The year of Wii Shovelware

[videogameexperiment]

I wish the nintendo seal of approval was like it used t be

[Budsmoka]

I wish the nintendo seal of approval was like it used t be

Yeah like back when LJN was making games right?

[Dub5279]

I wish the nintendo seal of approval was like it used t be

Yeah like back when LJN was making games right?

Ya, I miss those days.

[Jrecee]

I wish the nintendo seal of approval was like it used t be

Yeah when it was called the "Nintendo Seal of QUALITY" instead of just "Nintendo Seal".

But if they only accepted good games we wouldn't get awesome stuff like Nudist Men's Club: Beach Party Games

[the7k]

Man, I was just arguing with someone who was trying to convince others that shovelware is not a negative because it indicates that a system is popular.

What a load of crap. Shovelware is NEVER a positive for either the players, the console, or the industry as a whole. Shovelware is only a positive if you are a soulless company filled not with gamers, but suits.

Shovelware is detrimental to the industry because it promotes the forging of crap. When a Psychonauts-esque title that costs a good chunk of change fails to make any sales while a low-budget Petz title sells half a million, what do you think investors are going to favor?

If you were looking to make a profit, would you buy crap that sells, or art that won't? I think the answer is obvious.

When great games are dropped to make shovelware, the industry is done. We aren't making experiences anymore - we're pushing cheaply-made toys. Now, all the gamers will have to forget about the greats and learn to enjoy Deca Sports 15 or Imagine: Teen Pregnancy.

[Erik_Twice]

Shovelware sells because of the title and what the game should be about not because what game is it. When we see a game we think "Oh, a shooter" but people think "Oh, this game has kitties". Do you need to feed them? Train them? Who cares, it has kitties!

They don't want a game, they don't want a plataformer or a simulation game they want kitties and that's all. For example my cousing likes GTA because she can pick up a chick and drive around, she doesn't like anything else about the game and doesn¡'t like dating simulators, all she wants is to drive with his GF and no, no OutRun for her.

However I would like to point out that "complex" is an excuse. I'm not going to make them play Civilization but surely they can play Punch-Out or Half-Life. In fact they often play games much more "complex" than those.

Here is a good link of what games should be remade (or what new games should be like) with motion controls:
http://tech.msn.com/products/article.as ... d=20824911

Eh, some of those were actually made . Fatal Frame has been released on the Wii but only in Japan, World class track meet is aking to Sonic & Mario in the Olympic games if I recall correctly.

And Police 911 = Hawt

[RCBH928]

I really do get the idea that a mom would buy her daughter a Hanna Montana game and the such.

But how come those shovelware games got higher sales than great games like Zak & Wiki?
Some games are quite difficult I agree, like Halo, Gears, and even Metroid. But others are simple enough to pick up and enjoy .
I am really upset that good games do not see high sales. The Wii must be the worst Nintendo console ever given the quality of library games. Sure, N64 had small library, but it had the best games ever in history like OoT, 007, Mario 64, and in my own opinion Conker, Banjo, Perfect Dark, and even more. Today Wii's titles are the worst maybe in history. Only some games are good enough. You can find a better equivalent of all the Wii titles on ps3/360 except for Galaxy, Kart,Wii Sport, and Brawl. Given thatn GC kart is better in my opinion and I heard from others that Super Smash on GC was better too.

[RadarScope1]

If they didn't sell, companies wouldn't continue releasing them. The Wii has marketed itself as the "casual gamer console" for people who aren't usually gamers, and so the gaming library for the console reflects that. The ratio of quality software versus shovelware is hilariously awful.

In the end though, the industry is here to profit, and shovelware is very profitable. The iPhone gaming library is very similar in this regard.

You summed up my thoughts exactly.

Games are becoming more like the music industry, where the popular mass market stuff has a big share of the market. Gamers with discerning tastes just have to keep supporting what's good.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I still have the unconditional urge to buy a Wii lately though. I look back and think how fun the good games are. Sure there is a lot and yes A LOT of shovelware. But look at some of the good games like:

SSX Blur
Madworld
Metroid Prime 3
Resident Evil 4
Mario Galaxy

and above all

EXCITE TRUCK...

It blows my mind that this game doesn't exist in every Wii owners collection. Its that amazing.


...WHERES MY PAYCHECK ALREADY