Topic: What defines 'Hard Mode'?

[HyperSonicEXE]

I've become so annoyed with difficulty interrupting my fun that I'm not even sure I can objectively review it, anymore. Furthermore, what's difficult for one person isn't for another.

Then you've got Twilight Princess, which was embarrassingly easy.

I'd point to Super Mario Galaxy and Mega Man 9 for examples of the maximum amounts of difficulty any fun game could have (and if you think that's too easy, A) tough ****, and B) COSMIC LUIGI AND SUPERHERO MODE).

[Hypershell]

As for Hard mode, you people talk a good game, but have you ever beaten Chaos Legion on Hard?

Never played it.  My champion Hard Mode clear is Act Raiser 2.

I don't see the LE Gauge being locked as crippling, just get hit less >.>

It's not crippling, it's annoying, there's a difference.  Hard Mode retains plenty of recovery items, but therein lies the problem, the fact that it's recovery rather than upgrades.  You DO have plenty of life, but it's all in reserves, thus you waste more time between rounds rebuilding them.

If they insist on limiting your health stocks (which granted are pretty damn huge), I, again, would have been much happier had they kept the Life Ups and axed ALL reserves, Item A's and quest Sub Tank included.

constantly wall dash jumping Xtreme 2

You are equipped with the wrong Xtreme.  Auto wall dash jumping was Xtreme1.

Xtreme2 features the single greatest weapon of all time, that being Iris's take on the Ultimate Buster (think OX Overdrive except without mobility limitations).  To say nothing of Zero being the badass he is. 

[HyperSonicEXE]

It's not crippling, it's annoying, there's a difference.  Hard Mode retains plenty of recovery items, but therein lies the problem, the fact that it's recovery rather than upgrades.  You DO have plenty of life, but it's all in reserves, thus you waste more time between rounds rebuilding them.

If they insist on limiting your health stocks (which granted are pretty damn huge), I, again, would have been much happier had they kept the Life Ups and axed ALL reserves, Item A's and quest Sub Tank included.
You are equipped with the wrong Xtreme.  Auto wall dash jumping was Xtreme1.

But upgrading invalidates the challenge of beating a Hard Mode, IMO, same problem with DMC.

If you're going to make a Hard Mode, make the challenge comparable; don't let Tiny Tim win with a huge-ass lifebar and getting his head handed to him but still say he beat it, whereas Big Billy used the measly lifebar and never got hit but only gets cred for beating a Little Timmy-level challenge.

[Hypershell]

But upgrading invalidates the challenge of beating a Hard Mode, IMO, same problem with DMC.

Well, this is where differing answers to the topic title kick in.  To me, Hard Mode is about more challenging enemies, not a more crippled player.  A truly challenging game should remain challenging even when using its arsenal to its fullest, IMHO.  Again, X6 is my prime example of how to do it, while both Zero and ZX are an example of how not to.

My preferred play style is all-out.  I don't enjoy knowing that my enemy is pulling any punches, but I hate even more being forced to hold back myself.  Thus I do not appreciate any mode which forces such limitations.  I don't believe that Hard should translate to Handicapped.

[Protoman Blues]

There's hard mode, and then there's Indiana Bart from SNES Bart's Nightmare.

[Align]

Never played it.  My champion Hard Mode clear is Act Raiser 2.

God, that must have been a pain. Game was hard enough without regular imps taking 2 hits.

You are equipped with the wrong Xtreme.  Auto wall dash jumping was Xtreme1.

2 had down+jump for dash and one of the most agile airdashes in the series, which I don't remember if X starts with.

Xtreme2 features the single greatest weapon of all time, that being Iris's take on the Ultimate Buster (think OX Overdrive except without mobility limitations).  To say nothing of Zero being the badass he is. 

hold B reciev death ray

[Hypershell]

2 had down+jump for dash and one of the most agile airdashes in the series, which I don't remember if X starts with.

