What are your thoughts on New Game+ from a trophy perspective?

[Stedde]

I am not really a fan of this concept. I love a great story and then when that is finished you have some (or alot of cleanup) todo before you get the Platinum.

But to play the whole/same story be more time?

For example I like Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales but to get the Platinum I need to be the same story one more time. This is the reason it has been sittning at 89% in my Backlog for a long time (but now I am getting it done thanks Platinum Challenge (Thanks @Rebourne07) and my personal goal https://www.ps5completist.com/. I will now play the Main story one more time. Since it's been some time I might enjoy. But playing a main story back-to-back? Do people actually do that?
 

What are you thoughts?
What I am missing from this concept? 

[MonaSaxPayne]

Pet peeves:

 

NG+
Difficulty trophies that don’t stack 

Pointless grinding/collectibles 

Dlc released years later out of the blue 

[SirPigFace]

I have never understood why games add NG+ when they can just make it part of the difficulty selection before you start a game. Just make it hard or insane or whatever they want to call it difficulty. I really dislike having to playthrough a full game just to unlock a certain difficulty especially when its a long game, just make all difficulties accessible from the start.

[Vanqishd]

I rather have my games sit at 99%. I don’t have the time to replay whole games on NG+ permadeath turbo demon plus 3000 difficulty to obtain a bronze trophy.

[Nauticus87]

I'm generally not a fan. Having to redo both Spiderman games twice I found boring. If NG+ isn't going to add anything new then it's pointless. At least give me a new optional boss or a bonus area or something to justify another playthrough.

 

Having said that, I did Horizon Zero Dawn in 2018. In 2021 the DLC was given for free and I decided to get the two NG+ trophies then, which I found enjoyable, so I guess there can be certain scenarios I'd find it okay. But on the whole I'd prefer not to have them unless NG+ has actual new content.

[Skurkitty]

Hate NG+, I don't mind these additions of adding an "Ultra Hard 1 shot mode"... I actually find those fun. But just put them in at launch, no reason to add them in later with a NG+ trophy.

[Happy]

Finding it hard to make a generalized statement on this. If NG+ is well implemented with noticeable changes that actually have an impact on the gameplay experience, I see no reason not to have trophies for it.

[Stedde]

21 minutes ago, Nauticus87 said:

I'm generally not a fan. Having to redo both Spiderman games twice I found boring. If NG+ isn't going to add anything new then it's pointless. At least give me a new optional boss or a bonus area or something to justify another playthrough.

 

Having said that, I did Horizon Zero Dawn in 2018. In 2021 the DLC was given for free and I decided to get the two NG+ trophies then, which I found enjoyable, so I guess there can be certain scenarios I'd find it okay. But on the whole I'd prefer not to have them unless NG+ has actual new content.

 

I agree!
If there is a NG+, at least add a new Boss/Open a new side quest or something.

[James Tiger]

Don't mind New Game+ at all, I quite enjoying play through the game again with fully upgraded weapons. 

[Darghel]

I do enjoy them nowadays. There was a time I really couldn't stand them, but ever since I started trophy hunting I found them enjoyable (at least most of the times). 

 

I do hate when ng+ is required for just a difficulty run in specific (looking at you Trails of Cold Steel), but I did enjoy other games for their ng+ (Dark souls comes to mind).

[HuntingFever]

IMO, NG+ often feels like a tacked on afterthought that adds nothing/little to the game and just artificially inflates the difficulty so even if the game is good, it can sour the overall experience when implemented incorrectly. Personally, I would rather have free-roam or chapter select, than NG+ in most games since there are quite a few out there that simply don't hold up to multiple playthroughs.

[da-Noob123]

Depends on the game. Using the Spiderman games as examples, I didn't mind the NG+ trophies all that much as I thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay and you just needed to speed run the game on the hardest difficulty. Having recently completed Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, I was honestly disappointed that there was no challenge mode trophies nor any get all weapons to max omega rank.

