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[Gonzo The Great]

It's awfully poetic that the company responsible for establishing the "Nintendo Seal of Quality" is now allowing borderline unplayable browser quality games on their digital store. Obviously it's not Nintendo's fault for the quality of these games, but should they be held accountable for allowing them on their store? There are several underrated gems on the eShop, some of which have been made by GAF members, and it's upsetting to know that those games will be overlooked because the marketplace is saturated with garbage like The Letter. Sounds like the Atari 2600 all over again only in digital form. While it may be true that nobody has to buy these games, all they do is give the platform an even worse reputation than it already has. And you know that some little kid is going to be suckered into buying Meme Run.

Videos:

Flapp & Zegeta™ for Wii U, Nintendo eShop™ Denysoft™
[eShop US] Flapp & Zegeta - First Look

Screenshots:

Reviews:

NintendoWorldReport - 1/10

Flapp & Zegeta is the game nobody asked for. It tried to make Flappy Bird more complex, but it failed in every way possible. The terrible presentation and the broken physics are one thing, but losing what makes Flappy Bird fun is unforgivable. While it is unusual for me to mention a price, the developers felt it was necessary to charge $4.99 for this. Well, you get nothing. Good day sir!

Nintendo Life - 1/10

Flapp & Zegeta is a cynical attempt to cash in on the success of Flappy Bird, and it doesn't even attempt to disguise its intentions. The presentation is beyond lazy, the graphics are atrocious, and the game would have had to make a concentrated effort to be less fun than it already is. If paying $4.99 — at launch — for the recycled remains of a fad sounds like your cup of tea, then you're probably a masochist — the only audience we can safely assume this was made for in the first place.

Videos:

The Letter Review (WiiU EShop)
[eShop US] The Letter - First Look?

Screenshots:

Reviews:

Cubed3 - 0.01/10

The cost of this game is $1.99, yet users on Miiverse still feel ripped off. Eli Brewer had originally promised free updates, but has since gone silent, leaving all his customers feeling very disgruntled. As to why Brewer would release the game in this state instead of completing it first, alludes to the possibility he has no intention of completing The Letter. The game is punctuated by an ending that completely betrays and grates on the audience, delivered in the clumsiest way since the movie Monster a Go-Go. The Indiegogo campaign for The Letter began on March 5th, 2014, but got closed March 20th, only earning $377 for its $5,000 goal. Judging by the pitch video that was first shown as early as March 5th, the final product looks identical to the pitch that was used for the Indiegogo campaign. Eli Brewer is a hack fraud, con artist and his game is a scam.

Nintendo Life - 1/10

The Letter isn’t just paper thin, it’s a half-formed thought scribbled almost illegibly across a post-it note. With a plot that never goes anywhere, gameplay that’s practically non-existent and cringe-worthy production values, we can’t help but wonder how this even made it onto the Wii U eShop. It functions, but it’s so disjointed, underdeveloped and brief that there’s no reason to give it your attention. Warn your friends, write it off, and then move on.

Videos:

Meme Run REVIEW? - BGR!
A Brutally Honest Meme Run Review (Wii U)

Screenshots:

Reviews:

Nintendo Life - 1/10

With releases like Meme Run, Nintendo needs to start taking a hard look at its eShop policies on the Wii U. This is a game that simply should not have been released, and certainly not for its outlandish asking price. There is no reason to purchase Meme Run — not for a laugh, not for a good time, not for anything. Stay away from this miserable game and spend your hard-earned money and time elsewhere.

Breaking news: The creator of Meme Run has been having a meltdown over Nintendo Life's scathing review.

 

[E-phonk]

Yeah, FU valve, apple, google and nintendo!

 

[chubigans]

I had no idea it was this bad. Holy crap.

 

[BY2K]

That bird game looks like it was made in Game Maker in 10 minutes.

 

[jacobeid]

Obligatory Bosman mention:

http://www.gametrailers.com/videos/5lgw7r/the-final-bosman-the-eshop-of-horrors

 

[Leafhopper]

Well someone has to compete with Mobile games and Steam in this shitfest carnival.

