Conduit, The

Gaming Nexus

The Conduit is a flawed masterpiece: it doesn’t quite live up to the nigh-unreachable hype built up around it, but by breaking so much ground on the Wii it does something more important than meet the hype.

Worth Playing

Going out on a limb, but a thick limb, The Conduit is an FPS that will stand well among lots of contemporary shooters, but the game is by far the most fully realized, expertly designed experience of its type available on the Wii.

Gameplayer

We’re surprised to hear ourselves say it, but we actually had as much fun playing The Conduit, as we did with Metroid Prime Corruption. It really did blow us away!

GameFocus

While the single player may come off as generic to some, the story is interesting enough to be worth a look for anyone with even a passing interest in the sci-fi shooter genre. Still, it’s the multiplayer that really stands out as the best on the Wii.

IGN

While the game does not turn the genre upside-down, it is innovative in certain areas -- for example, it features the most customizable, precise and enjoyable controls of any console shooter created, hands down.

NintendoWorldReport

Its disappointing single-player component seems hastily-designed with its cookie-cutter plot, limited range of enemies, and myriad elements copied wholesale from popular recent first-person shooters. On the other hand, its multiplayer component is great, matching online shooters on other platforms feature-for-feature and providing a no-hassle experience that's among the best on Wii.

Nintendojo

Taken as a whole, The Conduit is a solid effort on Wii, although it is more of a jack of all trades than a master of one.

Play Magazine

The seminal Wii FPA has arrived, loaded with top-fuel Wii tech, consistent, persistent, decidedly well-designed and executed gameplay, an excellent soundtrack, and enough originality to separate it from the first-person pack.

Deeko

The Conduit is a solid FPS and should be a must buy for anyone who loves the genre and loves their Wii.

9Lives

The Conduit is finally a high-end shooter for the Wii. High Voltage Software has really tried to get the maximum out of the console while still offering a wonderful game. Hopefully, more developers will follow this example and we can get more new franchises that achieve a certain level. The Conduit has several things going for it to be called a classic, but it still lacks several things left and right to belong to that category.

GameShark

The Conduit may not redefine the shooter experience, but it's got a good beat and I can dance to it and sometimes that's all you need.

GamesNation

The technical differences between the Wii and other next-gen platforms are well known to everyone, so don’t expect from The Conduit the same graphic or level design. Yet, you may well expect polished textures, great effects, and, most of all, a superb control system which perfectly fits into the typical FPS gameplay approach. And as we said, it’s an FPS. On the Wii!

GameZone

Technically impressive, The Conduit benefits from graphical prowess and solid controls, but falls a bit short.

Kombo

This is the Wii version of Perfect Dark. The campaign, guns, and feel are so reminiscent of Perfect Dark it's undeniable.

Zentendo

An outstanding effort for an independent third party. It raises the bar for graphics, controls, and online gameplay for FPS on the Wii.

Cynamite

The Conduit has nice graphics and a good gameplay. The multiplayer mode is also very nice. The Conduit is a "must-have" - title for Wii owners.

Games Radar (in-house)

The solid, yet unremarkable single-player won’t win any awards, but The Conduit still features the most finely honed online outings available on the Wii, thus making it supremely worthy of our third highest score.

Nintendo Power

The best pure first-person shooter on the Wii. [July 2009, p.84]

Impulsegamer

The Conduit is an interesting shooter for the Nintendo Wii console that although doesn't offer too much in terms of "new" gameplay, it sticks to the safe road, creating an apt game.

Da Gameboyz

The Conduit has definitely opened the doors for future greatness in the first person shooter genre, but its downfalls, especially the repetitive and boring gameplay have kept it from becoming a must have title that it was projected to be.

3DJuegos

A great first-person shooter on the Wii.

Vandal Online

Ultimately this is a good game, but it has pros and cons in nearly every aspect, and it's far from what we had been promised. Everyone expected it to be a masterpiece and it's only a good game, and some might get disappointed.

XGN

High Voltage proved all its promises with The Conduit. The game has nice graphics and good gameplay, but most of all keeps things stretching till the very last moment. Need a great shooter for the Wii? Take a sprint to the shop right now!

IGN AU

We found it helpful to think of this as a first-rate tech demo with a fun multiplayer component.

Cheat Code Central

If you only own a Wii, this game does provide sporadically impressive visuals, one of the best online experiences on the console, perhaps the best/most customizable controls of any Wii FPS, and a reason to blow the dust off of your system for awhile.

GameTrailers

The Conduit deserves credit for getting the most important stuff right. In spite of the disappointing single-player campaign, it delivers as a shooter on the strength of its multiplayer component. The Wii finally has a competitive FPS worthy of spending time with.

Gamervision

The Conduit isn't the Wii's Halo no matter how much Nintendo fans want it to be. It's more in line with Killzone 2 for the PlayStation 3, but not in the way of quality. Just as was the case with Killzone 2, The Conduit shows exactly what is possible on the system. The difference is, in the case with the Wii, the answer isn't that much.

