Wii Warm Up: The Nintendo Seal of Quality

by Candace Savino { Mar 16th 2008 at 10:30AM }

You may or may not know that Nintendo no longer subjects games to the company's Seal of Quality. Do you think that this is a good or bad thing?

Would you rather the Seal of Quality be enforced, in order to prevent some of the shovelware that we've seen flood the Wii? Or, do you think it wouldn't make much of a difference? After all, even with Nintendo's seal, there were more than enough bad games in existence.

So, which is it: Seal, or no seal?

Tags: seal-of-quality, shovelware

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Roto13 @ Mar 16th 2008 10:45AM

Doesn't the seal just mean it won't break your console or handheld? Good and bad are in the eye of the beholder. Besides, it's not like you really need a seal to tell the difference between shovelware and what could potentially be a good game.

Ghen @ Mar 16th 2008 4:38PM

I dunno, do I need to remind you of how well carnival games has sold?

mariocdl @ Mar 16th 2008 10:51AM

Even when there was the seal, there were still crap games, but not as many as were seeing for the Wii recently. It definitly needs to come back.

Dann Bohn @ Mar 16th 2008 10:54AM

The seal has nothing to do with "shovelware" I think the seal enforces that the game "works" Nintendo should put guidelines on what fps the game should run, how well the controls work to apply a seal.

Rowdehaj @ Mar 16th 2008 3:15PM

Heh, you reckon Brawl wouldn't get the Seal then?

John B. @ Mar 16th 2008 9:54PM

@Rowdehaj

I'm guessing you're the type thats been playing Melee with a Gamecube controller for 7 sad pathetic years and now you're surprised and confused at the fact that the Wiimote and Nunchuck controls don't instantly integrate themselves into your Mountain Dew coated consciousness.

Go whine on GameFAQs, nobody cares here.

ChrisCanberg @ Mar 17th 2008 3:17PM

You tell 'em, John. B.

Rowdehaj @ Mar 17th 2008 10:16AM

Calm down, you 'tard. I was merely referring to the many, MANY disc read errors that seem to be hitting aspiring-Brawlers since the game came out, which is EXACTLY what the Seal of Quality is about. I have, you pretentious idiot, never touched a copy of any sort of Smash Brothers game, intend to start with this one once it comes out in Europe, which brings me to the next point, I've never touched fucking Mountain Dew in my life either!

Now next time, before you start insulting people and deluding yourself that you can actually predict how people live their lives, I suggest you smack yourself in the face with a piece of broken glass repeatedly before continuing.

Tesche @ Mar 16th 2008 10:57AM

I'm with Roto, the way I always took the seal was merely a guarantee that it would run on and would also not damage your console.
I never thought that it referred to the actual quality of the game's fun factor.....
That being said, I always thought the seal was kinda cool, so I wouldn't mind bringing it back, though I don't think shovelware would have a hard time getting the "seal of approval" either.

dcartguy @ Mar 16th 2008 11:00AM

I say no seal. Because it gives the freedom to the developer to create whatever game they want. It's up to the consumer to determine if it's crap or not. A seal would place limitations (even if imaginary) on the developers and we would see less creative and risk-taking games on the console.

Jeremy @ Mar 16th 2008 11:04AM

I am with the masses here. To me the seal was just letting people know that it would play on their console. Also I don't see the big deal with shovelware. They are cheap game that are in most cases easy and I think they are perfect for young children. I have said this before and I will say it again if it wasn't for the cheap games out for the Wii then my six year old son wouldn't be able to enjoy it as much as he does. So I am one that is all for some shovelware for my child as long as it doesn't flood the market and great games are still being made.

Tom @ Mar 16th 2008 11:12AM

The seal back on orignal NES games meant that it was one of the five game or whatever that the company made that year for the NES. While good/bad might not be fair, it at least forced companies to put a lot of time into only a few games. I'd like to know the games I'm getting are good, but that is what all the gaming review sites and metacritic are for. There isn't really a need for it except for those meaning-to-do-well grandmothers and moms and dads.

Co @ Mar 16th 2008 3:17PM

"The seal back on orignal NES games meant that it was one of the five game or whatever that the company made that year for the NES."

... WTF??

