10 Video Games You Should Play On Hard Mode
Fallout 4 is a completely different game.
Difficulty modes are a subject that has long divided the gaming community, and likely forever will. Arguments that we are entitled to an easy mode are just as prevalent as those deeming anyone who wants to relax and spend time playing their hobby on anything less than Hard a ‘filthy casual’.
Of course, neither of these polarising opinions is strictly correct, and no game mode is inherently better than another - gamers should select the level of ass-kicking they and their controller encounter based solely on their desire and level of accessibility.
Still, it’s inarguable that while many games aren’t necessarily ‘better’ on their hardest difficulty, they certainly offer a drastically altered gameplay experience to delight the most hardcore of players.
If you’re a fan of a challenge, there’s no better way to increase a game’s longevity than investing time into a more difficult playthrough.
Just try not to break any of your equipment in the process, because some of these modes really are so difficult that they’ll leave you wanting to chuck your keyboard at the wall. Don't say we didn't warn you.
10. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a difficult game to start with. The first installment of the new XCOM games, it had to set the bar for the reboot of the popular strategy game series, and did so to great success and critical acclaim.
However, if you’re someone familiar with the intricacies of turn-based tactical titles, the game’s ‘Impossible’ difficulty more than sufficiently raises the stakes.
This highest difficulty mode both increases enemy strength and sharpness of AI, while also decreasing the titular XCOM organisation’s available power and worsening the initial global reaction to the alien invasion. Oh, and there’s permadeath, too.
Also included are further game mode adjustments Ironman, which entitles the player to only one save slot to eliminate reloads, and Second Wave, which is unlocked after your first playthrough.
Playing Impossible with Ironman added is undoubtedly the most realistic way to play the game, as it most accurately mirrors the state of the possible international response to such a global catastrophe.
It successfully imparts a sense of despair and responsibility on the player that impacts the emotional experience of playing a strategy game far more than many in the genre, so if you want to really feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, this is the game for you.