Games Master UK

Do buy it, however, for its rather fine online offering. [Aug 2009, p.83]

Extreme Gamer

High Voltage did a great job pushing their technology on the Wii making The Conduit a stand out title.

Official Nintendo Magazine UK

Nowhere near classic status, but this is a welcome companion to "Metroid Prime: Corruption." [July 2009, p.78]

Gaming Age

I definitely think Conduit's worth checking out if you're a Wii owner, it's easily the best FPS on the system, and the multiplayer is handled quite well. I'm a bit hesitant to suggest it if you're only going to play the campaign, as I don't think it's particularly strong or interesting, but even then it's worth a rental.

Meristation

The Conduit is one of the finest Nintendo Wii games, with and outstanding graphical engine and a very entertaining gameplay that's apt for any player who wants to discover what The Conduit is possible to offer. It lacks a more profound use of strategy instead of being a simple action game, but its online options make worthy the purchase of a very interesting game tough it's far from the perfection that High Voltage promised some months ago.

Everyeye.it

The Conduit is the first real alternative to Metroid Prime. Rich gameplay and a solid control scheme make High Voltage Software's title a fun and complete experience, also thanks to a good multiplayer section. Despite the previous declarations graphics are "only" good.

Armchair Empire

High Voltage hopefully learned some lessons during The Conduit’s development, they obviously learned from the mistakes and strengths of the likes of Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 and Metroid Prime, because the basic groundwork has been laid for an even better sequel.

SpazioGames

Quotation forthcoming.

Game Over Online

The Conduit is a noble experiment. It's a great engine, and I look forward to future games that use it. The multiplayer, glitchy though it may be, is the real reason to pick it up, and it's fun enough to justify the purchase.

NGamer UK

A disappointing experience if you're only going to play alone, but okay as an online shooter. It's like two games in one - one above average, the other a big rubbish. [Sept 2009, p.62]

Multiplayer.it

The Conduit is a solid FPS with a great control system and an excellent online multiplayer for up to twelve players and Wii Speak support. It's not the "next-gen graphics" we were waiting for, and the level design is bland, but it still worth the buy if you like this kind of games.

Gamers' Temple

It can be fun (I guess) if you are able to find a control scheme/sensitivity that works for you, but if you're like me and can't, you'll be stuck with a game you can't play and really can't enjoy.

Game Informer

There’s not much to hate about The Conduit outside of some lamentably uninspired design decisions. There isn’t much to love, either. It feels like a 10-year-old game at times, albeit a reasonably polished one. It’s on Wii, though, and that will be enough for some people.

GamePro

To be blunt, The Conduit is a by the numbers shooter that offers a couple of thrills but ultimately doesn't make much of an impact.

GameSpy

Wii owners have been waiting a while for a top-notch FPS to call their own, and although the single-player mode has its faults, The Conduit's multiplayer experience helps to lessen the pain.

GameDaily

While The Conduit didn't thrill us, we still think it's a solid first effort and one of the Wii's best shooters so far. Just don't expect it to revolutionize anything and you'll enjoy the bug hunt.

DailyGame

The Conduit is decent, but I wouldn't pay $50 for it; maybe $30. Between cheap enemies and not enough polish, The Conduit just falls short.

AtomicGamer

Ultimately, the game is a solid but flawed first attempt from High Voltage Software at a first person shooter on the Wii.

WonderwallWeb

The single player campaign is passable, however thanks to the multiplayer mode and excellent control scheme this is a game worth considering.

InsideGamer.nl

The Conduit tries to be special, but it isn’t. It is just a shooter, with some weapons and some puzzles. The story isn’t long, but the multiplayer brings a lot of fun. However, the action feels good and that's what counts at the end of the day.

IGN UK

It's The Conduit’s beautifully tactile control set-up that proves to be the star of the show here. Take it away and you’re left with a single-player game that’s consistently bland but, more damningly, consistently boring.

Gamestyle

The Conduit has the best controls of any First Person Shooter on the Wii by far. It would be unfair to say that this is not supported by a decent single-player campaign or online multiplayer, but The Conduit is certainly lacking in these areas.

Gameplanet

The Conduit proves that the Wii can produce FPS play mechanics that are easy to control, however the lack of a cohesive story coupled with bland environments ultimately lets it down.

Nintendo Life

If you've only got a Wii, the game's worth a purchase, but if you're a multi-platform owner you can definitely do better in terms of FPS games.

Destructoid

Is The Conduit disappointing? No, not at all. I think it turned out to be exactly what we all thought it was going to be: a well executed Wii FPS with some ups and downs that's fun to play.

NZGamer

As far as the Nintendo Wii goes, this game does a very admirable job. It possibly doesn’t beat the likes of Metroid Prime – but it does set itself up for a sequel that could potentially push the bars a lot higher.

