Shovelware: The Real Issue Explained

So I've found a lot of examples lately where people have really misunderstood the Shovelware issue. The shovelware issue (or more specifically, the complaint of shovelware on Wii) is a big topic lately that is getting discussed a lot, and some people have taken it to be mean-spirited or spiteful. So to clarify this issue, I'm explaining it its facets:

1. NOT HATE
First off, the shovelware argument is NOT people trying to just hate on Nintendo because of console wars. While many Xbox/PS3 owners hate the opposing company just BECAUSE it is the opposition, almost every gamer on the planet was or is a fan of Nintendo. This is a common misconception, that the hating of shovelware is some fanboy thing. It isn't.

2. FROM WITHIN
The shovelware complain first arose from people who actually OWNED a Wii and play it as their primary console, NOT from owners of competing consoles. This is a complaint theme that rose from within the users themselves, because they were not satisfied with the VOLUME of good titles released on Wii.

3. VOLUME ISSUE
This is one of the real issues at stake. Many of the top selling Wii games of the year were reviewed well. The Wii has great games like Twilight Princess, Mario Galaxy, and New Super Mario Bros. But it only gets a few of these fantastic apps per year. This is often enough for the casual gamer, but for the core gamer who wants to play 1-2 new games per month, the quality releases on Wii are too spread out. There are about 20-30 games for 360/PS3 I would have liked to play last year, so I had to take my pick. But there were only about 3-4 new games for Wii that I wanted, so if that was my core console I would HAVE to play those 3-4 since that's all I had.

4. 3rd PARTY
This is another huge source of frustration for Wii owners, and a big part of the fuel on the shovelware fire. Third party game developers have a consistently BAD record on the Wii, as Nick himself points out in his observation that many of the top-reviewed Wii games were from Nintendo themselves. This forces Wii owners to get almost all of their titles from Nintendo, stifling their options. Especially since most of Nintendo's well-reviewed games are just new versions of old stuff (Mario Kart, Zelda, New Mario), so they are not getting any new IP for a breath of fresh air.

5. PORTS
The shovelware issue extends itself to the countless crappy ports to the Wii. Most developers either develop specifically for Wii or specifically for the 360/PS3. Unfortunately, a huge number of those 360/PS3 intended games get ported to the Wii, and most of these ports are lacking. The sub-par Madden for Wii, the ugly port of Call of Duty 4 for Wii, and the badly-reviewed Dead Rising port are all just examples. The fact that they are getting lower-quality and lower-resolution versions of games is a big part of angry Wii owners' complaint.

6. REAL SHOVELWARE
Now most of the afore-mentioned examples are of poor quality games, but they don't necessarily deserve the title shovelware. Shovelware denotes games that are hastily put out by a company even though they KNOW it is bad, and most 3rd party endeavors and ports were ATTEMPTS at good games. But there IS real shovelware on the Wii, and these are the cartloads of games that are never seen on gaming sites because they don't waste their time with them. These are the games like Wii Fire Fighter, Game Party 1-4, the many Deca sports games, Wii Ski, Wii Ski & Snowboard, and the countless other games who are so unmemorable that I can't remember them even after staring at their names for 6 months working in the games corner of Best Buy.

The majority of these games are poor knock-offs of successful games. The biggest games to knock-off were Wii Sports (the Deca knock-offs and many others), Wii Fit (the Jillian Michaels, Yoga, etc. imitations), and Mario Kart (Madagascar Kartz, some robot carts, My Sims Carts, etc.). These extremely basic and lacking games are the real examples of shovelware on the system, people buy the game because it looks like Mario Kart but get home and find that it sucks.

7. UNEDUCATED CONSUMERS
This is where the shovelware ceases to be a problem for just Wii owners, and becomes an issue for all gamers. Before this point, these were all just points of frustration for actively-gaming Wii owners. But when you add in the fact that the vast majority of consumers shopping for Wii games DO NOT do any research on their games, you get a serious issue for the entire industry. Having worked for Best Buy's gaming section for 6 months and a GameStop for 3 months, I can attest to this firsthand.

