you're coming from here.

[@HydroMDG]

the gears franchise does a good job of this imo. the games are cover cover based shooters so positioning is everything! insane difficulty severely punishes you for being out of position amd the AI constantly try to flank.

[@DRSICKNESS69ALLCAPS]

justin shaw I would agree but they also become massive bullet sponges. gears of war 4 was especially a big culprit.

[@alejandroromerosaenz2761]

DRSICKNESS - yeah I agree completely. I tried it in the Hardest difficulty and the reason is so tough (other then the AI being a little better) was that the enemies were able to take massive damage

[@Saniss48]

I really enjoyed the gears games on insane, it added narrative realism to the story line and made you feel the brutality of the world you're in.

[@SicSemperBeats]

Games aren't fun on easy. Especially shooters on something like pc

[@Goldenchildgt]

Damn right. Easy is completely no fun and not a challenge. It would make the games quite boring IMO

[@SicSemperBeats]

Goldenchildgt yes hard is the most fun especially shooter

[@CouchSpud91]

This is a matter of opinion. I don't find a challenge fun in the least. So, I don't want a challenge when I play a game. I want to relax, have fun, maybe enjoy the story or all the extras in the open world, and easily kick ass while I'm doing it.

[@demonpride1975]

i get what you are saying. but in the same games are not built around that mind set. they are built around accessibility. let as many people play as they can. so if you want to be a masochist hey that's great. but i play on normal to medium. like when i play fallout games, i play them for the immersion and lore. not to see if i can get rock hard by barely escaping each fight alive. that's not fun.

[@SicSemperBeats]

demonpride1975 it depends on the game for me. Shooters I gotta play on the hardest because of mouse and keyboard. But some others I play on medium

[@anvilheaded]

Man I really like your essay style videos, I hope you do more of them.

[@robertzeiger1547]

star fox 64... easy mode is like flying a tank.... hard mode is like flying a paper mache airplane trying to keep your other paper mache plane friends alive... looking at you slippy

[@coldfusion1679]

I like hard mode, but only a certain type, for instance, I will not play fallout 4 on very hard because all it does is make you use more bullets for enemies and that's it, but I love survival mode as it adds risk and reward, they are easy to kill and so are you, games that work in that way are far more fun

[@ramlrm7121]

Agreed, games that are only artifically harder because you take more damage or the enemies have more health isn't fun. I much rather have a tougher ai like the original Fear games is a good example of a smart ai that gets unhinged more on harder difficulties.

[@junewhrt]

Cold Fusion I always turn up the difficulty on Bethesda games because it makes me use all the mechanics in the game. for example, when I play it on easy and I find psycho I sell it without worry, but on harder difficulties I hold onto that shit Incase I run into some unexpected raiders.

[@marc4008]

I think a great example of how the difficulty changes how a game is played would be the last of us. I played the easiest difficulty once on left behind to quickly get an achievement, and was shocked at how much ammo you had, so it could be played as more of an action game. However, the 4th - 12th time I beat it was on survivor, before grounded came out. At that point, enemies are more dangerous, there is very little ammo, and you die with relative ease. This causes the game to often be played with a more stealth focus. And then grounded, which was playthrough 13-16 (doing it again soon lol) removes the main feature of the game that assisted with the stealth, the listen mode, making for a more realistic and challenging. After beating it as many times as I have, I know where the enemies are and their paths, so it's not too difficult anymore, with the exception of a few points (ex. the sniper, pushing the truck with Bill, the clickers with David as Ellie).

[@tiktokexposed898]

Marshmallow M80 lol I bet you're extremely excited for Last of us 2

[@marc4008]

Lol I got a notification on my phone for a news article about it the day it was reveled, and I just screamed for 5 minutes straight. TLOU is my favorite game of all time.

[@Xplinter91]

wow, how much time did it take the fastest walkthrough you´ve done?

[@marc4008]

Xplinter91 No clue, I've never kept track

[@Vail1989]

A great example of a game that changes with higher difficulty would be the Thief games, the old ones, one and two. If you play them on the highest difficulty they change your tasks for the missions. From the amount of wealth you have to steal to special things you have to get and some simpler ways in and/or out might be closed off. Also your health gets reduced significantly but since you not allowed to kil at all on expert that is only i minor impact.