 

Using Dark Souls as an example, in particular the sequels, why the duck do I need 2 to 3 playthroughs for some lousy rings?! I have not started 2 or 3 in large part because of that. I'm a little leery about Horizon Forbidden West's NG+ as I hear the game is just "more Horizon" with little to no innovation. 

 

I can see both sides of the coin here but it is dependent upon the game for me. I will say that growing up as a kid, I always wanted more games with NG+ since I got relatively few a year but now that I am adult - well you all understand. 

[dannyswfc9]

Depends on if its required for the plat or what game it is. TLOU 2 i finished about 4 times just because i couldnt get enough of the game

 

 

The most annoying new game plus for me is days gone. I liked the game at the time but no way do i want to go through a game of that length again several times on the hardest difficulty to get 100%

[HuntingFever]

1 minute ago, da-Noob123 said:

Depends on the game. Using the Spiderman games as examples, I didn't mind the NG+ trophies all that much as I thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay and you just needed to speed run the game on the hardest difficulty. Having recently completed Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, I was honestly disappointed that there was no challenge mode trophies nor any get all weapons to max omega rank.

 

Using Dark Souls as an example, in particular the sequels, why the duck do I need 2 to 3 playthroughs for some lousy rings?! I have not started 2 or 3 in large part because of that. I'm a little leery about Horizon Forbidden West's NG+ as I hear the game is just "more Horizon" with little to no innovation. 

 

I can see both sides of the coin here but it is dependent upon the game for me. I will say that growing up as a kid, I always wanted more games with NG+ since I got relatively few a year but now that I am adult - well you all understand. 

Same here. There are games I'll happily replay as many times as needed but there are others that are very much a one and done for me so having to replay them for a trophy is an exercise in pure boredom.

[Geridian]

2 hours ago, MonaSaxPayne said:

Pet peeves:

 

NG+
Difficulty trophies that don’t stack 

Pointless grinding/collectibles 

Dlc released years later out of the blue 

^ This.

NG+ is most times a method to add some kind of artificial replay value to a game. Here NG+ is in the same boat with post-game collectible/extras grinding. 

Only instance where I think NG+ is actually useful, is when you need a NG+ to get some achievements/trophies in a game you can not get in NG.
Or when NG+ makes the achievements/trophies easier to obtain. 
In the end, this means you can basically speedrun the NG playthrough.
 

59 minutes ago, da-Noob123 said:

Depends on the game. Using the Spiderman games as examples, I didn't mind the NG+ trophies all that much as I thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay and you just needed to speed run the game on the hardest difficulty. Having recently completed Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, I was honestly disappointed that there was no challenge mode trophies nor any get all weapons to max omega rank.

 

Using Dark Souls as an example, in particular the sequels, why the duck do I need 2 to 3 playthroughs for some lousy rings?! I have not started 2 or 3 in large part because of that. I'm a little leery about Horizon Forbidden West's NG+ as I hear the game is just "more Horizon" with little to no innovation. 

Yeah, basically playing only the story in the Spider-Man games was actually enjoyable.
But with HFW NG+ my personal recommendation is starting NG+ after playing the DLC. Because if this is in any way comparable to NG+ in HZD after the DLC, you basically destroy things in your NG+ run with the DLC equipment.

Edited January 3, 2023 by Geridian
Added a sentence

[the1andonly654]

It depends on the game, sometimes I don't mind that much. It's mostly down to the game's length and whether I'm bored of it by the time I finish my first playthrough, which is usually the case with longer games. Miles Morales was quite short so I didn't mind that much, but the first Spider-man game was a chore on ng+. Weirdly, Days Gone was pretty long but I enjoyed ng+ way more than I thought I would. 

But if I had to choose, I'd rather have ng+ completely optional without any trophies tied to it. Especially with long games and available at release , not a month or two after. 

 

I'd like to see more ng+ type modes that actually add or change something about the game. Stupid example - the original Plants vs Zombies has a great ng+ mode. The levels are harder and more varied, you play them differently because you have more plants and you need to make money for the rest, so you use plants that you otherwise wouldn't use. It feels like a main game sized DLC honestly. If a game like that can make ng+ fun and maybe even better than the initial playthrough, it makes me wonder why most big games do it in such a boring and uninspired manner. 

