The Conduit

The Conduit Box Art Click for larger view

  • Release Date: Jun. 23, 2009
  • Price: $50.00
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Developer: High Voltage Software
  • Platform(s): Wii
  • Genre: Action
  • ESRB Rating: Teen
  • Blood
    Mild Language
    Violence
  • www.esrb.org

Summary

Game Description

The Wii isn't exactly a graphical powerhouse, but if The Conduit has its way, you'll be seeing visuals that are nearly on-par with the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. In this futuristic first-person shooter, you'll play a secret agent charged with fending off an impending alien invasion by a mysterious race called The Drudge. Conduit is set in a post-apocalyptic / alien invasion-type of world, which sounds like a mash up of FPS cliches but works well for gameplay purposes. You've got Killzone-esque army dudes and Resistance-style crawlies to kill with alien guns reminiscent of Halo. And like all those games, Conduit should have a robust suite of online modes. Well, robust for the Wii, anyway.

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User Reviews

Average User Score

5 stars
(40)
4 stars
(8)
3 stars
(4)
2 stars
(3)
1 stars
(5)
Click here to add your pros/cons to the mix
Pros Cons
Amazing visuals [23] Poor storytelling [14]
Tight controls [20] Not enough content [12]
Fantastic multiplayer [18] Repetitive gameplay [10]
Addictive gameplay [15] Doesn't live up to expectations [9]
Intense action [14] Braindead computer AI [9]
Just plain fun [12] It's boooring [4]
Innovative concepts [8] Annoying audio [4]
Engaging story [6] Terrible multiplayer [3]
Awesome audio [6] Ugly visuals [2]
Epic boss fights [4] Unresponsive controls [2]
Loads of content [2] Lousy camera/viewpoint [1]
show all pros/cons

Most Popular User Reviews

The Conduit - Wii

Pros Cons
Engaging story Ugly visuals
Tight controls Not enough content
  Doesn't live up to expectations
  Terrible multiplayer
missing something

well i played this game with high hopes and maybe thats why i didnt like it that much. the conduit was great at first, i was excited to play it and it wasnt hard to get into it ether. i was going in shooting everyone having fun as if i was playing halo for the wii. the part that realy brought the game down was the story. it was hard to understand but after the second time playing i kindof understood it. the graphics are good for the wii but compared to the xbox 360.... like always theres no competion. last the ending.... THERE WAS NO ENDING!!!!!! OMG i was so mad to find out nothing but that thers gona be a sequle. all in all it was fun but i really have to say rent it first.

The Conduit - Wii

Pros Cons
Amazing visuals Poor storytelling
Intense action Not enough content
Tight controls Doesn't live up to expectations
Fantastic multiplayer Repetitive gameplay
Was it Worth the Wait?

I'm sure most of you have heard by now that The Conduit is an average shooter for the Wii with a cliche story, and repetitive gameplay. This information is mostly correct, but The Conduit does have some redeeming qualities. The story follows Mr. Ford and his fight to stop The Drudge from taking over Washington D.C., and all under a conspiracy theme. However, it can be predictable at points and feels all too familiar. The story does have some unexpected plot twists, but Mr. Ford just doesn't have enough character to him for the player to really care about his situation. The other characters in the story are more interesting, but not many background details are given about them, some of it to fuel a sequel. The story could have been much deeper had more background been given to the characters and if Mr. Ford had an actual personality. More cinematic cut scenes would have helped give life to the story. The acting is good, and the story serves its purpose as reason to kill things but doesn't do much else. The Conduits visuals are above average, but don't beat the likes of Metroid Prime 3. Guns and enemies are detailed, but environments are a little bland in some areas, primarily backgrounds and repeating hallways/corridors. Water and particle effects are great, and lighting is used in real time with the ASE. The music provides a good bit of atmosphere, and fits the action heavy gameplay. The main theme is very catchy but in a good way. Gameplay is pretty straight forward, you move through the levels alone shooting enemies and using the ASE to solve "puzzles" that don't usually amount to more than find the hidden switch(es). It's somewhat disappointing that the ASE wasn't used more creatively especially since it's a universal cipher and hacking device. Its importance to the story isn't revealed. Enemies are smart enough and use cover, but won't exactly bewilder the player with their strategic prowess and plan their moves carefully.Enemies continually spawn from conduits and egg sacs forcing players to get their priorities straight. Unfortunately, there aren't many enemy types which doesn't help the game seem less repetitive. The weapon selection is nice, and very balanced with no "garbage weapons" to be had. Everything in the arsenal is useful. The controls are excellent if time is spent to calibrate everything till it feels right; it took me about an hour to find a control scheme and settings I was absolutely comfortable with. Practically everything can be adjusted and customized with a few exceptions. The multiplayer supports up to twelve playes and is excellent-when it works. Like most Wii games it uses friend codes and getting friends to join you in random matches can be a hassle. There is little lag, but oftentimes I found myself being dropped from the match or getting caught in the crescent of death, a glitch that forces you to reset your console to escape or wait up to 20 minutes for the match to end. It is important to note that the connection at my home is almost always busy with something else along with online gaming. There are seven maps and quite a few game types including the standards like TDM and CTF, along with others like Shared Stock and Bounty Hunter. Wiispeak is compatible with The Conduit, but as of right now I have yet to test it. Players can earn XP and rank up to a maximum level of twenty-four and more XP is rewarded for kill streaks. Without leader boards to keep track of stats in the multiplayer there isn't much reason to come back back once reaching level twenty-four. However, those twenty-four levels should still provide quite a few good hours of entertainment. If you're a Wii only owner then The Conduit is most definitely worth a look, otherwise ignore it or give it rent.

