So... Grounded mode.
I'd put this off because I was worried that a difficulty that was more frustrating than challenging might give my love for the game a ding. But eventually, I realized I needed to tackle it.
And maybe it's because lots of people tried Grounded after Survivor a couple of times, and I've beaten the game a borderline perverse amount of times, but... Grounded doesn't seem that bad.
I left my game tonight, about to head up the street to stab the **** out of that annoyingly-voiced sniper in the suburbs. And up to this point, I've only struggled a couple of times. I might be forgetting something major, but I can't think of an encounter I had to replay more than a few times.
I've heard escaping Tommy's Dam and the hospital can be rough, but I also heard the sewers, hotel basement, and a few other parts were as well.
So was Grounded's difficulty overstated? I'm quite good at the game, but I'm not trying to talk myself up to be this mutant master of it, or anything. The best "talent" I have is the amount of time I've spent with the game - I'm sure knowing every square inch of the game has helped greatly.
That said - I did Left Behind on Grounded first, because I figured it was shorter and I could get a taste of Grounded. After beating that recently, I can definitely say that the final battle on Grounded can go directly to the deepest bowels of hell.