Most of the shoppers coming in to get Wii games are young kids and older parents, neither of whom had done research in almost every case I had seen. They pick out games based on their covers (don't judge a game by its cover!) and because the game looks SIMILAR to something else they enjoyed (this process works if its from the same series or company, like Mario Party 8 instead of Mario Party 7, but not when its MySims Carts instead of Mario Kart). More often than not, they don't enjoy these games, and tell me so when they come back in later weeks (I tried to steer people towards quality titles as much as I could, but most didn't want to hear any advice).

The problem here is that the users become disillusioned by games because they keep buying crappy ones that they expected to be better. It's part of the reason why the Wii is the top-selling system but research analysis shows that it is the LEAST played system. The consumers get sick of buying crappy games, and instead of researching them more thoroughly, most of them just stop buying.

8. THE FALLOUT
The Wii is bringing in tons of NEW demographics and NEW types of gamers, the it is scaring them away again with the bucket-loads of low-quality games on the store shelves. More experienced gamers know to pick up the well-reviewed stuff, and the employees like myself guide people towards the good stuff, which is why the well-reviewed games dominate the sales chart. But there are still a lot of those shovelware games being sold. DECA sports, which I'll bet most of you never heard of, sold way more copies than Mirrors Edge (& that's combining ME's PS3/360 sales). The We Ski series outsold Halo Wars. These are crappy games permeating the market, and making the consumers assume that all games are this bad.

Anyway, I hope that this helps explain the shovelware issue, as many people seem to have mistaken it as a simple console-wars flame topic. It isn't. It's a real issue that needs to be talked about and addressed.

- Scott

Top 5 Game Crossovers

With Lost Planet 2's release date only a few months away, many gamers have already heard about the cameo appearances in the game. For multiplayer, players who are sick of the LP2 characters can opt instead to play as Albert Wesker, the mastermind from Resident Evil. Owners of the Xbox 360 version can also play as Marcus and Dom from the Gears of War series.

There's been a lot of 'discussion' on the internet over the inclusion of the characters. Some find their inclusion to be ridiculous or unbelievable, or a shallow marketing scam. Others, like myself, don't mind the extra fan service of having characters from other games appear.

But love it or hate it, cameo crossovers have been around for almost as long as gaming itself. So I decided to look back at some of my favorite games that had cool cameo crossovers, and these were my top 5:

1. Soul Calibur 2 - Link
This is an easy choice for the top spot. Each console's version of Soul Calibur 2 had its own exlcusive character, but the GameCube version was a no-brainer. Link looked better than ever before, and played just as well. Many considered his mix of short and longe range attacks 'cheap,' which just means they were too lame to put down the Hyrulian. Soul Calibur IV almost toppled this cameo by including the almighty Darth Vader, but the widespread appeal of the green-clad hero still wins out.

2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 - Darth Maul
The highlight of the Tony Hawk series. After a skateboarding game includes Darth Maul, where else can it possibly go? Sure the game also featured Wolverine and a cast of crazy characters (like a magical hobo?), but the Sith Lord slaughtered the competition (literally, with his lightsaber). And the acrobatic badass wasn't just a new skin: he had his own force-powered special moves, a hovering wheel-less board, and of course his dual-bladed saber.

3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Solid Snake & Sonic
Super Smash Bros. was a series founded on crossovers, as its earliest ad campaigns showed (remember the big stuffed Pikachu & Mario in the field of flowers, skipping along and then suddenly pummeling each other?). But the first two iterations of the game featured Nintendo-only characters, which for a fighting game isn't much of a crossover. In Brawl Nintendo stunned the world with its inclusion of Solid Snake (from Metal Gear Solid) and the blue hedgehog. We don't know how the contract deals got approved for this, but we praise the gods of gaming. For Snake at least.

