What's wrong with using your company's mascots to make games? It's what people want, so it's what companies are making. Why do you think there are so many Mario Party games? Believe it or not, those games sell pretty well. They aren't soaking up those characters, they're giving people what they want.
And I agree, Starfox Command was a good game. It's different from other Starfox games, which is something I'm always up for. You shouldn't let the game's engine take away your overall experience. Learn to adapt to it. I don't see anything wrong with that game, just like I didn't see anything wrong with FF7: Dirge of Cerberus. It's different and it entertained me.
Oh, and yeah, Wii all the way! It's sad that the console won't be region free, because Japan does get a LOT of good games that we never see.