The Conduit
- Dive into an engaging story set in modern day Washington D.C. involving secret agents, invading aliens and government conspiracies
- Robust calibration and controls customization built from the ground up for the Wii allow you to Tailor the game to your preferred style
- Up to 12 players can join up online to battle in a variety of multiplayer modes
- Vast numbers of incredibly realistic AI enemies react to player’s moves by taking cover and utilizing elements in the environment to their advantage
- Supports Nintendo’s new Wii Speak peripheral during multiplayer matches
Product Description
After a full-scale alien attack on Washington D.C., suspicions arise as to the involvement of the U.S. government. Armed with sci-fi gadgets and high-powered weapons, players will battle aliens, rogue agents and enemy forces as a former secret service agent codenamed Mr. Ford. Built exclusively for Wii, The Conduit pushes the boundaries of the platform from incredible award-winning graphics to robust controls that are customizable on-the-fly. This action-pack… More >>
Nintendo Wii | ed2yp79 2009/11/09
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By SmokeMaxX, 2009/11/09 @ 9:21 pm
The Conduit is a solid game. It’s not perfect, but what game is? You won’t see it getting 10/10 or even 9.5/10 on any major review site, but it should get a very solid 8.0-8.9.
It’s unfortunate for The Conduit that it suffers from the Wii Syndrome. That is, it is almost automatically docked points for being on the Wii. You see, its graphics can’t compete with Killzone 2. Its multiplayer features cannot compete with X-Box Live. Its single-player is average and compared to any other FPS on any other system, it may not stand out in any way.
However, people forget that it was built from the ground up especially for the Wii and has the Wii’s limitations in mind. The graphics are amazing for the Wii and some non-gamers may confuse it for an Xbox 360 game (though not a AAA title). It controls fantastically well once you adjust the fully customizable settings (seriously the depth of the customization is insane for ANY console).
The developers of this game (High Voltage Software) made few sacrifices to provide Wii owners with a game that could compete with PS360 titles. It has an achievement system (analogous to 360 Achievements or PS3 Trophies) despite Nintendo’s lack of putting in place a console-specific reward system. It has Wii Speak capabilities (the first 3rd party game on the Wii to provide this and perhaps the 2nd or 3rd game on the Wii to provide this).
Truth be told, the game is not perfect. Every once in a while, the frame-rate does hiccup, but it is rare. It does require Friend Codes (only to play with friends and use Wii Speak), but Wii System friends can be imported directly into the game and any friend of a friend can also join the game or speak to you. However, HVS has worked hard to minimize these problems and provide an enjoyable experience for all Wii owners.
All in all, I fully recommend the game to Wii owners who either like First Person Shooters or just want to try it out. “Hardcore” gamers may find The Conduit to be a simple run and gun game. In a sense, it is (until you start playing competitively), but this simplicity may also be a Godsend to people who have never played a FPS before.
Positives
+ Fully customizable controls
+ Great online (12 players, numerous modes, around 20 guns, very little lag)
+ Great graphics for the Wii
+ Great multiplayer (including a lobby system and Wii Speak)
+ Least annoying use of Friend Codes in a non-EA game.
+ Reminds many people of Perfect Dark or GoldenEye.
Negatives
- Single player isn’t mind blowing (average to above average)
- Framerate drops every once in a while (not very common even if you throw multiple grenades and have multiple people shooting at the same time)
- No unique, defining feature (besides the All Seeing Eye, but it’s underutilized). However, I would argue that it is a great combination of the best features from some of the best FPSs ever.
- As with any game, multiplayer sometimes has lag. Combined with the fact that Nintendo wouldn’t allow HVS to kick players that lagged alot, you will encounter some people that seem to teleport.
Final Rating: 8.5/10 — Solid Game.
Rating: 5 / 5
By Kierre Hodges, 2009/11/09 @ 10:35 pm
Let me start by saying I prefer Call of Duty (as a shooter & online play) because it doesn’t bore me. The graphics in the Conduit are well done. I applaud those.
I would take elements from other games and add them because I think it would make the game better.
For example… Being able to adjust the HUD is nice. I may have checked that option once or twice and haven’t used it since. I think most games just need to focus on displaying the information during the game as simple, and easy as possible. In other words if you can tell me how many shots I have without showing me a huge flashing number I like that.
As well I am really bummed about the online play. Call of Duty WaW is a great example of how the online in this game could have been. Conduit’s online system is very primitive! I felt like I was just running through hallways the whole time. I couldn’t get the range I have in call of duty where I can stand on a ledge and pick people off one by one. The level they call the street is one of the worst I have seen in any online game. You basically shoot each other off in a demolished intersection and have a few buildings to run into for cover. The maps just feel small and it’s so easy to find someone just listen for the sound and you’ll get them.
Maybe its me but some of the smaller enemies have funny voice acting? Like a toy or something. I was being chased by little puppets in some parts of the game. The larger enemies growl like bears or something and why I don’t know. They could have been a little less of what ever it is they are doing…
As for the gameplay I sometimes wondered why I was picking up the alien guns. They moved like lizards and seemed to be breathing in between firing. This game is definitely made for the sci-fi & battle star galactica crowd.
