Nintendo confirms secret ‘Help’ feature
On the extraordinary success of its Nintendo Wii video game console, Nintendo says it’s due, in part, to making games accessible to wide audiences. And with an unannounced – but now confirmed – feature built into future Nintendo Wii titles, the Japanese gaming giant is taking this accessibility to the next level.
On the extraordinary success of its Nintendo Wii video game console, Nintendo says it's due, in part, to making games accessible to wide audiences. And with an unannounced – but now confirmed – feature built into future Nintendo Wii titles, the Japanese gaming giant is taking this accessibility to the next level.
Beginning with the upcoming New Super Mario Bros. Wii, players will be able to pause a game during a particularly difficult level and let the game take over to complete the level. Press a button at any time to resume playing.
This will help reduce barriers of entry for new or younger players – without purchasing a strategy guide or resorting to websites that list cheat codes.
In an exclusive interview with Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary game designer confirmed this optional feature called "demo play" (tentative name) is something the development team has been working on.
"In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, if a player is experiencing an area of difficulty, this will allow them to clear troubled areas and take over when they're ready" confirmed Miyamoto, through his translator.
"And yes, we're looking into this for future games, too" adds Miyamoto.
Not sure about you but I think this could be huge. I recall reading a stat once about how only 5 percent of gamers (or less) actually finish a game, because it gets too tough. Now if you spent $50 or $60 on a title, you should get to see the end of it. It's like buying a DVD or Blu-ray and turning it off after the movie's intro.
When I get stuck in a game I often turn to the Net and read a walkthrough for that particular level. My eldest son, Jacob, who is just learning to read, prefers to go to YouTube and watch a player finish a level so he can run back to the TV and try it out. But what Miyamoto is proposing means you don't need to leave your television to get through tough areas.
If it takes off — and perhaps even copied by the likes of Microsoft and Sony — this could mean the end of strategy guides and other game help books, too.
Do you think this feature is a good idea to help those stuck get through troubled spots in a game? Or are you in favour of a harder game, whereby players should keep trying (and failing) until they get it right (on their own)?
IMO let the gamers play games and get a feeling of achievement when they get through a game… I don't consider myself a hardcore gamer but if I put my head into it, most get challenging but not impossible… come on! do cars drive themselves when driving conditions are bad?!
If gamers get stuck, then let the puter finish the level but make the gamer do an achievment level of some type every time he accesses the option. that way it wont be abused
Isn't that what difficulty settings are for?
bad idea
What a horrible idea! Just another example of our generation refusing to work hard at something until we conquer it.
Gone are the good old days when perseverance pays off with the sweet sweet feeling of success. Now in lvl 2 when new gamers first fun in to anything remotely difficult they will "demo mode" instead of working at it and homing their strategy and critical thinking skills.
Honestly, Im not a fan off the Wii. They say it is good or excercise, but A: thats only if they play the games, and B: my little brother has found ways to take all the movement out of his games anyways.
This takes all the challenge out of a game, and is a terrible idea. Plus, I learned that sometimes, if there is a tough part,sometimes ou just have to wait. Here's an example. I got Perfect Dark 64 for the N64 when I was 11. I beat every level up to the last level that year. I only beat the last level 2 years ago, thats how dificult it was for me (then again, I hadn't played it in forever, and old controllers >.<)
I don't want anyone holding my hand when playing. Let me go it alone and learn strategy as I go along. BAD IDEA!! I've tried WII a few times….yawns….I'm an Xbox gamer (old console and 360)and I'll put my money into Xbox anytime. BTW the new upgrade to 360 announced last week will blow WII out of the water.!!!
its a cool idea. I for one have gotten stuck many times playing a game, and would have loved something like that. but I don't think that kids should always win, if a kid grows up and finds the easy way across or is always told that he/she is a winner. what will happen when they fail or something does not turn out they way they wanted.
Oh my. Gone are the days of challenging yourself.