4. Dead or Alive 4 - Spartan 458
While DoA4 may not be the ultimate fighting game that its designer claims it to be, the game was good. And the best part came late in the game as an unlock: a playable Spartan II, dubbed Nicole, pulled straight from the Halo universe. Nicole looked intimidating in 7 costume variations, was the only character in the game to speak English, and was the best chick to fight as. Fast and powerful, this crossover character went the Link route of being overpowered fun. Nicole was the #1 reason to get DoA4.

5. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II - George Lucas' Car
Ok, so technically this isn't a crossover game character, as I don't believe Lucas' car had a game of its own, but I really didn't want to include Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe on this list. And nobody can deny how sexy George's vintage convertible looks in space. It even had fully-functioning Star Wars weaponry, making it more than just eye candy. The only thing lacking was a custom soundtrack while you cruised in the car, like the snazzy jazz ensemble from the cantina scene.


So that's the best 5 I can come up with, but I'm sure there are a lot more out there. Any of mine that you disagree with? Any cool ones I missed? Think Marcus and Dom belong in Lost Planet 2?

- Scott

Rock Band: Green Day the Best Option?

A Rock Band game focused on Green Day was announced a little while back, and there's been quite a bit of arguing ever since. Is Green Day a "trashy emo band" that doesn't deserve its own game, or is Harmonix on the right track?

While I'm not a diehard fan of the band, I do have a few albums by them that have some catchy tunes. They may not have defined music like the Beatles, but upbeat songs and well-known lyrics make it a decent choice for RB. Green Day has a lot of other things going for them as well:

• They have been around for almost two decades, giving Harmonix plenty of music to work with and plenty of years/shows for a career mode.
• They are one of only a few modern bands to be featured in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, alongside other punk/rock bands like Incubus and Offspring.
  
• Their newer material has made them very popular with the younger crowd, which Harmonix needs to target after last year's release went for the adult audience.

When you look at it, there really aren't a lot of options out there to begin with. A band for a Rock Band game needs to have a huge fanbase, be good music to play (both for instruments & singing), and have a long enough history.

There really aren't that many options in my opinion. Anything new since 2000 doesn't have enough material, so we have to look at classic rock bands, metal/hard rock bands from the 80's generation, and punk/funk rock bands from 90's.

First off, the metal and hard rock market is already being used up. Rock Band already did AC/DC, and Guitar Hero already took Metallica and Van Halen, which knocks out probably the biggest 3. These bands also don't lend themselves as well to vocals, which is why Guitar Hero has focused on them more than Rock Band has.

Classic rock has the best options. There was a lot of talk about a Queen game, which would be awesome and would have a ton of appeal. The Who and the Rolling Stones would be other classic bands with enough fans, enough songs, and enough history.

Not a lot of modern bands could do it, since they'd need a long career and a progression of music like the Beatles. Red Hot Chili Peppers would be the best of the modern bands, they have great old and new music and a massive fanbase. Offspring and Weezer would probably be the next best, although many of their best songs are already available for download. Third Eye Blind is another band that would work, with a fairly long history, a huge fanbase, and a ton of great rock songs that would be a blast to play, including many that never made it to the radio. Supposedly a Third Eye Blind track pack is coming soon.

Now, if they could make some less widely-known bands into games... Audioslave would be my first choice, followed by Franz Ferdinand, Coheed & Cambria, Panic! at the Disco, and the Killers (focusing on their 1st album).

- Scott

Let the Horsemen Reign!

So I had picked Darksiders up on its launch day (Jan. 5th) but just finally started it last night. Holy shit I've been missing a sweet game!

Before I get into its awesomeness, I will acknowledge that the reviews I read are correct, the game borrows HEAVILY from the Legend of Zelda, as well as a bit from God of War for the combat. But this is in no way a bad thing, in fact it is totally awesome. Legend of Zelda on Xbox 360 with an awesome new setting, more visceral combat, and flashy new visuals? Yes please!