In all seriousness though its pretty damn bad.

 

[Gonzo The Great]

Yeah, FU valve, apple, google and nintendo!

Nintendo isn't competing with Google. And besides, the shovelware is more noticeable on Nintendo's platform because the release calendar is so barren. When a new game comes out, it's a pretty big deal.

 

[Escalario]

This reminds me of the bitching about Early Access/Greenlight. Here's a solution: don't like it, don't buy it.

 

[GulAtiCa]

Ignore the bad games, and focus on the good games. Plenty of great games have come out of this indie Wii U greatness, such as Pixel Paint (gaffer made), X-Type+, Armillo, Scram Kitty, etc

There are plenty of shit games on Steam & iOS market too. Do you really want to go back to the period of very strict content?

 

[daxgame]

I laughed at that "thousand dollars".

 

[Vuze]

So that's where all the failed Steam Greenlight titles go, ah

 

[Haunted]

I'm amazed there are sites out there actually reviewing this shit. :lol

 

[epmode]

Fuck quality control. The last thing I want is a platform owner deciding which games I want to play. While these examples are obviously garbage, highly curated stores are virtually guaranteed to miss out on excellent, lesser known games.

Release everything and let the storefront and community sort it out.

 

[Gonzo The Great]

Ignore the bad games, and focus on the good games. Plenty of great games have come out of this indie Wii U greatness, such as Pixel Paint (gaffer made), X-Type+, Armillo, Scram Kitty, etc

There are plenty of shit games on Steam & iOS market too. Do you really want to go back to the period of very strict content?

If it means no Meme Run, yes. It's not like the games you mentioned would have been declined if there was any form of quality control going on. Apparently Meme Run was submitted to Nintendo four times before it was finally approved.

 

[stuminus3]

Call me crazy, but I've always thought it was a better idea to champion the good instead of promoting the bad. These things make money for the creators because people love a car crash. Meanwhile, did you guys play the eShop exclusive Scram Kitty? It's really good. We should talk about that.

My criticism is also squarely directed at whoever manages the NOA Twitter account...

 

[bomblord1]

So 3 games? Out of how many? Seems like a pretty good record to me.

 

[Kathian]

Don't buy them and this is the cost of more open policies.

 

[Oregano]

If it means no Meme Run, yes. It's not like the games you mentioned would have been declined if there was any form of quality control going on. Apparently Meme Run was submitted to Nintendo four times before it was finally approved.

Plenty of games fail lotcheck, some really awesome ones. Also GulAtiCa probably wouldn't have been able to produce his game if Nintendo weren't so open.

 

[SummitAve]

There's barely a handful of games released on a weekly basis, it's not hard to sort through the garbage. This isn't steam.

 

[Phazon]

Call me crazy, but I've always thought it was a better idea to champion the good instead of promoting the bad.

My criticism is also squarely directed at whoever manages the NOA Twitter account...

That's what they're usually doing. Bad games don't get Twitter coverage or prominent eShop frontpage coverage.

But yeah, it's the downside of allowing pretty much everything these days. I just ignore them.

 

[Caronte]

I like that 0.01/10 review score.

 

[tebunker]

Yeah, FU valve, apple, google and nintendo!

I mean seriously. You are forgetting that Sony and MS will allow just about anything as well.

I would prefer they never curate or moderate their shop. How do you define quality? Who sets the standard of what makes it and what doesn't? Where does the slippery slope stop?

Because the second they start doing that is the time we give Nintendo or any other shop owner the control.

People have no farking clue what the Nintendo Seal of Quality actually meant. Because there was a metric ton of Shit games on the NES too.


These threads and other articles come out every once in a while when stuff like the letter or meme run come out, but these articles fail to look at all of the other games that are great that get released because they do not curate or judge product.

Let the consumer decide. If you make an uneducated decision you should suffer the consequences and learn for the future.

Geeze I guess this is kind of a sore point for me.

