Just about to start my first game and trying to choose appropriate difficulty. Ive done a search on the board and there doesnt seem to be a lot of information, anecdotal or otherwise, about how hard hardcore actually is. I like playing with a decent difficulty that presents strong challenge. Have no problems with pausing or semi-frequent reloads. However, dont want to start and find later that I cant get past certain point cuz of difficulty.

Any input from someone that has actually tried out hardcore and tactical would be much appreciated.