Are AAA Games Too Easy?

"Perhaps extreme difficulties are still here, just presented in different ways. Multiplayer focused shooting games (for the most part), have average (to-below) difficulty within their campaigns. However, jumping online and playing competitively can produce a welcomed contest." KJ of Play Legit Writes

[itsjustexuma]

From Software thinks differently

[bacrec1]

Real Talk. Wish more companies would get the memo.

[joab777]

So do I. Unfortunately, it doesn't sell so it doesn't get made. At least it doesn't sell 5-10 million like Assassin's Creed, And all the others. Bloodborne is one of the best games I've ever played, and it ruins other games b/c it expects better of you. It wants you to play it for awhile, instead of moving on to the next big thing a week later.

It's goal is to consume you, and not just your time, but your patience and your will, and it promises, unlike other games, to reward you for that time w/ actual satisfaction.

[breakpad]

eeh ?? have you heard bloodborne or Souls games ? ..no if the develeopers dont seek wide casual acceptance (aka all kids must play the game) no ... are not easy

[bouzebbal]

i think western games are getting much easier than ever.
japanese are the only ones who dose difficulty. Games like Ninja Gaiden, Souls, Bloodborne raise the level.

[johndoe11211]

Why? That makes no bloody sense. Most games have varying levels of difficulty, if you are someone who likes to be constantly punished and frustrated while playing a game simply start off playing the game on it's hardest difficulty. Why the hell should they make all games with only one level of frustrating difficulty, to pander to a select few who have nothing better to do than spend 10 hours trying to pass one level?

This argument makes no sense and since bloodborne released people act like they've forgotten about difficulty settings. People saying all games should be difficult and punishing are selfish and inconsiderate and don't give a damn about anyone else's time or preferences. if gamers want to spend over a month trying to finish every game then they should not complain when only 5 or 6 games get released every year. It's a senseless foolish expectation.

[rawrock]

From Soft makes Souls games hard the wrong way. Slow clunky controls and questionable mechanics and design. Anybody can make a game where you die a lot. It takes more talent to make a game with a good difficulty balance and smooth gameplay. I have not played Bloodborne but at least it looks to be step up in gameplay over the Souls games.

[freshslicepizza]

from software became a aaa developer based on expanding its fanbase who often felt neglected to play games where if you die you suffer for it. the first demons souls game was not marketed as a aaa game, it grew from word of mouth and they managed to fill an area that was being ignored.

lots of aaa games are made easy and that makes sense since they want the barriers of people to play them to be as wide as possible. the more accessible the more will play is what they are thinking because aaa games cost a hell of a lot more money to make now than they did 30 years ago.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

The industry doesn't use the word easy but "accessible" so yes games are easy.

[joab777]

It's because they know that you won't be playing long. Only certain games get played over a period of time longer than 2 weeks. They just want your money, and want you to finish it. And they know that if you get the Souls reputation, you are screwed.

[700p]

it depends on the game really.

[BitbyDeath]

Depends on the difficulty setting.

[Perjoss]

I find the souls games a bit too hard personally but I think Bloodborne has perfectly balanced difficulty.

[KryptoniteTail]

Too hard, actually. Well, not "hard" but complicated, with long boring tutorials, and unbalanced sections and they try your patience with collectathons, bulls*** missions and try to make up for it with half hearted multiplayey and/or bitchy trophies.

I prefer more indies these days. AAA can still be the best around but most are boring rehashes and DLC fests.

[AudioEppa]

I prefer the games I like to play, stay the way they are and for only the developers to decide on how they see fit to evolve it.

I'm so sick of some gamers and websites crying about "AAA games easy" or act like they deserve a damn cookie because they consider themselves 'HardCore' hahahaha

Just be freakin happy you got games like bloodhound or dark souls or dark something whatever and stop trying to push-it on everyone else because "that's true gaming" No, gaming is however we as individuals gamers like it as and personal preferences will be different, get over it and i love you.

[johndoe11211]

Well said. There are difficulty settings on almost all games, if you want to be frustrated playing a game set it on the hardest difficulty when you play. Gamers wanting them to force this insane difficulty crap on everyone are full of it.

[zsquaresoff]

Well games do come with a difficulty setting.

I personally like the games nowadays which are more user friendly.

Unlike before where I bought games at full price and wasn't able to complete them because they were too difficult or the game mechanics were not suited to my style of play.

[higgins78]

Personally, I prefer games such as (for example) Mario 64 - regarding difficulty in games. A game anybody can pick up and have fun with, even complete a good few levels, but its only the more 'experienced' player which can find the secrets and complete the game in its entirety. Even games such as Okami (for example). A game in which you can get fairly far into the adventure without much problem, but its only halfway in you need that dedication and experience to get to the end. I appreciate games such as Dark Soul, but for me, any game which is THAT difficult from the get go is a real turn off.

[rawrock]

No. And games like Dark Souls are hard because of poor design and clunky mechanics. Its easy for a developer to make a game where players die a lot. Making a game with smooth controls, balanced diffulculty is much harder.

[kevnb]

No the souls games are hard because they were able to be challenging without feeling "cheap". Most games are too broken to be made harder.

[_LarZen_]

No I don't think so. But then again if there is an option in the game to adjust the difficultly I put it higher then normal.

So if you think AAA games are to easy. Crank it up a little?

[WellyUK]

That's the problem though as Hard isn't really "hard" anymore in most AAA games. Even The Last of Us brought out a Grounded mode to make the game harder for people as some people just find games incredibly easy.

Just look at CoD single players, Veteran difficulty has just gotten easier and easier to do as they removed the constant enemy re-spawns and the nade spam which used to be in WaW.

Then there's the opposite which the Souls games are under where they are too hard for people. These games have grown recently as people must be wanting to have more challenge and reward from their games.

At the end of the day there's a bit off everything as some games aren't meant to be hard such as the Assassins Creed games which are more meant to be cool and flashy with easy/cool looking fighting mechanics which to me personally they have killed with Unity which was a clunky mess.

[Spartacus10]

I can see why that perception may exist, but you also have to remember that unlike most non-AAA games, you do get difficulty settings, the controls dont suck, and AAA devs face fewer technical limitations which reduces the chance of them being illogically and/or unfairly hard.

[stragomccloud]

Yes, so long as we are talking about most AAA western games. Most of them are designed for the casual gaming audience. It's like the film industry and popcorn flicks.

[Roccetarius]

Once something difficult with great combat design and other aspects does come along, the funnies happen because you're taken by surprise. It's very, very rare though. You're not prepared for it, because of the easy games the industry releases these days.