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Anyone here who actually hopes the upcomming games are going to be easy?

I do agree it's unlikely, but a girl can hope. In the meantime self-imposed challenge is always an option. I remember battling Rose with only Fairy-type team was quite a blast.
Yes, there's always hope! :giggle: Yes, self imposed challenges are definitely a thing. In the absence of difficulty from Game Freak, we fans who've wanted a little more more of a challenge like myself have had to get creative. I've come up with a few ways myself, such as switching teams around in BDSP to avoid overleveling.
 
Yeah, I’m not looking for a challenge when I play Pokémon. If I want a difficult turn-based strategy game, I’ll play SMT or some other difficult RPG.
To be fair, unless you're playing on hard or nightmare, SMT is pretty much a cakewalk too. At least 5 is. I've been playing on normal and the only hard things are the constant grinding and backtracking. The actual game play is as simple as Pokémon's. I mean the same could be said about most JRPGs, even notoriously hard ones, with type match ups. Once you know somethings weaknesses, you're pretty much start one or two shoting them after a while.

With that said, I still think Pokémon really could benefit from difficulty modes. I mean there's no more excuses to not to have them now. It feels like the games lost something after the jump to 3D and them implementing the untogable EXP share. Like if they want to be welcoming to new players and little kids and keep the aging fanbase happy...they should just implement difficulty instead of leaning one way or the other. It's that easy, and everyone's happy. Because as it stands...the games are too easy and can't get any more easy as they are now.
 
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"Difficulty" is a funny thing. Simply having the Devs take away the EXP Share for example wouldn't necessarily make the games more difficult but rather make me have to spend more time grinding which I hate. Designing difficulty well requires making the player think smarter rather than simply giving the bosses more HP or making the Player's attacks weaker. Unfortunately, given the Open World and Non-Linear aspect of S/V, I suspect that Gen 9 won't be getting any harder.

To be fair, unless you're playing on hard or nightmare, SMT is pretty much a cakewalk too. At least 5 is.
Gone are the days when Atlus employees say "we get off on your tears". I suspect by now they've realised that it pays much better to tone down the difficulty so the games can reach a wider audience. I doubt we'll ever get another Atlus game that is a real challenge without turning up the difficulty level.
 
Gone are the days when Atlus employees say "we get off on your tears". I suspect by now they've realised that it pays much better to tone down the difficulty so the games can reach a wider audience. I doubt we'll ever get another Atlus game that is a real challenge without turning up the difficulty level.

I honestly don't know why SMT V having easier difficulty seemed to disappoint some of its players. I'd get it if they lock the hard difficulty behind paid dlc/new game+, but it's there from the start and afaik it's just as brutal as the previous SMT games, so technically nothing has changed.
 
Well, some people actually do like to push the I-win-button for various reasons. I usually choose the easiest difficulty if possible on RPGs with stories that I like, so that I can get into the story faster. Also sometimes it feels cathartic to trample on the foes easily.
Not to come off as rude, but I have to ask, if you're more invested in getting through the story, why not watch a walkthrough at that point? Generally speaking, what exactly would the difference be between searching for a playthrough with no commentary on YouTube (or just a compilation of the cinematics, if story's all you're into) and playing through the easiest and least engaging difficulty of the game? And what makes obliterating waves of enemies feel so "cathartic", when they are handicapped to the point where their strategy is non-existent and their attacks barely make a dent in your HP bar and you're so much stronger thanks to the easier difficulty that you don't even have to think about what you do in the game when dealing with them?
 
Generally speaking, what exactly would the difference be between searching for a playthrough with no commentary on YouTube (or just a compilation of the cinematics, if story's all you're into) and playing through the easiest and least engaging difficulty of the game?
Because video games revolve around interaction from the player. Different from watching a movie.
 
As somebody who has played since Generation I, I can tell you that the BW2 difficulty settings were interesting, and should be brought to the Switch games. I did not play Pikachu & Eevee, Sword & Shield, Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, or Legends Arceus only because I don't want to buy a Switch system and get the games due to the cost of catching up. I am a substitute teacher, and I don't make a lot of money.

