Video Game Review: ‘The Conduit 2’ Disappoints With More of the Same

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CHICAGO – Two years ago when “The Conduit” was released for the Nintendo Wii, I wrote a review that claimed that it would “open the door for more shooters” for the console that never seemed too adept at releasing them. Sadly, development for the Nintendo Wii actually seemed to go in the other direction, as the machine seems now to be in that tragic phase when it’s being essentially ignored in favor of the next system (which Nintendo will reportedly announce at E3). There are still a few Nintendo Wii highlights every now and then and I truly hoped that “The Conduit 2” would serve as a notice of what this system could have been with a little more love and care. Instead it feels like an echo, a game that falls prey to too many of the traps of the Nintendo Wii to really make a difference. The doors are closed.

HollywoodChicago.com Video Game Rating: 2.5/5.0
Video Game Rating: 2.5/5.0

At their best, “The Conduit” games feel like a retro throwback to the many, many hours spent lost playing games like “Doom” and “Wolfenstein.” The first game came on the heels of Nintendo’s development of “MadWorld” for the Wii and “Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars” for the DS, both of which felt like honest attempts to take the family-friendly brand in a new direction. With a great FPS like “The Conduit” promised to be, Nintendo could finally be for more than your pre-teen nephew or adventurous grandma.

The Conduit 2
The Conduit 2
Photo credit: Sega

“The Conduit” was a nostalgic shooter in both good and bad ways. The player moved through a series of basic weapons through basic levels killing waves of agents, soldiers, and aliens. Taking place in a devastated Washington D.C. after an alien attack, the game was at times refreshingly simple and, simultaneously, frustratingly so. Weak graphics, glitchy motion controls, and moronic A.I. marred the overall experience but one hoped that those elements would be ironed out for the sequel.

The Conduit 2
The Conduit 2
Photo credit: Sega

They haven’t been. If anything, the developments in video game graphics over the last few years make the look of “The Conduit 2” even more frustrating. The weapons and enemies are reasonably well-designed and well-executed but the environments are laughable. I said the following about “The Conduit” — “But with some weak graphics, awful voice work, and nonsensical storyline, “The Conduit” simply can’t compare to the cinematic experiences that modern gamers have become accustomed to in the late ’00s.” Nothing has changed in that arena in “The Conduit 2,” but it’s even more frustrating after some of the truly great games that have been released in the last two years.

The story of “The Conduit 2” is the kind of total nonsense that would be satirized in a better game. It’s such B-movie junk that I kind of stopped paying attention to it and focused purely on the gameplay, which, to be fair, is a bit smoother than the first game. Aiming seems a bit more organic and easier to control, but there’s still an inconsistency in combat that can be oddly frustrating. A headshot that would kill one enemy would do nothing the next time and the A.I. is, once again, wildly inconsistent. Sometimes I felt like I was being flanked by intelligent enemies, but, far more often, they would pop up like figures in a shooting gallery.

The weapon customization and integrated weapon unlocks across all modes of the game (single, multi, and Invasion mode) are smart enhancements that have been well-designed. The actual point-and-shoot of the game is easily the best thing about it but the A.I. and dull, predictable environments lessen the simple enjoyment of the game. Paintball is fun. Playing paintball in a horribly designed setting with a bunch of morons? Not as much fun.

Some people just love FPS games on the Wii and can forgive things like gameplay glitches and crappy graphics. If you’re one of those players who primarily just want something new to do with your Wii-mote instead of fake sports than “The Conduit 2” has enough basic enjoyment to be worth a look. It’s still tough to judge a shooter on a console not known for them. But with the PlayStation Move proving that shooters can be pulled off with motion controls in an incredibly successful way (such as in “Killzone 3”), “The Conduit 2” just doesn’t cut it.

‘The Conduit 2’ was released by Sega and developed by Quazal. It is rated T (Teen). It has been exclusively released for the Nintendo Wii. It was released on April 19th, 2011.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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