[Darling Baphomet]

As others have said, depends on the game. Games where the gameplay is the main appeal and there's a lot more to be achieved in NG+? Yeah, sure. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart sorely needed more trophies related to NG+, IMO. Other games it just ends up feeling like a chore; at least make us play a harder difficulty or something of the sort.

[Jermster_91]

I don't care for new game plus.

I find it a tad annoying when I got from 100% with a Platinum to 95% with a Platinum because NG+ was added to a game a month later. 

[StraightVege]

Since the majority of New Game+ modes (and difficulty settings, for that matter) amount to little more than "number go up—enemy stats increased!", I could happily do without trophies related to them. However, I welcome it on the rare occasions where the implementation makes legitimately interesting changes. Once in a blue moon, you see a NG+ mode which alters mechanics completely, reveals new content, remixes enemy placement, and so on. A few examples off the top of my head:

 

Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment - Combines your health and magic meters into a single, continually draining meter.

Blasphemous - New bosses and items; the ability to choose a penitence at the beginning, each with unique downsides and benefits.

The Messenger - Each cycle allows you to permanently add an item to your inventory while increasing the difficulty, but if you game over, you're sent back to NG+1.

 

Only my first mention even has trophies tied to it, but you get my point. If every NG+ offered meaningfully different gameplay experiences like these, I wouldn't mind them at all.

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by StraightVege

[KenjiCBZ]

I like it. ??‍♀️

[Stedde]

2 hours ago, dannyswfc9 said:

Depends on if its required for the plat or what game it is. TLOU 2 i finished about 4 times just because i couldnt get enough of the game

 

 

The most annoying new game plus for me is days gone. I liked the game at the time but no way do i want to go through a game of that length again several times on the hardest difficulty to get 100%

I can relate to TLOU 2. That is probably I game I will come back to and play again, but then it's not for the trophies. It's just for the amazing story.

Like many have stated I don't mind returning to a good game, but the Trophy hunter/100% part of me really dislike the NG+ as a requirement for getting 100%.
I much more favour like God Of War: Ragnarök. You finish the Main Story, view the credits but then you can do trophy cleanup and there are some things new things you now can do that.

[PotrikBerger]

I’m in the camp of the @StraightVege comment generally. Maybe my initial starting position is a little stronger As ng+ is of little interest to me. I rarely see it as anything other than a time waster because I’m not someone that enjoys playing the same game, or reading the same book or rewatching the same show etc. I really enjoyed [enter name of game I really loved] yes, but no, I don’t want to replay everything I’ve already done with new weapons or skills or enemies who are a bit tankier etc etc. I do usually groan inside if a difficulty level or something similar is locked behind completing a game once....like just make it available from the start.

 

That being said, there are games that are less offensive than others to replay if I really have to, but yeah my starting position generally would be the world wouldn’t miss it if ng+ was never a thing. In a lot of cases I’ll do it if I have to, but I usually begrudge it.

[craig_obviously]

I honestly don't mind NG+ depending on the game, but please let it release with the main game package, not later

[HuntingFever]

31 minutes ago, craig_obviously said:

I honestly don't mind NG+ depending on the game, but please let it release with the main game package, not later

That is very true. The Borderlands games are a prime example of this. Gearbox sucks ass when it comes to balancing the difficulty of their games, which is a failing that is painfully obvious when they kept adding new playthroughs and gimmicky difficulty settings to the later Borderlands entries without properly testing anything, thus leading to horrendous difficulty spikes, cheap deaths, broken weapon and ability scaling, a broken economy/endgame farming loop and exacerbating issues that weren't nearly as bad/noticeable during Playthrough 1 .

[running_Amok_86]

I think NG+ has become a lazy way to add trophies for games.  Seems like almost every game I play has NG+ at this point.  I don't mind if it's a short game under say 10 hours, but having to NG+ something like FF7R or Days Gone or Horizon Zero Dawn was a bit much.