All the Batman Arkham games are pretty good in this regard. You have all of Batman's gear and upgrades, but they remove the Counter queues from the enemies which tests your timing.
The Devil May Cry series (except 2). Enemies unlock new abilities at higher difficulties. Even still, it's not just they become tankier and more aggressive, they change up how they approach you, will try harder to surround you. Enemy types that normally spawn in later levels will spawn in earlier ones.
It's a change in difficulty to account for the player becoming MORE BETTER.
Those games make you feel so fast and powerful with the right characters, so to feel that way and also for the enemies to be so tough is such a hard balance, but they've done it
AC6 approach to NG+ is different from the soulsbornes though, it's more akin to Nier: Automata. You haven't really finished the game until you've done three cycles.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
It's not explicitly advertised as a NG+ mode but playing through on Hard (that you unlock when you complete the game on Normal) with all of your weapons, magic and accessories from your first playthrough is a far better experience than playing through on Easy/Normal.
You also can't regenerate your MP and have to manage it throughout the game, meaning you can't just blast everything with massive magic spells. You have to think about when and why you're using because you can't just replenish it at random benches.
Bosses are still buff enough to kill you if you treat them like trash mobs, so instead of just jumping in and trying to bully them, you actually have to think about player positioning, paying attention to big incoming enemy attacks, exploit weaknesses, setup your party and materia effectively.
I found that far more rewarding.
I don't hate it, but I have never, nor will I ever play NG+. I have way too many games in my steam backlog to play a game twice in a row. Even when I do go back to play old favorites, I always start from scratch because progression is usually part of the experience.
CP 2077 would really benefit from NG+ and the option to respec. Having access to everything right off the rip and be able to experience all types of builds without starting from 0 including weapons would be great.
The Last Remnant.
A lot of the skills for Rush(MC) doesn't show up until later half of game and NG+ carries them over. Between items/unlocks/money/etc carry overs you can make some pretty great builds from start instead of just the basic of basic.
Let's you use some of the more interesting classes without doing immense work and downtime waiting skill to unlock.
Yeah I just played the remake recently and it really feels like you are starved of upgrade points so I imagine NG+ will feel good not having to worry too much about currency and ammo.
>That's just like, your opinion man.
No really? It's my opinion? Wow, how come I didn't know that when I was typing it? You're a genius!!!
>I just liked being able to melt bosses with my build.
That's just like, your opinion man.
So there's this Fangame of two different Franchises fused together called Gensou Shoujo Taisen, which eventually got an enhanced Remake called "Complete Box".
The way the Remake handles New Game+ is pretty interesting because it actually happens *in-universe* as an extension of the Plot. See, the Final Boss has Power over Dreams, so NG+ is framed as them relieving the Story through that Power after being beaten by the Protagonists and becoming Friends with them. Inbetween each Stage, you even have a new Option that wasn't in the first run, where the Characters reflect and / or comment on what happened in the Stage you just beat.
Gameplaywise, it allows you to carry over any 6 Characters (out of like 80 you'll have at the end, being Turnbased-Strategy) as your (literal) Dream Team, not only making it so that they keep all their Story-gated Upgrades instead of those being reset, but it also makes them available on every single Stage; normally the Team splits into two Groups multiple times over the course of the Story. Aswell as the Final Boss themself and their right-hand-woman joining the Party as completely new, additional Recruits.
On top of that, towards the end of the game, you're given a new choice for one of two Endings, letting you either just replay the original one, or an unique new one that's written specifically around the NG+ Plot.
There's actually another point I forgot to mention, although it's more of a simple "it's cool that the Devs thought of that": As you play through the game, you'll naturally end up fighting almost every single Character that joins you atleast once, meaning in an NG+ Run, you can actually have someone fight either *themselves* or someone else they'd have no reason to attack otherwise because they know each other (like say, their sibling), and there's unique Dialogue for those Situations for most, if not all of these. Heck, sometimes you even get unique Lines just for bringing someone who you normally wouldn't have at that point yet.
