EEDAR: 37% of Wii games went unreviewed in early 2009
In his latest "debriefing" on IndustryGamers, EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich suggets that the average score for Wii games may be improving because a significant portion of titles aren't being reviewed. Strictly comparing January to June, in both 2008 and 2009, the analyst group graphed the total number of titles released for the three major platforms and the percentages of those titles that were not reviewed (see above). The number at the bottom of each bar represents the number of titles released for the platform in the stated time period; while the percentage at the top corresponds to the quantity of those titles that was not reviewed.
Divnich recognizes that "while the Wii has experienced a rise in average review scores (from 60 to 66 in one year), this has come at the benefit of critics ignoring some titles that could have possibly dragged down the Wii's average." However, it's possible that such reviews could have also raised the average score -- we know, that's unlikey, but still. Additionally, the report notes that the unreviewed Wii games weren't "core-targeted titles," which also holds true for unreviewed games on Xbox 360 and PS3.
Divnich maintains that Wii games are getting better, but he concludes, "It is just coming at the cost of not reviewing the increase in casual and low-budget titles." He believes that a similar issue could appear occur with respect to PS3 and Xbox 360 as the consoles' casual demographics increase in conjunction with the continued growth of their install bases.
Divnich recognizes that "while the Wii has experienced a rise in average review scores (from 60 to 66 in one year), this has come at the benefit of critics ignoring some titles that could have possibly dragged down the Wii's average." However, it's possible that such reviews could have also raised the average score -- we know, that's unlikey, but still. Additionally, the report notes that the unreviewed Wii games weren't "core-targeted titles," which also holds true for unreviewed games on Xbox 360 and PS3.
Divnich maintains that Wii games are getting better, but he concludes, "It is just coming at the cost of not reviewing the increase in casual and low-budget titles." He believes that a similar issue could appear occur with respect to PS3 and Xbox 360 as the consoles' casual demographics increase in conjunction with the continued growth of their install bases.













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
PR0F3TA (PSN - PROPHETA) @ Oct 6th 2009 3:34PM
today i saw a ad for a game called "The Biggest Loser" based on the TV show, so i understand if no one wants to spend time on a game of equal or less quality.
The game was Wii exclusive too btw
snowleopard233 @ Oct 6th 2009 4:02PM
If I was a video game reviewer, I wouldn’t want to spend my time on all three thousand of the Hannah Montana and Babyz Party games that are on that system. But then again, what do we know? There could be a Barbie’s Horse Ranch Adventure game out there that is just balls-off-the-wall, halo-killing, face-pwning, genre-definingly awesome. Sadly, we’ll never know and it will be our young squealing daughters who will be the only ones aware of such secret leet titles.
...
Or it could just suck.
protofunc @ Oct 6th 2009 4:03PM
Your post just gave me an idea: "The Biggest Wiinner."
Carry on.
acefondu @ Oct 6th 2009 4:34PM
My sister is excited for it....She loves that awful exploitative fat people show....As a gamer it makes me throw up knowing that these games even exist.
PN04 @ Oct 6th 2009 4:43PM
lets think about this for a second. Do casual "gamers" and I use that term lightly because they're NOT gamers, hense the term CASUAL, really give a flying eff about reviews? They're going to buy Hanna Montana and Wiisports games regardless if what a review says because they're only playing it casually anyway they have no deeper vested interest in anything they buy other than that it's cheap and pacifies a bunch of kids or adults who dont really care.
Malachi @ Oct 6th 2009 5:10PM
@PN04
A "gamer" is someone who plays video games. A "Casual Gamer" would be someone who play them casually. Thus the use of the adjective "casual."
Brendan H @ Oct 6th 2009 7:05PM
I consider myself a "casual" gamer. I always play COD on my xbox 360 while laying nude atop a pile of feathers while drinking a banana daiquiri.
It doesn't more casual than that.
NaeemTHM @ Oct 6th 2009 3:35PM
Hmmm...I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that's because 37% of Wii games are complete dog shit.
Platinum_Skeet @ Oct 6th 2009 3:42PM
They need to bring back the Nintendo Quality Seal. I know it was used for different reasons back in the day but Nintendo needs it now to sift through all the b.s developers are pumping out right now.