CubeGuy @ Mar 16th 2008 4:44PM

I'm pretty sure that he's right. In the NES days, you were only allowed to put out so many games within a set time-period. This prevented the developer from releasing a bunch of crappy games instead of a few polished products.

CubeGuy @ Mar 16th 2008 4:48PM

Yeah. I did my research.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_seal_of_quality#History

It's there about halfway down the section.

Tom @ Mar 17th 2008 1:52AM

Thanks for backing me up Cubeguy. Co - do a little more research before jumping on comments like that, or at least remember that Nintendo had products before the Wii.

Jason Zagar @ Mar 16th 2008 11:53AM

While it doesn't say "Quality" There still is an "Official Nintendo Seal" on boxes, though it's been pushed back to the rear side of the box. I assume the 'Quality' was removed so not to confuse people as the seal was mostly just there to tell you that the game was official and not a literally unplayable mess.

meist3r @ Mar 16th 2008 12:01PM

Here's my two cents: This was a sales puser back then and it would be today. Like mariocdl said they put that on all the games, even the crap ones. Look at Mr. Slickface Fils-Aimme ... to the new Nintendo sales equals quality. If they would prevent all those silly little game developers from shelling out crap to their customers OK. Times have changed, only a little but they have. Nintendo will sell whatever they can get their hands on (unless it's too sexy, too violent or too western). I don't look at the box to decide if I want the game, who still does? I usually have read dozens of (p)reviews before I even bother to go to the store. The only valid quality seal today is customer opinion ... and you can't print that on a box even if you wanted to.

Wiitard @ Mar 16th 2008 12:25PM

The Seal means nothing. The first PAL copies of Super Paper Mario froze up at a certain part and now people are getting problems with SSBB.

Knema007 @ Mar 16th 2008 12:38PM

Like many others, I'm of the persuasion that the seal doesn't make much difference. It is more so the fact that video game companies are much more lucrative than they once were. Games are selling millions of copies each in some instances; the NPD data is alarming as to how much video game property is being sold. As such, the shovelware is more a result of the booming video game market and not because of some quality control. For these companies, the money is out there and they are just trying to cash-in with the least effort possible. It's easy money, so long as people keep on buying these crap games.

Mr Khan @ Mar 16th 2008 12:54PM

Heh, do you want them to lose the tenuous third party support they already have (and i mean the good support with the bad)

Then you'll have them bring the seal, the NES-era seal, back. I mean, yes, they could force the 3rd parties to put their best stuff out by limiting how much they can put out, but Microsoft wouldn't do that, and Sony wouldn't do that, and 3rd parties would just give a big middle finger to Nintendo and leave the Wii entirely

Currently, Nintendo's got the best third party support they've had since the Super NES, aside from having the most, but they're still on thin ice with major 3rd parties, and they have to tread lightly

Sam @ Mar 16th 2008 1:28PM

They can't use the seal and avoid shovelware, because the mark was basically to show that they used Nintendo's development kit, and it was approved by Nintendo and the ESRB all of which shovelware goes through, if Nintendo was to nitpick what they put the seal on companies would get angry, REEEEAAALLL angry, and you don't want to see shovelware when it gets angry!

David @ Mar 16th 2008 1:47PM

I think they should bring it back but only place it on games that they actually feel should have it, it would make developers work harder to create quality games but if its not a a neccesity it allows 3rd parties to release the below average games as well.

It would also be a means by which consumers could gauge how good a game is. I think this is important for a console that is aimed at the casual gamer as these are the people who do not read reviews and find out all they will about the game once they are in the shop. If a game has a nintendo seal of quality on it it will mean that people wont feel as though they are wasting there money.

www.yourfaceisanadvert.com

Mr Khan @ Mar 16th 2008 1:59PM

Your idea could work, slightly modified. A tiered system of Nintendo Seals of Quality, one to recommend games that are better fit to the hardware/controller specifications

However, the mass subjectivity of such a system could be problematic.

David @ Mar 16th 2008 2:20PM

I agree, was thinking on the fly a little. But im sure something could be done. There are so many dud games on the wii as well as classics it just makes me sad that people will pick up the crap games and think that is all the wii has to offer and miss out on the delights. I also dont like the idea of people going for the safety net of a nintendo game when there are other games by other developers which are just as good.

