I'm using this bit of news more to point out that there is a new Iwata Asks up over at Nintendo's site, and if you haven't been reading the series you really should. As it's gone on it has become one of the more interesting articles on the web, and often has insights into modern and retro game design that don't get shared too often. That and Iwata often makes terrible, terrible jokes.
One of the more interesting aspects of the interviews is that they show how Nintendo's game design has progressed through a sort of natural evolution. An example of this is evidently the P-Wing, which, according to Volume two of the New Super Mario Bros. Wii Iwata Asks, was the forerunner for the Super Guide as it let you fly over en entire level.
Toshihiko Nakago, one of the designers on Super Mario Bros. 3, said, "I was also glad that we included this feature(the P-Wing). After all, there are those players who want to get through a level quickly. Moreover, the P-Wing item in Mario 3 is a forerunner of the Super Guide feature in New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
The full interview has 100 more interesting little revelations like this, and should probably be required reading for anyone interested in game design. The guys in these interviews are the people who made the gaming business what it is today.
Contest:
10:00 AM on 12.12.2009 | 
Make them difficult to earn and then bumping your difficulty-spike-level would be a reward and not a hollow watch-the-game-play-itself anti-climax.
BRING BACK THE P WING!!!
Personally, I find the P-Wing very useless.
I guess that little rant is a roundabout way of saying, "expect more from your userbase, and they will rise to the challenge." It's a videogame, something designed to be played, not played for you.
The SMW cape was actually better than the P-Wing, because it was more useful underwater, and you could still effectively skip every non-underwater/vertical stage. But, tit-for-tat, it also required a ton more skill. Likewise, the P wing was also earned, and very sparing.
Nintendo seems out of touch with their older games more and more as time goes on.
"B-b-b-but-but-but..."
But nothing.
Isn't that what he said? ;)
Also, these Wii.com Miyamoto and Iwata Asks features are amazing reads.
@ MegaStryke
Really? That attitude? From you? Someone with a Power Blade avatar? Dude...you're just upset over something else and taking out your frustrations via your own kind out of blindness. We're "old-dog" gamers. We EARNED our right to bitch. :oD
And it's Power Blazer, not Power Blade.
They stopped trial and error gameplay because it wasn't fun. No I don't think everything should be handed out to you with no challenge but there's a large difference between difficult for the sake of being difficult and an actual challenge.
I only ever seem to get into Trial and Error mode when there's something unexpected that only occurs in a certain stage and I have no clue how to get past it. That isn't making me any better at the game or teaching me some hidden gaming skills it's just pissing me the hell off.
I like the idea of the super guide because it just tells how to do the stage. It knows you tried, it knows you failed and it knows that if you haven't gotten through the stage eight freaking times chances are you're not getting it on the ninth.
Is it honestly so bad that a game chooses to be fun instead of difficult?
The P-Wing and World Cape are just better ones.
Oh I'm not arguing that. In fact I think that the three are completely different.
The P-Wing was in fact completely useless in some levels and too useful in others.
The cape is bad ass but takes a lot of skill. CAPE FTW!
The Super Guide tries to to teach you the way through levels but requires no effort from the player.
It's really apples to oranges.
Pardon the error. One point for you, sir.
I'm just not a fan of things being handed to people on silver platters. If trial-and-error design won't sell, explain the success of Megaman 9.
I'm not saying it's an evil thing, just that there could have been a better way, i.e. Cape.
I'll let it rest now.
which is fine if you need it. which is why i dont understand why people are bitching. you DONT have to use it ya know.