At least I can agree with the Meme Run creator on one thing and that is Nintendolife is kind of rubbish. I still can't believe people like that site. It has some of the worst writing and bad reviews I have read.

 

[Brofield]

If the GAFfer made games are pointed out to me, I will gladly spend my money towards them.

As for that silly little meme game, I'm pretty sure it's late to the party, even by 9gag standards. It's something that should have died in the brain before it could escape out fingertips or mouth

 

[Ryouji Gunblade]

What would you say is the ratio here? 1 bad game to how many good games? Is the ratio higher or lower compared to other shops?

 

[ViviOggi]

Fuck options

 

[Gonzo The Great]

So 3 games? Out of how many? Seems like a pretty good record to me.

http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews

They have reviewed almost every game on the eShop, and there are dozens that have received a score of 20% or lower. I could have made the OP bigger, but I thought these were the three most egregious examples.

Fuck quality control. The last thing I want is a platform owner deciding which games I want to play. While these examples are obviously garbage, highly curated stores are virtually guaranteed to miss out on excellent, lesser known games.

Release everything and let the storefront and community sort it out.

But games like Meme Runner are being given prime real estate on the front page of the eShop. I remember when The Letter was on sale for 99 cents and there was a big ad. Like I said, the release schedule is so barren that it's a big event when a new game actually comes out.

 

[Team Top Hat]

Couldn't we say the amount about MS and Sony who allowed AssCreed Unity and MCC to be released?

 

[Kinsei]

You never have to see these games again after watching the trailer once you know. Sure there's a lto of shit on Steam/eshop/iOS/etc, but you can clearly tell the quality of the game by the trailers so it;s not like anyone is being tricked here.

Sure it sucks that people will buy these games ironically, but what can you do? It's their money after all.

 

[AdanVC]

It's like they just created those "games" just to troll on the eShop or something. It's truly awful indeed. Can't believe Nintendo allowed those things to be there.

 

[Gonzo The Great]

What would you say is the ratio here? 1 bad game to how many good games? Is the ratio higher or lower compared to other shops?

To be fair, it's still better than the likes of the App Store, but compared to XBLA and PSN, Nintendo's console competitors, the quality is generally much lower.

Couldn't we say the amount about MS and Sony who allowed AssCreed Unity and MCC to be released?

Now isn't the time for hyperbole. :V

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

But games like Meme Runner are being given prime real estate on the front page of the eShop. I remember when The Letter was on sale for 99 cents and there was a big ad. Like I said, the release schedule is so barren that it's a big event when a new game actually comes out.

This isn't meant to be snarky, but which good/great games haven't gotten front page space?

 

[protomouse]

The Seal of Quality never indicated that the game held up to certain quality standards (remember LJN?). It basically just meant that the game had been fully licensed by Nintendo and guaranteed to be compatible with their hardware.

These games aren't hurting anyone by being there. Just don't buy them.

 

[Nairume]

What would you say is the ratio here? 1 bad game to how many good games? Is the ratio higher or lower compared to other shops?

Depends on how you factor in Xbox Indies into the marketplace.

If you count it, the eShop has nothing on the shit that is allowed on there.

 

[GulAtiCa]

I wish people would stop giving these bad games attention, and help talk about those underrated Wii U eShop games. There are some real gems out there, like PING 1.5+, which are pretty decent to good, but otherwise ignored. But instead, the same bad games are given attention and free promotion time after time, thus their sales are going up each time they get attention. :/

 

[perfectchaos007]

Wasn't the creator of The Letter like a 12 year old boy? Also, good on Ninjapig studios for firing back

 

[Chris R]

Nintendo still won't allow BoI right?

 

[baekshi]

Looks like PS Mobile section on Vita.

 

[entremet]

Fuck quality control. The last thing I want is a platform owner deciding which games I want to play. While these examples are obviously garbage, highly curated stores are virtually guaranteed to miss out on excellent, lesser known games.

Release everything and let the storefront and community sort it out.

Yep.

Sony's original push to not localize 2D for the PSX was based on quality control metrics.

