Topic: Conduit 2 Box Art Released

[BlackNMild2k1]

your loss. Burnout was fun.


I'm very disappointed that there never was a sequel (on a Nintendo system).

[Kytim89]

Is it just me, or does the Conduit series eminate an errie similarity to Perfect Dark? I know I have been saying this for a while, but I have not recieved any kind of credible answer to the question.

[TJ Spyke]

your loss. Burnout was fun.


I'm very disappointed that there never was a sequel (on a Nintendo system).

Actually, Burnout 2: Point of Impact was also released on GameCube. The DS also got Burnout Legends.

[BlackNMild2k1]

wasn't Burnout 2 the only burnout released on Gamecube?


edit: I was referring ot the 2nd one. Never played the first and I was disappointed that another sequel never made it's way to a Nintendo system (GC or Wii).

[TJ Spyke]

The original was also released on GameCube, I played it at a friends house back when it came out.

[KDR_11k]

Haze had only a helmet/face on its cover, this is more like fracture IMO.

[Mop it up]

Burnout may not have a strong multiplayer component, but it is a solid and enjoyable racer. I liked the turbo system in it, which rewarded dangerous driving by filling up the turbo meter from weaving through traffic, going in the oncoming lane, and more stuff I'm forgetting.

I think the reason 3 never came to the GameCube was due to poor sales of the GameCube version of 2. Of course, 2 was released on GameCube and XBox over a year after the PS2 version, and the XBox version got some special features exclusive to it. So, it would seem the company figured there wasn't interest in the series amongst GameCube owners, rather than considering that a timely release might improve sales.

[NWR_Lindy]

You won't be reviewing this game, correct?  Since you already have your opinion formed.

I'll reserve my opinion of the game itself for when I play it.  But if the box art isn't there to make people form some preconceived opinion of the game, what is its purpose?  What this box art communicates to me is that the game's story is secondary, and what you really want to buy it for is the "Single, split-screen and online combat".

I would have at least expected something that had anything to do with the plot of the story; something about a shadow government, conspiracy, maybe some characters, a location, etc.  I'm with Broodwars...this box art looks like it was ripped off of the side of an 80's arcade cabinet.  It seems strange, only because the story of the first game was emphasized from the beginning of its Hype Machine up until its release.  In other words, it was made very clear it wasn't Unreal Tournament, and that they were actually trying with the story.

My issue (if you can call it that...it's more of an observation) is not with the game itself, but rather that its box art is so generic when didn't really have to be.  There must be a purpose behind it.  Perhaps the first game's box art was so vague that the uninitiated didn't even realize that it was a first-person shooter, which I can see.  If that was the case, this box art is just as ham-fisted, but in the other direction, to where you don't know anything about the game aside from the fact that it's a first-person shooter.

[Dirk Temporo]

After writing game pieces and stuff, I would have thought that you'd have a pretty solid grasp of marketing and why it exists. The box is to sell to people who don't know anything about the game. If somebody doesn't know anything about the game, chances are, they'll be enticed by the prospect of competitive multiplayer, because as Halo and Call of Duty prove, competitive multiplayer sells shooters.

[KDR_11k]

Maybe HVS have realized their story isn't something people care about.

[Dirk Temporo]

I would say that yes, most people do not care about the story for these games. They want an awesome, fast-paced, competitive experience. The only reason people "care" about the story in Halo is that it delivered just that, which hooked people to the game/series. If Conduit can do that with its multiplayer, its likely that people will care more about the storyline.

[Kytim89]

This game kinda looks like an early 360 game. Am I right?

[broodwars]

This game kinda looks like an early 360 game. Am I right?

No, not really. Compare and contrast these 2 "Conduit 2" screenshots with those of 3 360 Launch Window games:
 
Conduit 2
 
Conduit 2
 
Perfect Dark Zero
 
Condemned: Criminal Origins
 
Elder Scroll IV: Oblivion

[MegaByte]

The one thing that would help Conduit or any Wii games immensely is antialiasing.  I mentioned this in my early Conduit impressions.  The Wii can do it, but I'm guessing that it's so processor intensive that it's not worth it since almost no games use it.

Regarding the boxart... it's an interesting contrast to what we saw of the actual game at E3, which featured environments such as jungle greenery around an abandoned temple, a rain-soaked oil platform, etc.  The game itself also throws you right into the story, continuing the last game.  It's well-done technically, but the box really does strike me as overcompensating for the "hardcore" FPS genre.

[Mop it up]

What this box art communicates to me is that the game's story is secondary, and what you really want to buy it for is the "Single, split-screen and online combat."

Wonderful! That's exactly what I want.

[Kytim89]

I stand by my belief that this game looks as good as an early 360 game. 

[Stratos]

I stand by my belief that this game looks as good as an early 360 game. 

If there was some antialiasing I might be able to see some closeness there. Also if the early 360 games in question were running in standard definition. And more bloom lighting. Lot's more bloom lighting.

[Dirk Temporo]

Barely any 360 games even have anti-aliasing, and those that do are at MAYBE 4x, and it isn't even done that well. Console games always have jaggies, no matter what game. Yeah, it's worse on the Wii, but AA eats up a lot of power. Even Nintendo didn't use AA for Mario Galaxy.

[Stratos]

It's not as obvious that Galaxy isn't AA'd. I didn't know it wasn't until you said so.

Is it the artstyle that makes the lack of AA more obvious then as opposed to graphical power?

[Mop it up]

Can anyone explain in simple terms what, exactly, anti-aliasing does and why it's so important?

[BlackNMild2k1]

smooths out all those jaggies(jagged polygons) that you see on the edge of polygonal objects.

[BranDonk Kong]

I'm sorry but when I think early 360 games, I think Condemned, Quake 4, Call of Duty 2...Conduit 2 doesn't look anywhere close to as good as any of those as far as visual quality is concerned. Still it's nice for the Wii, but even Doom 3 on Xbox looked a lot better than this.

[Dirk Temporo]

It's not as obvious that Galaxy isn't AA'd. I didn't know it wasn't until you said so.

You're kidding right? I booted up my Wii with Galaxy and the first thing I thought was "hoshit jaggies"

[Stratos]

I have no idea why I never noticed them. Which is why I threw out that art design could have a hand in hiding them. I don't recall seeing them in the Prime games much either and that is another game credited with good art design. I can thing of other games that stand out with little to no antialiasing but those two don't come to mind.

[Dirk Temporo]

Metroid Prime had surprisingly little in the way of jaggies. The visuals in that game always impressed me.