@kevin thatcher even better if u owned ds2 on ps3 then got SOTFS and a ton of enemy and key item locations were moved..game felt so new..the dragon added to the bridge in Heides Tower.
One of my favorites is Killing Floor 2. Enemies become much smarter and have new abilities at higher difficulty levels. Gameplay feels very dynamic at the highest difficulty.
One thing you forgot to mention about RE7 madhouse is the fact that ALL of the items changed location, and how you get them is completely different. For instance, you HAVE to collect coins to get the scorpion key. Getting the scorpion key gives you access to the gernade launcher early and early boss fights.
Hades is a great game that really changes the gameplay dynamics on harder difficulty. Ironically Hades starts out very difficult but gets progressively easier as you play the game while also getting more difficult with the way the gameplay changes on harder difficulty. Really looking forward to Hades 2!
I would throw The Last Remnant onto the list, too. You get the harder enemies and you get to keep your components and cash. You can't do anything with those, though, until some stores open up - surviving to that point is non-trivial. The rest of the game is harder, too, because even though your main character can buff himself out with some end-game gear, this is a game where your main character is just one of over a dozen in battles and the companions you get don't get stronger stats at all.
Perfect Dark!! The different difficulty options completely changed the game by adding new mission objectives and failure conditions. Alot of these objectives would take you to entirely new areas that are locked off in lower difficulties, which felt like a real treat. One mission, where you normally begin needing to rescue a negotiator being held hostage, will actually make YOU the negotiator who's being held at gunpoint when you play it on Perfect Agent mode.
Another good one is dead cells. Every time you beat the game you unlock a harder difficulty mode, which adds new enemy types to zones, adds some new stuff to zones, adds new moves to bosses, unlocks new weapons and makes healing a lot rarer. You can say progressing difficulty modes is the real progression of the game
The Timesplitters games makes the levels harder and longer on harder difficulties. Not only does it push the final goal further it also adds more objectives similar to how Goldeneye does it.
Japs actually make games, instead of following a to do list like most western studios. Take redfall, some exec saw that open world, fps, with some rpg elements and nice graphics sells, they did that but forgot the game. Meanwhile take yoko taro and the nier games. He wrote it backwards and added gameplay elements when developing it. He wanted the game first, then the systems.
@@OhWell914 While I tend to gravitate towards games created by Japanese developers, I have to point out that it happens over there as well. From my experience it's not as acute of a problem as in the west but still, it's a thing unfortunately.
Dead Space was the game that got me back into gaming back on PS3. I've been playing the remake and love how they've upgraded it. It's awesome to know that there is a huge replay value in it (even though it already has it for the story), and same with Ragnorak! I had no idea the New Game + was so loaded. I'm looking forward to them both! Great video guys!
Currently deep into ng+++ in Nioh 2. So many new mechanics and loot added with each ng+ cycle and I still have another ng+, underworld and depths to complete. This game better be mentioned.
I know it wasn't going to be on the list. But Dead Cells is the absolute king of this topic. Six modes of difficulty each unlocked by completing the previous difficulty. Each mode introduces new enemies and mechanics. Power ups/costumes that can only be unlocked on harder difficulty. Cherry on top, on the toughest difficulty there is a new stage and ending, good luck getting there though, got to it once for my butt to be wooped :)
Time Splitters 2 literally gives you access to more areas in the level. For example on the Siberia level, you can go up to the top of the dam and fight a helicopter in the higher difficulties.
Nioh 2 has by far the best post-game I've ever encountered. So many new mechanics, so many numerical caps lifted on skills and amount of equipped skills, so much more to learn and improve, new enemies... I can't even begin to explain how much more it goes above and beyond any other NG+ I've ever come across and feels like I'll be happily playing for the next year or more
Team Ninja does NG+ the best, they give you a full compelling game and make it feel like an intro with how much changes for each NG+ . No one does it better!