Cubed3

Near-perfect first person shooter controls, and solid online play make a game worth considering - especially if you're in need of shooting loving on the Wii.

N-Europe

The Conduit is like a dwarf glamour model - irresistible despite its shortness.

Eurogamer Portugal

Do not expect to be delighted with this unique adventure, but the game itself, especially in terms of gameplay, will be able to enjoy you wile it lasts.

PALGN

Although it sets a new standard by giving players the ability to change Wii remote sensitivity and button mapping, at the end of the day The Conduit is an average run and gun shooter.

Pelit (Finland)

Party like it's 1999 – and not in a good way! Who cares about the controls if the content is a total wash. The little life Conduit has come’s from the decent multiplayer. [July 2009]

GameSpot

The excellent control scheme is able to save this otherwise average adventure for a little while, but the many missteps of the campaign become suffocating before too long. The multiplayer, too, is entertaining for a few hours, but the seven maps are too simple and predictable to provide a consistently thrilling experience.

VideoGamer

Nothing more than an occasionally attractive run of the mill FPS, backed up by a decent multiplayer mode that stands out due to the relative weakness the Wii has in this area.

Play.tm

Superb controls aside, when properly assessed by the FPS genre's merciless yardstick of quality, The Conduit echoes the same linear design disappointments as Resistance: Fall of Man and finds itself languishing uncomfortably close to Turning Point: Fall of Liberty in terms of dour quality.

RealGamer

This game promised so much but for me it failed to deliver overall. Dull and repetitive objectives and a lacklustre story combined with some unfair and inconsistent AI makes the short single player mode an uninspired stroll through corridor filled levels.

AceGamez

As a Wii game it's way beyond every other FPS on the system (other than Metroid ) in terms of controls and graphical fidelity, but when compared to the full breadth of the FPS genre, Conduit is more akin to TimeShift and Haze.

Eurogamer Italy

An average shooter that stays far from the target that the team tried to achieve at the beginning of the project. High Voltage can do better and probably will do with a different budget working on a sequel. We hope so.

DarkZero

Despite its flaws, The Conduit is undoubtedly the best Wii-exclusive First-Person Shooter, it’s just a shame that particular accolade doesn’t mean much. Graphical prowess is no substitute for great art design, great controls are no substitute for fantastic gameplay, and when it comes to First-Person Shooters, the Wii is just no match for other consoles.

BigPond GameArena

In a world where First Person Shooters come free with pizza (Pizza Hut gave away the Battlefield series for a while for those of you leading a healthier lifestyle than me.) The Conduit really doesn't stand out in the crowd. If anything; other, better games are sitting on its shoulders.

Computer and Video Games

A generic, below-average first-person shooter experience marginally cushioned by robust online options.

Game Revolution

Disappointingly, The Conduit offers no incentive to convince current FPS gamers to put down Halo or Call of Duty, and it presents no easy transition into the genre for those who’ve never played an FPS game before.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Ambition outstrips achievement, leaving a solid technical base for future shooters.

1UP

In the heat of this action, The Conduit comes closest to realizing its aspirations to become the first epic shooter for the Wii. By comparison, the best moments in single-player only highlight the missed potential for The Conduit to be more than the rather ordinary game it turned out to be.

Eurogamer

High Voltage deserves credit for its technology, for its commitment to multiplayer, and for tuning a perfect set of FPS controls on a console that was begging for them. Its efforts shame everyone but Metroid developer Retro who's gone before, and certainly do prove that you can do a great FPS on the Wii. It's just that The Conduit - slender, derivative, mechanical and uninspired - isn't it.

games(TM)

The Conduit isn't bad, just anonymous. [Aug 2009, p.128]

Gamer Limit

Actually sitting down for a multiplayer match, however, is an exercise in boredom.

Gamer.nl

The Conduit promises a Halo-experience, but falls short due to the fact that it plays like an antique first person shooter. The singleplayer is completely linear and repetitive and the multiplayer modes are disappointing as well. The only thing that somewhat saves this game are sharp controls.

Eurogamer Spain

The Conduit can offer a short time of fun to fans of the genre, but the effect won't really last much.

Edge Magazine

Nintendo is claiming that The Conduit might attract Halo fans to its console, but this game isn’t fit to wait Master Chief’s table.

Teletext GameCentral

The Drudge are a sadly appropriate named for the enemy in this artless grind of a first person shooter.

Giant Bomb

If you're just comparing it to other action games released on the Wii, The Conduit does some interesting things with its control and with its multiplayer modes. But other aspects, like the poor story, bland design, and awful voice acting, would be just as bad on any platform. It's that stuff that drags The Conduit down into an area where it's tough to recommend without providing a boatload of caveats.

Thunderbolt

It seems set with doing the bare minimum (a lot of the time, not even that) and expects it to be acceptable just because it’s splashing around in a small pond starved of enough shooters to hold the flag without it.