The Conduit - Wii

Pros Cons
Amazing visuals Poor storytelling
Awesome audio Doesn't live up to expectations
Intense action  
Innovative concepts  
Good, not great.

The Conduit had a lot to live up to.
1: delivering a good FPS to the Wii,
2:engaging us in the world they created,
and 3: keeping it Teen for a wider audience.

So the game has an excuse for the graphics to be bad on multiplayer, and for some control delays. But not for just a flat out confusing story. On their website, 1 month before the games release, they were giving away the story line.

In the end I had a freind tell me the ending, wich still did not make sense.

But on the other hand, the controls for single player were awesome, the graphics were the best on Wii and the audio was great.

All this, though still did not make up for the dissapointing and nongripping storyline wich did not even permit me to finish the final level.

In other words The Conduit did not live up to expectations, and was over all good, not great.

The Conduit - Wii

Pros Cons
Amazing visuals Poor storytelling
Epic boss fights Braindead computer AI
Intense action  
Addictive gameplay  
Fantastic multiplayer  
Just plain fun  
AWESOME

a great game one of the best fps games on the wii if you have only a wii check it out this instant if you have a xbox 360 of ps3 stay with your current favorite

The Conduit - Wii

Pros Cons
Amazing visuals Poor storytelling
Addictive gameplay Not enough content
Tight controls Repetitive gameplay
Fantastic multiplayer Terrible multiplayer
Just Plain Awesome

The Conduit is, by far, my favorite game on the wii. Customizable controls make gameplay so much easier and the online multiplayer kept my interest. The only things missing: A longer story mode and splitscreen multiplayer battles!
(I'll write a more detailed review soon)

GamePro Content

The Conduit Recent Articles

  • Jun. 26, 2009 Cheats: The Conduit - Codes & Unlockables

    Use the All-Seeing eye with these cheats to uncover the conspiracy.

  • Jun. 23, 2009 Review: The Conduit

    I'm not sure who I should blame for The Conduit's shortcomings. Do I blame the developer for making a rather generic shooter with a convoluted storyline that isn't as epic or mysterious as it wants to be or do I blame Nintendo for creating a console whose lack of hardware power essentially handcuffs every developer who tries to create a "next-gen" game for it? Hell, maybe I should stay within the game's conspiracy theme and just chalk it up to the Illuminati -- they're always trying to ruin everything, right?

  • May. 27, 2009 News: The Conduit team announces two new violent Wii exclusives: The Grinder and Gladiator A.D.

    NEW Wii GAMES: The makers of the upcoming Wii shooter The Conduit reveal a werewolf-hunting game, The Grinder, and a gladiator-eviscerating game, Gladiator A.D.

  • May. 7, 2009 Preview: The Conduit Multiplayer Preview

    The upcoming Wii FPS may finally be what Nintendo fans need in an online shooter.

  • Mar. 31, 2009 Feature: Hardcore Nintendo: Why the Wii isn't Just for Casual Gamers Anymore

    Nintendo is running away with the lead in this console generation, but if you ask hardcore gamers, they'll paint a very different picture. How can Nintendo appease both the casual and hardcore? We try to find the answers, and the new games that will prove it.