This one is directly from SephirothX's Cblog and I say that early on instead of at the end because I mostly disagree with him about this. See the new New Super Mario Bros. has a feature that was recently revealed, and that feature is that the game will beat itself or play itself or do something to help novice gamers get through the harder parts.
Basically if a player who has no motor skills and is slightly challenged and can't get past a part in a level all they have to do is press a button and the game will take over for them. This feature is set to debut in New Super Mario Bros. Nintendo says meaning that it is possibly something that is going to be showing up in a lot of their games as Miyamoto has also noted. It's entirely optional so you can beat the entire game yourself if you're feeling old school.
Many of you probably agree with SephirothX's opinion on this; he is none too happy. I can understand the opinion, but as a person who has lost the chance to convert friends to the wonderful world of gaming because "the game is too hard" I can only see the upside to an entirely optional "make it easier" mechanic. Now, maybe people such as this shouldn't be my friends since they clearly aren't gamers, but I'm going to be a rebel and base friendship on other attributes like money, looks and the ability to connect me with important people in the world.
If you're interested in reading Miyamoto's quote on this it's after the jump.
"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" Miyamoto says.
Contest:
8:00 AM on 06.13.2009
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Cue Hardcore vs Casual debate:
What? As Infinite said, the point of games is to PLAY them. If you can't press buttons correctly, start doing something else, like sports, or typing. Something that doesn't require the use of thumbs, cause you've proven, if you use that feature, that you can't use your thumbs properly.
So basicly its more a show how to beat the level.
And you still can! It's o-p-t-i-o-n-a-l.
Like say someone was really interested in the God of War story and wanted to see it completed, but for some reason couldn't beat one of the bosses in GoW3. Rather than going to youtube and watching it in shitty quality, they could just skip past the boss fight a nd continue on merrily. meanwhile, those that can beat the game, do so without any help. Everyone wins.
I still think it's retarded though. How good does it feel when you finally ace a super hard section of a game? E.g. Remember when you beat Emerald Weapon in FFVII for the first time? It was fucking awesome, and you'd lose that with such a mechanic.
Don't you fags pretend you've never been stuck on a video game before. Especially not back in the day. Sites like GameFAQs are kept afloat for a reason.
As far as the casual vs. hardcore thing goes, I've said it before but let them have the option.
Just because we don't like something doesn't mean it shouldn't exist. I'll certainly never use Wii Fit but I can understand why it appeals to some people.
Bringing it a little closer to oh, reality. It's all about personal choice. Just because hardcore fundamentalist Christians disagree with same sex marriage and abortion doesn't mean we should make it illegal for everyone, right? Oh wait, god damn it.
just when we allll thought Nintendo couldn't go any lower...this nonsense happens.
"It's too hard. Beat it for me"
*facepalm*
Suddenly the Uglies book series seems disturbingly realistic.
:D
No seriously, I don't think this is gonna help the medium progress. But I'm sure Companies will be getting profits, which could go to develop amazing games...
The important thing is to not turn it into an excuse to skimp on game design. We've all had those "oh fer crap's sake, what AM I supposed to do?" moments, quickly followed by "I completely missed that simple little thing! Now I feel stupid" after poking at GameFAQs. That, or one of those moments where you get through most of a particular level, but this ONE freakin' moment keeps stumping you. While "long easy portion followed by nearly impassable obstacle before you get to a checkpoint" is bad game design, at least this gives players a way to counter that before controllers end up tossed at TVs.
Plus, this'll get my parents playing. Maybe even my grandparents. They love mario, they just can't use the controls very well. Plus the 4 year old nephew. I don't get it. Everyone that was once hardcore will remain hardcore - that's sort of built into your personalities and genetics, I think - it's not something that will be affected by an optional "please help" button. Just shut the fuck up and don't press it. Leave that to "incompetent" people like me.
Having said that...I can definitely see where the slippery slope starts. I'll have to actually try this button out to calm that concern.
But this? This is just fucking stupid. I mean, I don't even imagine the game will be fucking hard to start off with.
...but as long as this stays out of the next LoZ, I'll be happy. Since that's the only game Ninty are going to get my money from.
Also, maybe I'm just better at games than I was in 1991, but did anyone else find the original New Super Mario Bros to be disgustingly easy?
