The Conduit Review: The Big Fish … With Guns

Hype can be a very dangerous thing, and there isn’t any game currently out for the Wii right now that was released with more hype than Sega’s latest, “The Conduit.” It was supposed to be the salvation for the hardcore gamers that are willing to venture to the Kingdom of the Wii. It’s a AAA-level, FPS on a party-game console that’s basically running last generation’s tech. Does it live up to everything we were told it was going to be? Is it the must-play Wii game of the summer for “core gamers”? Will the world come to an end with Washington D.C. as the epicenter? Am I really going to end this opening paragraph with a self-referential question? [Continue Reading]

Thoughts From The Conduit’s Eric Nofsinger – Plus Multiplayer Action

Sega recently blew through NYC to show off “The Conduit” one last time before the game hits stores on June 23rd. This time around we got a chance to take a look at the game’s mulitplayer, and see what kind of experience “The Conduit” is going to be when you take it online. As a follow up to our Comic Con interview, High Voltage Software’s Chief Creative Officer, Eric Nofsinger, tells Unit about how far the game has come, what we can from future High Voltage games, and why “The Conduit” is going to do better than “MadWorld.” [Continue Reading]

Evasive Space Review: Lost In Space

Lately, it seems it usually takes a really good reason for a lot of Wii owners turn on their systems, sit down, and play something that isn’t “Wii Sports,” “Rock Band,” and/or ”Guitar Hero.” After all, those are some of the best party games that have been released in the last few years, and that’s why the Wii has become a party system for a lot of owners – only to be played when guests are over. However, if you look really hard, there are a few reasons to turn on your console, and load up a game, and sit and play, even if company isn’t over. “Evasive Space” is one of those games, developed by High Voltage, and published by Akinai Games, it was released last week via WiiWare. It may not be “the next big thing” but it does offer quite a bit of fun in a small package.

“Evasive Space” has a very loose story about a Stellar Guardian named Konki who has to reignite the universe by collecting stolen constellation stones, and defeating the evil Dr. Dark Matter. It’s not a great story by any means, and it’s told through text boxes that preempt each level. The blandness of the story, as well as its presentation is one of my few complaints about the game, but it’s easy to look past, when compared to the gameplay. In fact, you’ll most likely find yourself ignoring the story completely, and focusing mainly on beating the levels, after all that’s really the heart of this game. [Continue Reading]

The Conduit – The New York Comic Con Interview

This past weekend TrueGameHeadz was all over New York Comic Con. One of the games we were most excited to check out was Sega’s “The Conduit.” We had a chance to interview a couple of the guys that worked on the game. Check out what “The Conduit”’s Chief Creative Officer, Eric Nofsinger had to tell Unit about the game.

If you want more on “The Conduit,” you can check out my hands-on impressions of the game that I posted earlier today.

The Conduit Preview: Mr. Ford Goes To Washington

Sega’s “The Conduit” has a lot riding on it from all ends of the gaming spectrum. First, and foremost, core gamers are hoping that it will finally give them a reason to turn on their Wii, and play the first well-designed FPS game that has been released in a long time. Casual gamers (at least the ones that know about the game) should be hoping for a game that finally lets them take their next step in gaming – a game they can play with their hardcore friends, and actually compete. And finally, Sega is hoping High Voltage’s latest Wii title will be able to blow away the competition much like the players will be blowing away the aliens in the game. Will “The Conduit” be able to make all these people happy? Well, you know what they say about making everyone happy all of the time, but if there are gamers chomping at the bit for a solid, more traditional gaming experience on the Wii, “The Conduit” is just what they are looking for.

Since the FPS genre’s inception way back with “Wolfenstein 3D” and “Doom” gamers have been shooting up everything from aliens, to zombies, to other humans, and “The Conduit” isn’t much different. At some point in Washington D.C.’s unfortunate future, something will go really wrong, and it’s up to one man, known only as Mr. Ford, to investigate it, and set everything right. Basically, this game has everything – alien invasions, government conspiracies, terrorists, secret societies, even the Oval Office to tickle your gamer pickle. While the actual plot of the game may be a bit complex, it should hopefully weave itself together sometime before the closing credits. [Continue Reading]

Dev Box Interview: Evasive Space’s Associate Producer Keith Hladik

It usually takes a small army to create the video games that we play, and, most of the time, all of the focus gets put on the game itself, and not on the people that came together to make it. Our Dev Box interview feature takes a look at some of the unsung heroes that have committed their lives to entertaining all of us. This week we are giving High Voltage’s Keith Hladik a chance to answer some of our burning questions.

Name: Keith Hladik
Title: Associate Producer
What you do: My main responsibilities are to coordinate with publishers and ensure the game is on the right path and gets finished on time.
Most recent game worked on: “Evasive Space,” “High Voltage Hot Rod Show”

1. What game has most influenced you, and why?
If I think back, the one game that has influenced me most could probably be “Snatcher” for the Sega CD. It is the perfect example of a game ahead of it’s time. As games have matured, we’ve seen them take place of movies. “Snatcher” has been a game I’ve come back to time and time again as an example of the pinnacle of story telling in videogame format. The same could be said for “Metal Gear Solid” for the Playstation, which along those lines was a big influence on me. [Continue Reading]

Evasive Space Preview: Evading Things …. In Space

Over the last few months Nintendo’s WiiWare service has become a bit of a dumping ground for a large amount of sub par games that I’m amazed that people are willing to spend their money on. There’s hardly been even a diamond in the rough since “Tetris Party” was released. However, WiiWare’s future is not all bad. When a solid developer has a chance to really sink their teeth into creating a bite-sized game, something wonderful can happen. Such is the case with the upcoming game “Evasive Space,” which is being developed by High Voltage (yes, the same High Voltage that’s working on “The Conduit”), and released by Yukes in January. They’ve created a fun little title that’s sure to frustrate the hell out of anyone willing to give it a chance … in a good way.

“Evasive Space” isn’t a deep game by any means, but it does have a bit of a story attached to it. You play as Konki who is on a quest to defeat the evil Dr. Dark Matter and save the universe by collecting the stolen Constellation Stones. Once all the Constellation Stones are collected, light will return to the universe. That’s about it. Shallow story, and awesomely named evil villains aside, “Evasive Space” is more about the gameplay and overall persistence than anything else. [Continue Reading]

E3 2008 – The Conduit video walk through….

Fresh off of E3 comes new gameplay video of The Conduit. After seeing this footage, I’d like to know why Nintendo chose not to show this during their E3 stage press conference. Either way, this game is looking pretty damn good and proof that the little white console that could, can indeed spit out some pretty visuals that dosen’t involve cartoons and bright colors. Take a look at what High Voltage studios hopes will be the difinitivie fps experience on the Wii. I know I can’t wait to experience it as it looks like a cool throwback to the Rare gem, Perfect Dark!

Wow the real sequel to Prefect Dark!

Ok this isn’t the real sequel to prefect dark but it damn sure looks like it should have been. The Conduit is being developed by High Voltage Software, making games for 15 years, is one company well underway with a title built from the ground up for Wii. It’s a first-person shooter that revolves around government conspiracies and alien cover-ups. It’s using an advanced 3D engine that really makes the most of Nintendo’s hardware. And it features a control scheme that fully utilizes the Wii remote. So the game is looking really good so far be sure to keep your eyes out for this title.