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[scitek]

The ONM review isn't bad at all. It says the game works well for what it sets out to do, it's just nothing special as far as the single-player campaign goes. That's pretty much exactly what I wanted, though, because since I've enjoyed some rather awful games simply due to the Wii Remote, having a perfectly competent one will be that much more fun.

One problem some Wii games have is that, of course, magazines and other review sources rate new games against existing ones. In the case of Excitebots with Nintendo Power, for example, the existence of Mario Kart alone knocked its score down. I'm afraid the same thing might happen with The Conduit and inevitable comparisons to Metroid Prime 3. It's almost unfair because Prime 3 is so good that hardly any other first-person game can live up to it. I've seen a lot of people bicker about its quality as an entry in the Prime series, but they always still concede that it's better than 90% of other games out there.

It's not unlike when an FPS is released on the 360 and compared to Halo.

Spoiler

Even though I think Halo is every bit as generic and tired as anything I've seen so far from The Conduit.

 

[markatisu]

Omg where's the commercials for this game? It comes out in a few weeks. The media blitz should be rollling by now right?

HVS said in a pre-E3 interview we would start seeing commercials in June, hopefully means next week because the game comes out 2 weeks later :lol

Its odd, SEGA is pushing this game harder than either HoTD Overkill and MadWorld (its getting a limited edition, is featured constantly among gaming sites and was featured in the E3 press conference) but yet the other two games got much more in the way tv commercials.

I can only guess that SEGA sees this game as "hardcore" and figures it does not need the advertising, hopefully that is not the case because if the Wii has taught us anything its that the best selling games are those that received the biggest advertising pushes (Carinval Games, Guitar Hero, and infamously COD WaW which did not sell until it got TV ads)

 

[RyuKanSan]

HVS said in a pre-E3 interview we would start seeing commercials in June, hopefully means next week because the game comes out 2 weeks later :lol

Its odd, SEGA is pushing this game harder than either HoTD Overkill and MadWorld (its getting a limited edition, is featured constantly among gaming sites and was featured in the E3 press conference) but yet the other two games got much more in the way tv commercials.

I can only guess that SEGA sees this game as "hardcore" and figures it does not need the advertising, hopefully that is not the case because if the Wii has taught us anything its that the best selling games are those that received the biggest advertising pushes (Carinval Games, Guitar Hero, and infamously COD WaW which did not sell until it got TV ads)

I know, I remember reading that. I said that they should've started around the end of May beginning of this month. Well it is only the end of the first week and there still is still, but idk. A few commercials ads the week of the games release aren't gonna do any justice. As you said CoD got a big boost after the TV ads.

Could it be that they might wait till after the initial first day or first week sales?

 

[pakkit]

I'm afraid the same thing might happen with The Conduit and inevitable comparisons to Metroid Prime 3. It's almost unfair because Prime 3 is so good that hardly any other first-person game can live up to it. I've seen a lot of people bicker about its quality as an entry in the Prime series, but they always still concede that it's better than 90% of other games out there.

Who on God's green earth would compare a run-of-the-mill sci-fi action shooter with Metroid?! People are comparing it, more understandably, with Halos and Killzones. It won't stand up, it doesn't have that budget. As long as it delivers what it promised, though, HVS has my money, and my interest.

 

[Scrubking]

One problem some Wii games have is that, of course, magazines and other review sources rate new games against existing ones.

Or they compare Wii games against ps360 games. It's a stupid fucking practice that I wish would stop because it makes no sense whatsoever. We know the Wii isn't as powerful as the other consoles so why do we need to rehash that shit every review? What's worse is that The Conduit is for some reason being compared to Halo3 even though HVS and Sega have never compared their game to it or trashed talked. The entire NP review was nothing but a point by point comparison with Halo3.

I swear it's almost impossible to find a sensible "pro" review anymore.

 

[donny2112]

My expectations for the first month (12 days in June's NPD reporting period, including July 4) are 300K+. I feel that < 200K would be terrible. I think I'm on the more optimistic end for predictions on this game, though. :lol I expect it to eventually sell > 1 million in the U.S. after the eventual price drop/Player's Choice release.

Speaking of, if Nintendo is wondering how to get more people to buy Wii games, a very good start would be to introduce the Player's Choice line for Wii.

 

[J-Rock]

Or they compare Wii games against ps360 games. It's a stupid fucking practice that I wish would stop because it makes no sense whatsoever. We know the Wii isn't as powerful as the other consoles so why do we need to rehash that shit every review? What's worse is that The Conduit is for some reason being compared to Halo3 even though HVS or Sega have ever compared their game to it or trashed talked. The entire NP review was nothing but a point by point comparison with Halo3.