Solace @ Oct 6th 2009 3:49PM
JUST 37%? I think you'd have to go much higher
Aero @ Oct 6th 2009 4:31PM
The seal of quality still exists. It's on the back of the box.
Fullmetal Salchemist @ Oct 6th 2009 4:31PM
37%?! You're being awfully generous.
acefondu @ Oct 6th 2009 4:36PM
Yeah, they still review some games that are just barely over the crap-o-meter. But they're still crap.
The Dark Wayne [Planeteer: Power of the Batusi] @ Oct 6th 2009 4:39PM
now it's just the nintendo seal, it doesn't say Quality on it anymore
Wayne Campbell @ Oct 6th 2009 6:23PM
Good call there, Dark Wayne
Maverick Saturn (Igor) @ Oct 6th 2009 7:11PM
Can you blame reviewers, after you've seen Mario party and Play, anything else with the titles aren't worth reviewing.
Ridgecity @ Oct 6th 2009 11:56PM
Most shitty game are licensed multiplatform titles, so I would say about 50% of the whole industry is pure shit.
Ryan LN @ Oct 6th 2009 3:37PM
Well this comes as absolutely no surprise. I would imagine that the games that escape review are such one-shot crap-fests that even people who are paid money to offer their opinion on them can't stand to spend more than 5 minutes of their lives with them. While there is room to argue that the better games are getting better, the worse games may be getting crappier- kinda like picking daisies in a field filled with cow patties.
Platinum_Skeet @ Oct 6th 2009 3:46PM
I think something to add injury to insult is that half of these games that are left unreviewed you can't even find them in retail stores after. They just blow so bad even Wal Mart knows they can't sell them...
RKN @ Oct 6th 2009 3:39PM
Jack: Hey Jill, you finished reviewing Catz yet?
Jill: Yawn, yet another boring, tripe excuse for a game that revolves around raising and playing with some stupid polygonal cat. I wasted five hours of my life on that piece of shit. Sigh, what's next on the table to review?
Jack: Well, Catz was actually a big sales success, so the publisher released some new games based on that franchise and their on your desk.
Jill: Dogz, Horsez, Pandaz, Giraffz? Fuck this shit, I'm going home.
Jack: But Jill.......
Jill: Its not worth it Jack, its NOT WORTH IT.
Platinum_Skeet @ Oct 6th 2009 3:48PM
Jill did the right thing. Too much more of that could've lead to suicide...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1LeY1YZ7ng
Nobledevil @ Oct 6th 2009 6:07PM
Well, that video just made my day :)
tenor77 @ Oct 6th 2009 3:43PM
Why review shovelware if you know it'll suck?
Viney @ Oct 6th 2009 3:44PM
People that buy crappy shovelware obviously aren't the kind of people to read up on game site reviews or they'd be buying the better games available on the system in the first place, so what's the point of wasting time telling people, that aren't listening, not to buy those games?
NaeemTHM @ Oct 6th 2009 3:50PM
That's why I don't get why sites like IGN or Gamespot even waste time on reviewing games like Hanna Montana: The Movie, Tale of Despereaux: The Movie, and Alvin and the Chimpmunks....the movie.
1) Their movie games so it's implied they suck
2) The people reading your site really could careless about those kind of games
Quit wasting time on shitty games!
R @ Oct 6th 2009 3:45PM
@RKN Is Jill talking to Jack Daniels in a bar and went home to fetch a pale to puke in?
CheeziePotato (PSN: talic10 | XBL: InfiniteMovie) @ Oct 6th 2009 3:46PM
I hate Shovelware
uncle jesse @ Oct 6th 2009 5:27PM
That you, Francis?
WREturns (Looking for a graphic designer) @ Oct 6th 2009 3:46PM
Damn you, shovelware for ruining my Wii's library! I bet Seanbaby is getting quite the work overload about now...
Rob47 @ Oct 6th 2009 3:46PM
That's because 90% of wii games aren't worth reviewing.
alamos @ Oct 7th 2009 2:55AM
In spite of the fact that it was 37% deemed not worth it. Bravo on your keen reading skills.
Space @ Oct 6th 2009 4:01PM
looks like you have a lot game reviews to catch up on joystiq.
