Article by Nick Vlamakis (Email) February 17th 2012, 10:21PM
The crew tackles video game difficulty in this week's podcast. There are some minor audio difficulties with Nick's microphone (besides the fact that it was on), and the show starts out a little too laid back, but it all comes together beautifully.
For all listeners: novice to expert.
The only form of entertainment that hates you
Controllers grow more complicated, then simpler, then more complicated
Teaching a player to play without manuals or interruptions
Hey, Link! You can push that box you're about to push
A shortage of difficulty options
Bad ways to boost a a game's difficulty
Non-sexy cat girls and good difficulty boosts
Should characters start out with their most powerful abilities?
Are you being ripped off if you "can't" beat a game?
Interlude: Mega Man ice stage
Going back to games that frustrated you as a child
The risk in making a game too difficult
BioShock Infinite's 1999 mode
Bosses that could not actually be defeated
Sudden difficulty spikes in boss battles
Fitting a complicated game into a manageable control scheme
A "noob" and "pro" setting in every game
Risking your life to play Street Fighter II
Purposely avoiding games that are too easy
Micromanaging difficulty with AI sliders
Blocking off content to encourage people to play on hard
Games molding themselves to your skill and play style