I swear it's almost impossible to find a sensible "pro" review anymore.

Sad...but true.

I don't care either way. It's been said by those that have played it...this the best traditional FPS game for the Wii. People who have played it also said the online is a lot of fun. I'm sure I'll enjoy single player even if it's just decent but I'll definitely be spending almost all of my time online. Solid IR controls + Solid online + Decent single player = I'm buying it day 1.

 

[Scrubking]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1MadxVqnM8

10 minute E3 Multiplayer video.

 

[Brandon F]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1MadxVqnM8

10 minute E3 Multiplayer video.

LOL first minute of play features a couple guys bunny-hopping back and forth trying to hit each other with shotguns.

I'm still excited to play it though.

 

[othersteve]

Hey guys,

Not sure if you have seen this, but the original version of this video in HD quality is on our website:

http://www.digitalchumps.com/video-gallery.html?task=videodirectlink&id=263

Because we love you... and we must, because it's costing us a fortune. You're just like a whore, NeoGAF... a dirty, expensive whore. But we love you.

~os

 

[dammitmattt]

My expectations for the first month (12 days in June's NPD reporting period, including July 4) are 300K+. I feel that < 200K would be terrible. I think I'm on the more optimistic end for predictions on this game, though. :lol I expect it to eventually sell > 1 million in the U.S. after the eventual price drop/Player's Choice release.

Speaking of, if Nintendo is wondering how to get more people to buy Wii games, a very good start would be to introduce the Player's Choice line for Wii.

There's just no way it's hitting those numbers. It doesn't have the hype or recognition outside of the GAF crowd. I'm glad I'm back from my ban so I can throw my sales guesses around. That was really the only thing I missed...

I just played a bit of Metroid Prime 3 (most underrated Wii game if you ask me) and remembered that I liked the controls a lot (for the first time in a Wii FPS), so I'm actually looking forward to trying The Conduit out. I hope it does something interesting that the 5000 shooters I've played in the last decade haven't done. Good times that I'm using my Wii again

 

[Davey Cakes]

Pointing to shoot, man. Pointing to shoot.

Who would've thought that one little thing would make this game look so refreshing to play?

 

[Vinci]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1MadxVqnM8

10 minute E3 Multiplayer video.

That looks rather decent, actually. I'll give it a rental, see if I enjoy it. Then I'll purchase it after if it seems really good.

 

[MiniDitka]

Hey guys,

Not sure if you have seen this, but the original version of this video in HD quality is on our website:

http://www.digitalchumps.com/video-gallery.html?task=videodirectlink&id=263

Because we love you... and we must, because it's costing us a fortune. You're just like a whore, NeoGAF... a dirty, expensive whore. But we love you.

~os

Yep, saw that along with a bunch of other vids you have up. Keep up the great work.

 

[PusherT]

That Deatomizer gun looks awsome. The Conduit has 3 weapon technolgies Modern Human weapons (Shotgun,Scar BR) Trust weapons (Deatomizer) and druge weapons. I can't wait for this game, the weapons look great.

 

[EatChildren]

Pre-ordered a copy of the CE today. For some reason it's a couple of bucks cheaper than the standard version.

 

[Danthrax]

Hey guys,

Not sure if you have seen this, but the original version of this video in HD quality is on our website:

http://www.digitalchumps.com/video-gallery.html?task=videodirectlink&id=263

Because we love you... and we must, because it's costing us a fortune. You're just like a whore, NeoGAF... a dirty, expensive whore. But we love you.

~os

Thanks, that was fun to watch.

One thing I noticed in that video: the shotgun has CRAZY range. Like, bitches be snipin' with that thing.

 

[KevinCow]

Digital Chumps (didn't know that was your site, othersteve) has another video up of a single player level.

http://www.digitalchumps.com/video-gallery.html?task=videodirectlink&id=231

I think we've seen this level before, but it looks like this time it's being played by someone who actually knows what they're doing instead of a games journalist.

I wish the levels were a bit more open. It seems like most battles basically take place in a hallway with a few obstacles here and there. Not many options for flanking and whatnot.

I'm also not very keen on the idea of hidden mines that make you stop and detonate them. Seems to hurt the flow of the game. And I'm surprised they seem to have done away with the Riddick or Resistance style health system they used to have in favor of a standard, no regenerating health system.


And I have to say, I really wish these guys wouldn't do this whole, "Look at how amazing our game looks!" thing every time they showed it off.