@Ludo Tech Very true. I'm on NG++ and can't believe how much I can still see the game expanding upon further playthroughs never mind the fact I only just got the DLC so have all that content to dive into as well as the addition of the splitstaff and fists which both are tons of fun to play. My original NG I mastered the tonfas and didn't really use much else till hitting the proficiency cap which at first annoyed me but realizing the caps rise on later NG+ runs and that the cap exists to guide players like me who'd become addicted to one weapon to experiment since the amount of gameplay variety each weapon contains more content and depth than most entire games do
@Play1234 Yup! My last response to Ludo Tech goes more in-depth, but it's unreal to me how much the first playthrough really does feel like a tutorial. It's common to hear soulslike fans say the real game only starts at NG+ but while it's often a little true it's hyperbolic... in Nioh 2 however saying the real game starts at NG+ is just straight up true. As amazing and absolutely top 10 Sekiro was for me I couldn't truly enjoy playing after beating NG+ and NG++ simply to get the alternate ending which ends the game 60% through. In Sekiro Kuro's Charm added some mechanical depth to NG+ but the comparison of Sekiro or any others soulslike game to Nioh 2's post-game is impossible to make
I have a interesting title that wasn't mentioned. The Evil Within 2 Classic Mode. Classic mode difficulty only gives you 7 saves only and no autosave plus the hardest part is no upgrades for your character at all so everything is stuck at default. But the reward was worth it as you get a melee weapon that crushes enemies. That was a brutal difficulty that is for sure
It's awesome seeing games giving this kind of depth. But on the other side, there are so many games out there now, you rarely feel the incentive to play a game more than once.
Sometimes people have like 5000 hours sinked into a single game where they could do like 50 100-hour RPGs in the same time or, well, 250 usual 10-hour games, each twice
Except for games with stories that really engage me, I tend to find things getting tedious near the end of most FIRST playthroughs. I think there's only been a few (single player) games I've ever re-played, and that was over a decade later (not counting Rockstar star games where you can dive in and just fool around, or Skyrim where you might explore new content via mods).
@@strangerforthebetter how is that fact in any way related to my comment? Has literally nothing to do with what I said. Try reading with understanding next time.
Fallout 4 Survival mode. You dont have to unlock it, but it definitely makes the game feel completely different. The number of changes it makes would take too long to explain, but combat is much harder, you get tired, hungry, and sick, there is no fast travel, and you can only save at a bed. Theres more, but that's the basics. And unlike Skyrim's survival mode, FO4's feels like a real way to play, as opposed to just being tacked on afterwards.
NIoh 2, it has 4 new game + (dream of the strong, demon, wise, nioh). With each having different enemy layouts and attacks, and more progression mechanics being unlocked and expanded upon every tim. This alone is enough to keep you busy for a few hundred hours, but it doesn't even end here, after that you have over 100 underworld levels to clear and there's yet another end game thing which I haven't got to yet. I've played maybe 1000h and still haven't done it all. Beating the story once really is just the begining in that game, "normal" mode is pretty much just a tutorial.
Pain Mode on Lisa the Painful is my favorite. Limited saves, more powerful mutants, and changes several major enemies and bosses into completely different mutants that are way more dangerous. Plus bonus content and ending for beating it
Fun Fact: The Legendery Dark Knight Mode name is based on The Dark Knight's legend. The lore is that Sparda {The Dark Knight} fought the whole Hell on his own to stop the demons from attacking humans.
id love to see you guys do a top ten list of game modes that alter how you play! like resident evils mercenaries or cod zombies! modes that require you to be in a different mindset compared to the base game
Borderlands 2 adds the Ultimate Vault Hunter mode when you beat the game for the second time. Enemies deal more damage, have waaaaaaaaay more health points and new enemies are added like armored psychos. In addition to that the “slag” element type becomes crucial as the enemies barely take damage if you don’t slag them first. This requirement essentially changes all your inventory and character build. Also enemies often come with shields and armors that requires you to have all elemental types handy to deal with them. As a bonus there is the overpower levels that allows you to make the enemies overpowered
I think borderlands 2 “Ultimate Vault Hunter” mode could make the cut. In order to do well, you have to prepare for this mode in advance during “True vault hunter” mode. Slag becomes essential, enemies are a lot stronger and a strong build becomes essential to the game. In the standard and TVH modes you can get by with decent guns and a half thought out build. UVH mode requires a better understanding of the game and a much higher level of skill.
sorry. does not change much. especially if you have MAYA or slag gernades. then it is all same other than enemies take more damage. also Strong builds are necessary even on NORMAL mode. Try having fun playing melee krieg but with a sniper build.
