@d21lewis

I haven't played Gears of War 2 yet//but I do know what your talking about//I remember starting out playing the original Gears of War solo on casual mode//then gradually increased my difficulty to hardcore mode then to insane mode to unlock all the achievements for that game//I think I averagely beat the original Gears of War like 6 to 8 times//lol

I start on the easiest, and generally will play through each of the other difficulty settings afterwords.

Exceptions being:
1. there is only 1 setting (duh!)
2. The higher difficulties are actually difficult so I get stuck (rather rare) and thus don't complete one of the settings.
3. For some reason on RE4:Wii I started on the "normal" setting.... I have no idea how as I would usually have clicked on "easy", so unless the easy option wasn't there at the beginning I have no idea what went on.

I'm surprised at the number of people on a gaming forum saying they start at easy. This looks like it should be an official poll question.

I figured there would be almost no one who stated they started on easy. Typically I find easy is too easy, and that just ruins the game. There are a few exceptions where I wouldn't be shocked if someone said they normally start on easy, like fighters and Fire Emblem, but most games I find it ruins the game.

@nordlead

I don't understand why it would ruin the game//being on hard mode would ruin the game for me//considering fustration would soon take toll and I will either A) get pissed B) drop the game all together and quit playing it.

I don't want that to happen//I won't to play through a smooth experience and if its a story driven game I want to know more about the story and also get use to the gameplay//after I beat it I know what to expect and I can go through the game on a harder setting.

Some games just don't work well without the higher difficulty.

My first play through in Uncharted was on the hardest difficulty, and it was still too easy and sort.

Halo was also too easy on the hardest settings. It was super short, too. It took me 6 hours to beat.

I'll give Insomniac props with Resistance. I couldn't beat it on anything above normal, and even then, it was longer and harder than Uncharted. That game has best single player of any shooter right now.

It really depends on the game. I'm going to play Resident Evil 5 on whatever the hardest option they give me is. Start Ocean 4 will be played on normal is they give me an option.

I agree that hard mode can ruin a game too. I just thought considering we were on a gaming forum that almost no one would say easy first.

My problem with easy typically, is that you can breeze though the game without a single challenge. Then you come back on a harder mode (say normal) and there are still no challenges cause you know what to expect. It's the same reason why I play with the hint systems turned off until I get stuck, then I'll turn it on for a little bit, then turn it off again.

@Destiny Blade

WOW//like is your gaming skill higher then mine or what//I mean seriously Uncharted was hard as hell on the difficult setting//I had a tough time with those monster looking things//weird//I guess player skill does have a affect on whether a person should start out at a particular difficulty.

Like I said I prefer easy mode or default difficulty (normal mode). Then after I beat the game I up the difficulty to hard or insane or the more difficult modes.

depends on the game

Well I must say to be the first//I perfer easy mode//there is a significant challenge for me//I just hate fustrating parts especially if its a game i like or for example I'm at a difficult spot I can't get out of considering the difficulty is affecting my progress. It happened to me when I was playing Call of Duty 2 on the Xbox 360. I played that game straight on the hardest setting that game had to unlock all the achievements and to my knowledge I had a truly difficult time getting past certain levels not only that but it was a few times I through the controller down in disgust cause there were so many cheap deaths and such.

And also about the "you know what to expect" part//well I understand that but for me if I truly like the game//I could care less about what I already know about it from the previous playthrough. I am about to play Uncharted again for the second time but this time on a harder difficulty for the trophies this time cause I had such a fun and fustration-free first playthrough.

I agree with nordlead. The first playthrough of a game is the truly fun time, and playing it on childishly easy difficulty makes it more like a poorly paced movie than an interactive experience. I always dip my toes in on an above-average difficulty with no tutorials, and if I'm overmatched it doesn't take long to realise.

Plus, with certain games, if you play too long in easy or normal you can develop a really lazy play style which doesn't serve you well when you turn up the heat later.