What difficulty level do you default to on your first play through?

[KentState]

Normal typically. I would rather experience a lot of games than spend time mastering a few.

 

[RaistlinZ]

All Madden

 

[Chordian]

Usually always easy.

 

[cronos]

Always the easiest setting I could find.

 

[cuafpr]

normal dont have the time to deal with hard anymore sadly.

 

[magomago]

Typically whatever default is; if I find it feels like I'm playing on rails and I'm not even having fun, I'll try to push up the difficulty

 

[The Boston Dangler]

multiplayer

 

[Imp]

Regular. I remember a game or two where "hard" settings were more about handicapping you than making the enemy harder.

 

[JTsyo]

Normal for new games, hard for games of the type I've already played.

 

[darkewaffle]

Almost always Hard/Difficult these days.

 

[Tweak155]

Depends on how long I think the game will be. I don't get time to play lots of games so I like to plow through them for story / setting. So usually easy.

 

[tacosrcool]

I always like to try normal first since I like to see the story in a timely manner

 

[EDUSAN]

i normally chose the one above Normal, unless i know the game is stupidly hard. In that case i go for normal

 

[gorcorps]

normal

I don't get engrossed in games like I used to, and if I get frustrated I have a good chance of quitting and not going back because I have other stuff to play. I actually have a decent chance to finish the game on normal.

 

[Keeper]

Normal since apparently I'm a mouth breather. I'm not looking for a major challenge when I play. Just like to go along for the ride, explore, and enjoy the story.

:thumbsup:
Thats my logic....

BUT, I do alter the setting (If able) in game depending upon what is going on.
And (LOL) I go both ways. One time in ME2, there was a mission I could NOT get past. so in game, went to easy... Beat it (After two tries YIKES) and went back to normal.
the first 37 levels of Torch Light 2.. I went above normal. Cuase it was CRAZY easy. I felt like I was playing the old time DOOM game in GOD mode and NO CLIP LOL.
Around level 35. I dont know if I am speced out wrong, bad gear, something..... BUT WOW, SHEET just got real. Read DIE A LOT. So cranked it to normal.

 

[Keeper]

All Madden

LOL the early EA sports games were the WORST for me.
Baseball.
Normal: I would win 20 in a row.... Striking out 15 a game and all my guys are hitting over 300. thats no fun.

Go up a level....

All my guys are hitting below 150, I cant strike out Ray Charles and I am 1 and 24 after 25 games.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Always the easiest setting I could find.

Same here. I don't have the time or patience to deal with harder difficulties. If I have the time to actually finish a game, then I will put it on a higher difficulty, but that doesn't happen much.

 

[Skott]

Normal

 

[Dumac]

If I plan on playing multiple times, I start on normal.

If not, I'll bump up the difficulty.

 

[sweenish]

Normal.

 

[futurefields]

I always do normal. I have a full time job and I hate getting stuck in games, because then they start feeling like jobs.

 

[werepossum]

If there are three levels, I start on hard. If more than three, I start on the next down from the hardest. I like a bit of a challenge. But if I'm dying a lot, I'll quickly drop down as far as needed to not often replay sections. Unless they are really fun sections - some few battles are worth replaying over and over again, but most I find monotonous. Also, if the game uses save points rather than player-directed saves I'll more quickly drop down. And if the game does not allow changing difficulty on the fly I'll sometimes start on normal. The object is to have fun, and my wife will not be impressed that I beat a game on the hardest difficulty.

 

[irishScott]

Second hardest or one above normal

This. "Normal" seems to be more and more geared towards the "never touched a video game before" crowd.

 

[Saffron]

I will play on normal to get the story of the game (if any) and then play back through on the hardest afterwards if I liked it for the bragging rights so to speak.

 

[Canun]

Normal, I get frustrated and challenged at work, no need to do it when I'm relaxing. Will sometimes go hard if is RTS like Rise of Nations.