Title: The Conduit
Platform: Wii
Platform Reviewed: Wii
Developer: High Voltage Software
Publisher: Sega
MSRP: $49.99, £39.99, €59.99
Writer: Martin '
lost' Perry
The Conduit Review
There might not be many options for the FPS loving Wii owner but that is no good reason to buy this dull 'aliens in tunnels' effort.
The Conduit has received a fair bit of press prior to release. The Wii is starved for titles that appeal to the hardcore gamer and there's nothing more hardcore than a good old fashioned FPS. Regardless of this High Voltage took a while finding themselves a publisher before Sega came to the rescue. Unfortunately it's been another adult orientated sales flop for the publisher as the NPD numbers begin to slip out. Being entirely frank it is a good thing that few gamers have been exposed to this paint-by-numbers alien shooter.
The story sets the scene for the game's levels and missions and that is one of the key reasons they fail to excite. Agent Michael Ford is taken under the wing of an organization known as 'The Trust' whose main goal is to stop an invading alien force known as 'The Drudge'. It quickly becomes apparent that these 'Trust' folks can't actually be trusted with much and Agent Ford must rebel against their nefarious plans. There's actually a touch of intrigue to the plot's premise but it is told almost entirely through poorly voiced blocks of text that scroll by during load times. It will come as no surprise that this fails to create any connection between the player and the characters. What's worse is that this initial level of interest will be shattered by the mundane nature of everything that follows and the uninspired locales it will force upon the player. High Voltage haven't spent enough time developing the story surrounding their Halo pretender and it shows – even the final reveal will only muster a yawn.
What the story does facilitate then is a quickly paced trot through urban locations and landmarks such as the Jefferson Memorial Library and the White House. Once again those locales are likely to stir up some interest but none of it will be rewarded. The former is a trek through numerous identical rooms before a weak section in an open area. The latter is only marginally better with the United State's most famous location being drab from front door to back. These two locations can be considered high points in comparison to the other seven. If you want to wander through slightly different looking grey tunnels then The Conduit is the game for you.
The Conduit gained early interest from the gaming public due to High Voltage's apparent commitment to delivering next-gen comparable graphics on the underpowered Wii. Several tech videos demonstrated an engine capable of bump mapping, reflection and refraction and detail mapping. Unfortunately the goal of delivering an excellent looking Wii game hasn't been achieved with the developers delivering something that can't even be considered best in class. Levels are broken up by numerous doors which automatically open and close to avoid having to render too much on screen at once. Not only does this disrupt firefights but the lack of detail and artistic flair on offer makes these stopping points feel entirely unnecessary. There are a few neat weapon textures but other than that the game's design is completely uninspired.
Yet another reason is received early interest was the developer's commitment to delivering excellent FPS controls on the Wii and, for the most part, they have succeeded. Through the options menu you have complete control over your set-up and can adjust such things as the dead-zone, movement speed and sensitivity. I actually found that the default settings worked fine until High Voltage decided to throw in enemies that broke the system. Flying 'Drudge' zip about above your head but the view is limited so that you can't look directly up. This is also a particularly irritating issue when faced with a spawn point strapped to the ceiling.
Spawn points are something you better have enthusiasm for if you pick up The Conduit. Most of the time your enemies will either repeatedly hatch from eggs or make their way through portals (or 'Conduits' to explain the game's title) and closing them down is a priority. This can be achieved through the use of the various alien and human weapon options or by lobbing a grenade into said portal. The issue with structuring battles in this manner is obvious – the player can never overcome the enemy unless he or she makes a mad dash to close off the points of entry. That is is exactly what you will be required to do and it makes the game's trickier sections grinding sessions of trial and error. You run to the orange shiny thing, you get die or you don't. Repeat.
Continuing the theme of good ideas gone bad are the various uses for Agent Ford's floating 'All Seeing Eye'. This nifty little alien device highlights and controls devices beyond the pantheon of human understanding. Such startling creations include locked doors with invisible keys scattered around the room which you must charge up and invisible mines that you have to charge in a similar manner to detonate safely. Both of these, along with the other uses, are pretty cool ideas up until the point that their overuse kills the fun. That overuse hits pretty quick with almost every level having several of these special locked doors and/or a mined area. High Voltage go one step further towards driving you mad by throwing enemies in at the same time.
The one and only thing that bumps this game up to a 2 is the multiplayer offering the developers have tacked on. With the poor level design thrown out of the window and visual intrigue being of less concern the range of fairly standard on-line modes edges out acceptability through ruthless functionality. Maps are decent, networking stable and the unusual controls spike a slightly different atmosphere to matches. Nobody with a 360, PC or PS3 would even stop to consider investing time in The Conduit's on-line offering but it at least offers something for those who have no other option.
While playing The Conduit I tried to keep telling myself that it wasn't a bad game but there's really no way around it. On any other platform this title would be ridiculed for its atrocious design, archaic storytelling and cliché levels. The promises haven't been delivered on and while the game is rarely unpleasant to play it offers little to no joy for gamers. If you want to support mature content on the Wii then buy House of the Dead or MadWorld. High Voltage Software, bless their heart, are not the people we should looking to for AAA games – they never have been. It should be increasingly telling for Nintendo that the best talent in the world isn't interested in making games for the world's most popular platform. Avoid this turkey.
Score: 2 out of 5
The Good- The controls work and that is achievement enough on the Wii.
- There is enough novelty in the first level to provide adequate entertainment.
- The multiplayer provides a passable option for those without an Xbox or PS3.
The Bad- Most of the gameplay is orientated around shutting down enemy spawn points – fine some of the time but absolutely mind-numbing for the rest of the time.
- Poor presentation broken up by lots of doors that hide streaming content. Promising tech videos do not hold true for The Conduit.
- Shooting bad guys isn't exciting, there's rarely any cover and strategy goes out of the window thanks to invisible mines.
- Easily some of the weakest level design of this generation. Grey tunnel after grey tunnel.
The Ugly- The disappointment really is crushing. This could have been good.
