Did Nintendo screw us?

[mike_intellivision]

A few points about shovelware.

The winning console has had the most shovelware. While ET has been cited here, it was not shovelware but a bad first-party game (liken it to Lair) and a movie tie-in. Look at titles by everything from dog food companies (Chase the Chuckwagon) to porn companies (Beat em & Eat em) to really bad designers (anything Mythicon did) if you want to see shovelware for the 2600.

Nintendo controlled access but that eventually got it charged with unfavorable business practices. And even then, there were plenty of bad NES games. Same thing goes for the SNES.

When Sony opened things up, the PS1 and PS2 got their share of trash. The PS2 trash is now moving to (or showing up at the same time) on the Wii.

People don't produce junk software for consoles that don't sell. Hence shovelware is the price you pay for having a top seller.

Also, review lists don't usually show how bad those are because most shovelware titles don't get reviewed (or reviewed enough) to be included on said lists.

If anyone let us down, it has been the third-party developers. Some have rushed things out. Some have made nothing but shovelware (some would say this is a Conspiracy theory). But no one is making anyone buy it.

Mostly people buy games because there is nothing else out there or because they are fun. Red Steel sold 1M because it was a launch title. Carnival Games is fun, even though reviewers hate it, so it sold 1M. (Carnival Games also is advertised -- a lesson for other companies).

So if you don't like the games or the system, don't buy them or it. But people should not speak for others or presume to do so. After all, selling something to everyone seems to be working for Nintendo -- even if it is not what everyone where wants.

(Just remember, not everyone wants to play Halo or Rachet or Heavenly Sword or Forza).

Mike from Morgantown