As an owner of the Wii gaming system by Nintendo, I was at first captivated by the joy and novel nature of playing Wii sports. The fun of being more interactive in my games had my mind racing with possibilities of what future games would hold as developers became more familiar with the system and the motion controls.
Sadly for me, many of the games have been disappointments as they rely on the gimmick of the motion control to carry the game, which has far too often limited gameplay and reduced the system to more simple gaming which is best suited for children’s titles.
This is not to say the Wii is a bad system, rather more mature gamers need to be more selective about what they play, as many times, there are better versions of games out for the next gen consoles and PC which are not limited by the hardware spec s of the Wii or the reduced multiplay the system offers.
Thankfully, there seem to be many good titles on the horizon for the Wii and if the release of The Conduit is any indication, the best is yet to come.
Sega has crafted a rich and rewarding 3D action shooter that cleverly integrates the motion control options of the Wii into the game as a feature rather than making it the primary focus of the gameplay. As Alien and enemy forces attack, you spring into action with an impressive array of weapons ranging from rifles, grenades, melee, and other weapons to save the day and keep Washington D.C. and the world from being overrun.
It did take a bit to get used to the control system of the game, but in no time, I was blasting the bad guys and sealing their conduits. What is ever more enjoyable is that the designers cleverly insert puzzles into the game that fit into the storyline and gameplay without being to taxing or coming across and tacked on.
As you fight against the unrelenting forces, players will become involved in a very deep conspiracy that will not only heat up the action, but will have players gripped and wondering what is around the next turn.
Graphically the game pushes the envelope for the Wii and offers solid graphics, sound and gameplay. The real bonus for me was the 12 person multiplay that the game features as it was nice to take the action online. There were connectivity issues and the game did suffer from framerate drops from time to time, but if you showed patience, you were often rewarded with the best online experience for the Wii since the last Mario Kart.
While not perfect, The Conduit is a must own for Wii players everywhere.
4 stars out of 5.