Why does it upset you so much, and how is such a feature any different from, for example, a "Very Easy" mode or even cheat codes? I'm willing to hear a good reason for why the inclusion of such a feature could detract from anyone's experience with a game, but I personally can't think of any.
At least this thing with NSMB Wii is optional.
Not a fair argument. If they didn't put in the mandatory two player mechanics like switch flipping, etc. then the game would actually have been easier to play just on my own. "Total hypocrite"? I think that's a bit excessive. Especially when her existence in that game seems to be, consensually, the least favorite aspect in that game.
To say that Sheeva in RE5 is playing the game for you is like saying that any game that contains computer controlled allies (Halo, Gears of War, or even Sonic the Hedgehog 2) is having the game being controlled for you.
Also, considering that the game is infinitely easier with a friend behind the controls, that just doesn't hold any water. Actually, what you're saying is that any coop game is really having your friend beat the game for you. Hell, Left 4 Dead is really the worst of all, in your view. You're only 1/4 of the overall team. Your significance is that much more decreased.
It takes away the value of being able to finish the game genuinely, when everyone else can do it with a couple of button presses. Games should reward skill, not punish it.
It supposed to be fun, they're trying to make it more fun for people, and if that means allowing your mother to skip some part that frustrates her and she doesn't think it's fun anymore, just so she can get to a part that is fun for her, let that fucking be.
I know the reason I didn't spend a dime on Mega Man 9...
=D
So do cheat codes. But, just the same as this, nobody is forcing you to use cheat codes.
From all the reviews for RE5...I've heard that Sheeva made the game harder for you when it was controlled by the mind numbingly bad AI. I haven't played the game so I can't take part in the hypocrisy, but I can say that its a sad day when I can hand a game to a child and they can optionally remove the sense of accomplishment that beating a game contains.
I would love to see the ending to FF8...but Disc 4 was so stupid that I can't bear myself to beat it. That is my crutch and it will always sit with me as the only playstation FF that I haven't beaten. I wouldn't dream of getting the game to play through it just so I can finish the game. Same applies to Mario. Never gotten past the World 8 Gunships...stupid hard gunships...doesn't mean I want the game to play it for me. This gives impressionable gamers a choice in actually gaming or just watching. I was hoping Nintendo would want them to come game.
And I got it right the first time and everything. I obviously type faster than my brain can think. Which sadly causes many problems.
Also, I do know who was a terrible President. Warren G. Harding sucked balls. Man, I hated that guy. :)
It upsets me that this is what humanity has come to. I dont even blame Nintendo. This allows people to 'win' a game, without doing anything to deserve it. They achieve nothing.
You can put this kind of mechanic in games, but people who use it will never be gamers, in my eyes. You have to play games to be a gamer.
Wow, I wish I could be as awesome as you. Please teach me how to win 100% of all games, as you clearly never have had any trouble in any game. Just play it, right? You can't possibly be stuck ever, as long as you just play it!
Stop that logic right there! If you don't like this new thing, you must be violently opposed to it! I demand senselessness and anger! DO IT!
jeeeeeesus fucking christ this is what GameFAQs and skill development is for. IF the game plays itself at the touch of a button it's not actually a game anymore, it's a toy.
Certainly, in the simplest examples it doesn't harm anyone of us. And you really have to overthink it (which is kind of my specialty) to find any detriment. Yet, what must gaming look like to the people that grow up on such an option? A video game is really just a 6-hour long movie that unfolds at a snail's pace with little or no compelling reason to sit through it. I can see even less non-gamers giving credit to gaming as a whole if this turns out to be a commonplace option in gaming.
But that doesn't really affect me. I am going to sit with the optimists on this one and hope that this leads to games becoming more challenging in general. Dumbing down the overall challenge in games has taken a bit of the fun out of many of them already, and maybe this would be the Trojan Horse that would bring it back. However, I am a bit skeptical. Difficulty levels have been commonplace since the 16-bit era. But when was the last Mario or Zelda game that put that to use? Nintendo is more about bringing the challenge down for everyone to appeal to the lowest common denominator. But, I'll be happy to hope.
Take guitar hero. instead of learning to play a guitar, tap a button and it 'plays' it for you.
Now theres a shortcut for the shortcut. Ha.
That said - Nintendo=lame for doing this. If Miyamota's mom wasn't such a vixen in the sack I would sell my wii.