Don't really mean to sounds so negative. I'm still pretty interested in the game. I'm just in a pissy mood tonight and looking for stuff to bitch about, I guess.

 

[EatChildren]

And I'm surprised they seem to have done away with the Riddick or Resistance style health system they used to have in favor of a standard, no regenerating health system.

Since when has that been gone? As far as I'm aware its still there for at least multiplayer.

 

[Rewrite]

Have any of you duders seen commercials for this game yet? I haven't!

 

[KevinCow]

Since when has that been gone? As far as I'm aware its still there for at least multiplayer.

Doesn't look like it from the videos I've seen. There's only one bar, and I don't see it regenerating at all. Compare to what it used to look like, with three blocks:

Though looking at some older videos, it looks like maybe it never did regenerate, and that was just an aesthetic thing? I dunno.

It also seems that even older screens had four blocks instead of 3.

 

[MNC]

That multiplayer video looked nice! I prefer team to free for all though.

It did seem to have a bit of lag though. Took almost a second before they died when the shot was fired.

 

[Nabs]

And I have to say, I really wish these guys wouldn't do this whole, "Look at how amazing our game looks!" thing every time they showed it off.


Don't really mean to sounds so negative. I'm still pretty interested in the game. I'm just in a pissy mood tonight and looking for stuff to bitch about, I guess.

it's a good way to sell the engine i guess.

 

[Relix]

Preordered the CE at Gamestop. Only Wii game that has had me excited since Brawl launched over one year ago.

 

[MNC]

it's a good way to sell the engine i guess.

Wasn't that vampire shooting game and Gladiator game on the same engine? The games *do* look quite good for a wii game, especially the gladiator game, texture/model/phong wise.

 

[gregor7777]

This looks pretty cool. I'll probably end up giving this a shot to try the whole Wii FPS thing.

Honest question though: what is everyone so excited about here? Mind you I don't follow the Wii much because I just bought one. Are they doing something out of the ordinary with this game? New/better multiplayer than previous Wii games?

 

[KevinCow]

Are they doing something out of the ordinary with this game?

Yeah. They're putting effort into a Wii game.

That's part of the reason, anyway. The other part is that, despite the Wiimote FPS control scheme showing lots of promise, the Wii's FPS scene is utterly barren. You can pretty much separate the Wii's previous FPS games into two categories:

1) Red Steel, which overpromised, underdelivered, and was rushed to market before it was properly bug tested

2) Shitty to mediocre WW2 games ported from other systems


The game itself doesn't look to be particularly special in and of itself. It's mainly people who have enjoyed what the Wiimote pointer has brought to FPS games and have been waiting nearly three years to put them to use in a good shooter getting excited about it (Metroid Prime 3 was a good game, but not really much of a shooter). And by all accounts, The Conduit's controls look to outdo even the best controlling first-person games on Wii - Metroid Prime 3 and Medal of Honor Heroes - thanks both to ridiculous number of customizable options and the fact that High Voltage seems to have just done a damn good job at getting the controls to work right.

Plus it's only the second online FPS on the system (the other one was a mediocre WW2 shooter, the aforementioned Medal of Honor Heroes), and the first to allow voice chat with the Wii Speak doohickey.

 

[Pseudo_Sam]

Plus it's only the second online FPS on the system (the other one was a mediocre WW2 shooter, the aforementioned Medal of Honor Heroes)

BZZZZ, wrong, COD 5 is not half bad and is certainly better than MoHH: 2.

 

[gregor7777]

Yeah. They're putting effort into a Wii game.

That's part of the reason, anyway. The other part is that, despite the Wiimote FPS control scheme showing lots of promise, the Wii's FPS scene is utterly barren. You can pretty much separate the Wii's previous FPS games into two categories:

1) Red Steel, which overpromised, underdelivered, and was rushed to market before it was properly bug tested

2) Shitty to mediocre WW2 games ported from other systems


The game itself doesn't look to be particularly special in and of itself. It's mainly people who have enjoyed what the Wiimote pointer has brought to FPS games and have been waiting nearly three years to put them to use in a good shooter getting excited about it (Metroid Prime 3 was a good game, but not really much of a shooter). And by all accounts, The Conduit's controls look to outdo even the best controlling first-person games on Wii - Metroid Prime 3 and Medal of Honor Heroes - thanks both to ridiculous number of customizable options and the fact that High Voltage seems to have just done a damn good job at getting the controls to work right.

Plus it's only the second online FPS on the system (the other one was a mediocre WW2 shooter, the aforementioned Medal of Honor Heroes), and the first to allow voice chat with the Wii Speak doohickey.

