[quote name='rjung']Went by Gamestop the other day and picked up my copy of
The Conduit, and played it for about 3 hours last night. The first hour was spent just goofing around and having fun, partially because my son wanted to see the game in action (and play back-seat tactician in the process). After I got him into bed, I started a new file and got through the first two-and-a-half levels (tutorial, airport, and partway through the bunker). Finally stopped only when my wife yelled at me to go to bed already.
* The level of customization is as terrific as everyone says it is. The default settings are okay, but I'm already tweaking things to my style of play, and really appreciate the option to do so. My only gripe is that I wish there was a way to disable some stuff entirely; I don't care about the lock-on feature, but I can't just ignore it, but need to find an out-of-the-way button to assign to it.
* Throwing grenades with a nunchuk shake is grin-inducing AWESOME.
* Gonna need some time to assess the strengths/weaknesses of each weapon type. So far I'm preferring the SCAR for its scope sniping, and the MKAwhateverUziWannaBe annoys me with its long reload.
* The graphics aren't the best ever on the Wii, but they're a helluva lot better than what most third-parties have offered. Most of the textures are nice and clean, and I enjoyed reading the signs in the airport just for fun (and seeing an occassional muddled blob is more disappointing as a result).
* One downside is that the environments (at least the ones I've played so far) can get a bit repetitive. The airport was mostly a set of gates connected by hallways and escalators, and the bunker was a long snaking hallway with rooms connected to it. Maybe things will get more varied later, but honestly I don't mind too much -- at least the story justifies their repetitive nature.
* One upside is that the levels (outside of the tutorial) are long enough to be nice and meaty. The airport took me about 20 minutes to do, and the bunker feels like it's around 35. I also like exploring the nooks and crannies for secret messages and goodies.
* Instantly continuing the game after you die -- AWESOME!
* No load screens -- double AWESOME! Yeah, they mask the loading with snaking corridors and FMVs between levels, but it's still better than watching a static "Loading..." screen any day.
* Currently playing on the default difficulty ("Guarded", 2 of 5), and the game seems tough-but-fair so far. Individual enemies aren't a problem, but snipers and groups are tricky. Health packs are a tad generous IMO, but that might be due to the difficulty setting. I'm already looking forward to replaying the game at harder settings later.
* Haven't touched multiplayer yet, but by all signs it's going to be kickass.
* Storyline? What little I've picked up so far is a borderline cliche/cheesy X-Files conspiracy mashup, but it's fine by me. I don't play FPSes for plot.
* Nice voice-work all around. And even though I've only seen him in shadows so far, Mr. Adams is already starting to annoy me...
* Honest to Primus, when I got up this morning, my first thought was "I wonder if I can squeeze in 20 minutes of
The Conduit before going into work?"
If I were single, I'd have called in sick today. As it is, it's going to be a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng day until quittin' time...
Score-wise (since everybody loves numbers), I'd give it an 8/10. It's nothing revolutionary, but it perfectly captures the sheer
bliss of Wii-remote gunplay and grenade-tossing. Personally, it's my GOTY so far, and I can see myself playing this for a long time.
--R.J.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the review. I really want an FPS on the Wii, but I'm torn between getting the Conduit or waiting for Metroid Prime Trilogy or Red Steel 2.
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