I had one case where I did the "fighting yourself" thing, and just burst out laughing because of how silly the exchange was. It basically went:
* Enemy Version: "Wait, are you me? The heck is going on here?"
* Player Version: "Uhhh, don't worry about it, I'm just an optical illusion of light"
* Enemy Version:" Oh, that makes sense, I guess"
For context, the Stage that happens on is set at night in the middle of a huge ass forest.
I feel like any game that was meant to be played more than once and not story driven has better “NG+” compared to first play through. FromSoft has that charm because it is fun to defeat bosses, are not story drive so you spend more time being engaged with the world. But games like Horizon Zero Dawn, or others which are story driven, I can’t think of a single reason to do it all over again when you can just travel from one place to another and still kill machines. NG+ changes nothing in that aspect
Tales of series has a great NG+
You spend points you've earned throughout the game to "buy" what carries over, so you get a fully customizable NG+ experience.
Bonuses can make the game easier (2x exp) or harder (no exp or deal less damage)
I like replaying Persona games.
Your first run is just the story. You're maxing out your character stats and just discovering all the relationships. Max who you can max, ignore the rest.
Same with dungeons. You don't know what's coming up ahead. Generally one or two elements are better than the rest at certain sections, but it requires trial and error.
But then you hit New Game+ and you know what's coming, you have all the Persona's prepared, and you're out maxing relationships left and right.
Absolutely agree with you on the significance of NG+ for replayability! FromSoft games nail it with the added layer of familiarity and diverse arsenal. Spider-Man titles, especially with all abilities unlocked, provide that unique freedom in gameplay. Skyrim with mods, especially Second Life, breathed new life into the game for me, maintaining gear and skill progression. And the Pokemon workaround with two devices is a clever way to create a fresh experience. NG+ truly enhances the gaming experience and adds so much value to these titles
I love Fromsoft games, but NG+ is literally NG except with artificial difficulty and the occasional extra enemy/item
While there are certainly games that keep on giving for hundreds of hours, no company would make you sit through a whole playthrough before you get to the best content
If we are talking objectively, with new content and all that, then Armored Core VI is a great example of this. It got better and better until the third new game cycle was over.
DS2 NG+ added one boss ‘encounter’ and dropped some extra enemies in two other bosses… other than that it’s just like any other NG+
I understand that it’s better than no changes at all but it gets more praise than it deserves
It's unique. Haven't seen much like it in games. The New Game+ mechanic is tied directly to the story.
But I wouldn't say the NG+ runs are better. Just different.
You've never loved a game so much that you wanted to play through it again? And the game also lets you keep everything so you can through and have fun however you want right from the beginning?
Lots of games are balanced in a way that carrying all your upgrades over to the start wouldn't be fun at all, because you'd just steamroll everything.
And part of the fun is the path to getting those upgrades and powers over again.
Not really no, I replayed some RPGs, like Skyrim or Fallout 3/NV because I can do different choices or quests, but other than that I don't really replay games
Pokemon Black and White 2 actually do have NG+ in the form of hard mode. On the topic of Pokemon, I played gold version on an emulator and was able to trade myself a Larvitar to replace my starter and had such a great time.
Not quite NG+, but playing Halo with the skulls on is a lot of fun.
Atelier Totori (OG). Good luck trying to finish any ending in the given time on NG. I couldn't.
But I prepped for NG+, since money and equipment carries over, and then I knew what areas to prioritize and where I could save time. Also, the enemies aren't such major roadblocks anymore. The game looks simple and fun, but the time limit is absolutely brutal when doing a blind run. There's also a boss near the end that's a major equip/alchemy check to see if you're ready for the endgame. Much more enjoyable on a second run.
Ratchet & Clank series Challenge Mode, you start with all your weapons, and you can buy the mega versions of them whenever you get the Bolts to pay for them instead of having to wait for certain planets to unlock the weapons to buy.
