Daily Debate: How should Nintendo handle New Game Plus modes?

Over the years we have seen a few different iterations by Nintendo of New Game Plus modes. This is a mode where you can go back and play the game over again after having already beaten it, but this time through things are different in any number of ways. For Nintendo this has come in basically two different forms. The first of these is a totally unique recreation of the original game, such as the Ocarina of Time Master Quest or the Second Quest for the original The Legend of Zelda. The second type are the ones that have become commonplace in the last few Zelda games, which Nintendo calls Hero Mode. These modes are still the same layout and such as the normal game, but enemies do more damage and you can’t find hearts out in the world. While this is an admirable attempt to add a modicum of difficulty to their titles for people that would like to play it again, to me it still feels like it falls far short of what needs to be done to make a truly meaningful second play-through.

The Master Quest for Ocarina of Time particularly is also my favorite version of Ocarina of Time, and therefore one of my favorite games of all time. The ways in which they changed Ocarina of Time for the Master Quest version were so profound that it was the perfect mix of being back in a world that you loved but also feeling like you were playing it again for the first time. A truly amazing experience that completely refreshed a game many people thought that they already knew inside and out. On the other hand we have Hero Mode, which in comparison is an extemely shallow New Game Plus mode. While I do appreciate that they at least do something more for the die-hard fans, I can’t help but think back to modes like Master Quest and Second Quest and feel that Hero Mode is an empty shell of what it could be.

With the new Majora’s Mask coming up next spring, I can’t help but hope that Nintendo is working on something like the Master Quest for Majora’s Mask 3D. Considering the fact that it has been in development since 2011, it seems that they have definitely had the time to create one. After all, how could you spend that long developing a game that has already had most of it’s assets done due to Ocarina of Time 3D.

Do you think that Hero Mode is a cheap version of things like Master Quest, or do you think that it’s totally understandable that they don’t make a Master Quest-type mode for every game? Do you enjoy Hero Mode and think that it’s perfectly acceptable as a New Game Plus mode? Let us know in the comments below!