The Conduit Wii Review

The Conduit

Wii Review
Developer: High Voltage Software
Publisher: SEGA
Released: July 2009

The Conduit was easily one of the more highly-anticipated Wii games for the first half of 2009, as it was an exclusive to the Nintendo console that aimed to bring a unique and enjoyable experience for more hardcore gamers.

The Conduit surely has a unique story behind it as it takes place in Washington D.C. after an alien invasion has taken place.

You take the role of an agent who aims to take on these aliens, known as The Drudge.

The storyline is not as straight-forward as it seems though, as there is a lot of conspiracy to unfold before you eyes, with everything playing out nicely as you progress through the various levels.

The graphics presented here in The Conduit are very impressive considering the fact that the Nintendo Wii cannot stand up to the Xbox 360 or PS3 in terms of raw graphical power.

The biggest issue I had with the graphics though was the fact that things just looked a bit too much the same as you progressed. There is some strong details included here, with decent texture work and lighting.

Some of the enemies and such though all look the same, which can harm the experience a tad as you progess.

Needless to say, the graphics on the Wii will impress for starters, but things will grow less appealing over time.

Audio gets the job done, but the script at times is a bit too foolish with some very awkward dialogue in spots, harming the development of the story. Overall though audio gets a pass with quality sound effects and a nice score.

As stated, you play this agent named Ford, and he is equipped with some very cool stuff in terms of futuristic weapons, armor, etc.

This is a shooter at its heart, so do not expect much beyond that.

Taking it for what it is worth though, this is a very strong shooter that relies on the classic roots from which these types of games were born.

You start out with some cool armor and weapons, and as you progress you will earn upgrades, get new weapons, etc.

You also have some platforming elements as there are puzzles and such which you will have to uncover.

In terms of replay value, the game has a very enjoyable multiplayer aspect that allows you to hop online with up to 12 friends to play capture-the-flag, free-for-all, etc. Once the game is up and going, it is very fun, and the ability to use Wii Speak is a bonus.

A few different things bothered me about this game. One thing is the fact that I did not feel that the difficulty level was hard enough in some areas.

The other factor is the fact that you can only carry two weapons at a time, and ammo is not always plentiful. For a classic shooter, I would much rather have the ability to carry 5 or 6 big guns and be able to rifle off bullets left and right.

There is thankfully not a whole lot to complain about with The Conduit.

It is by far not the most original shooter ever released, and is also not the best shooter ever released due to a game called Metroid being launched not long ago.

With that said though, for those of you looking for a new shooter and a quality experience on the Nintendo Wii for more hardcore gamers, The Conduit is certainly worth your money.

Graphics: 8.0 Very strong for the Nintendo Wii, good lighting and details.

Sound: 8.0 Dialogue is a bit sub-par at times, but score and sound effects are well-done.

Gameplay: 8.2 A very smooth experience, it is a lot of fun to control this shooter on the Wii.

Replay Value: 7.5 There is not much incentive to play single-player more than once, only play makes it last longer though.

Final Score: 8.0