Anyway, I know about the non togglable EXP Share. I think it should be togglable, but if it isn't, that's okay in my view. I want to see difficulty settings, especially when you beat the game the first time (like BW2 were).
 
"Difficulty" is a funny thing. Simply having the Devs take away the EXP Share for example wouldn't necessarily make the games more difficult but rather make me have to spend more time grinding which I hate. Designing difficulty well requires making the player think smarter rather than simply giving the bosses more HP or making the Player's attacks weaker. Unfortunately, given the Open World and Non-Linear aspect of S/V, I suspect that Gen 9 won't be getting any harder.
I don't know what else they could do other than making the EXP Share togable, maybe the affection bonuses for the people tired of them. I mean there really isn't anything you can do to make Pokémon any harder especially considering the meta game that needs to be kept consistent.
 
I don't know what else they could do other than making the EXP Share togable, maybe the affection bonuses for the people tired of them. I mean there really isn't anything you can do to make Pokémon any harder especially considering the meta game that needs to be kept consistent.
The affection bonuses are interesting, and they should be kept. I don't know what people are complaining about, considering how difficult the Sinnoh Elite Four are in BDSP and how tough SWSH and it's tournament style was, especially early on.
 
I don't know what people are complaining about, considering how difficult the Sinnoh Elite Four are in BDSP and how tough SWSH and it's tournament style was, especially early on.
I skipped BDSP since it didn't look worth it when I already hve Platinum, but I found SwSh the easiest game in the series by far (yeah, even easier than XY. That at least still had challenging battle facilities).
 
The affection bonuses are interesting, and they should be kept. I don't know what people are complaining about, considering how difficult the Sinnoh Elite Four are in BDSP and how tough SWSH and it's tournament style was, especially early on.
Personally, I think the affection bonuses are cute. But I can see how upped critical hit chances can be annoying. Especially when trying to catch Pokémon.

But yeah, the hardest game since probably Gen 5 has to be Legends. But that's probably due to all the backtracking, grinding, and constantly running away from high level alpha Pokémon. BDSP doesn't really count due to its "faithfulness."
 
Because video games revolve around interaction from the player.
And that's exactly why I asked what I asked. When your interactions with games boil down to pressing the instant win button or wanting to press the instant win button to get to the stories faster, what is the value that you're getting from playing them? If all you want is to be done with the gameplay as soon as possible so you can get back to the story, why not just watch some walkthroughs or cutscene compilations? Getting to the cutscenes may require you to interact with the game, but once you're in the middle of a cutscene, that interactivity disappears. You don't need to play a game to watch a cutscene and understand a story, so when you'd rather play it on the easiest difficulty possible throughout your playthrough or wish for there to be an "I-win-button", wouldn't it be easier to just search for the cutscenes on YouTube?

Games being an interactive medium is why I think they should be challenging. Gameplay and story should compliment one another, ideally, and that's where the challenge should be. Let's say, for example, that you're playing a game where humanity and the entire galaxy is facing a threat the kinds of which they have never seen. You have a mission where you and your team have to infiltrate the derelict base of your foes. The cutscenes and ambient dialogue build it up as a dangerous assignment, the music and atmosphere give of a chilling experience, the squadmates treat the mission with outmost seriousness and often comment on how they're prepared for the worst, and the overall story treats the moment with immense gravitas. If, in this hypothetical scenario which may or may not be based on an actual game, you were to reach a point where you discover that the derelict base was, in fact, a trap, and you were suddenly forced to face hordes of enemies in a desperate attempt to escape... only for these enemies to stand around not taking cover or, were to be so weak that they go down in a few shots and their attacks would barely graze your health or shields... wouldn't that clash a lot with the premise set up by the story? Wouldn't that cause a noticeable wedge between the story and the gameplay, since the story would still treat these enemies as a serious threat despite them being incredibly easy to defeat? And, besides that, wouldn't that make whatever victory you achieve feel hollow, as the threat that the game built up until that point turned out to be a walk in the park? Wouldn't it feel more satisfying if you actually had to try and work and think in order to outsmart and overcome your opponents, instead of having shallow victories be handed to you?

