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Wii

North America

Conduit 2

by Zachary Miller - May 6, 2011, 3:41 pm EDT
Total comments: 17

7

It's been a long road from "below average" to "average".

Scroll down to the bottom for a video review.

The problem with the original Conduit game, released on Wii in 2009, is that it was severely over-hyped. Claiming to be a first-person shooter on par with those found on the Xbox 360 in terms of production values and gameplay, The Conduit turned out to be a disappointing corridor shooter with limited gameplay scope, uneven graphics, generic art direction, persistent bugs, and a mess of a 12-player online multiplayer mode. The game received mediocre reviews, and High Voltage shrank back into the night, promising to deliver a sequel that made good on those original promises. Two years later, they bring us Conduit 2, and while I can definitely tell you that they've improved the original, the unfortunate passage of time has rendered many of these improvements moot.

The story starts off where the first game ended; smack-talking soldier Michael Ford is after power-hungry Trust boss John Adams, who has been in cahoots with alien invaders called the Drudge. He follows Adams through a Conduit portal and ends up…on an oil platform. Adams escapes through yet another Conduit within five minutes and leaves Ford to deal with an angry-looking cybernetic serpent. The plot never really rises beyond this cat-and-mouse game: Adams is always one step ahead, leaving you to deal with the Drudge, then the ending comes along and makes you just scratch your head. Unlike something like Metal Gear, however, you're not suffering through the gameplay for the story. It's the other way around.

The gameplay in Conduit 2 is notably improved from the original, due in large part to the variety of control options. You can use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk with or without the MotionPlus accessory.  With MotionPlus, the control feels a little tighter, but not a lot. Using the aim assist option brings more precision. The control customization from the original Conduit makes a triumphant return in the sequel, though I will say it might take you a long time to get everything working just right. For my part, the Classic Controller Pro, configured to duplicate GoldenEye's control scheme as much as possible, worked the best.

The game's visuals have been improved largely by increasing the disparity between environments. You'll find yourself wandering through Washington D.C. (of course), China, Russia, Central America, and even Atlantis. Sadly, despite the visual panache, you'll still be walking through a lot of corridors, and the more open areas feel a little messy. Cover is strewn about in an uneven manner, unhelped by the fact that there is no specific cover system aside from "duck, then stand, then duck" etc. While set pieces exist, none of them make you say "wow," and more often they serve only to throw more enemies at you. On the plus side, the character models are much more striking in this game and include several variations on Drudge aliens and a few new Trust designs. Michael Ford himself gets a makeover early in the proceedings, from a wetsuit to an armor super-soldier suit.  Strangely, it doesn't really absorb damage any better.

Nothing looks good close up, and anytime your field operator (Andromeda), appears in a cut-scene, you'll wonder if this is a good-looking N64 game (she doesn’t so much talk as chatter incessantly). The sound design is nice: enemies chatter constantly and realistically, and Michael Ford is now voiced by Jon St. John—that's right, Duke Nukem himself. The script seems to have been written specifically for this occasion, as Ford tosses out groan-inducing one-liners at every opportunity.

While gameplay is rarely more complicated than "get from point A to point B," your interactions with the All-Seeing Eye have nicely evolved to the point where it's basically a Scan Visor. You can find story information, weapon blueprints, and what Call of Duty fans would call Perks scattered throughout every level. You can also revisit any level you want to find everything, which is cool.

The multiplayer options are legion. You can play split-screen with three other people in competitive modes or a cooperative Hoard-type mode where you try to mow down as many enemies as possible. Playing any of these modes really racks up in-game currency so you can buy new weapons, gear, and Perks for customizing your load-out and avatar. The online multiplayer itself is shockingly inconsistent. Framerate issues plague most games, being dropped in the lobby was a constant hazard for me, and connecting to games is sometimes an issue. I also encountered one instance where the game just locked up while trying to find a game. Once you actually do connect successfully, there are a good variety of maps and game types. Conduit 2, however, doesn't have the staying power of GoldenEye in the online arena.

One other thing to point out—almost every time I jumped online, the game went through a lengthy process of searching for and downloading patches. These patches fix not just online problems, but solo campaign problems too, including a troublesome one on the very first level. While appreciated, it’s troublesome to see so many patches released, and it’s irritating that it takes so long to search for and download them (the game then restarts itself).

Conduit 2 has some good moments and has proven itself a perfectly competent shooter with some middling issues. My biggest complaint is that the game just isn't memorable, and there are other shooters I'd rather play. For a single-player experience, I'll go with the Metroid Prime Trilogy or GoldenEye. For online multiplayer (or even offline multiplayer), GoldenEye still reigns supreme. If you need to get your FPS fix, Conduit 2 has you covered, but there are honestly better shooters out there in the gaming landscape.

