http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3174774

I couldn't find our original discussion about this back when the patent was announced, but it's happening now.  I hope there's a way to turn it off in the options to prevent the temptation to use it.

I believe this was the thread:

http://www.soundtrackcentral.com/forums … hp?id=4526

Anyway, I'm neither for or against "demo play" at this point.  Details still need to be ironed out to get the full skinny, but I don't think it'd hurt having it in as an option.  Core gamers simply need not use it if they choose not to.

I'm expecting something along the same lines as being able to watch a perfect playthrough in Ikaruga (there was that option on the disc, wasn't there?).  If you want to do everything on your own, just don't watch it, I guess!

The Ikaruga playthroughs aren't quite the same as what's described in the 1up article. In Ikaruga, you could watch a playthrough through the options menu - not during the game, and only for those stages you have reached in-game. If you get stuck, you can study the playthrough to have a better idea of what to do next time you make it to a particular stage. This was also somewhat specific to Ikaruga, as the point of the game wasn't merely to finish it, but to master all of the patterns of absorbing and releasing bullets. You don't have to play the way the video shows you to win.

As described by 1up, New SMB Wii essentially features an "autopilot". Boss too tough for you to bother? Turn on demo play, then turn it back off after the game has defeated itself for you. The only caveat seems to be that the game then can't be saved, but what's the point of saving your progress if you're going to use this feature anyway?

While I can understand the opposition to the principle, it is just an option that a user can entirely ignore. If others using that option bothers a person, well, that's their problem. Look on the bright side of things--this could lead to games with higher difficulty levels, which all those "hardcore" gamers are constantly clamoring for.

My fear is that it will dilute the essence of what a game is.  The point of a game is that it is interactive and that there is a sense of satisfaction from learning how to play the game and overcoming its obstacles.  If the game is playing itself, what's the point?  Why would casual gamers want to spend $50 on something they can watch play and beat itself in an hour when they could just buy a $10 DVD and get two hours of entertainment?

I stand by what I said in the other thread, but Xlord007 brings an interesting point to mind - if you're the sort that would abuse the feature to see the end, wouldn't you get everything you wanted out of a rental? In effect, wouldn't Nintendo be costing themselves sales with the very people they're targeting with the feature?

Maybe the essential point here is that casual gamers aren't necessarily obsessed with beating the game anyway.  They just want to have some fun when they play.  And it's probably more fun for some people to see the computer beat a level and then have a go at it themselves than it is to be stuck forever at the same spot.

It's not like people play through a Mario game to see the ending anyway.  And it's not like people are gonna decide that it's a lot more fun to see the computer play through the game than to do it themselves.  (It might be just as fun with some games to see a friend play, but the computer, I doubt it.)