this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2024
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I think easy game modes take away what a great game makes a great game. I'm not sure if I can explain this with words, but if you are going to play on easy, then it means you don't want to play. At that point, its probably not a game for you. I'm talking across all kind of genres and type of games. However, if a game is unfair or badly designed, that is the moment when I would recommend using easy mode. And it depends on how the difficulty scaling is implemented. Some easy modes are really dumb and take away the core principles of the game, while others are very intelligently realized.
Your example is a great example of what I meant by that. You are not interested into the combat, therefore made it easy so it does not get in your way. You didn't turn it down because its unfair. What happens is, you are actively playing a game, which you don't want to. I don't know what exactly scales in that game, so maybe its not a bad easy mode at all, but can't judge the game.
I'm currently playing Metal Gear Solid 5 for the first time (just played a few hours on launch and now I'm back to it) on normal difficulty. The game can be brutal at times and there were multiple moments when I almost quit the game. Yet I did not turn easy mode, and now I'm happy that I overcome the challenge naturally. And that's what I mean. I you turn the game to easy mode, then you get into these habits of not solving the challenges.
I'm just expressing my opinion and give recommendations. Do what you want, its your experience that is ruined, not mine. Geez people need to calm down, its a discussion. No need to get personally attacked.
We weren't talking about speed-running or challenges. And I made clear its not the only way to play a game, but for people who don't want to play the game as intended. Its a totally different and degraded experience, because the game is designed in a certain way. Therefore I do not recommend using easy mode... unless (and I made that clear before too) game is unfair or badly designed or if you don't want to play the game anyway, and just enjoy cut scenes.
I'm not attacking you or judging you, I try to protect the worse experience for from you and encourage to actually learn to play the game. If you don't wan to play the game like that, then maybe easy mode is for you. Or play another game. It's not my choice its yours, I don't take your choice away!
Ah so speedrunning and challenges, which are arguably harder, is fine? Speedrunning and exploiting glitches A-OK? But easy mode because I'm 44 and don't react like I did at 19, that's ruining the experience? Doesn't make sense.
The OP does not talk about speedrun and challenges. The one guy in the comments just changed the discussion topic. And even if so, Speedrunning and exploiting glitches has nothing to do with playing the game as intended or the experience of the game. And yes off course speedrunning ruin the experience of the game, as it is not playing the game as intended (unless it is specifically a speedrun game, but that is an exception and not our topic). That is a whole another topic and has nothing to do with our discussion and has nothing to do with the initial OP topic.
The OP asks what games to play on easy and which games he recommends, and I told him what I recommend or when I do not recommend playing them. It doesn't make sense to you, because you are conflicting different issues with the topic. Speedrun is not our discussion (that guy just started talking about it).
Mind you, the point the OP brought was to use easy mode because he does not like or find the combat engaging. Therefore he does not want to play the combat (and by extension the game as it is intended). How can you guys read and interpret all kind of nonsense and start flaming?
You do seem to be simplifying what a game is, though. Boiling it down to what is "intended". If easy difficulty was created and put into the game by the developer, is it not intended?
You are allowed to disagree, however this has devolved into personal attacks which is not acceptable here. Please be(e) nice
But a lot of people are coming to gaming from traditional media where there is no interaction. A lot of those people like the narratives in games, but don't love beating a challenge. A lot of those people are tired from long days at work and do not get joy from eking out a win. To them, it feels like a chore, and they didn't get into this to do chores. They got into it to get away from the stress of the world.
(EDIT: Forgot to mention, this is also why Let's Play youtubes are popular. I know a guy who doesn't game at all but has watched full playthroughs of things like Firewatch.)
If you get enjoyment from great game mechanics, more power to you. However, that doesn't mean those game mechanics are less impactful in story driven games where the gaming is "easier."
My partner didn't play games at all until those old Walking Dead games by Telltale came out. They were like a TV show, and she started playing them... because it was like "playing" one of her favorite shows at the time. I literally chose them to introduce her to gaming because it was more like a TV show than a game.
She recently finished Baldur's Gate 3 on normal and its her favorite game now. So games with easy difficulty levels can also help people who have never gamed before be able to get into it and eventually love the more difficult challenge.
That's exactly what I'm saying. People like you describe don't want to play the game. There is nothing wrong with that, i just explained when easy mode makes sense or when I recommend it. In this case, people who don't want to play the game (as intended), can use easy mode.
As I said, it depends on the implementation of an easy mode. Some easy modes are bad and ruin the actual gaming experience. In some other cases its actually very well thought out and the game mechanics are supportive in such an easy mode.
In general a situation like with your partner to introduce into gaming is a special case. There are lot of games designed to be easy or adaptive. But the OP here isn't new to gaming, its a different situation. I was looking from a perspective who plays games.
I think this is part of the problem I have.
Are they still pressing buttons and making input? Yes.
Thus, they're still playing the game.
If you want to sound less judgmental, stop saying they're not "playing" it or that "they don't want to play it" just because they're not "playing it the way I think is right."
If you really think its okay, accept that when they are still pressing buttons and interacting with the game, they are still functionally playing the game. Not playing the game is watching a Let's Play.
It's a pointless distinction rooted in treating people who want an easy mode as "lesser" because "they don't want to actually play the game." Sorry, sick of hearing it worded this way.
Playing on easy doesn't mean you don't want to play. Or at least, that's not my personal experience when I put games on easy, which is not always.
I'll throw out two examples. Age of Empires 2. I suck ass at real time strategy, so I put the bots on easiest. What this gives me is the experience and feeling of building up my faction, gathering resources, making upgrades, feeling later like those upgrades were smart (which I wouldn't get on harder difficulties as my actual poor choices would backfire and punish me), and then I get to conquer my enemies with my large army.
I still got to build something up from nothing, create a satisfying army, utilize what I made to conquer. I got something out of it that I wouldn't have if I played on normal. I would've struggled and likely lost. I might've just as likely actually risen above the challenge and came away with a more satisfying, but hard fought win, but I have challenging and hard fought wins at work every day. I don't need that in a genre I'm only a tourist in at home. I have Monster Hunter for that.
I put Gundam Breaker 4 on easy, the combat is satisfying on a surface level, but too precise and finicky as the challenge rises. I enjoy the combat still, on a smaller scale, but I moreso enjoy acquiring gear and making a Gundam that looks a certain way. The things I enjoy more about the game are facilitated by easier combat, I can get to those parts more easily, but still enjoy the combat.