Naturally with all the successful consoles you get a lot of crap from shoddy developers. What people don't realize is this in no way lowers the amount of quality games, usually it raises them.

People don't want to waste their money making a bad 360 / ps3 game because they won't gain a profit, hence you see less shovelware (although now you are getting shovelware shooters since they sell like hotcakes).

Developers can make Wii games for pennies and still come out with a profit with what we consider abysmal sales. This is EXACTLY what happened to the PS2.

If a console has 20 great games and 100 crappy games, people would say it was good.
If a console has 20 great games and 200 crappy games, it's somehow worse (in the case with the Wii)

this makes absolutely no sense and is the main reason people make stabs at the DS / Wii library "look at all the crap games" but they don't say look at the great games.

Also i have to laugh at those saying how many of those third party sales aren't casual game sales, that's like asking how many third party sales on the 360 aren't shooter sales.

@Zen, I was patient with kingofwale. He made some antagonistic posts early on, but I gave him some solid posts to respond to and he never insulted me. Antagonizing someone you feel is antagonistic will probably only lead to more antagonizing.

Since when are story driven games hardcore games? This thread?

 Since someone at Bioware said so, i.e. two days ago. You can imagine our collective surprise...

 I don't insult people, I insult games, and frankly, I ignore all those who try personal attack instead of sticking to the topic.

I'm going to say around 20% good games, and rest are shovelware. It's fine for gamers, who often goes online to check reviews before making their purchases, but for soccer moms buying it as gift?? Well, that is why I have garbages sitting at home with wrappers still on it.

 I think Seal of Quality will be as useful as ESRB when it comes to non-gamer picking out games. It's really the last guideline to ensure that good games (niche or not) get rewarded while garbages stay where they belong. 

He avoids posts that don't allow him to reply with Nintendo bashing. That's why I'm perfectly safe from ever being responded to by the likes of him.

We have these things around me called Birthday Lists and Christmas lists. You see... you write down things you want. Then people go to stores and get them for you.

It worked remarkably well for me when I was a kid and worked for everyone I know too.

I don't think i've ever met anyone who's got a game they haven't wanted.  Well except for the occasional person who chagned their mind on a game after they submitted their list to be passed around the family.

Third party support will increase thsi year which is a give in based on current games announcements. Now quality realeses is another story. I save my judgement till after E3 since more games will be announced but I will say some that have been announced already are looking promising. Deadly Creatues, Tales of Symphoina,King Story,Boom Blox, New Sonic game,De Blob,Sky Crawlers and a bunch or Wiiware games these will be in my purchasing list pending a few gameplay videos and reviews.

That 3rd parties decide where they want to make their games, and Nintendo isn't going to play the pay them off game. But don't worry, with the sales of the Wii, they'll have no choice, if they want to go for big dolla.

@kingofwale: I would also add that if shovelware was as big a problem as you claim, and that it was really snaring bucketloads of soccer moms, we'd be seeing shovelware producers like Phoenix Games and their ilk posting much higher profits. Obviously, some sales will get through the cracks (I myself got Cars for Christmas two years ago. And I'm 23!) But while the shovelware companies make just enough to stay in business, it's the companies who make good software that really rake in the cash. In other words, while the release schedule says your half-right, the sales numbers don't support the gist of your argument.

And I stick by my statement that if WayForward can make Contra 4 after twenty years in the business, then shovelware is not quite as malignant as we make it out to be.

@stillwell: I'm skeptical that Nintendo will be doing all that much moneyhatting this generation. That tactic usually isn't adopted by the console leader. Although I admit they have done some of it already, if the rumors of their purchasing the rights to the Fatal Frame series proves to be true.