[@tossacointoyourwitcherOriginal]

Finishing Uncharted 4 at crushing was so so satisfying and the IA is smart asf.

[@theguythingy]

You want a FUN challenge? Dishonored 2 - very hard, clean hands, ghost, and flesh and steel. All at the same time.

[@ronaldmathew9865]

theguythingy Want another Hard mode? Nier Automata. One hit and your dead.

[@theguythingy]

Ronald mathew that.... doesn't sound fun.

[@ChaoticKey29912]

theguythingy You Don't Say

[@burge2058]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. with the Misery mod, or just straight up master difficulty

[@walterwhite7376]

i ve done that in the first one.

[@tanker9987]

Sometimes I play on easy/medium because I find it more fun. Jumping checkpoint to checkpoint and desperately trying to backtrack most levels to get bullet sponges to follow you into buggy areas just doesn't make me feel like I'm playing the game properly.

[@alexanderwoods4341]

this is exactly why i stay away from the highest difficulty levels in most games. If it was a matter of more advanced ai with the same level of balance i'd be all in. but im not interested in shooting a target 100 times to kill it while looking for exploits or running around in circles forever to make that possible.

[@perkyzombie]

Horizon Zero Dawn, hard mode with the UI off... AWESOME!

[@fica1137]

Smh not even ultra hard

[@Klookko]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R on hardest changes the game drastically and balances stuff well tbh

[@dijkstra4698]

witcher 3 on death march is a whole new game

[@farmsalot1233]

mental knight it truly is

[@budmaam]

My personal favorite example of difficulty is Killing Floor, in particular, the second one. It's incredibly simple, but so effective. The higher your difficulty is set, the less money you get, there are less pickups around the map, there are more Zeds (or zombies) per wave, and, on Suicidal and Hell on Earth, the Zeds get new and unique attacks. Like I said, it's simple, but effective as it balances the game in a way that makes teamwork more mandatory than it already was on previous difficulties.

[@kukhop1]

XCOM is a very good example. It changes twice - first it becomes challenging, when you go up to Classic, then it opens a completely different layer when you switch to Impossible. Impossible makes you use lots of strategies, that were not even possible on lower difficulties.

[@venusmeetsmarz734]

I definitely like games better where the AI is more "aware" in comparison to games that only become harder by making NPCs "bullet sponges".

[@HH-kl8ed]

Ikr

[@MartClips]

I like jack because he gives gameplay footage instead of these royalty free pictures and memes that are supposed to be funny but are not.

[@hypernovaD]

Doom 2016 as well as its former iterations, on higher difficulties make you pay for your mistakes by killing you quicker.. the Enemies still have the same health and may be a bit more faster.. but one thing is certain mistakes are not tolerated.. that applies to most arcade type games like Serious Sam, God of War Enemies health stays the same i think it is just the player character that is nerfed and develops slower than they would on lesser difficulties. I liked the Megaman Zero games as it tended to get harder the better you played as the bosses would gain more attacks taking me by surprise and giving access to defeated boss abilities if you are at A or S rank that felt like a different game for me when i got back on my second play through. God hand was similar as difficulty would change on the fly which made it an interesting game when you got better at it.. but the game i remember being a completely different game at higher difficulties was Crysis.. as it would actually feel like a different game when you play it at a high difficulty as the enemies would speak Korean and leave you wondering what they are calling out to each other to do to kill your ass and be smarter and more tactical. and then there is resident evil 4, where playing a higher difficulty would change enemy placement and add changes to levels that were not there on previous play troughs.. that can surprise even a well versed veteran like myself when doing a second play through.

[@Bondubras]

The Fire Emblem series is a great turn-based tactical strategy series that gets difficulty right. In Sacred Stones, for example, unit movement is extremely important. Considering the unit permadeath mechanic, positioning and weapon choice can mean the difference between victory and game over. Fates may be more forgiving, with it's Phoenix and Casual modes, but it still keeps that permadeath aspect with Classic mode. That's not even mentioning the actual 'difficulty' modes it gives you. Beginner, Hard, and Lunatic modes all effect your gameplay, whether it's enemy weapon choice, enemy health, or even something as esoteric as what weapons are available to you.