One game I would like to give props to is Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. When you beat the game on Veteran Difficulty, it unlocks specialist mode. Now with specialist mode, the game turns into a slog. First off it's Veteran so you can die in a couple of hits, but now you have to worry about injuries and headshots can 1-shot you. For example having you legs shot slows you down and can throw you into the prone position, having your right arm shot causes your weapon to sway, and you left arm being shot makes you not able to aim. What's crazy is that you cannot fix these unless you have a health item so if you don't have any you are screwed until you die. But that's not all of it, if you beat specialist difficulty, you get YOLO [You Only Live Once] mode, which is specialist with you guessed it, only one live for the entire campaign. If you die you restart from the beginning. Now once I beat specialist mode and I saw YOLO Difficulty, I decide to throw in the towel as to not lose my sanity.
I thought that Goldeneye or Perfect Dark would've been here because they have the "007" and "Perfect Dark" difficulties, respectively, that you can unlock, which allow you to change things like enemy health levels.
This makes the games even more intimidating, I love to beat my chest and have a victory cry when I beat a tough game😊. But I also love a challenge 🤦🏾♂️, games that I would come no where near of are DMC 4, Max Payne 3, Hifi Rush, Castlevania, and Ninja Gaided Black, but maybe even Arkham Knight 🤔 Great video, please make a part 2 🙏🏾❤️
Although it's a rather small change compared to anything in the video, I gotta give a shoutout to Mega Man ZX here. A lot of 2D handheld games are satisfied to simply change the number of enemies and the amount of damage they can deal/take on different difficulties, but Mega Man ZX actually takes it a step further by changing enemy behaviors in each difficulty. For some enemies, this changes their speed, for others it changes how often they attack, etc. In some cases you can even encounter entirely new attacks. That's in addition to harder difficulties doing the standard thing of making enemies hurt you more and be tankier on top of that. You need to really know what you're doing if you want to beat the hardest difficulty, which only even unlocks when you beat the game on normal anyway. It's a challenge I can only really recommend for hardcore players who enjoyed playing through the game the first time. As the game is already rather unfriendly to newcomers and shines the most for veterans, it's unlikely that most people have ever even played the game at the highest difficulty.
I didn't knew that in the OG version of RE4 the Handcannon when equipped in the inventory screen, Leon will stand with his back facing the player and perching the gun on his left shoulder. This is a reference to Killer 7, in which Dan Smith holds his revolver in a similar way
Shout out to Phantasy Star Online. Its Ultimate difficulty mode had new layouts, enemy types, bosses, loot, and even a final boss phase. Back then, I remembered how insane that was to my friends and me.
The removal of the warning signs in New Game Plus was where I REALLY started to feel like Batman. Learning that I could read those chumps like books was very empowering.
The ideal of New Game + should be a game that more or less functions the same, but the new mode adds something that makes it a compellingly different experience. Just upping enemy health pools and damage output usually doesn’t fit that bill. I forget the example someone gave, but I think it was a hack and slash where the base game never required you to use the various consumables, but NG+ basically made using them essential to success. In that manner, the game still functions exactly the same, but it forces you to make use of your entire toolkit which expands your appreciation of everything they put in. That’s good design to make a game replayable.
