Hint movies

Hint Movies are special short-length video clips that give players hints and tricks in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. After using a Toad House for the first time, players are invited to visit Princess Peach's Castle and watch Hint Movies. Hint Movies can be watched at any time by visiting the castle and hitting the large Block found inside. All Hint Movies can be unlocked by satisfying a certain objective in the level they are associated with, however the player must pay Star Coins that they've collected in order to fully unlock them. There may be more than one video associated with a level. There are 65 Hint movies in total.

No other game features Hint Movies, however a similar concept called the "Tip Network" appears in Super Mario Galaxy 2. Unlike Hint Movies, the Tip Network is free and only accessible during the level it is located in.

Types
There are four different types of Hint Movies. The type of the Hint Movie is displayed next to the level number on the menu, as well as the price in Star Coins ranging from zero to ten. All 231 Star Coins must be used to fully unlock every Hint Movie. Hint movies which showcase more exploitable shortcuts or higher difficulty generally have a higher price.


 * Infinite 1-Ups: Shows the player an exploitable way to get many or even unlimited Extra Lives.
 * Secret Goal: Mario shows the player a secret exit in the featured level.
 * Star Coin: Shows the player how to obtain one or more hard to reach Star Coins in the featured level. Unlike the other types of Hint Movies, Star Coin Hint Movies are always free.
 * Super Skills: Shows the player the "skills" of the developers. They often show unusual or incredible ways of clearing a level, often using Mini Mario.

Trivia

 * Despite being invited to watch Hint Movies after visiting the first Toad House, the castle is already open from the start of the game.