Krooner wrote:the7k wrote:
I never play on Easy, with the exception of Ninja Gaiden 2 because that game is just broken, literally and figuratively. No good game designer would make a game that is so unfairly difficult.
I think Ninja Gaiden 2 is one of the exceptions. Gaiden gives you the tools to deal with what it throws at you, while you can be caught out by a shoddy camera here and there. and some of the boss fight can be frustrating when you do get it right not many games can match that exhilaration. I wouldn't say it was unfairly difficult it rewards you learning the game.
That said I've only done 2 on Normal so far, I did Black at Ninja Master and will probably try both the sigma versions on Master in the future.
Correction, NG 2 rewards you for being CHEAP. It's a cheap game and it's only when you start abusing AI glitches, in game exploits, blind spots, abusing items/ninpo, etc. that you start making any real progress. Even the pros will admit that. You'll know what I mean once you try playing NG 2 on anything other than normal, at which point Itagaki pops up on your screen and tells you to bend over. It's the least balanced NG game ever made
Anyway, I think playing a game on a harder setting for a first playthrough is usually rather stupid. In many cases, you haven't REALLY experienced the game if you didn't play it on normal. One of the coolest moments in Resident Evil 4 involved a guy in a helicopter shooting down baddies and blowing up buildings while you fight off any enemies that head your way. On Pro difficulty, he flies around doing nothing to make that part harder and all the epicness of that part of the game is lost entirely. In Strangehold you have a bunch of cool abilities called Tequila bombs that are a large part of the game's fun factor. It's where the game gets some of its style. On the hardest setting, you so rarely get to refill the Tequila meter that the game just ends up feeling like another generic third person shooter. The game is harder this way sure, but it completely loses its identity in the process
The only time I will play a game on a harder setting from the get go is if I'm familiar with the developer or series. I know, for example, that Tomb Raider games are pretty much exactly the same no matter what difficulty setting you put them on. So you might as well start on hard and nab two achievements when you beat the game instead of one. Playing games on harder settings is usually something I do for bragging rights rather than fun. Although there are a small number of games out there that can up the difficulty while still retaining everything that makes the game fun, like the The Red Star on EX mode where they simply speed every thing up and I think it alters a few bosses' bullet patterns
