Wii's Shovelware Problem. Will it fade?

[mike_intellivision]

There are multiple issues here.

There are games targeted toward other (non-core) audiences, which often core gamers despise and can get lower scores because they are not as graphically intense as what is found on other consoles. But these are not shovelware.

Then there are the poorly made cash ins, some of which are targeted to newer gamers and some to core gamers. They may be of any genre. But they share the characteristic of being poorly made on most if not all levels. This is what I think of as shovelware. (This is different than a broken game which was an attempt at doing something good that failed).

It is generally games released by companies like Conspiracy -- which brought to the North American Wii bad PAL PS2 titles. They get poor scores and mediocre sales, but probably turn a profit because there are so many of them. (Other companies which seem to have large shovelware portfolios are Bold, Zoo, and Destineer, although the latter does occasionally produce/release something with greater value).

The Wii is the obvious choice this generation for this because of its lower barrier to market entry and its numbers of new consumers. But I think this may be fading because there are fewer new titles seeming to come from the shovelware factories (WBGs Game Party 3 notwithstanding).

Mike from Morgantown

Game Party 1 -- Fun. Game Party 2 -- Shovelware. Game Party 3 -- OMGY?

Carnival Games -- Fun. CG: MiniGolf -- Semi-Shovelware. Birthday Bash -- Commercial made me feel ashamed to own a Wii.