No User-Created Content for Mario Video Games

One of the biggest trends in video-gaming at the moment is to allow players to create new content for the title that they pick up. Media Molecule built LittleBigPlanet, one of the most interesting platformers of last year, around the idea of easily creating new levels and sharing them with other players. Sony is planning to release a racing game based on the same concept.

Even the most basic of shooters has a level editor and ArmA II allows for the creation of complex campaigns. Dragon Age: Origins, from BioWare, is set to pack a toolset that allows for the creation of adventures in the same universe. But it seems that Mario-centered video-games could be getting something similar at some point.

Speaking in New York at a round table, Shigeru Miyamoto, who is the man behind the most successful Nintendo-based video-games, has told reporters that, “It is an area that I have a lot of interest in. I think the sidescrolling Mario games in particular are very well-suited to that type of idea... early on, we did have a lot of discussions about how to enable that type of level creation.” Players will need to wait for something to be implemented in future Mario games, as the upcoming releases do not have a level editor.

The Mario creator has also demoed the Super Guide help system, which is integrated into New Super Mario Bros for the Nintendo Wii. It kicks in once a player dies eight times and Miyamoto believes that, far from making the game too easy, the new feature might also compel some players to try harder to get through on their own.

He has told the audience that, “I find if that happens, I feel guilty that I let that happen.” He also says that those players who get through a level without using the new system will get a special reward for their effort.