The Conduit (Wii Review) by Zeypher

The Conduit
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: High Voltage Software
System: Wii
Release: June 23rd 2009, US

Does High Voltage's much hyped Wii-exclusive FPS live up to the hype, or does it fall short?

Back in April of 2008, High Voltage showed a very early version of its Wii exclusive FPS, The Conduit, along with their Quantum 3 engine technology. Promising the most realistic Wii visuals and FPS control, The Conduit was a very ambitious title on the "family friendly" Wii. With a track record of creating mainly only licensed titles, many doubted High Voltage's abilities. So, how did it turn out?

In The Conduit, players take control of Michael Ford, a Secret Service Agent who becomes hired by Mr. Adams, leader of a secret organization called the Trust. Ford's first objective is to catch a terrorist known as Prometheus, and steal back an item called the All Seeing Eye (ASE). The plot quickly twists, and for the sake of spoilers I won't go into it a whole lot. There is an alien invasion underway, and a national conspiracy that gets deeper and deeper as the story progresses. There's also a large back story in the game, told through radio broadcasts found throughout levels. If you just want to run and shoot things you can do so, but players who want to really experience the full story can listen to the radio broadcasts and start to put the pieces of the puzzle together. As well as the radio broadcasts, there are tons of secret messages on the walls that can be uncovered with the ASE, that greater go into the conspiracy. All the voice acting in the game is very professional; Ford is voiced by Mark Sheppard, Mr. Adams by William Morgan Sheppard, and Prometheus by Kevin Sorbo. Along with the voice work, the soundtrack is also great and catchy, with ambient tunes, fast paced ones, and guitar rifts.

The Conduit's single player campaign is made up of 9 missions taking place in Washington DC, and should last players around 6-7 hours depending on their chosen difficulty level. To keep players coming back, The Conduit has an Achievement and Stat tracking system for the single player. All the levels are progressed through in a linear fashion, and have a lot of "corridor shooting" a la N64 shooters such as GoldenEye and Perfect Dark, which some people may find a bit "last gen". There are a variety of weapons, 18 in all, ranging from human weapons to advanced Trust weapons to the bio weapons of the Drudge. The ASE also becomes a large part of the gameplay, allowing players to uncover hidden wall messages, data discs, hack computers, and reveal hidden puzzles that open secret Trust bunkers where a super powerful weapon is stored. There are only a few different enemy types: Trust agents, guards, and Drudge Drones. There are different variations of the Drudge enemies; ranging from small Mites, Drones, powerful Scarabs, flying Skimmers, and giant Invaders. Throughout the missions there are portals called "Conduits" that spawn Drudge endlessly until they are destroyed.

Control in The Conduit feels great on the default settings, but if players wish, they can edit everything. And by everything, I mean everything. The control layout can be completely changed to any button mapping players desire, the HUD can be moved about freely, sensitivity can be changed, and even the Wii Remote Dead Zone can be modified. Wii FPS control issues are a thing of the past with The Conduit, because if there's something about it players don't like, they can change it.

The visuals in The Conduit are absolutely stunning for a Wii game, even if the art direction isn't the best. Textures stay detailed when viewed up close, "next gen" features such as bump mapping, reflection and refraction, detail mapping, and gloss mapping are all in the game; something that is rarely in any Wii game. The framerate does take a few hits when there are lots of explosions on screen however, but players won't notice it unless they know it's there or are looking for it. Reload and gun animations look fantastic, and enemies have a different type of death for each weapon used to kill them. High Voltage Software did a great job of creating Washington DC, with many popular landmarks being spot-on.

The big selling point for the game is the online multiplayer mode. Up to 12 players can participate in online FPS action, with a ton of different modes split into three categories: Free For All, Team Reaper, and Team Objective. Free For All consists of modes including basic Quick Match and Marathon modes, as well as unique modes such as ASE Football (player who has control of the ASE longest wins) and Bounty Hunter (players are given a certain player they need to kill, and if they kill the wrong one they lose points), and more. Team Reaper has the basic Team Death Match modes, and Team Objective has modes that require team work, such as HVS' version of Capture the Flag: Capture the ASE. There are 13 modes in all, along with 7 maps ranging from big and open to small and crowded. Players can also choose from 5 different models and customize their colors. To keep things fair, before each match everyone votes on a Game Type, Weapon Set, and Map, the winner being chosen randomly Mario Kart Wii-style.

Friends are added via friend codes of The Conduit, or with invitations to their Wii console friends. The lobby system online is great, except for one huge problem: getting together with friends and joining public matches. In the perfect world, we would be able to invite our friends to our lobby, and jump into a public match together, like in Call of Duty: World at War and other online shooters. However in The Conduit, you have to join your friend once they're already in a public match, and if there's already 12 players you're SOL. This isn't a problem that hinders the online experience, but one that could be fixed to make everything a lot easier for friends. Wii Speak is also utilized for voice chat between friends and friends of friends. At first it's really hard to hear what your friends are saying, but luckly the Wii Speak Sensitivity can be set on a higher mode. You can hear and speak to your six closest friends in a Free For All match, and all your friends in Team Reaper and Team Objective matches that are on your same team.

Players may experience some lag depending on their internet connection, but for the most part, the online mode is lag-free and tons of fun with an online ranking system and player stats being tracked offline.

The Verdict

Sound
14/15- Great voice acting for the main characters, and a catchy soundtrack with guitar rifts layed down by Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen.

Graphics
18/20- The best realistic looking graphics on the Wii. Not the best art direction, but the loads of "next gen" effects make up for that. A few framerate dips here and there when big explosions take place, but not gameplay hindering. Graphics don't look as stunning online, but are still great. Menus look nice and slick.

Appeal
21/25- The single player campaign is a bit short, and the levels progress in a linear fashion and may seem "last gen". The story is told well and has many plot twists that will keep players interested. An achievement system for the single player mode will bring players back to it. The biggest point is the online multiplayer, which features 12 player matches of 13 different modes comprised into three categories.

Gameplay
31/40- Straight run and gun levels with a few puzzle elements keep The Conduit's single player from being amazing, but are still solid and fun to progress through. Fully customizable controls give players the ability to set everything to how they like it, and become truly immersed in the experience. Multiplayer action is top-notch on the Wii.

Overall
84/100- High Voltage Software has delivered on their promise of delivering the best realistic looking Wii game, and the most expansive multiplayer experience on the console. The single player may have its share of problems, but it's a solid campaign filled with an interesting conspiracy story, sure to fill the needs of sci-fi fans. Fully customizable controls put the double analog scheme to shame, and are up to par with PC mouse and keyboard control. Overall, a solid but not amazing FPS that every Wii owner or fan of the genre should purchase.

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