These days, just with school, kids always want the easy way out. Seriously i remember finishing games like Kid Icarus, Punch Out, Metroid… hard games. Games these days are easy enough, now you're telling me kids are so slow, and uncoordinated that they now have that extra incentive to play games knowing any little challenge can be taken away.
Good job Generation Fat.
there are good and bad sides to this. they should make a password that you get after a certain level, and it is different for each game. this way, you wud have to do say, 10 levels and then uunlock th pass and then use it once anywhere they get stuck on. and then after 2 levels they get it again. they shudnt make it very easy. i hope they read this comment, maybe its a good idea :)
Perfect, this is game evolution. Strategy guides and help books are already at an end anyway thanks to the easily accessible data on the net and user created content.
This takes it one step further, the idea is to make it easier for less advanced players, now we have the difficulty settings and possibly clues to help you, this is just the next logical path, eventually you won't have to run to the internet, you will pause the game, view a user-created video on a level, unpause, try it, and if you are stuck, then you'll let demoplay run to see how they attempt it. You still have the choice to play the whole game, I don't think it will detract from the appeal of the game at all.
What's the point of all this, and what kind of message is it really sending to our kids?
I mean really, the point of a game is to play it and have fun. When I'm having fun playing a game, I don't want it to end, I'm not racing towards it.
The other issue is that this will not advance your skills in any way, and people will never get any better (meaning, they will have to start making the games easier and easier).
As for our kids, we're telling them it's ok to give up if something is hard. Oh, you can't read that book? Let me get you an audio-book on CD. Don't try to do something difficult or you might build character and learn something in the process, and we wouldn't want that, would we?
If they're going to take this route, keep it for the Wii, it's a kids and moms console anyways.
Not a good idea at all…Where is all the challenge gonna go? And the bragging rights?
At least, please implement a reward system that will penalize you each time you use this feature And block extra contents.
When you cheat or go to the computer to see how to do it…At least you giving yourself the trouble to do research. And it's not even guaranteed at a 100% you will succeed this way. (OK maybe 80%) You still have to work a bit.
Video gaming isn't just about fun. New generations are smarter because of them (computer/internet savvy, reflexes and critical thinking challenged all the time) it will just ruin this and become another useless media, like TV.
Why not add commercials during the "demo play" while we're at it…
This feels like insanity to me. Video games were a way to escape the real world and avoid responsibility. Kids would be playing to avoid doing their homework or doing they're work around the house to the constant complaining of their parents. It's bad enough they got lazy doing that to play games, now we are suggesting that they get the option to be too lazy to be even lazy. Someone really needs to remember what was the point of these games to begin with. To have fun, when the computer is the one having the fun for you, you're back to being a spectator and at that point you might as well be looking at the television set instead of wasting money on expensive hardware.
I think people should keep failing until they get it right and figure it out…thats the whole fun thing about video games. If i am playing a sports game and i cant find a way to score I'm not going to let the computer do it for me i have to learn how to do it. Life isn't easy like that and you have to be persistent to get what you want in your life. I think this feature would be a waste of time.
should be an option to chose from at the start of the game
Example: if you say yes your allowed to use it during game play if you say No then your not allowed to use it or youd get a special bonus now and then for one. Player chooses. Not everyone is able to win games, and besides games arent fun if your always dieing and getting stuck, levels are to hard to beat, not everyone has the gaming skills. Of course I dont have a wii as I am poor but I mean still. Anyone remember the first nintendo I still have it, etc. lol
I say go for it, Nintendo. For those who don't care about such pride, they can get through those hard parts and continure happily. For those who like to work at it on their own, it's not like you have to use it. It's an optional choice.
Though I do think it should leave some sort of counter on times used and how long or something, to forever brand the player as "N00B."
Video Game Equivalent Of A Sunday Driver. So, stupid. So, so, stupid.
what is the world coming to, i mean self playing games when you are finding it too hard. the first time played the game Dead Space it took me over 2 weeks before i could get past the section in chapter 3 of the game and the sad part is that was on easy mood so now if that were set as the computer plays for you it would be 2 easy beat the game so i think that this a an extremely bad idea