The Conduit Review


Yep. This is the big first person shooter that was highly anticipated for the Wii, developed by High Voltage software and picked up by Sega. It was a milestone for Nintendo (as far as first person shooters go), and was supposed to be a heck of a game. Well, all I can say is that Nintendo farted…big time…because the game reeks of wasted design (hahaha…yeah, that joke sucked). However, it does have its moments, and can still be very fun at times.

You are Michael Ford, a former agent that is confronted by a mystery man named Mr. Adams. Adams will command Mr. Ford to kill a bunch of agents, get some secret information from the government (using a gadget called the All-Seeing-Eye, or the ASE). However, he is then backstabbed, and his plan is revealed. He works for the Trust, and Prometheus, whom he made seem an enemy, confronts you to help defeat Mr. Adams. You must stop the Trust from taking over America. Mr. Adams commands Aliens, people, and did I say Aliens? That’s the game in a nutshell. The plot is interesting, and in case you do buy the game, I will not spoil it for you. I will say this though, the plot is left on a cliff hanger…perhaps hinting at The Conduit 2.

First, let’s start with the controls. Let me say just one thing: the controls are AMAZING! They are fully customizable. You can change your turning speed, your reticule speed, your control sensitivity, and much, much more (need I go on?). Now, you might want to take full advantage of this system, because you are going to eventually get the perfect control set, which would in turn, greatly enhance your experience. Darn…to bad this was one of the only spectacular things about the game.

Now, the graphics I saw when playing both the multiplayer mode and single player campaign were both great, and horrible. Why don’t we save the best for last, and take a look at the depressing stuff? If you look outside the window, you can see that the backdrops looked like abstract paintings! Seriously, they…to be rather blunt…sucked! Now, I can’t blame the developer, High Voltage Software. The Wii’s engine is only the size of a bumblebee, as opposed to the graphical engine of the Xbox360 or the Playstation3. There is no comparison! However, there were some great things about the visuals…I will say that (or type it…hahaha…yeah, that joke also sucked). The guns looked rather impressive to me, and some of the effects such as splashing water, explosions, and other things of the sort were programmed with skill! The frame rate was constant, and the developers of the game were even able to create smoke when the grenade exploded. The enemies themselves were also well done.

The campaign’s level of fun varied. It was not horrible, nor was it anything spectacular. At times though, it did get repetitive. As I said before, I found the plot to be interesting, but that was really one of the very few highlights. Of course, you must use an arsenal of weaponry to dispatch your foes. You have alien weapons (which are very futuristic), modern day weapons, and Trust weapons (which are also very futuristic). Now, I need to tell you this. The weapons are almost all exactly the same. There are a few creative weapons, but for the most part, they are not special…at all. The mechanics of the game work very similarly to Halo 1. In fact, the whole game plays like Halo 1, and that is saying something…since that game was made in 2002…or something like that. Seriously Nintendo, get with the program! You shoot somebody in the head and they die quickly. Otherwise, it may take two whole clips just to kill one person. That’s right, two whole clips of ammo! If you get all the bullets into a person, it may take one whole clip. Still, that’s just wrong! The game does have strategic moments, because you can’t just run into a room full of people and expect to live. Also, you have to be quick with your fingers if you want to survive. There are moments of excitement, where you are fighting through waves of enemies and hanging on for dear life. However, the campaign is bland, and nothing special.

Now for the part we’ve all been waiting for…the multiplayer. When I play The Conduit, I sometimes experience heavy amounts of lag, button delay, and I also suffer because of the cheaters who rely on using glitches in the game (all right, I admit, I have combined the rocket launcher and the machine gun once…or twice…or thrice…). The fact that the debugging team did not catch all of these glitches makes me sick. How could you not be able to find these? Because of the glitches, people have stripped the fun from…the explosive matches. Also, the intense lag makes killing people very, very difficult. On the other hand, however, the matches can be intense when there is no lag or glitchers. Players must use an arsenal of weapons to kill each other, and jump around the place. When everything operates in real time, you have to be quick and accurate to dispatch your foes. This part of the multiplayer was very well done. Now, there are a few modes to play. You can choose to play a public match either with people in the same region (Regional matches…probably people in your country), or worldwide. Once you choose that option, you can choose to play free for all, comprising of several modes: bounty hunter, ASE football (you try to hold the ASE for the longest time), Marathon (a twenty minute match of killing people), or three strikes (each player has three lives). Team Reaper is basically like a team free for all…you kill the other team members and try to get the most kills. Team Objective is very similar to capture the flag. One side has an ASE, and you must steal it, and bring it back to your own base while defending your own. You can switch it up, and fight over a single ASE. Now, the level design for the multiplayer was very disappointing. It was very, very generic and boring. There was nothing creative whatsoever. The level design could have been much, much more creative. That would have made the game very fun. The multiplayer has many problems to make it comparable to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1 or 2, but it can still be very fun.

Here is how I rate the games, I will rate in several categories, and will make a composite score out of fifty. I will also give a side note to what the score means.

Graphics: 7/10
Sound/Music: 4/10 (The music was very, very uninspiring and boring)
Game Play: 7.5/10
Campaign: 6.5/10
Overall Experience: 7/10

Total: 32/50 (okay)
The game is nothing special. Hey, Nintendo is new at this, give them time, and I am sure they will finally get it. Halo 1 is comparable to this, and that was a great start. This is also a…good start. I really hope that High Voltage will make use of the Wii Motion Plus, and perhaps make an unbelievable First Person Shooter…with futuristic swords or something. If you have Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, then stick with it. Frankly, this game doesn’t even compare! I hope High Voltage will kick it up a notch…they have to if they want the company to surviv