Coffee Talk: Games That Play Themselves, The Way of the Future?

By Joe Osborne Monday June 15, 2009

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As you may remember from a while ago, famous Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto filed for a patent for future Nintendo games to include a skip feature. It seems that we’ll be seeing this technology sooner than we thought, as Mr. Mario himself recently disclosed to USA Today’s Game Hunters that his recent patent material will be included in Nintendo’s upcoming New Super Mario Bros. Wii.

Elaborating on exactly what this feature does, Miyamoto told Game Hunters, “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.”

So, how do you feel about this, loyal readers? Will this become a staple feature for all Nintendo published titles and if so, what do you think this means for the future of casual gameplay of which Nintendo is emperor king? Let us know in comment box.

(Image and Story Via Joystiq)

6 Comments

Kelly on Monday 15, 2009

I like the idea of a “skip” feature. It’s one of my favorite things about Rhythm Heaven. For a more casual gamer like myself, the ability to skip something that is giving me trouble and come back to it later is the difference between me finishing and not finishing a game. I can’t remember the last game I actually finished because I end up getting stuck on a part and never returning to the game.
Joe Osborne on Monday 15, 2009

I totally agree, Kelly. I think this would be a great move for Nintendo as the casual or non-gamer audience is obviously their target these days.

Let’s just hope the “come back to it” part is included in this feature as I’m sure a lot of gamers like myself would hate to miss out on key events in a game with a deep storyline like, say, The Legend of Zelda.
thesimplicity on Monday 15, 2009

I think this is a great idea. I never finished Braid because of one ridiculous puzzle that my brain couldn’t tackle. If it had a demo play feature, I might be able to understand why people rave about it.

Actually, I’d probably finish most games I play if they implemented something like this, instead of giving up when I get frustrated.
Joe Osborne on Monday 15, 2009

I wish they would retroactively add this feature to the Wii’s Virtual Console games. I can’t count on my fingers how many games from my single digit years that I’ve never finished due to their difficulty.
Rob on Monday 15, 2009

Sounds good to me. I wish all the RPGs I used to play had a feature like this so I didn’t have to waste days fighting repetitive battles just to earn points/money. It reminds me of people who pay oversea companies to beef up their MMORPG characters’ stats. If a game gets that dull that you have to pay someone else to play it, what’s the point?
Mike on Monday 15, 2009

Dude tht takes all the fun out of playing games. When you beat a hard level you feel as if you acomplished something with this function it makes you look like a loser I say fuck that if you can’t play a game without cheating don’t play at all. Miss you at the store bro.