The Shrine

That is so much awesome. I love it. I think I may have dreamed about it last night, in fact. haha

The analysis for why such exposition wasn't necessary in SMB: http://www.auntiepixelante.com/?p=465

I think part of the problem with modern games might be the increased freedom. SMB had much less freedom than a modern 3D game. When the player has less freedom, it's easier to construct levels that push the player into a certain direction. Certainly, a first-time SMB player can avoid what Miyamoto set up, but it's not likely. The more freedom a player has, the more variables there are to contend with in level design, and the harder it is to nudge a player towards certain discoveries.

I think part of it is also that there is an expectation that no one will read the manual. In 1986 they expected people to do that. I've seen even simple downloadable games with in-game instructions.

I do agree with Kupek's point though. Games have gotten quite complex and open and players need initial direction.

The thing is, nowadays even games simpler than Mario require that sort of tutorial and help stuff in order to be certified on most platforms currently. Wii and DS standards aren't that rigid as they just require that the player is informed in some user friendly fashion (could be in instruction text, tutorial mission, or just available through some accessible hints option), and have some flexibility for "hidden features" which othe platforms do not. Many publishers require tutorials for everything.