[ArchiGamer] [Featuring GRATIOUS ALIEN NUDITY] @ Oct 6th 2009 4:03PM
I kind of agree that must shovelware games are probably better off not reviewed, especially considering the market they are after rarely check upon reviews.
RAVE Master 2.0 @ Oct 6th 2009 4:04PM
WHAT?!! Are you SERIOUS?!!
...but seriously, this isn't anything we should be surprised about. This isn't even news....
Spartan [Planeteer | Power of Sunshine & Lollipops] @ Oct 6th 2009 4:12PM
Here's the missing review for all those games:
Waste batteries waggling your remote to
a half-assed concept with graphics that
would look poor on an N-fucking-64!
emperorzeroxx @ Oct 7th 2009 3:40AM
Most games that come out are multi console games and those games on wii are the same as the 360/ps3 version except worse graphics and usually annoying controls. Don't get me wrong I love all nintendo first party games but any multi console game is automatically assumed worse than the 360/ps3 equivalent and no one bothers to review them....... The games that get reviewed on wii are most often exclusive games in which you cannot compare to a superior version on another system.
Mr Khan @ Oct 6th 2009 4:19PM
You have it very wrong. I would say a handy majority of Wii games are exclusive, and a vast majority of them have no PS3 or 360 version.
Fullmetal Salchemist @ Oct 6th 2009 4:34PM
You love all first-party Nintendo games? Because Animal Crossing Wii was the worst kind of rehash and Mario Kart Wii was easily the worst in the franchise.
PN04 @ Oct 6th 2009 4:48PM
Actually most of the Wii games that are multiplatform are identical to the PS2 version. Rockband/GH, That disco game, the Ghostbusters game... there's like a dozen others I could mention.
Mr Khan @ Oct 6th 2009 4:18PM
So the biases of the media, by ignoring bad Wii games (not to say that they shouldn't) is actually working in Wii's favor for once?
Viney @ Oct 6th 2009 4:30PM
I wouldn't say it's working in their favor, I'd say it's irrelevant. People buying these games don't care about reviews. If they did, these games wouldn't sell because they'd be spending their money on games that actually receive good reviews.
PN04 @ Oct 6th 2009 4:53PM
Only relevent in terms of a pissing contest. Not a single Wii owner really cares.
Sheppy (of the Fidlious Clan of Wong) @ Oct 6th 2009 6:53PM
Biase media? Oh for fucks sake...
If this isn't in your collection come October 20th,
http://www.ebgames.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=75145
You're a hypocritical idiot.
There's a reason why a lot of this shit is passed over. THAT'S A FUCKING WALKING SIMULATOR. Not dancing, running, exercise, FUCKING WALKING. How dare Giant Bomb and their biased ways not cover Konami's Walking Simulator... everyone hates Nintendo boohoohoo.
Dv8thwonder @ Oct 6th 2009 4:18PM
I find it ironic that the gaming media view most of the Wii's library as shovelware when EA has been plopping the same rehashed tripe on it's fanbase (Madden) for over 10 years. It's in the game afterall.
Fullmetal Salchemist @ Oct 6th 2009 4:35PM
Madden might be the exact same game after 10 years, but at least it's functional. It might be a rehash, and we might find it boring, but it's playable. The same can't be said for "Imaginez: Baby Three-Toed Slothz."
Dv8thwonder @ Oct 6th 2009 4:57PM
37% of Wii games not reviewed in 2009 due to lack of interest. $60 for the same "rehash" from EA for the past 10 years, priceless.
ducttapeBigSexy @ Oct 6th 2009 4:40PM
I was just browsing through Amazon's best selling Wii games this morning, debating if I need to buy a Wii. After seeing that list I can honestly say that, no, I don't need to buy a Wii.
Danny @ Oct 6th 2009 5:11PM
Well duhhh who the fuck would review babyz and petz and whateverz? Reviewers only review the games that are good!
1251 @ Oct 6th 2009 4:58PM
lmao, who cares? Like the Wii has anything worth even playing.
Traceur_Ryuk [All Digital until December] (PSN: Ryuk_shinigami) @ Oct 6th 2009 6:06PM
Super Mario Galaxy
Zelda
SSBB
Metroid
Punch out!
Paper Mario
Boom Blox
No more heroes
Madworld
Yeah, there is absolutely nothing worth playing on the Wii. Not to mention all the virtual console.