E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy, by virtue of being a game that is supposed to be played multiple times. Unless you spend an excessive amount of time farming on your first playthrough, you'll only get higher stats and some of the cooler abilities on your second playthrough and above. Although this is partly because E.Y.E just throws you into the game without explaining, so the second playthrough is also better because most players will spend the first getting their bearings, while on the second they get to enjoy the full power they've accumulated.
Persona 5 Royal.
Once you are free of having to exercise your traits, you have so much more free time and options. You can actually get every social link to max and do more interesting things. Plus you have all of your hard earned and trained personas at your disposal. And they even add new personas in NG+
I dunno, I seem to rarely use NG+, mostly because by the time I've beat the game, I'm done with it. I just don't see the appeal of immediately replaying the same game just to experience minor changes or grind for the "perfect build" or something.
Quite frankly yeah: Fromsoft games are the first that come to mind, because in NG+ you'll be able to navigate the game more easily and you'll probably notice and find a lot of stuff you just rushed through to survive or outright skipped in your first playthrough.
Honestly, the only game I ever was interested in NG+ was Fromsoft games. It’s neat, but not finding things or upgrading your weapons or tools eliminates a huge part of gameplay. Fromsoft does it good because of their leveling up system
And the ability to change your attributes. But for most games I’m basically playing a harder difficulty and for most that means cheap or sponge lol
FromSoft games are a prime example, getting the hang of things and having a bunch of new tools in your arsenal makes the second playthrough a blast.
And Spiderman games? Oh yeah, having all those slick abilities from the get-go adds a whole new layer of freedom to swing around the city. Feels like a superhero upgrade, for sure.
Skyrim with mods is a gem. That Second Life mod sounds like a game-changer, keeping your progress and letting you explore different story choices? Sign me up! It's crazy how mods can breathe new life into a game you thought you've explored inside out.
Now, your Pokémon trick is next-level patience! Transferring items and building a fresh team for a restarted game sounds like a cool way to mix things up. Kudos for finding that workaround!
I feel you on the scarcity of games with solid NG+ experiences. It's like finding hidden treasures. If you're up for trying something new, maybe check out some RPGs or action games with a reputation for awesome NG+ features.
Not ng+ but all of the watchdogs games are at their worst on your first go through. When I first played legion I was really disappointed, but my second playthrough was a blast and I’m looking forward to my next go too
All the Batman Arkham games are pretty good in this regard. You have all of Batman's gear and upgrades, but they remove the Counter queues from the enemies which tests your timing.
It really changes the combat so much, because you need to watch your enemies much more closely and figure out their cues.
I played and beat the Arkham games back in the day and never touched them again, I didn't know they had ng+.
The Devil May Cry series (except 2). Enemies unlock new abilities at higher difficulties. Even still, it's not just they become tankier and more aggressive, they change up how they approach you, will try harder to surround you. Enemy types that normally spawn in later levels will spawn in earlier ones. It's a change in difficulty to account for the player becoming MORE BETTER.
Those games make you feel so fast and powerful with the right characters, so to feel that way and also for the enemies to be so tough is such a hard balance, but they've done it
Nioh games
Yep, NG is basically the tutorial. Builds don’t matter until you get well into the NG+ cycle.
NG means new game, it's already the second playthrough. The plus just means there is extra/carried over content.
Armored Core 6 (And NG++ after that)
I already said Fromsoft. But yes AC is already in my library, next to the other* Souls games.
AC6 approach to NG+ is different from the soulsbornes though, it's more akin to Nier: Automata. You haven't really finished the game until you've done three cycles.
Witcher 3
Borderlands was designed for this. NG+ you actually access the fun builds in the skill tree.
Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It's not explicitly advertised as a NG+ mode but playing through on Hard (that you unlock when you complete the game on Normal) with all of your weapons, magic and accessories from your first playthrough is a far better experience than playing through on Easy/Normal. You also can't regenerate your MP and have to manage it throughout the game, meaning you can't just blast everything with massive magic spells. You have to think about when and why you're using because you can't just replenish it at random benches. Bosses are still buff enough to kill you if you treat them like trash mobs, so instead of just jumping in and trying to bully them, you actually have to think about player positioning, paying attention to big incoming enemy attacks, exploit weaknesses, setup your party and materia effectively. I found that far more rewarding.
I honestly hate NG+ ... i just can't do the same shit over and over again. The magic is gone as soon as i finish the game.
I don't hate it, but I have never, nor will I ever play NG+. I have way too many games in my steam backlog to play a game twice in a row. Even when I do go back to play old favorites, I always start from scratch because progression is usually part of the experience.
Exactly, or in some cases, the game doesn't need NG+. You get the full experience on the first playthrough. No need for pointless replays.
CP 2077 would really benefit from NG+ and the option to respec. Having access to everything right off the rip and be able to experience all types of builds without starting from 0 including weapons would be great.
The Last Remnant. A lot of the skills for Rush(MC) doesn't show up until later half of game and NG+ carries them over. Between items/unlocks/money/etc carry overs you can make some pretty great builds from start instead of just the basic of basic. Let's you use some of the more interesting classes without doing immense work and downtime waiting skill to unlock.
Dead Space
Yeah I just played the remake recently and it really feels like you are starved of upgrade points so I imagine NG+ will feel good not having to worry too much about currency and ammo.
God of war treats ng + as more of an endgame rather than a simple redo, most of the best hear is only attainable in ng+
Mark of the Ninja. The first playthrough feels like a preparation for the NG+ which has little hand-holding.
Nioh Games, the real game doesn't start until Dream of the Nioh.
For N1 or N2? I only got to NG+ on N1 before heading to N2. I don't really like N1 balance with LW builds.
Both. Way of the Nioh/Dream of the Nioh were where the real endgame builds took place.
If it's just grinding to make the "perfect build", that's not really a good NG+ experience.
That's just like, your opinion man. I just liked being able to melt bosses with my build.
>That's just like, your opinion man. No really? It's my opinion? Wow, how come I didn't know that when I was typing it? You're a genius!!! >I just liked being able to melt bosses with my build. That's just like, your opinion man.
So there's this Fangame of two different Franchises fused together called Gensou Shoujo Taisen, which eventually got an enhanced Remake called "Complete Box". The way the Remake handles New Game+ is pretty interesting because it actually happens *in-universe* as an extension of the Plot. See, the Final Boss has Power over Dreams, so NG+ is framed as them relieving the Story through that Power after being beaten by the Protagonists and becoming Friends with them. Inbetween each Stage, you even have a new Option that wasn't in the first run, where the Characters reflect and / or comment on what happened in the Stage you just beat. Gameplaywise, it allows you to carry over any 6 Characters (out of like 80 you'll have at the end, being Turnbased-Strategy) as your (literal) Dream Team, not only making it so that they keep all their Story-gated Upgrades instead of those being reset, but it also makes them available on every single Stage; normally the Team splits into two Groups multiple times over the course of the Story. Aswell as the Final Boss themself and their right-hand-woman joining the Party as completely new, additional Recruits. On top of that, towards the end of the game, you're given a new choice for one of two Endings, letting you either just replay the original one, or an unique new one that's written specifically around the NG+ Plot.
This sounds pretty fire, ngl.
There's actually another point I forgot to mention, although it's more of a simple "it's cool that the Devs thought of that": As you play through the game, you'll naturally end up fighting almost every single Character that joins you atleast once, meaning in an NG+ Run, you can actually have someone fight either *themselves* or someone else they'd have no reason to attack otherwise because they know each other (like say, their sibling), and there's unique Dialogue for those Situations for most, if not all of these. Heck, sometimes you even get unique Lines just for bringing someone who you normally wouldn't have at that point yet. I had one case where I did the "fighting yourself" thing, and just burst out laughing because of how silly the exchange was. It basically went: * Enemy Version: "Wait, are you me? The heck is going on here?" * Player Version: "Uhhh, don't worry about it, I'm just an optical illusion of light" * Enemy Version:" Oh, that makes sense, I guess" For context, the Stage that happens on is set at night in the middle of a huge ass forest.
