Topic: NSMBWii - Iwata Asks revelations

As noted in a news article here, there's a fascinating Iwata Asks entry up now for NSMBWii, accessible here: http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol1_page1.jsp

I'd like to note a couple revelations in the interview which were previously unbeknownst to me:

It appears that those of us who intentionally brought up the Super Guide once in order to see it function will miss out on an "award" for our Save file.

Miyamoto
That's why I wanted something to appear for players who didn't allow the hint block to pop up.
Iwata
Something for players who've done really well?
Miyamoto
Right. For those players, there are medals awarded for not bringing up a hint block that are displayed on the title screen.
Iwata
I see.
Miyamoto
With that feature, it now means that if you bring up a hint block even once, you'll want to wipe all your save data and start again from scratch.
Iwata
So basically, if you slip up eight times, you start again from zero! (laughs)
Miyamoto
Right. You go back to an earlier save game and try again! (laughs) A lot of the staff does that, and it's actually an exciting way to play. If you've been coasting on autopilot up until then, this will make you refocus and give it your all.

The impressive "Super Skills" videos are taken from Mario Club members who play-tested the game.

Iwata
What kind of feedback did you get from the hardcore gamers at Mario Club?
(Mario Club Co. Ltd. is responsible for the debugging and test play of Nintendo software during its development.)
Miyamoto
They are all extremely skilled gamers so they are never going to actually need the Super Guide. On occasion, someone would say that a certain level was difficult and you'd check their data and see that they'd only slipped up three times.
Iwata
So if they fail three times, it's a difficult one! (laughs)
Miyamoto
There are a lot of hardened gamers at Mario Club who are aiming for a perfect performance and this time round you can actually view a Super Skills display from some of these hardest-of-the-hardcore gamers.

More to come, perhaps, but these two tidbits came as quite a surprise to me.

Thanks a lot, world 7-1. >:^[

Oh well. Another save file for me.

Damn, I thought I would get this award aslong as I didn't use the Super Guide, this means I have to complete the game again, which actually isn't that bad of a thing.

What's surprising about this? I thought we already knew these things, or am I missing some little piece of information hinted at?

I will go for the medal later on with a different file. Just want to unlock the levels right now. Are there any other medals?

If you triggered it but didn't save you'd be safe though, right?

@Adam

I certainly hadn't heard about the medal, much less the fact that even having the block appear cancels it for that Save file, whether or not you then go on to use it (unless you shut off the game without saving). I also had not heard that the Mario Club -- Nintendo's own longstanding group of obsessively rigorous playtesters (and a group that has long fascinated me in the credits of countless releases) -- was the source of the Super Skills videos you can unlock in game. If you have better sources and already know all, disregard.

Also, there's a whole lot more in this interview which is even more fascinating, particularly the discussion of the arrangement of the mushroom and first screen in SMB, along with some humorous back and forth regarding the physics of Mario's world, fireballs in the water, etc.

EDIT - also @Adam, having a look at this simple search would seem to be relatively sound confirmation of the fact that the Mario Club authorship of the Super Skills videos was indeed first broken via Iwata Asks. So, you're evidently a clairvoyant.

I haven't noticed a medal so far, but...
If I beat the game already, then died 8 times trying to get a star coin, will that make the medal disappear? Or am I good now?

Well, I was mainly referring to the medal, which was mentioned before, and most of us have figured out by now that the blocks appearance is the trigger, if that wasn't clear to begin with (I forget how it was specifically worded, but that's how I assumed it worked).

As for Mario Club, I simply assumed that they did it. Who else but the play testers would be that good? It takes someone who plays games for as a profession to do these sorts of things. That seemed by far the less interesting bit of information. I'm not sure why the authorship makes a difference.

I was just asking though. Thought I might be missing something more exciting that I'd overlooked. Carry on.