Spoiler Warnings are Pointless!
I have been getting totally annoyed with some of the ridiculous rules put forward by large gaming websites. And one of these is the 'Mark for spoilers' to avoid giving away information about the game. For the newbiem it sounds relatively fair, but when you consider, it is more pointless than saying 'Welcome to my post' in a topic.
First, games THEMSELVES give away the ending. For example, play Super Mario Sunshine, and you can see movies of Mario in boss fights in older games in the corner of the screen. That technically gives away information about Super Mario Bros, Super Mario World and Super Mario 64! And in Super Mario World, the first level you see in a cutscene is actually part of the secret special world only unlockable by finding the secret exits in the Star Road levels! So should we mark Super Mairo World for spoilers? No.
Ah, an unloaded area from the Beta Quest! Not in first five minutes of the game, too bad you can't mark spoilers here kid!
And box art often gives away half the game. Like Luigi's Mansion gives away the secret sealed room information, the second boss battle and the kitchen area! While the box art for the Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker and Ocarina of Time in the UK shows Link, as an adult, fighting a Stalfos in the Forest Temple, much more than 'five minutes' into the game.
Look at this box art for an example! Note all the spoilers in the game outlined on the box!
Oh, and lets not forget the cutscenes, like how much Mario Kart games show when you leave the game on the title screen, or certain other things. Sometimes plus the manuals, and even the UNRELEASED game footage shown before the game is launched! Like the Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker demo movie showed boss battles, the triforce piece findings and much, much more. Oh, and the intro to The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker gives away a ton of the Ocarina of Time storyline!
The Manta Storm, Mario Sunshines 7th boss! Too bad for you newbies, I don't care about warning for ruining the plot!
So, should all these things be banned? Should it be against the rules to show Game Box Art? Or link to game demo before the game is out? No. And stop thinking it helps if information about parts of the game after five minutes in aren't shown, as you'll see them sooner or later, in the demo, in the adverts, in the manual, in the game intro...