Yes or No? Your Opinion On Adding NG+ Trophies Post Launch

[PhantomFear94]

I have noticed an increasing trend recently of single-player open world/linear action-adventures adding NG+ trophies/achievements as free updates with tougher difficulties. For completionists, I think I speak for most when I say it's incredibly annoying. Recent games to have done this (omitting God of War, as it didn't add trophies):

 

• Horizon Zero Dawn (NG+ and Ultra Hard Difficulty)
• Far Cry 5 (NG+ and Infamous Difficulty)
• Spiderman (NG+ and Ultimate Difficulty)
• Metro Exodus (NG+ and Iron Mode) (Most forgivable, as the update added modifiers to change the experience and the only one with two true endings)

 

My argument: To start with, I think that if you're going to do NG+, it should be a feature on launch. It surely can't be that difficult to implement.

 

For me, my gripe is less with the difficulty (this can be fun), but rather that NG+ adds nothing to these games whatsoever. If these were Souls games or RPG's, I get it - you experience the game in different ways with different challenges, bosses, endings, etc. each time. Keeping things to start that journey again is welcomed. However, the above examples are all very linear experiences re: their narrative; all have one ending (except Metro, FC5 only has one true ending) and typically one way of experiencing them, even if they are open/semi-open world in places. Additionally, "skills" you can earn are in the form of accumulated perks that is highly possible to max out in one playthrough (some even require it) so most people with a Platinum will have virtually everything heading into NG+ anyway, rendering it largely unnecessary IMO. Forcing you to experience the SAME thing months later just to add replay value feels pretty hollow, and the added difficulty is largely negated by entering OP from your original run anyway.  All these games had DLC, so they had a reason to entice gamers back. 

 

Personally speaking, when I'm in the midst of my next game and suddenly have to go back to mop up a couple of bronze trophies for 10+ hours of work (usually on harder difficulties) to retain my 100%, it seems to be a cheap way of adding replay value to games that just don't suit NG+. For me, these games were ALL brilliant (especially Metro, which was also the most forgivable of the above due to its two endings), but part of their appeal was that they were contained experiences that you play, enjoy, and move on from. Having to go through them again for no reason left a bit of a sour taste, as it didn't add to my experience, only repeated it. 

 

What's your opinion? Do you agree? Am I crazy? 

Edited April 5, 2019 by phantomfear9494

[NamoPh]

I don't think you're crazy. However, I don't think we who would go "Oh God, I have to return to that game again?" should expect to be catered to. They add something more to do for the benefit of people who wanted something more to do, and for that reason I find it hard to fault them.

 

Now, on principle, NG+ doesn't feel like something that's so hard to implement and should have been added on launch. When looking at it from a more "selfish" angle, however, it equalizes the playing field for everyone who goes for the early 100% by nullifying the benefit some people who get an early copy have. As a trophy hunter I feel it works better for me that way, and the more I think about it the more I like that approach.

[DarkSoleride]

From a Trophy perspective 

I can't speak for the examples of Spiderman and Metro Exodus but yes i do agree for games like HZD and God of War it is not really needed since they originally designed it to be that you can just go back to previous parts of the game, and clear the requirements for trophies to unlock. There is no real DLC to give you an incentive to play the game again in NG+ unless you count Frozen Wilds DLC for HZD. 

 

You are right games like Final Fantasy, Legend of Heroes, Dragon Age & Quest where a NG+ feature is implemented are actually needed because some of those games have highly missable questlines or items etc as well as some of them being designed with NG+ specifically in mind since not everything can be obtained in one playthrough. 

 

From a Non-trophy perspective it does not make a difference really because its just an added bonus if you enjoyed it that much you want to play it again why not.  

[scemopagliaccioh]

I see you're only lacking the ng+ trophies for spiderman.

Well personally I find them pointless, an extra hard mode becomes useless after you have the opportunity to pass everything you got on easy mode, it's just Sony tacking on extremely diluted rpg mechanics like the exclusive  games they're doing lately.

[Dragon-Archon]

I don't mind NG+ as long as it adds something new. For example the Ratchet & Clank series often have NG+ trophies, but also allows you to increases the health cap,weapons can be upgraded even further, a new armour is available, and currency multipliers are added. IIRC R&C3 added a new challenge to the arena too.

[Conker]

I personally would rather have NG+ added from the start instead of having to be added post launch, as for it as a trophy either have it in the main list or just don't have it as a trophy.

Edited April 5, 2019 by Conker

[Kazeh54]

For me I would like them to add NG+ either day 1 or within a few days to keep the game going. From a trophy point it can be annoying to go back and do a game....especially if you already sold the damn game. Then again there are some games I wish had more. Take KH3 for example, I beat it on Proud and did everything and took as much time as possible to explore etc due to how long we waited for the game, and it was too easy and 1 of the fastest KH games to beat. So now I'm itching for a Critical Mode with a trophy or more to keep that game going.