That's the crux of my inability to understand this desire for video games to be easier (especially in the case of games that don't even have difficulty settings, like Pokémon). What do you get out of beating a game that doesn't require even the smallest ounce of strategic thinking? What value is there in defeating enemies that, despite being built up by the story as the greatest threats ever seen, can be defeated in a few seconds without even having to press more than a button? What fun is there in completing a game that doesn't test your understanding of the mechanics, that doesn't challenge you even in the smallest way possible, that doesn't even require any thought from the player trying to beat it? And when you're not even interested enough in the interactive part of video games (aka. the gameplay)m that you'd like for there to be a "Push-this-button-to-win" mechanic, why not just watch the story cutscene or walkthroughs of someone else?
 
Not to come off as rude, but I have to ask, if you're more invested in getting through the story, why not watch a walkthrough at that point? Generally speaking, what exactly would the difference be between searching for a playthrough with no commentary on YouTube (or just a compilation of the cinematics, if story's all you're into) and playing through the easiest and least engaging difficulty of the game? And what makes obliterating waves of enemies feel so "cathartic", when they are handicapped to the point where their strategy is non-existent and their attacks barely make a dent in your HP bar and you're so much stronger thanks to the easier difficulty that you don't even have to think about what you do in the game when dealing with them?

Well, my point basically boils down to people should play the game in whichever way they want in which why I repeatedly stated that difficulty setting is usually the way to go.

It's cathartic to me because in a way like for some people it's cathartic to break stuffs and glass with a bat, only in this case no one gets hurt and nothing gets broken. If that makes sense.

And for me, playing the game feels so much different than just playing the walkthrough. For example, by just watching I can't choose which Pokemon that I want to use, choose the moves that I want my Pokemon to learn and make the player character look like exactly I want. And some playthrough videos usually skipped some dialogue and different paths, and if that happened it makes me want to play the game even more, just to see that skipped part.
 
Well, my point basically boils down to people should play the game in whichever way they want in which why I repeatedly stated that difficulty setting is usually the way to go.
I mean, in the case of Pokémon specifically, I agree that a difficulty setting would be the best option, since Game Freak wants to make the games as accessible as possible by keeping them very easy (almost to a laughable degree, at this point, if I'm being honest), while also wanting to appeal to their older fans, some of whom would like to engage in something a bit more challenging. It's I didn't quote any of your previous post, since it was the other stuff that I had a harder time understanding.

It's cathartic to me because in a way like for some people it's cathartic to break stuffs and glass with a bat, only in this case no one gets hurt and nothing gets broken. If that makes sense.
I think I get the analogy, but it's not really helping me see or understand the appeal. Wouldn't you get just as much, or perhaps even more, catharsis if you managed to beat an engaging challenge where you actually had to try and give it your best? I'm not saying that you should go for the most insane difficulty where you need to do an hour-long, perfect-frame run just to have a small chance at beating the game. But I think playing on the normal difficulties, at least, and trying to get over some of the more difficult obstacles that a game throws at you might feel more satisfying and rewarding than beating an army of grunts that never stood a chance to begin with, even when you're not even trying. The game basically tests you and your skills and you get to show it that you've got what it takes to beat it, no matter what it may throw at you. If not more satisfying, it would at least be more engaging than just thoughtlessly mashing the same button, while occasionally moving one of your joysticks. To use your own analogy, if there was something that you really wanted to break, but it took more than one swing with your bat to break it, surely it would be cathartic once you finally managed to pull it off and break it, even if it took you more than one try, right? I still don't see how beating a game on a more challenging difficulty, to a reasonable degree, wouldn't feel cathartic. It might not sound that appealing at first. But I'm sure you'd be getting more than enough catharsis out of beating it that game.