If you haven't already heard, Darksiders lets you play as one of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, War. You get all of his badass mythical weapons, his warhorse named Ruin, and his supernatural agility and strength. Which combines to make one of the coolest main characters I've ever seen, especially since the art for him (done by a famous X-Men comic artist) makes him look so unique and imposing.

The game starts out with a bit of a dud for the intro level, as you have no idea where you are or what you're supposed to be doing. But after running around the city a bit killing stuff, you trigger a cut scene and learn the plot from there. It's another similarity to God of War, due to a misunderstanding, the Apocalypse was started prematurely, so War is blamed and is stripped of all of his powers. Angry and vengeaful, as War incarnate should be, your Horseman sets out to kill everyone who wronged him and clear his name.

Which is where the game starts getting really fun. The action is addicting, with very flashy and artistic finishing moves to hack apart the demonic hordes that plague you. The game world is open, allowing you to explore to your hearts content as you head to new dungeons. The exploration and the platforming-style traversals evoke Zelda quite a bit, and add a lot of fun and depth to the core action.
But the game isn't just a straight knock-off. As you kill enemies and collect souls of the undead, you can purchase a number of other weapons, attack moves, and tons of different passive and active abilities, weapon enhancements, etc. This adds some enjoyable RPG-esque elements to the action, and allows you to customize your character and your fighting style to your own particular tastes.

I've only played the first 3-4 hours of it, but my first impressions are VERY positive. I can't wait to see more of this stylish, Zelda-homage take on the Apocalypse.

- Scott

An Impressive Start

I just started Fallout 3 last night, for the first time. I had high expectations, but despite that, the game still impressed.

Even from the opening video, you know its going to be a sweet game. The camera pans out from a destroyed bus, the music wailing "I don't wanna set the world on fire" as we see the nuked ruins of Washington DC. Then we see one of the ironclad Brotherhood of Steel, looking ominously out at the wreckage. And then, after a brief background delivery, we hear those chilling-but-awesome words: "War. War never changes." Fallout 3 has begun.Then I entered the introduction section of the game, which was a clever chain of events that enabled me to design my character, set his stats and abilities and choose some of my items, all without breaking the immersion of the game. Which isn't easy to do in such a stat & option filled adventure. But soon my rustic vault-dweller was ready, and events in Vault-101 started to spiral out of control. I won't spoil it here, but the plot is engaging and complex already, and I'm only 2 hours into the game.

The games charms & multiple-decisions are also starting to impress me. The dialogue tree system lets me choose between a number of things I would actually say in real life, instead of stiff, manufactured responses. Should I be understanding about the person's problem, be sarcastic, or just end the conversation and get on with the game? There's no right or wrong choice, but yet your choices seem to matter. And the dialogue and reactions of the characters themselves are quite funny at times, or quite saddening or enraging when applicable. The game does a great job pulling you in.

And then it sets you loose. Through a couple of surprise events, you end up leaving Vault-101, and as your cave-dweller eyes adjust to the real sunlight, you're met with a fantastic vista of destruction. It's here that Fallout 3 shows one of its best cards: phenomenal graphics and a world more detailed than our own.

But now you're on your own, exploring the Capitol Wasteland, trying to search for clues to understand the events that just happened. You'll encounter your first raiders, and learn how important it is to let the VATs targeting system help you at close range. And you'll walk through water, learning that you better watch your radiation levels out here. And as you don some new armor and weapons, you'll see that everything has its cost here, whether that be the weight of the items you're picking up, or the used-condition of the revolver you just stole from a corpse.

But the game will give you some hints, and sooner or later you'll end up at a town called Megaton, searching for answers. I'd seen the town in screenshots before, but they don't do it justice. The town is a beauty, even in its decay, and the level design is top-notch, creating an interesting mess of a town that pulls you to explore its hidden nooks and crannies.

But after running around the city for a while, marvelling at the still-active nuke in its center, I had to save & head to bed. But that sure was enough to wet my appetite.

- Scott