 

Suppose in summary it comes down to the game for me. Ideally tho it should be;

1 - Already included

2 - Day 1 Update

3 - Released within a week

4 - Left out 

[Feral]

I like the idea of adding NG+ trophies later because those who've played a game day one and finished/platted it have a reason to go back. Also gives you time between playthroughs so the desire to return is there unless the game sucked of course.

 

Only problem I'd have with it being in from the get go is those trophies might be part of the main list and not as DLC. Prefer it being an option not being forced to do it as part of the plat.

[jonesey46]

I completely agree, and I've agreed with you on this topic on other posts too.

 

I did the NG+ on both Spider-Man and Far Cry 5 and honestly I detested doing it all again. I loved both of these games at launch, I really enjoyed getting the platinum for them and I even enjoyed doing the DLC for both too but by the time I got around to doing NG+ I had seen everything the game had to offer and sure enough NG+ had nothing new for me to experience. I ended up rushing through them as fast as I could just to get them out of the way.

 

One solution is to put them in at launch. For example The Last of Us (not the best example as Grounded Mode was added much later but lets ignore that for now) had NG+ trophies as part of the base game list, and I didn't detest doing those cause I knew what I was going into and I was able to roll the NG+ run with other trophies whilst going for the platinum, also The Last of Us is just a phenomenal game but that's beside the point. If Metro Exodus had a NG+ trophy at launch I could have rolled that into my second ending play through and knocked out two birds with one stone BUT they released the trophies after I had platinum'd the game, which took me 3 play throughs by the way, so with this trophy I'm in for another play through making my total 4! Now, I love Metro Exodus, if Last of Us II doesn't release this year it'll probably be my GOTY but Metro is not a game you play over and over again and the addition of NG+ so many weeks after launch, as you say, leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

 

The other option is to patch NG+ in whenever you want, but don't add trophies (like God of War). This seems like the most sensible approach because you're still giving people the option and most players that like the game probably would still go back to it, but it saves us, the trophy hunters, going back and forcing ourselves through a another play through and potentially spoiling the good experience we had with the game.

 

All in all, I think we as trophy hunters are a huge minority in the general gaming community and our pleas will fall on deaf ears. And maybe we're a little entitled too because, we don't HAVE to play these games again if we really don't want to, no one is forcing us to but that little voice at the back of our head is taunting us, telling us to get 100% on all our games.

 

Thoughts?

 

 

[ArmoredSnowman]

4 hours ago, phantomfear9494 said:

Spiderman (NG+ and Ultimate Difficulty)

Aye, I liked the NG+ for Spider-Man. Ultimate difficulty felt even easier than the first go around.  

[AyAerith]

I agree with you. I've had to do this on only two separate occasions: Horizon Zero Dawn and RAGE, but I believe Last of Us falls in that category too. Even for Horizon, which I loved, replaying the game months or even a year later on a much harder difficulty becomes annoying and tedious. Especially true for a game I'd rather not play again, like RAGE. Most of the time I have gotten my fun out of 1-2 playthroughs and do not feel the need to replay the game unless it's been a few years AND I really liked it. I feel bad for those who have to replay a game like Metro Exodus because I've heard that it's pretty long and boring the second time for plat, much less a third time just to collect new collectibles and beat it without dying basically.

[Spinosaurus Rex]

2 hours ago, Feral said:

I like the idea of adding NG+ trophies later because those who've played a game day one and finished/platted it have a reason to go back. Also gives you time between playthroughs so the desire to return is there unless the game sucked of course.

 

Only problem I'd have with it being in from the get go is those trophies might be part of the main list and not as DLC. Prefer it being an option not being forced to do it as part of the plat.

 

I agree so much with these two statements. NG+ added later is a bad option only for those who care about completion time.

I'd return to GOW even if it'd handle single bronze trophy for completing it again.

[VoidVictorious]

I look at my psn list as my true guide for completion, so I know it sucks but I would like it to match the site. 100% means 100% when you get down to it. Trust me, it pisses me off too.

[Charizarzar]

I personally like those trophies being added. It gives me an excuse to replay the game (admittedly I’ve often been too focused on being a trophy hunter and haven’t revisited games I enjoyed) and also not have to worry about other trophies like the first playthrough.

 

It’s definitely annoying with games I don’t like as much (like Amnesia recently) but I’d rather that than difficult DLC trophies.

[starcrunch061]

At first I thought I would really like this idea, but at the end of the day, I don't like it. You really need a good reason to play NG+, and a single add-on trophy just isn't that good of a reason for me. It's even more annoying when the NG+ is required for the plat. Resonance of Fate requires a completely pointless second playthrough. There is absolutely no addition to the game. Battle Chasers requires a full playthrough as well. There, the NG+ is a harder mode, but there's still no real impetus despite the trophy. But I feel no real compulsion if it's added on after the fact, either.

 

Obviously, if I really like a game and know there's more to look forward to (I'm thinking of, say, Dark Souls here), then I would personally like to go back to it, but just slapping on a trophy doesn't really fill me with excitement or anything.