Cool, yeah it seemed to be getting a lot of attention but from watching videos and such it was difficult to tell what all the fuss was about.

Well I'll definitely be getting it then if it looks like it will be the best FPS the wii has to offer.

 

[markatisu]

Cool, yeah it seemed to be getting a lot of attention but from watching videos and such it was difficult to tell what all the fuss was about.

Thats what I think its biggest hurdle is, for a FPS in 2009 its not very special. Game magazines and industry analysts are very much in the wrong for comparing it to Halo 3, Killzone 2 imo because that is a contest HVS can never win.

For a Wii FPS its an amazing feat, the customizable controls (never been done to this extent) to the quality voice acting and sound, and the depth of online play in light of Nintendo's huge barriers make it an exciting prospect.

Hell even Anihawk found it at least a decent play when he was at E3, and I was pretty sure he would despise the game or find it so bland it was not worthy of criticism (despite the fact he has said he was interested in buying it prior to E3).

When talking about The Conduit everyone has to preface what is said with the context of FPS on the Wii and Wii only.

 

[J-Rock]

BZZZZ, wrong, COD 5 is not half bad and is certainly better than MoHH: 2.

Correct.

 

[zaccheus]

if i read the wiki page correctly, there is no offline multiplayer? like splitscreen?

 

[markatisu]

if i read the wiki page correctly, there is no offline multiplayer? like splitscreen?

Yes it was cut for a few reasons. They also had to cut LAN play because Nintendo forbid it

 

[dammitmattt]

Yes it was cut for a few reasons. They also had to cut LAN play because Nintendo forbid it

Why would Nintendo forbid LAN play? It's almost exactly the same as playing online? Is this a system-wide policy? Really weird.

 

[onipex]

As for the bomb question, I am almost 100% sure unless it does more than 300k the first month GAF will label it a bomb and give massive gifs and LOLOL all around.

It will also be compared to KZ2, Halo 3, Gears of War and every single other super high budgeted Mature game to show how the Wii is an utter shitfest for developers.

Then in 6 months - 1 year when it passes 800k-1m like a lot of high profile Wii games do it will be disqualified as not having sold fast enough, having a price drop, or some other reason from the list GAF has saved.

Not just GAF. The game press and blogs will jump all over it like they do every high profile Wii game. The history of games sales on the Wii does not matter to these people.

 

[markatisu]

Why would Nintendo forbid LAN play? It's almost exactly the same as playing online? Is this a system-wide policy? Really weird.

Beats me, all we know is HVS said that Nintendo forbid them from using LAN play

http://www.destructoid.com/conduit-...-nintendo-cockblocks-lan-support-121072.phtml

 

[Disguises]

Why would Nintendo forbid LAN play? It's almost exactly the same as playing online? Is this a system-wide policy? Really weird.

This is the question I asked David Pellas (Design Director). I'll just copy the response here, since the question was answered via banned site.

"I don't think it really is a matter of them putting the kibosh on LAN support, I think it more to the point that they never planned for it. The way the Nintendo system works, all players must ping the Nintendo network manager server. This means that no matter what, you must send data out. When you consider that your single connection would need to account for all of the data packets being sent from all Wiis in your house, you start to get the idea on why it wouldn't work very well.

The great thing about Nintendo is that they listen. When we identified the problem, they recognized it and worked with us on several possible solutions. Unfortunately, none of those options worked, time ran out, and we had to make a call… either spend the next few months polishing the game or trying to get LAN support working. We decided to polish and I am very happy that we did."

Maybe for a sequel? (PLEASE sell well enough to warrant a sequel!)

 

[Danthrax]

This is the question I asked David Pellas (Design Director). I'll just copy the response here, since the question was answered via banned site.



Maybe for a sequel? (PLEASE sell well enough to warrant a sequel!)

yeah, sounds like LAN play is possible but requires quite a bit of workaround. hopefully they get that done for Grinder (and Conduit 2?).

 

[Arde5643]

yeah, sounds like LAN play is possible but requires quite a bit of workaround. hopefully they get that done for Grinder (and Conduit 2?).

I think the Grinder has 2 player split screen co-op play, not sure if this works online as well or not.

Gotta check more on that.

 

[Annoying Old Party Man]

Thats what I think its biggest hurdle is, for a FPS in 2009 its not very special. Game magazines and industry analysts are very much in the wrong for comparing it to Halo 3, Killzone 2 imo because that is a contest HVS can never win.

For a Wii FPS its an amazing feat, the customizable controls (never been done to this extent) to the quality voice acting and sound, and the depth of online play in light of Nintendo's huge barriers make it an exciting prospect.