Summary

Pros
  • Better art direction than the first game
  • Good variety of interesting weaponry
  • Multiplayer shenanigans up the wazoo
  • Multiple customizable control options
Cons
  • Connection issues and lots of patching
  • Despite the art direction, the game still doesn't look fantastic
  • Ford's one-liners

Talkback

ShyGuyMay 06, 2011

This serving of Alaskan game fish wasn't caught by trolling but by jig and bobber. I am impressed!

EnnerMay 06, 2011

Shame this didn't turn out as great as I hoped. Maybe the third time's the charm?

broodwarsMay 06, 2011

I see the game lived up the lofty expectations I had after completing the first Conduit.  It's a shame that this is apparently the best the developers can do (the Wii deserves much better, considering the entire controller is practically built for pointing and shooting at stuff), and that they were as full of crap about "learning from the mistakes of the first Conduit" as I thought they were.

OblivionMay 06, 2011

I actually find Conduit 2 to be the best game I have on the system. I've enjoyed it almost more than Brawl, despite the many more hours put into Brawl. Maybe I'm just weird, since I liked the first Conduit also, and everything they did here improved on it, except for the voice actors. Even have to admit they suck. I've been at max rank online for about a week now, and I've gotten all the upgrades. I'm totally destroying everything in my path, and I love it. <3

We should play, Oblivion, next week?

OblivionMay 07, 2011

Quote from: Halbred

We should play, Oblivion, next week?


Sure. We can exchange codes sometime this weekend. I have a feeling that I'll be destroyed now that I bragged. XD

What's a good day for you? And will we do a private or public match?

Conduit 2 is worth a look if you are really into online multiplayer and want something to complement Goldeneye and Black Ops. The campaign mode is silly and sub-par in so many ways that I don't really recommend it.

KisakiProjectMay 07, 2011

Apparently I'm the only person that enjoys the every conspiracy theory thrown into one story.

@KiaskiProject: It is kind of funny, isn't it?

Chocobo_RiderMay 08, 2011

I loved the first game and look forward to playing the sequel in a few months.

Keep in mind: I don't really even care about competitive multiplayer in FPS games. 

However, one of the things I LOVED about C1 was that its protagonist was not the typical hard-on d-bag found in most FPSs.  Based on some of the audio clips I've heard and the Duke Nukem voice guy, I fear they have pushed the character a little closer into the d-bag range.

In the end, I just don't think any Wii game will be allowed to be taken completely seriously in a genre like this one.  These days, if an FPS wants to be taken seriously, it better be waving its high-definition d*ck all over the screen or it might as well not even show up.  Also, as much as I feel the Wii is perfect for pointing and shooting, gamers who most enjoy pointing and shooting honed their skills with gamepads. Plus, even if they could play better with the IR pointer, they wouldn't be motivated to master the technique because they feel motion control is somewhat akin to donning a frilly, pink dress and prancing about the room. =P

Zach and I made a video review. I just added it to the review article.

ShyGuyJune 01, 2011

o snap I hear these video reviews are of high quality

Let's put the record straight: JARED made a video review. I recorded myself reading my own review. LOL

ShyGuyJune 01, 2011

Upon watching the video review, I'm surprised I never noticed before how much Zach sounds like Tom Bodet. It must be the Alaska connection.

CericJune 01, 2011

Quote from: Halbred

Let's put the record straight: JARED made a video review. I recorded myself reading my own review. LOL

Should have hired a Shakespearean Ac-tor.
I still enjoy the Video Reviews.
So you back in Fighting Vigor ready for E3?

Chocobo_RiderJune 01, 2011

So, I'm not sure if it is simply that my expectations have had time to recover since crashing back down to Earth, but I'm somewhat more interested in this game now.

As many may know, I loved the first game (primarily for its 1P campaign) and was really looking forward to the sequel, but was turned off by the fact that HVS apparently made the plot of this game intentionally stupid - along with the protagonist's character (Duke Nukem and one-liners!? come on.)

Also, a female soldier whose armor covers everything but her cleavage? That's got dude-bro written all over it.

But, after spoiling the ending for myself (I had to see just how far HVS dropped their baby), I think I've come to terms with the more horrible choices made in this game.

I may be able to recollect my spirits and purchase the game when it inevitably hits $20 in a month or so =\

I'll give HVS one more chance with whatever Conduit 3DS game they are apparently working on.

Don't eff it up, HVS! I want to like you!

PS - The video review is part of why I think I may be able to overcome the downsides and enjoy the good bits.

PPS - The voice over DOES sound like Tom Bodet (sp?).  "The Conduit 2 is a decent experience... and we'll leave the light on for ya." =P

I just saw the video review attached to this article -- beautifully done, guys!

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Conduit 2 Box Art

Genre Shooter
Developer High Voltage Software
Players1 - 4
Online1 - 12

Worldwide Releases

na: Conduit 2
Release Feb 15, 2010
PublisherSega
RatingTeen

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