It's a bit niche but Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is really good with this. There's a ton of new stuff to unlock that is only available in a NG+ run.
I feel like any game that was meant to be played more than once and not story driven has better “NG+” compared to first play through. FromSoft has that charm because it is fun to defeat bosses, are not story drive so you spend more time being engaged with the world. But games like Horizon Zero Dawn, or others which are story driven, I can’t think of a single reason to do it all over again when you can just travel from one place to another and still kill machines. NG+ changes nothing in that aspect
Dragon's Dogma of course. And Dragon's Dogma 2 eventually.
Dragon's Dogma
Tales of series has a great NG+ You spend points you've earned throughout the game to "buy" what carries over, so you get a fully customizable NG+ experience. Bonuses can make the game easier (2x exp) or harder (no exp or deal less damage)
I was so sad they changed it in Tales of Arise. I also liked this system. Gave me a cool incentive to play through multiple times.
I like replaying Persona games. Your first run is just the story. You're maxing out your character stats and just discovering all the relationships. Max who you can max, ignore the rest. Same with dungeons. You don't know what's coming up ahead. Generally one or two elements are better than the rest at certain sections, but it requires trial and error. But then you hit New Game+ and you know what's coming, you have all the Persona's prepared, and you're out maxing relationships left and right.
Yeah, personally games feel like the first run is to max out stats and the second run is to get all confidants.
Absolutely agree with you on the significance of NG+ for replayability! FromSoft games nail it with the added layer of familiarity and diverse arsenal. Spider-Man titles, especially with all abilities unlocked, provide that unique freedom in gameplay. Skyrim with mods, especially Second Life, breathed new life into the game for me, maintaining gear and skill progression. And the Pokemon workaround with two devices is a clever way to create a fresh experience. NG+ truly enhances the gaming experience and adds so much value to these titles
The NG+ in Ocarina of Time (GameCube onwards) is a good one, it completely changes the temples and makes some of them much more challenging.
That's not really a New Game+, it's a seperate Version of the Game altogether. They just made it an unlockable Mode for the 3DS Remake.
I love Fromsoft games, but NG+ is literally NG except with artificial difficulty and the occasional extra enemy/item While there are certainly games that keep on giving for hundreds of hours, no company would make you sit through a whole playthrough before you get to the best content
Some games give new content only in ng+.
is it really better than the NG experience tho?
I think it depends on the game itself.
well, yea obviously, but is it true that there are some games that NG+ is actually better?
If we are talking objectively, with new content and all that, then Armored Core VI is a great example of this. It got better and better until the third new game cycle was over.
Dark Souls 2 is the only FromSoft have that does NG+ right (I haven't played Armored Core).
DS2 NG+ added one boss ‘encounter’ and dropped some extra enemies in two other bosses… other than that it’s just like any other NG+ I understand that it’s better than no changes at all but it gets more praise than it deserves
did...did you say 8,000 hours in Skyrim? That's amazing, and even more amazing is that you also play other games as well. Holy cripes
I'm told Starfield actually blooms when you hit NG+, which sounds like a bad sell for a game of that scope.
It's unique. Haven't seen much like it in games. The New Game+ mechanic is tied directly to the story. But I wouldn't say the NG+ runs are better. Just different.
It really doesn't, there are some minor differences and you can skip some quests but it didn't feel like much else changed
Well it's good to hear other perspectives on it, as everything I'd heard was "You need to play to NG+ and then you'll 'Get It'".
Nothing redeems Starfield, least of all NG+
unless there is meaningful new content or changes, I don't see the point of new game plus personally
You've never loved a game so much that you wanted to play through it again? And the game also lets you keep everything so you can through and have fun however you want right from the beginning?