He doesn't, though Zero does.  X gets ye olde 3-way air dash capsule from Volt Catfish's stage, which is an easy walk-in.

[AquaTeamV3]

Never played it.  My champion Hard Mode clear is Act Raiser 2.
It's not crippling, it's annoying, there's a difference.  Hard Mode retains plenty of recovery items, but therein lies the problem, the fact that it's recovery rather than upgrades.  You DO have plenty of life, but it's all in reserves, thus you waste more time between rounds rebuilding them.

The fact that you took double damage only made it worse.  I had to farm items between every mission, which got old FAST!

X8 didn't do too bad of a job of it either.  They slightly shrunk your LE and WE gauge, but that was pretty much it in terms of nerfing.  Bosses using their ultimates at 50% got annoying mainly because of the music change.

[Hypershell]

Bosses using their ultimates at 50% got annoying mainly because of the music change.

So incredibly true, especially with how quickly a boss falls to 50%.  The second half tends to last longer due to their ultimate moves involving invulnerability time.  I really wish you could turn that music change off, the normal boss fight music is so much better.

[Keno]

You are equipped with the wrong Xtreme.  Auto wall dash jumping was Xtreme1.

They're still both wonky to me. *Shrugs*

Xtreme2 features the single greatest weapon of all time, that being Iris's take on the Ultimate Buster (think OX Overdrive except without mobility limitations).  To say nothing of Zero being the badass he is. 

I'm not that big of a fan of over the top abilities. It detracts from difficulty.

Realism. Very important in a game like this.

It can add a lot. Just look at how not shooting through walls was made to design levels in X5 onward, & let's not forget water physics.

[Bag of Magic Food]

I don't think of it as shooting through walls; I think of it as shooting around walls.

[Jericho]

I don't think of it as shooting through walls; I think of it as shooting around walls.

Busters are Gun Katas now?

[Tickle Buffalo]

It can add a lot. Just look at how not shooting through walls was made to design levels in X5 onward, & let's not forget water physics.

Bullets not passing through walls doesn't add to the game because it's realistic, it adds to the game because it changes the way the game plays. It'd still add just as much if it wasn't realistic.

Physics I'll grant you, yeah.

[Keno]

Everything we're discussing is both realistic and adds to the gameplay. Recoil, water phsyics, & shooting through walls alike. I don't even know what the argument is anymore.

[Tickle Buffalo]

My argument is that even if the changes weren't realistic, they'd still add to the game. Whether they're realistic or not doesn't matter.

Though yeah this is pretty boring to talk about we should probably stop.

[Keno]

So, I've never tried hard mode in X5 to my recollection, but how big do the lifebars actually get? I just gave up for a day on going straight for Sigma as red Zero (because refight level 96 Squid Adler is a poopface), & I can't even imagine how many less pixels my saber could do.

[AquaTeamV3]

The lifebars don't get any larger; they're big enough as is.  That's honestly one of the things that blows me about X5, the re-fights are too daunting.  The bosses themselves aren't even hard, they've just got too much life.  Not to mention that the weakness weapons don't do a lot of damage, and cause the boss to become invulnerable for a rather lengthy amount of time (I'm looking at you Mattrex and Grizzly).

[Keno]

Well, Volt Kraken is hard as a refight only because you can't kill him before he slowly bumps into you a bunch.

Seriously though, is that supposed to be one of his battle tactics? Gently bumping his opponent? Does everybody seem to know that you can just kill X & Zero by moving towards them steadily, or does he know the big secret?

[Hypershell]

Well, Iris knew, she's just too conflicted to follow through.  >.>

[AquaTeamV3]

Well, there's always Gate, who bases a large chunk of his offense into doing that.

[Keno]

Well, Iris knew, she's just too conflicted to follow through.  >.>

She's a cheater with her robo suit anyway. She should've just used Colonel's saber. Would've made more sense.

Well, there's always Gate, who bases a large chunk of his offense into doing that.

If only he could learn to keep his balls to himself.