I liked that I could remap my buttons something most games don’t allow anymore. I found that I basically mapped all of them similar to how they would be in World at War. I can’t help but compare this game with WAW because it’s one of the best Wii shooters next to this one (forgive me). Only thing I found that was unchangeable was throwing a grenade. I still had to wave the Nun chuck like an idiot. My accuracy in where I wanted the thing to land was always off due to this simple gesture which as in Call of duty I would simply turn that option off, and the grenade throw is mapped to the D pad. Accuracy is always on point.
I just think this game is a great example of the graphic capability of the Wii. The system is small but it can put out some detail. You can see it clearly in this game. Graphics are crisp but this game falls short compared to the last shooter we got. Call of Duty in no way compares graphically to this game but Conduit has some lessons to learn when it comes to online shooters. They maybe can take some tips from the guys that worked on in my opinion one of the best shooters on any system. The Call of Duty Franchise. I’d keep this game in my library just to show the graphics off but more than likely I will go back to playing COD4 for the long haul well into 2010.
Rating: 3 / 5
By always somebodies mom, 2009/11/10 @ 1:27 am
oh yeah!!!!!! first review!
if you are a hardcore gamer,
and you have a wii this is the game you need to buy.
the online is the best!(better then call of duty’s)
the conduit is the first real great fps for the wii.
it is a must buy!!!
Rating: 5 / 5
By D. Renfroe, 2009/11/10 @ 3:53 am
This is the first true FPS experience to be found on the Wii besides for Call of Duty: World and War. The Game has much the same feel and Golden Eye and Perfect dark. I still believe to this day that Perfect dark is the best pure FPS Console shooter.
In short: A must have for Wii owners.
Rating: T for Teen – I think this is important to note… this is a hardcore Wii game, but without all the un-necessary bad language and excessive blood. Parents will like this.
Graphics: The graphics are outstanding for a Wii game, Not perfect, but the use of bump maps and lighting (among other special effects) really sets the stage for a great presentation. Another thing I noted was the fluid animation of the enemies. Plays very smoothly at 30FPS in 480p. The subway area is amazing looking with metallic reflections and great visual effects. The downside is that not all of the areas have the same quality. The quality is varied throughout the game and is noticeable uon close inspection. Also, a very noticeable problem is that grenade blasts and smoke go right through walls. But overall this is the best looking FPS on the Wii and second best looking game on Wii (Mario Galaxy has set the bar very high). One may even mistake this game for a Xbox 360 game upon first viewing!
Sound: The music is stunning, although it lacks punch on the Wii. See diego-stocco on google. When listening to the sound track on my PC is sounded higher quality. The sound effects are very good especially the guns and grenades. Very satisfying. This game also rocks with Dolby Pro-Logic II. It works just as expected and sounds great on my Pioneer 5.1 setup. Also has good voice acting.
Gameplay: The controls are the most configurable controls I have ever had on a Console game. This translates into the Best FPS shooter controls of any system (for anyway a person wants to play). It took me about an hour to tweak the controls to my exact liking. The default control settings seem to be a bit slow for a seasoned games. so definitively adjust your control to your liking. But now I can pull off headshots with ease. The single player game seams to be around six or seven hours. High Voltage Studios added lots of little touches, like radio’s that can be tuned, computers and interesting posters and the like around the game. The downside to the game play is that it is very linear… very scripted. But is is non the less still very fun. I believe there is to be a sequel. This is a great stepping stone to greatness, but they will to kick it up a notch to achieve this end.
Multiplayer: Very very good. Its like Halo. Supports Wii speak for ingame chat Read the game description for all the modes.
In closing: Great game. Not perfect, but a very good start. I cant wait to see the games that follow from this developer.
+Great Controls – Customizable
+Great Graphics – Effects make the difference
+Great Multiplayer – supports Wii speak.
+Good Sound – Especially the Sound effects and Dolby Pro Logic. Very good sound track, but lacks punch (may be a Wii limitation).
-Weak Story
-Single Player Game is too short
-Inconsistent level design quality
In short: A must have for Wii owners. BUY THIS GAME!
Rating: 4 / 5
By William J. Milby, 2009/11/10 @ 5:29 am
To get down to it, it looks very good, not as good as Metroid 3, but close. My personal biggest problem is that it really could have benefited greatly from running at 60FPS as opposed to 30.
As far as the multiplayer goes, it has a very streamlined design (minus the sadly included friend codes). I did experienced some two game crashes, but they were rare and did not take away from the gameplay experience which is as fun as the majority of other console FPS games.
Single player is a different story, even thought the voice acting is quite good, the story leaves much to be desired in terms of originality (though I do like the D.C. setting). The real draw back to the single player is it’s core way of progression seems very dated, pull you buy the nose to the next objective and drop you in and out of missions with little context.
Of course the real shining star with the Conduit is the controls, which I’m glad to say is one of the best controlling FPS’s I’ve ever played. So that paired with the great online makes for a very exceptional Wii title.
Rating: 4 / 5