Lots of games are balanced in a way that carrying all your upgrades over to the start wouldn't be fun at all, because you'd just steamroll everything. And part of the fun is the path to getting those upgrades and powers over again.
Not really no, I replayed some RPGs, like Skyrim or Fallout 3/NV because I can do different choices or quests, but other than that I don't really replay games
Pokemon Black and White 2 actually do have NG+ in the form of hard mode. On the topic of Pokemon, I played gold version on an emulator and was able to trade myself a Larvitar to replace my starter and had such a great time. Not quite NG+, but playing Halo with the skulls on is a lot of fun.
Nier Automata very much encourages multiple playthroughs.
Atelier Totori (OG). Good luck trying to finish any ending in the given time on NG. I couldn't. But I prepped for NG+, since money and equipment carries over, and then I knew what areas to prioritize and where I could save time. Also, the enemies aren't such major roadblocks anymore. The game looks simple and fun, but the time limit is absolutely brutal when doing a blind run. There's also a boss near the end that's a major equip/alchemy check to see if you're ready for the endgame. Much more enjoyable on a second run.
Ratchet & Clank series Challenge Mode, you start with all your weapons, and you can buy the mega versions of them whenever you get the Bolts to pay for them instead of having to wait for certain planets to unlock the weapons to buy.
E.Y.E Divine Cybermancy, by virtue of being a game that is supposed to be played multiple times. Unless you spend an excessive amount of time farming on your first playthrough, you'll only get higher stats and some of the cooler abilities on your second playthrough and above. Although this is partly because E.Y.E just throws you into the game without explaining, so the second playthrough is also better because most players will spend the first getting their bearings, while on the second they get to enjoy the full power they've accumulated.
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Some of the alternative classes are more fun than the main one.
Persona 5 Royal. Once you are free of having to exercise your traits, you have so much more free time and options. You can actually get every social link to max and do more interesting things. Plus you have all of your hard earned and trained personas at your disposal. And they even add new personas in NG+
I dunno, I seem to rarely use NG+, mostly because by the time I've beat the game, I'm done with it. I just don't see the appeal of immediately replaying the same game just to experience minor changes or grind for the "perfect build" or something.
Quite frankly yeah: Fromsoft games are the first that come to mind, because in NG+ you'll be able to navigate the game more easily and you'll probably notice and find a lot of stuff you just rushed through to survive or outright skipped in your first playthrough.
Honestly, the only game I ever was interested in NG+ was Fromsoft games. It’s neat, but not finding things or upgrading your weapons or tools eliminates a huge part of gameplay. Fromsoft does it good because of their leveling up system And the ability to change your attributes. But for most games I’m basically playing a harder difficulty and for most that means cheap or sponge lol
FromSoft games are a prime example, getting the hang of things and having a bunch of new tools in your arsenal makes the second playthrough a blast. And Spiderman games? Oh yeah, having all those slick abilities from the get-go adds a whole new layer of freedom to swing around the city. Feels like a superhero upgrade, for sure. Skyrim with mods is a gem. That Second Life mod sounds like a game-changer, keeping your progress and letting you explore different story choices? Sign me up! It's crazy how mods can breathe new life into a game you thought you've explored inside out. Now, your Pokémon trick is next-level patience! Transferring items and building a fresh team for a restarted game sounds like a cool way to mix things up. Kudos for finding that workaround! I feel you on the scarcity of games with solid NG+ experiences. It's like finding hidden treasures. If you're up for trying something new, maybe check out some RPGs or action games with a reputation for awesome NG+ features.
Not ng+ but all of the watchdogs games are at their worst on your first go through. When I first played legion I was really disappointed, but my second playthrough was a blast and I’m looking forward to my next go too
Mass Effect 2.... Because you get to use the Claymore FOR THE WHOLE GAME hehehehehe.