Andrew wrote:I guess I'm also used to winning matches fairly quickly so it could be that I'm trying to breeze through them rather than using a lot of strategy.
Well yeah, "It's not stupidly easy" is hardly a valid complaint (though it is a step up from the guy on CAWS who was arguing that the kickout system used this year sucks because he gets pinned sometimes). I've always tended to try and draw matches out, so I likely wouldn't notice it as much as someone who's used to beating up on the CPU for 30 seconds then getting the win (or indeed actually liking, rather than disliking, the added difficulty).
Obviously there's a line between difficulty and the CPU just being a dick, and that line falls in different places for different people. For me, normal difficulty is fine (though I did turn down the rate at which the momentum and adrenaline meters move). I was playing on Legend last year, and breezing through matches. I'd rather have a 10-20 minute match that takes effort and strategy to win, so I'm not going to complain about the CPU being more competitive.
As it stands, there's really not much of a line between fake difficulty and real difficulty. Either a move is reversed, or it isn't. You can change up the timing, but other than that there's not much you can do to affect it from either side. I'd like to see the reversal system expanded a bit, to include elements like which body part is being targeted, and bringing back separate strike/grapple reversals. It adds an extra layer of strategy for the player and real difficulty as an option for the CPU - changing up attacks, targeting different body parts, etc. instead of having to go on an unreversable rampage at random and leaving the player with no clue what else they're meant to do. The more you use a move, the bigger the window to reverse it gets. The more worn-down a body part is, the harder it is to reverse and perform moves using that body part (some of this has been brought in this year; work Sheamus's legs and he won't be able to do the Brogue Kick, for example).