I like being able to choose, but I'd rather have the difficulty progress as you get further into the game.

Would be cool if you completed the first level of a game and it decided which difficulty best suits you, judging by how many times you died, speed you completed it in etc. Don't think they should scrap difficulty levels all together though.

When I play games with no difficulty I feel like I should be able to beat them. It makes me not quit. Also, when there is difficulty level I usually start at the second hardest. Also, for replay value developer should get a little more creative. Like trying to beat MGS3 without killing anyone.

the hardest difficulty level that is available, so if a game has one or not doesn't bother me.

should always have choice of difficulty....

I always choose the hardest possible to get more out of the game.

There needs to be easy mode too though, casual gamers just want to play through without much hassle.

Yup. Because "normal" games are too damn easy lately.

I usually do normal for games I'm not used to yet, then I turn it on hard. But for games like CoD, GoW and others that use the same gameplay layout, I would always start on a harder setting.

Should be just Hard and Extreme modes.

I stil like being able to play on hard... Adds another dimension to the game.

Funny thing is that 'hardcore mode' in the first Gears of War was basically normal mode. Ah, the illusion of 'hardcore' that MS had created. To them it just meant a generic game with gore and guns.

so i can choose hard then choose hardest so i can play the game once again gives me replay ability

Games are easier than ever. I think difficulty these days is scaled down a lot. Hard on most games is easy mode compared to games of the past like Contra (Without the code people!)

What we have to understand is that not every gamer is an achievement freak who tries to always do the impossible. Many people play games just to relax rather than compete with some insane difficulty level. If we take out the level options, we'd end up with lots of grumbling casual gamers. Oh, and I believe it'll be very difficult to perfect the 'auto-adjust' system, thus making it more of a hindrance rather than help.

this generation of games seem easier. I do believe that developers are making games easier in order to have a greater appeal(not looking at you Demon Souls) to casuals. Games like GoW3 and Ninja Gaiden seem much easier than their predecessors. So yes, I think it is more important than ever if devs are making easy and even normal modes easier.

I guess I could just be getting better but I've read other people who feel the same way so I don't think it's just me.

For the simple fact that of the plethora of gamers out there, they all have different skill levels.

I always put my game on the hardest difficulty possible from the get go because it offers the greatest challenge to me, which is something I like, it makes everything more rewarding to me.

But I also realize that there are a lot of players out there that aren't as skilled as I am (and many that are way more skilled), and they can't complete a game on the hard or easy difficulty.

So I say let the user select the difficulty and enjoy a game rather than having everyone use the same difficulty and deal with the whining of people saying it's too hard or too easy.

still waiting for a full footbal(soccer meaning kicking the ball into the goal)l manager game for the ps3,which means blu ray.Hurry up and make one!!!!

is always a nice option to have...

reality check...most games now a days gives you the option to play in all modes. for example say the game is too hard you can switch your difficulty back to easy or vise versa. it gives you the player to have full control on what you want to do. now i understand rpgs you can not, but simply general rule of thumb you have to build the characters if its getting to hard...hence common sense.

I keep at normal because most games have cheating cpu. Like in racing games that have cpu's with magical cars the catch up to you no matter how much butt you kick. Thats not fun to me.

For someone like me, who is not a hardcore gamer, sometimes progressive difficulty can be a nuisance. However, one can say by that time, you would know the game enough to tackle the toughest challenges, but it can't be said for everyone. Difficulty options exist to cater to different groups of people, thus everyone's happy, why would you take away something that has worked for so long? I like having options so that I may choose to approach the game in a manner that is most befitting to me, no matter how limited those options are. Usually I start with easiest just so I can take in the story, 'cause that's my first goal: story, without any frustrations or such. After that on replay I set 'em higher to get a challenge out of the game.

One thing people don't always consider is not all people are physically able to play at the same level of difficulty. It is unfair to assume everyone is able to get through a game at the same difficulty level. Some people just can't, so why not make it adjustable so they can enjoy their 60 dollarr purchase?

auto adjust difficulty would be best as videogames evolve. Choosing your own difficultyy is inedaquate in this day and age.

Of coarse we need the choice! Think about it, if they had one for all, then everything would end up being too easy to suit the weaker players. Which is most people, because these days the majority ain't gamers that want a challenge.

play video games if she couldn't set the difficulty to easy.

she's not playing the game to prove how 1337 she is, she's playing the game to have FUN, and her idea of fun is different from elitist "hardcore" gamers like myself.

i tend to play games on Normal difficulty first time through, since that's the default level the developers designed the game around.

second play through, i'll often play on Easy, just so i can have fun with any extras i've unlocked and just dominate the game.

third play through i play on Hard, if i felt the game was fun enough to warrant a hard play through (like God of War 3 on Titan). usually i don't bother playing games on Hard. like my wife, i DO like to have fun with my games, and don't like an unnecessarily hard difficulty (like the Ninja Gaiden; old and new series).

i LOVE Demon's Souls, because it's not unnecessarily hard. it's difficulty is more based around skill, and being smart in combat (waiting for a prime attack time, choosing a location that will give you the advantage, etc). my wife even played Demon's Souls, and only had me intervene for Boss fights (she had no problem fighting the various enemies in the game, but the bosses always terrified her).

I never see having choices as a problem. Like, different difficulty levels add replay value and sometimes it's fun to throw it on easy for achievements.

For example, L4D or L4D2, I've beaten all the campaigns on expert, and on 2 I beat dark carnival and dead center on expert realism. All fine and dandy. But, there are super fun achievements to try for, like nothing special, akimbo assassin, untouchables, etc. These are a bunch of fun to try for on easy, but touching them on advanced or expert wouldn't be fun so much as frustrating, and not the rewarding kind of frustration that realism expert gives you..

Plus, one difficulty level wouldn't work for L4D, expert is sooo much fun because you hafta actually react quickly, and I would be sad if I didn't have that choice, but then achievement whoring and just playing with my little cousins would not be fun on expert. Nopenopenope.

but that would be unfair...

most people don't play videogames as much as we do, so to assume we'd all be at the same level it wouldn't be fun for them.

i always start a game on hard now, and if its TOO hard for starters (GOWIII) i put it on normal.

but other wise thats me, but for some of my friends, normal mode is hard enough!! it really depends on the person, and to be perfectly democratic, all games should have an easy mode

of course this is an exception with extreme games like demon's souls =3

I love challenging games thats awesome, however some games on the 'hardest' mode are not about challenging skill its about just making it near as impossible as it can be

Call of Duty on veteran is just stupid, you play thro n just have to learn exactly where every enemy is, even the best players cnt just go on a level they never played before n do it. COD rly bugs me just for that cheapness of veteran mode