I wish more game companies did this. It's just childish to insult and shit-talk the people who just gave you $60+ by calling Easy Mode things like "the stupid mode for stupid babies" or putting a picture of a guy in a baby bonnet and pacifier next to it. (*coughWolfensteincough*)
(pic via https://twitter.com/Stupacabra/status/970295188802465795, see also Dan Brown's "assist mode" video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NInNVEHj_G4)
@alahmnat While I think anyone shaming someone for wanting an easier difficulty level or to have some kind of accessibility features is an asshole, difficulty in itself can be used as a component to convey meaning or tone in a game, so I don't think it makes sense in all games.
I would like to see more options in more games though.
(Also though, while the Wolfenstein difficulty level totally plays into bad gamer culture, I see it as a dumb callback rather than trying to demean the player)
@Takanu I totally agree that difficulty can be a critical element of a game's tone or narrative, but I disagree that a fixed difficulty is ever truly necessary to express that. Sure, you could cheese Dark Souls if it had accessibility options, but you could also just as easily skip playing it entirely and watch a Let's Play. Neither is the "true" experience, but an easy play-through will always beat passively watching someone else do it for you every day of the week.
@alahmnat I'll have to agree to disagree, there's some games I will never want to play for one reason or another, and where watching someone else play it at least gives me an impression or understanding of it.
Like any kind of design, game design is a form of communication, and if a designer specifically wants to communicate an idea through mechanical difficulty then offering something to undercut that breaks that design intention.
It doesn't apply to most games, but is important to consider.
