Wii Warm Up: Setting definitive boundaries

by Alisha Karabinus { Nov 7th 2008 at 8:00AM }

Shovelware is something that comes up a lot in discussions about the Wii's library. Some people think there's a lot of it, and some don't, but what we don't seem to spend a lot of time discussion is just exactly what shovelware is. Everyone seems to drawl the line in a different place. For some, it's easy to write off anything that doesn't look fantastic as simply shovelware, while others seem to turn their noses up at anything that is geared at a family audience. While it's often true that shovelware has poor graphics, or, when it comes to Wii gaming, it's an attempt to get a piece of that Everygamer market, shovelware's definition lies elsewhere. Let's find it.

Tags: shovelware

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Hamster @ Nov 7th 2008 8:13AM

As a general rule; if it's a Wii or DS game and has the word Ubisoft on the box, chances are it's shovelware.

Sometimes it seems that the Wii's excessively casual focus has cultivated a new strain of shovelware, the likes of which we've never seen before.

OldElvis @ Nov 7th 2008 8:24AM

It's a piece of Software that is so poor, it cannot, nor would not, be ported to the other 2 consoles ( which means it's covers the Poor Graphics). It's a marketing tool for a movie/TV show that is a ripoff of an exsiting game with no additional benefits.

Mr Khan @ Nov 7th 2008 8:29AM

It's a unique problem to Wii/DS because of the low cost of entry. If it was as high-stakes as the PS360, they wouldn't take the risk. It's not necessarily because of the Wii's expanded audience

However, shovelware itself isn't necessarily bad, though it is far more often than not. It is any title that is made with low development time that can be shoveled on to a platform to make a small profit with low sales, and resources can quickly be switched to the next quick-and-easy title.

It's fast-food gaming, basically. Whether the product in question is quality or not

Hamster @ Nov 7th 2008 8:45AM

Oh and before anyone says "but shovelware is good, it is a sign of a successful console. All the successful consoles have tons of third-party shovelware; NES, SNES, Game Boy, PS1, PS2, etc."

True, but all those consoles also had the full support of third-parties. So they were getting the best as well as the worst. The Wii isn't, it's (so far) only getting the worst. It is the first console in history to be by far and away the biggest selling and yet still not have the support of third parties (partly Nintendo's fault for making it so low-powered and marketing it as a silly novelty item rather than a games console). So that excuse doesn't work.

The DS arguably has far more and far worse shovelware than the Wii but because that console also has the full-support of third-parties it isn't so much of a problem.

Mr Khan @ Nov 7th 2008 11:00AM

But that trend is reversing. Look about you at the quality ports of Call of Duty and Sonic Unleashed, or the 95% fully featured versions of GH and Rock Band

Or look at the 2009 calendar. Many things from all over the board.

Anti-Villian @ Nov 7th 2008 9:12AM

Casual Games is just a light term for Shovelware.

Sonic_13 @ Nov 7th 2008 10:36AM

It's a shame that you think that, because you're missing out on a lot of fun games.

samfish @ Nov 7th 2008 9:43AM

The traditional definition is games from, for example, Conspiracy Entertainment and other companies who put out the same versions of a game with a new skin...like Ninjabread Man and Anubis 2. They would literally shovel out 5 games a week.

But with the Wii, we're seeing the definition change to budget titles that show an obvious lack of effort and/or development time...like Crusin'.

I actually DON'T consider stuff like Carnival Games or Game Party to be shovelware. Yes, they could certainly be a LOT better, but they at least show a level of polish and competence when compared to actual shovelware titles.

A lot of people, in particular Wii haters, like to call ANY crappy game shovelware, but that just isn't true. A shitty game is a shitty game, but that doesn't mean it's shovelware.

If I had to break it down, I'd say the Wii's library is something along the lines of:
25% 'good' games (games with effort, regardless of quality)
45% budget titles/shitty games (Carnival Games)
25% shovelware (like Crusin')
5% traditional shovelware (Ninjabread Man)

ChrisCanberg @ Nov 7th 2008 11:02AM

1) When the game is announced one month and it comes out the next looking exactly how they showed it the month before.

2) Mini-game compilation. Don't care how good it is, we have too many of those.

3) When I can tell that its a ripoff of another game by just looking at the boxart.

thats pretty much it for me.

ChrisCanberg @ Nov 7th 2008 12:08PM

another thing...I'm glad I'm not seeing much of that anymore. The Wii has a lot of good things going for it and personally, I am very happy and excited. I'm extremely happy that Sega is really helping the Wii out a lot. To me, the Sonic Unleashed Wii version looks to be more fun than the 360 version, because from what I hear and see in trailers, that version has a lot of framerate issues and I think the "hedgehog engine" will in turn defeat that game.

Also...MadWorld. That's all I need to say.

manyquestions @ Nov 7th 2008 2:32PM

Just because Wii may have more than its fair share of minigame collections, doesn't mean all minigames are shovelware. Just look at Mario Party and Raving Rabbids. These games have obviously had a lot of effort put into them and are actualy quite fun. Genre doesn't define shovelware, no matter the cirumstance.

lobotomies4free @ Nov 7th 2008 11:37AM

if it comes out yearly, or doesn't have over a full year of development behind it you can probably write it off (for full length games, not wiiware)

junkpunch @ Nov 7th 2008 12:03PM

Shovelware is basically, as Samfish described, an old game in a new skin. Typically, devoid of any ingenuity, or uniqueness.

The PC is a great avenue for shovelware. Go to your local best buy, and you'll see bargain software titles that all look the same: A game about trucking next to another game about trucking, next to a slightly different game about trucking. I don't care if its 18 Wheelers: Long Haul, or Big Mutha Truckers... its the same game in a different skin.

So, my definition, basically covers anything that is an imitator. Big Brain Academy and Brain Age are great, but they spawned a lot of junk titles trying to cash in on the brain-training exercises.

On other consoles, it's obvious what qualifies... Any cartoon-style cart racer besides MarioKart is shovelware (Smurf racing, racing M&Ms, Crash Nitro Kart are examples), and the list goes on.

Basicially, if it's devoid of any real creativity, it's shovelware. I agree that things like Carnival Games offer enough unique elements to not be considered Shovelware, but their waggle-centric controls and Wii-Sports type of minigame focus can lead it's critics to assume the worst.

Roto13 @ Nov 7th 2008 1:04PM

Games that have had little or no effort put into them.

Daryl @ Nov 7th 2008 1:48PM

I don't think diversity should be attacked as shovelware.

Something like "Carnival Games" or "Endless Ocean" may not be my type of game, but for somebody, it is their type of game. So even though I don't like it, I appreciate the attempt to try to bring new ideas. I'd rather that than a bunch of 360 shooters that are all the same.