Asking because I've been playing Amalur a lot lately and there's this ability that makes you stop staggering when you take hits, and it's frankly way too powerful, so I decided against using it ever. I don't use potions either, ever.
I've noticed that a lot of players like to play with little rules and restrictions to prevent them from getting too overpowered so the game continues being challenging.
An extreme example of it would be Challenge runs.
The game I make harder artificially the most is by far Morrowind, obviously because I've played it so much. Rules that prevent me to sleep in places where it makes no sense, rules to prevent me from drinking potions during battle because you can just spam them and never die.
Anyway, I feel that since games nowadays are easier than they once were (even on the hardest difficulty) we players of the old generation often have to prevent ourselves from doing certain things just to keep this tiny bit of challenge that's necessary to make beating a game a satisfying accomplishment.
I've done it in pretty much every Resident Evil game.
Knife only runs aw yeah.
--
If you wake up at a different time, in a different place, could you wake up as a different person? [HERO'S PLUNGE] http://img.imgcake.com/finegifdy.gif
Very rarely. I did do a machete/uzi/no-minigun run of Shank 1 on normal mode. The battles that you'd normally sleep through with a minigun were quite challenging.
-- I had a nightmare where Ulti forced me to eat brain matter. ;_;-MegaWentEvil
In RPGs I always play low-level and I train all characters evenly, even in games with tons of characters like Fire Emblem. In platformers I always skip checkpoints whenever possible, especially in games like Mario that throw extra lives at you like candy. In action games I avoid health upgrades or similar.
I also always play on the hardest difficulty, of course.
Some extreme examples are Okami, where I never upgraded my stats or bought consumables, and Golden Sun DS, in which I ran away from EVERY random battle in the game and yet I didn't see the game over screen until the final boss.
It's not really because I feel the games are too easy, it's just that I've gotten too good at most genres and I like being intellectually challenged.
EDIT: "intellectually challenged" may have been an unfortunate phrasing? Giggle giggle.
Sometimes, if I really love the game and just playing it normally is getting stale. I've done a lot of No Sphere Grid challenges in FFX as well as a 22% run of Metroid Prime (no optional upgrades, no charge beam/super missiles/grapple beam/spider ball/boost ball/thermal visor).
Not that often, only when I get the sense that it will be fulfilling to do it, like SCCs in FFT, or various no damage/no upgrade/no weapons runs in MMX games. Actually I guess the real answer is "as often as I play the first three Mega Man X games" because ignoring every upgrade besides the dash is pretty much standard to me to the point that using even things as basic as health upgrades or weapons other than the X Buster feels like cheating.
--
We clasped our hands, our hands in praise of a conquerors right to tyranny
I sometimes do single character runs (when possible) in tactics games. I reloaded every time Elika would save me in Prince of Persia 2008. I usually avoid potions or health kits in games. I always pursue Lu Bu, no matter the circumstances, even with a fresh character. If I beat my friends too easily at games I restrict my moves or adjust the handicap sometimes.
I've done low % and upside down (Where I hold the GBA/DS upside down) runs of Metroid Fusion/Zero Mission I like doing naked runs of Castlevania games, also.
Hardly ever, because I suck at video games and have no time or willpower and most of the time would rather have them easier than harder.
I tried a nuzlocke of something or other once and a no-reset FE run once, and sometimes I will decided "screw what makes sense this is how *I* wanna build my guy" but that's about it.
I do challenge runs of games I've beaten before quite a lot, but the only example that springs to mind for first-time playthroughs is my refusal to use battle saves or reclassing in Fire Emblem 10 and Shadow Dragon.
--
SubDeity wants to vote for Calvin Coolidge. [Evil Republican] Play Der Langrisser.
purposefully? never. i mean yes there's stuff like 'well if you make more archers you'll win easier' but it's not a matter of making the game harder as much as i like using other classes. or stuff like using weaker characters because i like them more.
--
The King Wang. Listen up Urinal Cake. I already have something that tells me if I'm too drunk when I pee on it: My friends. - Colbert.
Bunny Must Die without the gears is some fun stuff. You really learn that you take turning around for granted.
Hell, even in MMOs. I played Atlantica Online with an all female team after a certain point just for kicks. (fyi, it's pretty hilariously hard) I'd often be the guy on the forum noting extreme gender disparity in PvP (especially during DMF). Good times.
Don't really have the time anymore. Did a no Lazy Shell no Star Egg no Red Essence Bowser-only run of Super Mario RPG a few years back, and did the first world of DKC2 blindfolded pretty recently, but otherwise I just prefer to see what the developer intends as 'difficult' or 'the right difficulty'.
--
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvb2chGY8D1qm7gfoo1_500.jpg SuperNiceDog? More like SuperChillGuy. Who is better than me at brackets by a mile.
--
Cats land on their feet. Toast lands peanut butter side down. A cat with toast strapped to its back will hover above the ground in a state of quantum indecision
Not often. I've done no E-Tank runs of some of the NES Mega Man games (need to do Buster only at some point) and I've almost finished no upgrade runs on two of the X series, but that's the only series I even try stuff like that.
-- In this world which will someday fall to ruin... ...dreams and hopes don't matter at all.
Almost never. Too many games for me to play to really focus on a challenge run for any of them. Although I do tend to avoid making things easier (like collecting extra lives and such).
There is one thing I always do no matter what:
I always pursue Lu Bu, no matter the circumstances, even with a fresh character.