Responding to a question from Wired Game|Life's Tracey John during a recent press event, Shigeru Miyamoto said the future of
Super Guide-like features in other Nintendo games is uncertain.
"With a feature like [Super Guide] we were able to create it for new Super Mario Bros. Wii because I think from the outset we intended to develop this type of system and include it in the game," he said.
Depending on "priorities" in future titles, he continued, something like Super Guide "may or may not be included; we can't really promise that it's going to be part of every game going forward."
The key, he said, is evaluating each title and seeing what -- if any -- similar hint system would work.
"Just using a game like Legend of Zelda," he says, for example, "it brings up almost a Pandora's Box of questions in terms of 'do we show people how to solve puzzles?' How much of a puzzle do we solve in order to help them understand the puzzle?' Are there puzzles in the game that we have to show them the entire solution in order for some people to understand it?'"
"So it can be a difficult system to apply to some games, but we do see some value in it, and we'll look at each title individually," he concludes.
While many games offer hints (which sometime straddle the line between hand-holding and subtle), there aren't any games that offer up play-through "videos" (in-engine AI-controlled, or otherwise) like the "Super Guide" found in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Miyamoto mentioned people using strategy guides or turning to the Internet to solve in-game problems, and offered this up as a solution to keeping players in the game.
Provided it's not forced on the player, is this something you'd mind seeing in future games?
Contest:
8:00 AM on 10.16.2009
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Yakuza should be an obvious reason why, it's all in a language I barely understand.
Games that implement this system without the ability to disable it are going to become the bane of my game playing existence.
I know that all good Nintendo games have their mandatory tutorials you have to run through at the beginning of the story. Fine, I'm alright with that, but I think this may be taking it a step too far.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GuideDangIt
Also, who has completed RPG games or any games for that matter and gotten a 100% on EVERYTHING without using a strategy guide?
I mean Unicorn.
What exactly is so stupid about it? If you die 9 times it lets you bring up the super guide to help you beat that level. So if any "hardcore" gamer die 9 times in a row, then they're probably not as hardcore as they thought they we're. I don't see why anyone would have a problem with this.
Its helping to make the game more challenging overall, which is what we're hearing from all the previews. If you're really that good of gamer, then you'll probably never even see the super guide. So it really won't have any effect on "hardcore" gamers, only by making the games more challenging!
I can see it being applied to the Mario franchise, the Star Fox franchise, Donkey Kong(unless it goes DK64 route, which I find unlikely), Punch Out and Kirby. Zelda, Metroid, Pikmin and other games where the GOAL serves more importance than the journey will probably find little to no use of this.
For one thing, if a gamer can't beat a level and dies more than 8 times, then chances are they could use some help. Besides, the feature is optional to use so its not like it is being forced upon us. I see no reason for complaining.
I'm really starting to believe that the mainstream public is too stupid to play video games. That's what Nintendo is saying? You're too stupid, so we have to do it for you.
Zelda is puzzles. That's the point of Zelda. Dungeon Crawling and puzzles. If you can't solves a puzzle, which happens, I stand there until I figure it out. Or I save the game and come back to it later. What I DON'T want is Nintendo telling me the answer. That is what the internet is for.
Instead of dumbing everything down for the mainstream audience -- wouldn't make MORE sense, to have them follow in the footsteps behind us. That's how you do it, you don't skip ahead. You don't go from 1st grade to college. Why is this such a difficult concept to understand?