The Conduit Review: The Big Fish … With Guns

Written by 2.o | July 27, 2009

The Conduit

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?

In terms of Wii games, “The Conduit” went big. Everything from the story to the production values were much bigger than gamers have come to expect on the Wii, and it proved that there is a lot of potential left for a console that has been on the market for almost three years now. From graphics to gamplay, “The Conduit” pushes the Wii’s capabilities from every angle.

One of the biggest selling points of “The Conduit” is its story. It’s a well-written, thoughtfully developed, deep concept that has everything from conspiracies, to secret societies, to aliens. Much like a good book, it keeps you wanting to find out what happens next, and the plot manages to completely twist from beginning to end. The gist of it is that Washington D.C. is being invaded by an alien race called The Drudge, and you, Agent Michael Ford, need to put a stop to them, as well as the secret society hell-bent on taking over the United States in the process. You know, it’s just another day at the office for Mr. Ford.

The Conduit

It’s basic FPS gameplay from beginning to end, and on the Wii, that means your Wiimote is your gun, and your nunchuck controls your movement (complete with bonus grenade chucking capabilities). Fortunately, “The Conduit” has been released far enough into the Wii’s lifecycle that High Voltage has learned a lot about how to tailor the controls to the Wii’s unique motion sensing capabilities, so that the targeting and movement are spot on. But, even if they weren’t the game offers multiple levels of controller customization that will allow you to make the experience yours (as well as make you wonder why so few games offer this many options). While the controls are very good, you may find yourself struggling with them just a bit in the beginning, before you manage to get them to exactly where you need them to be. Also, the grenade toss is extremely sensitive, and if you happen to accidentally move your hand (to say, scratch your eyebrow), you will throw a grenade, which is a big mistake in most of the game’s tight quarters.

Once you get the controls down, the next challenge is the gameplay. It’s a fairly straightforward FPS game, where your enemies appear, and you need to shoot them in the face, or die trying. The levels are a little predictable, and linear, but with a pleasant mix of human and alien attackers, which will keep you guessing at every turn. The game also incorporates an additional mechanic, called the “All Seeing Eye,” or “A.S.E.,” which is not just another toy in Mr. Ford’s vast and varied arsenal. The A.S.E. is less of a weapon, and more of a tool that allows Michael to “see” things that he normally wouldn’t be able to. If there is alien writing on a wall, the A.S.E. can interpret it. The A.S.E. can also diffuse alien mines, and unlock hidden armories which are both a necessity in most of the levels. The A.S.E. even contains to ability to collect information on hidden data disks scattered throughout the levels, which will force completionists to scan every corner of every level to see what the A.S.E. turns up for them.

The Conduit

In addition to the great, yet short, single player campaign, “The Conduit” includes an intense online multiplayer mode. In 2009 it shouldn’t need to be noted that an FPS includes up to 12-player online matches, but when the game in question is on the Wii, it’s definitely worth noting. It’s a mode that gamers love, yet Nintendo themselves didn’t think enough of it to include it in their own “Metroid” game. While other games have included great online experiences along with their games on the Wii, “The Conduit” now gets to add their name to the list. It’s a great extension of the single player campaign, and its multiple modes should keep both fans of the game, as well as fans of FPS multiplayer games playing for months after their original purchase.

There are a couple things that the team at High Voltage did that really put “The Conduit” in an elite class on the Wii, the first of which was up the ante in terms of graphics. Simply put, “The Conduit” looks great… if you’re waiting for the “for a Wii game” qualifier” then you’re going to be waiting a while. “The Conduit” looks great for a video game of this generation. Sure, it’s no “Halo 3,” but it really does hold its own in the terms of graphics, and it is more than just a PS2 level game with motion controls. A lot of time and effort went into make sure that the overall quality of the graphics was executed well, and it really paid off.

The second thing that “The Conduit” did exceptionally well was catering to the player. It’s something that surprisingly not enough games do nowadays. The degree of customization in this game is staggering, allowing you to tweak everything from the controls, to the responsive area on the screen. It’s something that not enough games offer, and tends to be something that you might not realize until you see it done as well as it is here. It may seem like a small thing in the grand scheme of the game, but it’s High Voltage’s attention to detail that really makes the game work so well, and it really completes the package.

The Conduit

From beginning to end, “The Conduit” is hard to classify. It’s absolutely a solid, enjoyable title, with well-done mechanics, and a functioning, competitive online multiplayer… for the Wii. Releasing this game for gaming’s Great White Hope was the best thing that High Voltage and Sega could have done. They cornered a market that desperately needed cornering, and they were able to showcase just what can be done on the Wii. But, it’s hard to judge this particular title, because it stands virtually alone in the FPS section of the Wii’s library, with but a handful of other games to keep it company, and in that space, it’s a big fish in a small pond. However, in the larger market of powerhouse FPS games, “The Conduit” is going to fall short against your “Modern Warfare”s and “Killzone”s. Fortunately, those games are never going to see a Wii release, and “The Conduit” isn’t going to have to worry about. In other words, being a big fish was one of the best decisions High Voltage could have possibly made for this game.

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