[@igotveemon]

And if permadeath had any value except for "oh no I cant use this character anymore" I'd give a rat's ass. The fact your characters aren't actually dead makes it boring and bland, to me.

[@darkpilsen]

Everything you said about the Witcher 3 movements and difficulty is absolutely right.

[@AleesaWeiss]

Fallout:New Vegas is pretty different in Hard/Survival mode.

[@AleesaWeiss]

Agreed. It's the only way I can play it anymore. I adore the survival aspect.

[@demonpride1975]

i think obsidian did an amazing job on hardcore mode. they did it right. it's about managing your health and weight. and less about weather the guy you just fought took 20 bullets or your entire stock of ammo.

[@antonfowler6434]

Frederic Gray fallout4 survival mode has a flaw in the only save when you sleep mechanic because bethesda games are to unstable and crash a lot nothing worse than losing an hour or more of progress because the game crashed. And yes I am talking about BEFORE mods became available on xbox.skyrim and oblivion have crashed several times on the 360.

[@G.B.15]

personally though I only really noticed the ammo and med weight increase. The canteen along with the food I hoarded, as usual, made me not need to worry about myself and also just put all non-required ammo or weapons on my followers.

[@antonfowler6434]

There's a mod that lets you build the vending machines from fallout4 they count towards your settlement food and water (4/5 points) and they also work so you can buy cans of cram and bottle's of ice cold nuka cola (all 3 non dlc flavours) for 20 caps. I find this very usfull for survival mode I just build a small bunker ( at each settlement ) with a chem bench (mod lets me make ammo) a bed, water fountain (from vault-tech dlc) and a snack machine and im all set

[@williamheller6648]

You got to play normal to get a feel

[@bigaj6901]

William Heller Yh I play on normal to start with but if I find it too easy, I turn the difficulty up. If I've already played the game loads, like with Dishonored 2, it kind of needs something a little bit different to keep me challenged

[@seanwattsmoore8507]

William Heller yea true

[@KexiGina]

Fallout 4 Survival mode is a completely different experience from any of the other modes of the game.

[@TheXXLGamer]

For a great example of a game changing completely on higher difficulties, see World of Warcraft, specifically raiding. In addition to the usual numbers game there are additional mechanics in every single boss encounter in higher difficulties. The final bosses in Mythic (the highest difficulty) usually have entire new phases with completely new mechanics. In addition to that, the timing in which bosses use certain abillities change, leading to brutal overlaps in Mythic that force players to learn how to handle each abillity the boss multiple times, depending on the abillities affecting the raid at the same time. This and the fact that abillities occur at the same time every try (with some random factors like which players are affected) lead to a very methodical progression through the fight, forcing players to learn a fight slowly step by step.

[@wesley-skyehayes26]

dead space omg

[@TheHighborn]

hell no

[@wesley-skyehayes26]

oh so youve completed dead space 1, 2 & 3 on hardest difficulty that only allows 2 saves? and you didnt find it difficult? get outta here

[@Jabbces]

I completed Dead Space 1 on hardest difficulty only using the pistol on my first walkthrough, just for fun and it was indeed worth it

[@deadlykillah117]

EbolaTurtleIsACoolKidToy > Dead Space > "pistol" lol gfy

[@Jabbces]

Knight Artorias plasma cutter, whv

[@mishal4936]

Ideas on videos in this channel are out of this world. Don't you think?

[@JzpHenry]

The best example is Kingdom hearts 3’s critical mode. On normal mode you go through the game by just pressing X, but in critical mode every fight needs a whole bunch os strategy to beat.

[@timrijsenbrij8324]

Now Kingdom Hearts 2's critical mode is i.m.o better because KH3 focusses on large groups of enemies and KH2 focusses on a few deadly enemies at a time. Also i.m.o the organisation bosses in KH2 are better designed because you can't really design 3 bosses to be complicated and expect everything to go right

[@wompwomp338]