Haohmaru @ Mar 16th 2008 2:40PM

I think the new Nintendo Seal of Quality should consist of a large, imposing photo of Reggie Fils-Aime's face.

Nikolas @ Mar 16th 2008 3:10PM

With optical media the seal is unnecessary.

dantebk @ Mar 16th 2008 3:26PM

I don't really know why people get upset about so-called "shovelware." It's not like you have to buy it, or even look at it. How much of it do you even see on shelves at Best Buy or wherever? They can put out 1,000 wretched pieces of nonsense and it won't prevent you from buying or enjoying the next Mario or Zelda game.

That being said, the Seal doesn't matter. I'm sure if you looked at the entire NES library, it would be 2/3rds shovelware. There was some real junk on that thing.

-Dante
http://www.gamestache.com/

Mr Khan @ Mar 16th 2008 4:04PM

Every console had huge steaming mounds amongst its libraries except the N64 (too costly to develop shit for) and the Saturn (i don't think its possible to make a bad Saturn game)

vidGuy @ Mar 16th 2008 4:27PM

All Wii games should work as advertised and, as others have said, that's what the Seal was used for in previous generations. In this age of release-and-patch, there may be a place for the Seal, but even high-budget, high-quality games can have bugs. So the Seal is pretty pointless today.

I don't think Nintendo should enforce a policy of "quality" games. I'd rather have a library of 1000 titles than 100, even if only 100 of those 1000 are decent. Gamers might not see it, but there is a substantial market for $20 games. Having seventeen copies of Ninjabread Man next to the dozen of SSBB doesn't hurt anything. The Wii is a success because it appeals to many different types of gamers; if you didn't have those budget titles, Nintendo would sell fewer systems. More systems means more support and more gems will squeeze through because of it.

Haohmaru @ Mar 16th 2008 7:59PM

Well said. Sometimes I think we forget that there are multiple groups to whom the Wii is designed to appeal: the casual crowd who bought their Wii for games like Wii Sports, the more "traditional gamer" crowd who happen to like Nintendo franchises, and those who are pretty fond of both. Most of us who bother to comment on Wii Fanboy are probably not of the mom and pop Wii Sports/Wii Play crowd, so we pan titles like Ninja Reflex and Carnival Games, but the extremely casual users eat these budget-priced games up. This benefits us by boosting sales, which means developers have more money with which to create that blockbuster we all want.

vidGuy @ Mar 16th 2008 8:54PM

Exactly. I mean, there's an argument that that money just gets reinvested in low-budget games, but I say that any attention to a console is good attention.

Patius @ Mar 16th 2008 5:15PM

The seal simply meant that the game was actually endorsed by Nintendo. There were games like Bible adventures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible_Adventures) that were made without Nintendo's consent.

The seal was designed to tell people that the game was actually made with Authority from Nintendo.

However, since making unauthorized games for a console is no longer done by actual companies, the seal isn't needed. (I know hackers make things like the Twilight hack, but other than that there isn't much in the way of that)

So, no, the seal isn't needed, since it never stopped shovelware anyways.

Patius @ Mar 16th 2008 5:18PM

also, all the seal means is that nintendo licenced the game.

James Madley @ Mar 17th 2008 1:48AM

What do you mean they're not putting the "Seal of Quality" on games anymore? All my Wii games and GameCube games still have it.

Perhaps my games are just better.

ZombieOrgasm @ Mar 16th 2008 6:27PM

Simply put, No.

Developers weren't given a lot of freedom back than. It made more great games, yes. But this is back when Nintendo was the king of gaming consoles. This is certainly not the case anymore and Nintendo has legitimate competition now. In this day and age, it is IMPERATIVE to persuade developers to your console. Putting even more limitations would be an awful idea.

Garu @ Mar 16th 2008 8:59PM

Hey Candice! I made a new seal Nintendo can use for their less-than-quality games. I emailed it to you!

John Rios @ Mar 17th 2008 11:10AM

Nintendo approved crappy games even back when the "seal of quality" actually exsisted.

dukemeiser @ Mar 18th 2008 12:17AM

The Seal of Quality was never about the quality of the coding and development. It was an assurance that the cartridge was officially licensed and guaranteed to work on your Nintendo system. There is no enforcement. If Nintendo could slap it on Superman 64 and call it a quality game then nothing was sacred.