The "once a year" point goes both ways. If it's only going to be used once a year, then "juicing" (in the sense that the original article meant) is only going to give very negligible added value whichever way you look at it. The original example (mushrooms in Mario) is effective because of the frequency of the event which triggers it. If the player only heard the sound once per year, it would be irrelevant.
On the other hand, if we're talking about parts of the UI which will see regular use then I agree with the other comments about usability reduction, while also acknowledging that there are other opinions out there. The best approach with these sorts of controversial features (i.e. those which some users love and others hate) is to offer a toggle in the options with a default aimed at the non-power user.
On the other hand, if we're talking about parts of the UI which will see regular use then I agree with the other comments about usability reduction, while also acknowledging that there are other opinions out there. The best approach with these sorts of controversial features (i.e. those which some users love and others hate) is to offer a toggle in the options with a default aimed at the non-power user.