Dark souls 2 has a cool Ng+ mechanic. Like usual it makes enemies stronger and has some higher level rings to find, but you can also raise the Ng+ level of an individual area by burning a special item at bonfires. Enemies don't endlessly respawn like normal so this can be necessary for farming
Final fantasy 12 had a difficulty called New Game Minus, where the characters are stuck at level 1. You were forced to use different weapons and armor for different enemies, and the gambit system was absolutely necessary
FFVII Remake hard mode totally changes the game. Completely takes away your ability to use any consumables inside or outside of battles, and benches no longer restore your MP, which means you have a limited amount of spells you can use per chapter. It really makes you think about when you are going to use a fire spell, or when you are going to use a cure spell. One of the few times a "New Game+" style of difficulty really felt like a game to me.
Not gonna lie....pretty disappointed that 007 Golden Eye isn't on this list! The way it adds more objectives for the player to complete instead of just making all the enemies take more/do more damage I feel is really underappreciated. Plus it really fits into the idea of being 007. I think adding more objectives totally changes the way the player has to approach the second playthrough. I vote it makes it to part 2 :) haha
@@cenciende9401 they did, but not in a video about the difficulty changing the game, it was a video just showing some love for the game if i'm not mistaken
I beat the shadows rushed me. Took 7-10 tries and 3 days of constantly failing at the end haha… never wanted to give up so bad, but the addiction was real. Max Payne 3 is legendary for what you could do on it.
I would LOVE to see modes that just up the amount of enemies in more games! Recently played through Gears 5 and my main thought was that "I want more enemies to shoot at!" Wo Long could've also benefited of this.
In bayonetta in climax mode you can still use witch time by using moves that slo down time but you have to time it Climax mode tests you on how well you’ve mastered the move set and weapons Specifically the laser guns Like the breakdance move Which yu can cancel into the Sky portal boot stomp Time will slow down The amount of slow down time depends on how much Magic tokens? (Haven’t played since p3) The magic bar lol The purple circles Because yu kan keep canceling power moves until yu run out
I don't play on harder difficulty, I just want to chill and enjoy the game, but I'm still going to watch this list though, because you guys do really good content and I enjoy games 😂
I’m surprised Breath of the Wild isn’t on here. Master Mode turns the game into a totally different experience, and I’m not talking about the stronger enemies or the octorok platforms. No, I’m talking about the one thing that makes Master Mode a truly nightmarish difficulty mode: regenerating enemy health. If you haven’t played it you probably think it’s not a big deal, but oh man are you wrong. The issue is that the regeneration timer is incredibly short, and the rate at which health regens is insane. It’s not uncommon to accidentally knock an enemy with low health into the water or off a cliff or something, and by the time you can get down to them they’re already back at full health.
Super Robot Wars 30 added the Super Expert Plus mode, increasing the XP per level up to 8 times normal, increasing costs for most upgrades, and removing most of the grinding and skill upgrade item sources. Also the game restricts certain abilities on your opponent's turn. It is meant for new game +, but even carrying over one round worth of items and upgrades might not be enough, with the game also requiring greater planning in both the tactics of each stage and the full game strategy to use every experience point and credit wisely.
Another thing that made the batman Arkham games more challenging on those harder difficulties is if you didn't upgrade your health and armour. Truly a amazing challenge if you're good enough.
I like hades when you unlock the pact of punishment, you get to customize how difficult you want the run and in what way, and challenge yourself in different ways each time.
Trek to Yomi difficulty unlock is pretty sweet. Unlocks after you beat the game on hard mode. All normal enemies die in one hit, but you also die in one hit. But the boss fights are still the same with chipping away at their health bar.
Completed New York Minute Hardcore Mode the summer after the game released on the 4th attempt. The shadows definitely rushed me. I enjoyed the challenge it gave the game and the entirely different approach i needed to complete it. Rolling into and out of a shoot dodge over and over grants you perma bullet time as long as you time jumps correctly, land your head shots, and don’t crash into any obstacles/walls. I made a very close relationship with that white dot on the screen at that time lol. Dropping multiple enemies during each dive is a must. Trick is to only adjust vertical aim, let the horizontal aim be based off your continuous shootdodging.