Hell even Anihawk found it at least a decent play when he was at E3, and I was pretty sure he would despise the game or find it so bland it was not worthy of criticism (despite the fact he has said he was interested in buying it prior to E3).

When talking about The Conduit everyone has to preface what is said with the context of FPS on the Wii and Wii only.

Sorry, but I can't do this.
Perhaps Wii owners can achieve this and ignore everything that is out there.
But I can't judge the Conduit that way, especially with such a low paradigm for FPS games that Wii suffers from.

 

[Arde5643]

Sorry, but I can't do this.
Perhaps Wii owners can achieve this and ignore everything that is out there.
But I can't judge the Conduit that way, especially with such a low paradigm for FPS games that Wii suffers from.

If I have a pretty good PC, I most likely won't even be interested in the Conduit. But yeah, thanks to inherent suckiness of traditional console controllers, I pretty much have to rely on the Wii for FPS games. :/

 

[Davey Cakes]

Wii owners shouldn't need to ignore what's out there in order to be interested in this game.

Fact is, The Conduit looks and sounds like a legitimately fun experience.

Listen, I've enjoyed my share of Halo and Quake, and I'm still excited for what The Conduit has to offer. And yes, the controls alone are a huge part of that, because anyone who defends dual-analog as a worthy alternative to mouse+keyboard needs to be shot. The Conduit may not end up as the best overall quality FPS, but it's going to do certain aspects of the genre the justice they deserve on Wii.

 

[Bending_Unit_22]

If I have a pretty good PC, I most likely won't even be interested in the Conduit. But yeah, thanks to inherent suckiness of traditional console controllers, I pretty much have to rely on the Wii for FPS games. :/

Pretty much, though fortunately I'm not a big FPS fan to begin with.

 

[dammitmattt]

Listen, I've enjoyed my share of Halo and Quake, and I'm still excited for what The Conduit has to offer. And yes, the controls alone are a huge part of that, because anyone who defends dual-analog as a worthy alternative to mouse+keyboard needs to be shot. The Conduit may not end up as the best overall quality FPS, but it's going to do certain aspects of the genre the justice they deserve on Wii.

It works well enough for the millions of people playing COD4/Halo3/Killzone2/Resistance/etc. every single day. Bonus points since it allows you to chill out on the couch. Games aren't all about precision, you know.

 

[Jethro]

N-Zone (german mag) Review: Single 82% Multi 90%

 

[Jaded Alyx]

I have a pretty decent gaming PC, and have access to more FPS games than I could shake a stick at thanks to Steam. But I'm not interested in them (unless they're made by Valve, and to a much lesser degree, Infinity Ward). I am however interested in The Conduit. I've waited a long time to play a Wii FPS game that nails the controls, and has had strong effort put into it (ie. not a port) and this looks like being that game.

 

[mentalfloss]

It works well enough for the millions of people playing COD4/Halo3/Killzone2/Resistance/etc. every single day. Bonus points since it allows you to chill out on the couch. Games aren't all about precision, you know.

Dual analog isn't as fun as pointer controls, imo. Especially when you can get away with hooking up a Perfect Shot Gun.

 

[Davey Cakes]

Games aren't all about precision, you know.

Tell that to the people who already say they prefer dual-analog because it's more precise than the Wii's pointer.

If anything, I'm an advocate of slight imprecision as long as I'm having fun, and The Conduit looks to fall very nicely into my comfort zone.

 

[Danthrax]

Wii owners shouldn't need to ignore what's out there in order to be interested in this game.

Fact is, The Conduit looks and sounds like a legitimately fun experience.

Listen, I've enjoyed my share of Halo and Quake, and I'm still excited for what The Conduit has to offer. And yes, the controls alone are a huge part of that, because anyone who defends dual-analog as a worthy alternative to mouse+keyboard needs to be shot. The Conduit may not end up as the best overall quality FPS, but it's going to do certain aspects of the genre the justice it deserves on Wii.

this, so much

if hardcore gamers NEEEEED a new game every month or two, why wouldn't you pick this up? there are no other big FPSes coming out this month. everyone with a PS3 should have beaten KZ2 to death by now and it's a long wait until 360 owners get ODST. even longer before Wii owners get Red Steel 2.

 

[KevinCow]

Bonus points since it allows you to chill out on the couch.

You can do that with a Wiimote & Nunchuk, too. I like to rest my right arm on the armrest and aim with slight movements of my wrist, with my left hand in my lap. You don't have to jump around the room like they show in the commercials.