Many have been clamoring for a "hardcore" Wii game that shows the Wii can do mature gaming just as well as the 360 or PS3. This Wii-exclusive shooter has been hyped all year as the "hardcore savior" of the Wii. Developer High Voltage Software claimed to be getting all out of the Wii it could with this game, tailoring it to the Wii's control scheme and creating a new graphics engine specifically for the console. So many expectations have been placed on this game that it is really impossible for it to meet them all. The Conduit is a decent first-person shooter, but it is not a game that is going to change how anyone looks at the Wii.
You play as Mr. Ford, a man caught up in what looks like an alien invasion of the nation's capital. At the beginning of the game a shadowy government agent named Adams contacts you. An alien race known as the Drudge are invading and you are the only one who can stop them. A terrorist named Prometheus is helping the aliens and turning the government agents against you. You have to fight your way out and try to capture Prometheus. As the story progresses, Prometheus contacts you and then tells his side of the story. As the game continues, who to trust becomes more unclear.
It is a fine attempt at telling a compelling story, but it is not interesting for a few reasons. One reason is the humans versus aliens storyline is in so many first-person shooters already. The storyline has a few major twists but they are easily spotted well before they happen. The final reason is that most of the plot is told in voice-over conversations. That is not an engaging way to tell a story in a visual medium.
The Conduit has been advertised has having the best first-person shooter controls on the Wii. As default settings, the Wii remote is used for aiming and looking, the nunchuck is used for turning and moving, and motion controls are used for melee attacks and grenades. There are multiple control schemes offered and nearly every action can be mapped to any button. The Conduit adds even more customization on top of that. Players can set their dead zones (the area on the screen where the Wii Remote can point before your view moves), change their turning speeds, and set the sensitivity of the motion controls.
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