 

[Mononoke]

While I agree we should only be focusing on the good and not the bad, Nintendo really needs some fuckin standards. My god. This is embarrassing and reflects poorly.

Fuck quality control. The last thing I want is a platform owner deciding which games I want to play. While these examples are obviously garbage, highly curated stores are virtually guaranteed to miss out on excellent, lesser known games.

Release everything and let the storefront and community sort it out.

Doesn't have to be an extreme. Could be just a very basic check. But I get your point, it would still require someone being subjective and making that decision. Still crazy how much this leaves open to abuse. I feel bad for any consumer out there that isn't informed and buys these on e-shop. Then again, you could argue it's on the consumer to inform themselves. No one needs their hand held. *shrugs*

I still think this is embarrassing.

 

[tebunker]

But games like Meme Runner are being given prime real estate on the front page of the eShop. I remember when The Letter was on sale for 99 cents and there was a big ad. Like I said, the release schedule is so barren that it's a big event when a new game actually comes out.

First and foremost using Nintendolife as the barometer is not the best, but second if your issue is that crappy games are getting frontage, then say that in your argument.

If your real issue is that Meme Run gets the same treatment as Shovel Knight then okay we can have a reasonable conversation about NOAs handling there. I just don't think you should expect them to be a gatekeeper.

Let the market decide, and if people want to waste money on a bad game to see a train wreck what's it to you? Spend your time focusing on what you can control and pointing people to the good stuff instead.

 

[stuminus3]

That's what they're usually doing. Bad games don't get Twitter coverage or prominent eShop frontpage coverage.

Meme Run got NOA Twitter coverage, that's why I mentioned it.

 

[The Boat]

There are what, two or three atrocious games of this kind on the eShop? Oh, the horror!

 

[Gonzo The Great]

I wish people would stop giving these bad games attention, and help talk about those underrated Wii U eShop games. There are some real gems out there, like PING 1.5+, which are pretty decent to good, but otherwise ignored. But instead, the same bad games are given attention and free promotion time after time, thus their sales are going up each time they get attention. :/

I've never understood this mentality. Raising awareness for something awful does not mean I am advocating for everybody to go download Meme Runner. That being said, there are plenty of great games on the eShop that don't get the attention they deserve.

 

[Nairume]

I wish people would stop giving these bad games attention, and help talk about those underrated Wii U eShop games. There are some real gems out there, like PING 1.5+, which are pretty decent to good, but otherwise ignored. But instead, the same bad games are given attention and free promotion time after time, thus their sales are going up each time they get attention. :/

Yes, but it's so much easier to whine about the bad games when you have a bone to pick.

 

[Haunted]

Nintendo still won't allow BoI right?

when keeping it real goes wrong

 

[James Scott]

Nintendo isn't competing with Google. And besides, the shovelware is more noticeable on Nintendo's platform because the release calendar is so barren. When a new game comes out, it's a pretty big deal.

Not on the eshop, new stuff every week. Plenty of good stuff too if you guys would pay more attention to it rather than giving attention to intentionally bad games like meme run

Nintendo still won't allow BoI right?

They've been teasing a release for awhile, still no official confirmation though

 

[Gonzo The Great]

Not on the eshop, new stuff every week. Plenty of good stuff too if you guys would pay more attention to it rather than giving attention to intentionally bad games like meme run

If it's intentionally bad, why is it allowed on the eShop?

 

[Beer Monkey]

A glut of low quality games caused the industry to collapse in 1984.

Learn from the past, or repeat it.

 

[SerTapTap]

What would you say is the ratio here? 1 bad game to how many good games? Is the ratio higher or lower compared to other shops?

All I can say is PS doesn't have anything near this level of bad unless you include PS mobile which is 0 curation while eshop is supposed to have it. The library certainly seems a bit worse on Wii u lately when you compare wrost to worst, but more importantly I wish people wouldn't give this stuff the time of day. NoA fucking tweeted about meme run at launch, now that pisses me off.

 

[PensivePen]

Well, I guess someone has to fill the horrible, horrible hole the lack of XBLIG this gen has left.