Nioh. Which in general doesnt get enough love. But things change on every new game. New game plus is different to new game plus plus which is different to plus x3 etc. Its basically 5 different games with every new game plus mode. Different weapons and weapon modifiers same with armour and spirit levels. You can also unlock the ability to use two spirit's as its normally jusy one, enemy layout changes, enemies you encounter, enemy weapons and attack patterns. Skill cap changes every new game you get too. Then it even changes again if you manage to max your stats as you then unlock focus levels. There is even different items that are only available in later new games
Hard mode in Hotline Miami 2 is a great example of playing or approaching the game here new enemies are there more windows no lock on onto enemies and the ammo is scarce and on top of that if you pick up a weapon from the ground you simply lose ammo from that weapon
Reminds me of Titan Quest, where if you beat the game, you unlock the Epic mode, which brings in some new enemies you haven't seen before, and at some parts, even new minibosses. And of course, if you beat that you unlock the even tougher Legendary mode
Borderlands and borderlands 2 that forces you to use corrosion/slag mechanics to increase enemies damage input and abuse healthgate cuz everything deals more damage than you have health, it's kinda different over normal mode
I love Max Payne so much. I'm so hyped for the remake of 1 & 2 being developed by Remedy. Hopefully it does well enough that 3 gets a remake/remaster as well. I recently started replaying 3 and i forgot how good it was. Easily one of the top 5 3rd person shooters of its generation.
I’d like to find more games where the hard level or new game plus is focussed on new areas or secrets or approaches (like, must be done on stealth or some access points are destroyed from the original playthrough but now you’d have endgame climbing skills, or you have to escort more people at a time through the zombie mall, I dunno) or new story segments, rather than the challenge being harder combat and and tougher enemies. I know there are games are out there like that, I just need to find more of ’em.
Well Dying Light 1 in nightmare is on whole another level especially at nightime u cant see volatiles and virals on the minimap, virals attack u even if u r standing still and not making a sound and u can get attacked while checking inventory or map too
Hey, Jake! You guys should do a video on the history of Gameranx. We would all love to know how it started, and who founded the company! Love you guys! I'm gonna post this on every video until you guys do it!
Dark Souls 2 new game plus, changes the game significantly, new red phantom enemies are in places that you wouldn’t think, and Aldia literally pops up at bonfires when you’re obviously not expecting it.
I was happy to see Ninja Gaiden Black at #1! Its been a really long time since I played, but I beat a few difficulty levels, and to my memory, each difficulty added new enemies and even gave bosses new moves! Each playthrough was unique! I've never played another game where the playthroughs on extra difficulty levels felt so fresh! Not even the sequels did it like this game did!
For some reason I really liked Rage, The 2013 ID software game. It was a pretty standard game but on the highest difficulty weapons just became more powerful for everyone so enemies were more lethal but so were you.
Especially Devil May Cry 4 that is one of the greatest challenges of all time. And as for Bayonetta, the non-stop infinite climax difficulty is pretty much "VERY HARD" mode.
Loved it when halo 1 and 2 did this, especially number 2. It changed the entire way you had to play and had completely different enemy placement. Made it a pleasure to master and gave a real incentive to play on the hardest difficulty. Games that just keep it the same on the hardest level on only play on that difficulty if I can not because I really want to
I'll say an example for the opposite. Resident Evil 4 (classic) on easy mode. Some areas you need to get a key iyem are locked and the door already is unlocked. Examples that come to mind are the part just after you meet Luis in the castle for the first time and the castle garden maze.
As a musician I really liked the idea behind HiFi Rush's hardest mode. I'm gonna keep an eye out for sales for it and I'll pick it up if it drops enough. I mean, can't possibly be harder than learning Dance of Eternity
@@TheREALHugo4 what do you mean "nope" how is it a failure when it's on gamepass, if they wanted it to sell then maybe don't release it on gamepass, it was a critical success and most people who played it loved it
