Counter Force - shovelware

So I popped Counter Force into my Wii last night.

Yikes.

I expected bad. But this is *bad* bad..... I thought it might at least be fun in an arcadey way.... the problem is that it's pretty hard to even see the enemy to shoot at. And then there are collisions with the backgrounds.... overall I can't tell when I'm being hit or what. It's just a big mess.

from Wikipedia:

The term "shovelware" has more recently been used in a more general sense by video game reviewers to indicate any product of disappointingly low quality due to a lack of time and effort by the developers. The Nintendo Wii and DS have often been criticized for having many shovelware titles, with producers hoping to make money with the large success of the consoles at the expense of creating quality games.

I feel bad for paying money for such obvious shovelware. I know that we should not be supporting the making of crappy, quick cash-grabs of broken games, especially for the Wii as it's drowning in shovelware as it is.... those of us who know better have a MORAL OBLIGATION to try to stop the support of shovelware as best we can. Usually this only means voting with our wallets & not buying that crap.

I noticed a lot of shovelware comes from one particular publisher, Conspiracy Games. Check out their roster of games.... EVERY ONE is a shovelware title. They're all the ones I see in the bargain bins at Wal-Marts and other big box stores.... they're usually seductively-priced at under $20.00. I bought Counter Force for $10.00.. and I STILL paid too much. Because honestly, how low of a price is low enough for a crappy game? There is no price low enough.

I can't help but compare Counter Force to another quick & dirty title, Star Trek: Conquest. That game also has limited modes & production values; there's no 2 player, and really not much more than the basic game. But despite it's low production values, Star Trek: Conquest is just dumb fun. I'm going to give Counter Force a bit more play, but I doubt I'll really warm to it. May as well use it as a coaster.



later
don