And some playthrough videos usually skipped some dialogue and different paths, and if that happened it makes me want to play the game even more, just to see that skipped part.
Well, the thing about YouTube is that it's an oversaturated market. So, if some channels tend to skip certain paths or some dialogue from a certain game, you'd probably be able others that show you all the paths and endings in that game. Heck, I remember back when I used to watch some channels whose entire videos were about "What if you do X before/after Y in this game?", which would sometimes even reveal some cool Easter Eggs I didn't know about. If you tried, chances are you'd find a video showing you all you'd want to see from a game, even if it may not be from one of the channels you follow or are familiar with. So, again, aside from maybe some aesthetician choices that you wouldn't make, I don't really see the big difference between just watching a video on the game and actually playing the game on the easiest difficulty possible.
 
I think I get the analogy, but it's not really helping me see or understand the appeal. Wouldn't you get just as much, or perhaps even more, catharsis if you managed to beat an engaging challenge where you actually had to try and give it your best? I'm not saying that you should go for the most insane difficulty where you need to do an hour-long, perfect-frame run just to have a small chance at beating the game. But I think playing on the normal difficulties, at least, and trying to get over some of the more difficult obstacles that a game throws at you might feel more satisfying and rewarding than beating an army of grunts that never stood a chance to begin with, even when you're not even trying. The game basically tests you and your skills and you get to show it that you've got what it takes to beat it, no matter what it may throw at you. If not more satisfying, it would at least be more engaging than just thoughtlessly mashing the same button, while occasionally moving one of your joysticks. To use your own analogy, if there was something that you really wanted to break, but it took more than one swing with your bat to break it, surely it would be cathartic once you finally managed to pull it off and break it, even if it took you more than one try, right? I still don't see how beating a game on a more challenging difficulty, to a reasonable degree, wouldn't feel cathartic. It might not sound that appealing at first. But I'm sure you'd be getting more than enough catharsis out of beating it that game.

The thing is, not every people play games to test/challenge themselves. I personally play games to have fun and de-stress, which is why I consider it cathartic to play the games in the easiest difficulty. It may not be appealing to you, but well, it is to me.

If you tried, chances are you'd find a video showing you all you'd want to see from a game, even if it may not be from one of the channels you follow or are familiar with.

If I'm interested in the game, I think I'd rather spend my time playing the game than searching for the specific vids.
 
I feel like I’m alone in liking the affection bonuses. Friendship is a major theme of the games, so it makes sense that you’re rewarded for it.
I don't think you're alone. People like them. People don't like how omnipresent they have become. Complaints for affection weren't nearly as high in Gen 6 or 7 because they were optional; you didn't have to use it if you didn't want and or you could control the pace of said boosts (and still keep with the immersion). It also becomes glaring that we're the only ones to receive these boosts (are we saying that people like your rival and Champions don't have high friendship with their Pokémon?) in games that are inherently easy to play.
 
I thought having the affection bonuses in BDSP were a nice counter to the competitive strats the E4 and Cynthina used, and were a good way of balancing the difficulty there.

Now that it is easier to swap teams out on the fly, the game should encourage that more, which would make things more difficult (if you want to set your own challenge, raising a larger team of like 10 is a good way of doing it).

I do think the affection bonuses should only happen in trainer battles, not wild ones. The number of times I got a crit when it would have otherwise been a nice HP drop into catching range was really frustrating.
 
I love just stopping and grinding in pokemon. Or any jrpg really. Just shut off the brain thoughts to focus on random things my brain likes to wander off to. For me the grinding is the challenge. Gotta get myself strong enough to almost one hit KO my enemies. THERE IS NO KILL LIKE OVERKILL. We either bash em in one go or bash and tank!!

Now I'm picturing my trainer walking into the elite 4 or whatever equivalent the game has with a team of pokemon that look like JoJo's Pillar men strutting behind her.

Heehee. I should go to bed I can't stop giggling at that mental image.
 
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