Edited April 5, 2019 by starcrunch061

[Fr_0zt]

It should be a feature at launch.  Wouldn't really mind when they are added, if they did not had trophies forcing us to do another run.

[Crispy_Oglop]

I don't mind if NG+ is an out-of-the-box feature or something that is added post launch - as long as it fits gameplay mechanics well and I have an incentive to spend my finite time all over again. A terrible example for me is Far Cry 5 - The NG+ for that is absolutely pointless and tacked on.

 

it's a bandwagon thing at the moment, similar to when all games tried to implement a tacked on multiplayer component a few years ago. I'll never do that Far Cry 5 NG+ because i'm literally playing the game again on a higher difficulty. If that's all there is - why not just add a difficulty related trophy as part of the platinum requirement and i could have played that in the first place?

 

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by Crispy_Oglop

[dakk55]

I wouldn't mind them adding NG+ if it comes with a big DLC addon, especially if it would be adding content that would change up the main gameplay. Just adding NG+ months after release can be both good and bad, I didn't mind much with God of War as I loved that game and it didn't include trophies so I could replay at my leisure.

[Redninja-222]

5 hours ago, Feral said:

I like the idea of adding NG+ trophies later because those who've played a game day one and finished/platted it have a reason to go back. Also gives you time between playthroughs so the desire to return is there unless the game sucked of course.

 

Only problem I'd have with it being in from the get go is those trophies might be part of the main list and not as DLC. Prefer it being an option not being forced to do it as part of the plat.

I agree with not wanting  them not add  NG+ on the main list. If we start crying about  them adding  the NG+ trophies later they might just decide to slap it on the main list then WE WILL HAVE TO DO IT!  Ive only played 2  games so far with NG+  and its not that bad if it's only going to take a couple hours or if you can change up the story plus im not a big trophy hunter as i take my time with most games. But here is my real opinion on the NG+ trophies, DEB"s add these trophies to add something more to these games as you play. Trophy lits  for most  games   aren't  made for trophy hunters  just look at Battlefield Hardline's dlc trophies  those 10000 kill trophies or Fortnight's list they are made for the gamers that actually play the game  and put lots of hours into the game.But for a lot trophy hunters who don't want to spend a ton of time on one game  its not ideal. So you can  see the problem that  the DEB's face when making trophy lists sometimes they go to far but most of the time they don't  because if you like a game enough  you might just get all the trophies for the game   as a none trophy hunter even if it takes 250+ hours as your playing the game any way so why not

Edited April 5, 2019 by Redninja-222

[SnizelPS]

I like it, don't care if it's there on launch or added later on.

 

I get that some people get pissed by being "robbed" of the 100%, but the devs can't cater to everyone.

 

I think they might see it as pleasing everyone by adding a new mode and new trophies.

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by SnizelPS

[Lava_Yuki]

I like NG+ but much prefer it be there from the start instead of adding it on later. I don't see the point, especially when so many games like the entire tales series, FFX-2 and XII etc have it all from the start.

 

Also, adding trophies later is annoying as a trophy hunter. Im the type who plans my platinum trophy map before even starting the game, so later add ons just ruin it all. 

[AJ_Radio]

It's mostly AAA games doing it.

 

This is why I typically wait before I dive into a game like Marvel's Spider-Man because like most of you I get a tad bothered if a DLC trophy list has been added after I delete the game off my PS4.

[jorgeammo]

Personally I just ignore NG + DLC trophies and am happy to see they're not required for the plat. Lots of games require multiple play throughs on different difficulties or have NG+ in their list such as Arkham Knight. If I really enjoy the game I don't mind playing it more than once, but if I'm looking at doing the exact same thing for 30+ hours then more often than not it's a chore to get through it. 

[Caesar Clown]

I don't mind it, the problem is how with how games are made now, the tutorials end up being main story missions that you can't skip. Take Spider-Man as an example, you start NG+, and you can't skip the intro, then while you swing to the mission, it's pausing and telling you how to web-swing. Then it's time to teach you how to fight, etc. It's a NG+, you should be able to either skip it or not pause the action to tell you how to play.

[AJ_Radio]

1 hour ago, Caesar Clown said:

I don't mind it, the problem is how with how games are made now, the tutorials end up being main story missions that you can't skip. Take Spider-Man as an example, you start NG+, and you can't skip the intro, then while you swing to the mission, it's pausing and telling you how to web-swing. Then it's time to teach you how to fight, etc. It's a NG+, you should be able to either skip it or not pause the action to tell you how to play.

 

That's my problem too.

 

I'm around halfway done with New Game Plus on Batman: Arkham City. It has the added challenge of removed the icons of enemies when they're about to hit you or throw an object your way. I don't recall there being a tutorial, but it's been a very long while since I played through the story, over three years in fact so my memory is lost.

 

We get that Spider-Man is fairly easy, but don't make us sit through the introductions and have stupid tutorials pop up on your screen when you already beaten the game once.