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Review: The Conduit
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A good first person shooter... for the Wii.
Story: You play as Agent Ford, a secret agent who is pulled by different powers during an alien invasion of Washington DC. It’s the videogame equivalent of a B-movie plot, which isn’t a good thing. The voice acting is corny. The story moves by either the laziest excuses for cutscenes I have ever seen, or in-game messages. The plot is throwaway and generic, but that’s the least important aspect of first person shooters, so it’s passable
Gameplay: The Conduit does some things very good and some things very bad. There are very few areas that are good or average, its one extreme or the other. I will start with the good.
When the Conduit was announced, it’s most touted feature was the controls. The final product does feature the most customizable shooter controls I have ever experienced. Given enough tweaking, you will find the setting that fits you like a glove.
The other above average (for Wii) feature in the Conduit is the online multiplayer. You can share friend codes to set up matches or just play with random people. There are many different stages and modes to try out. The most popular one I played was “Bounty Hunter”, where you are given a single target to hunt down and kill. At the same time someone else is hunting you. With up to 12 other people things can get very chaotic. From what I have played there was little lag, but I have heard complaints. Another noteworthy feature is the addition of voice chat.
Sadly, I must now get to the bad. The developers put a lot of effort into the controls and the graphics, but little into everything else. The part of the game that takes the biggest hit is the level design. If it wasn’t for the prettier paint job and controls I would swear I was playing a Nintendo 64 game. You walk around bland hallways and rooms with little interactivity. You are supposed to be in Washington DC, but you might as well be in Detroit; the game has no atmosphere. The genre has come a long way since the days of Goldeneye and Doom. The Conduit feels like a game made 10 years ago.
Along with the levels, the gameplay itself is also ancient. The entire experience is as run and gun as they come. You charge into identical rooms firing at the generic aliens and soldiers. Not only that, but the enemy A.I. is dumb, really dumb.
The other unique feature to the game is the “All Seeing Eye”. This little gadget is nothing but a glorified multi tool that causes you to waste time. All the traps and door locks are invisible, so the “All Seeing Eye” will alert you as you walk by. Instead of shooting at the mines and locks you have to scan them and wait, which I guess is supposed to be fun. What’s worse is that the mines aren’t even totally invisible, which defeats the whole purpose.
Graphics: This game is one of the best looking titles available for the Wii. It looks good but doesn’t jump out at you. I think this is mostly due to the art direction. The game is a step up for Wii, but still pales in comparison to the HD graphics on other systems.
Sound: The sound is like that of an average shooter, if that means anything.
Verdict: I bought into the hype, and now I am paying for it. Don’t get me wrong, The Conduit is a good game, but it feels like I have played it before… eight times. If you own a 360 or PS3 there is no reason or incentive to buy this game.
In contrast to other Wii shooters it doesn’t surpass Metroid 3 or Call of Duty World at War. Metroid 3 was an engrossing singe player game with great control. Call of Duty World at War had a fantastic single player game with good multiplayer. While not the best FPS on Wii, The Conduit does have the best multiplayer. If you are a Wii owner and are itching for some online combat, I would recommend it.
I know that this review has been mostly negative. It is due to my disappointment. I look back at games like Halo 2 and Timesplitters 2. Those games were on much weaker consoles, yet still blow The Conduit out of the water in every aspect. I would have preferred it if the Conduit had just blatantly ripped off either of those games. At least it would have been fun. Yes, The Conduit has awesome controls, but I need to enjoy shooting at things to enjoy the game.
In closing, if you only have a Wii, buy the Conduit. If you haven’t played a shooter since Doom, buy the Conduit. If you are a gamer who likes shooters and owns other systems, try before you buy.
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