The ranger hardcore full dive mode in Metro Exodus is balanced pretty well compared to the others. You don't have a UI so you have to remember where things are and which animations are QTE that you need to be ready for. Both the human and beast AI are more aware at night time which makes you a lot more careful and the humans are realistically accurate with their guns. During the day everything can see you from further away. Your weapons degrade faster from use, dust storms, falling in the water or even just a waste high puddle that splashes. Supplies and ammo are scarce and the max you can hold is 300 parts 300 chemicals, but you don't lose any between chapters like you would on the easier difficulties. Less work benches to clean your weapons, especially difficult in the Caspian Sea chapter. You basically have dirty guns the entire time and you take more damage. You can add modifiers to any difficulty using New Game+ and I usually start ranger hardcore full dive with the +1 level to armor of all humans, more thrown grenades, 24 hour day/night cycle (which is an absolute must for this game, it changes the whole dynamic), and the bad weather modification which is just more immersive. They leave the bullet sponge option up to you with the tougher creatures modification. It's just a great game.

[@drunkbunny94]

It depends on the game and in what difference harder difficulty's introduce. For example I'm pretty competent at FPS games so games such as metro 2033 and last light ranger hardcore mode; with HUD being turned off, scarcer ammo/health, more alert enemies and being rather fragile makes for an extremely immersive and satisfying experience (apart from the library that mission is frustrating). Same can be said of killing floor 2 a hoard mode game, hell on earth mode gives the monsters different AI instead of walking at you they will sprint jump roll try and get out of your sights, guard thier heads with their hands to make headshots harder as well as there being more of them each wave. "Good" hard modes are games that effect you or your environment to make it work against you, that might be having a more realistic movement systems or that require you to be more aware like of your ammo/stamina or clunky/slower combat where you need proper timing things that once mastered will make the game feel easier but still challenging. To a new comer it should feel close to impossible (which is why there are easier modes for them to git good on). Games with "bad" hard modes are games that simply turn every enemy into a massive sponge or that turn you into tissue paper. harder modes should feel hard and challenging and hectic, NOT and I repeat NOT grindy, if you can make a sick headshot or parry/dodge/roll you shouldn't be forced to repeat that action a ludicrous number of times for the sake of difficulty it makes the game boring, tedious and unnecessarily long.

[@neilxdavis5359]

2k cheats on hall of fame

[@KimMilvang]

While it is different genre of game, I have found Civ5 to change quite a lot on the highest difficulty. On normal difficulties skirmishing with your neighbours and competing territory, and racing for wonders is a big part of the game. On very difficult it is so much more about trying not to get into a war at the wrong time, while trying to catch up so you can win in the late game. It also means for the first long while you can get huge benefits from making trade routes with other civilizations, further insensitivity a peaceful approach.

[@EXoDuZ302]

dmc 4 was an interesting version of difficulty, yes it was grindy but you kept your stats and upgrades through playthroughs and they manually adjusted encouters and bosses to challenge you more

[@hiddenflamz9159]

I always play on normal/medium mode anyone else

[@Atkopc]

NeonFlamez me too

[@nichtdiemama3708]

i usually start on hardest mode and IF i realise that its too hard then i go one difficulty down. but that allmost never happens. even if i die 10 times on the same spot. i just think "challange accepted" xD

[@danballe]

I normally play in the highest diff that the games can be set to from the get go, because I later discover that after the ending it unlocks something even worst!

[@danballe]

NeonFlamez If I realise I am waayy over my capacities I lower the diff!

[@songoten9101]

I remember When I beat witcher 3 on death march difficulty and said never again

[@vn3202]

I thought it really was just the beginning that was extremely tough. After a while you develop a technique in fights: being patient and running like Mayweather haha

[@Happyfoam-lw3yt]

Son Goten I felt the exact opposite. My reasoning was that I'd never get the same amount of depth in a game unless I always start on the highest difficulty. It forces you to utilize more of the aspects of the game instead of just button mashing till you see credits. It's so much more in depth and I can never go back.

[@xinfyre3978]

Death march really makes you take advantage of the games spells and potion system which makes it more fun and immersive imo

[@abduluddin5645]

V N FACTS

[@abduluddin5645]

Scott Patterson FACTS

[@Poppa_Capinyoaz]

I wouldn’t hate the hardest difficulty level on The Witcher 3 if the reload time wasn’t 5 hours.

[@KuroRyu523]

I like it when upping the difficulty forces you to use features of the game that you don't bother with in lower difficulty levels. essentially improving my experience on the easier run by forcing me to think of more inventive ways to overcome the problem using all of the resources at my disposal.