The Conduit [Wii]

On a side note, you can fully tweak your button layout, too, even going so far as to assign motion controls to certain moves, but I happen to like the standard configuration HVS has come up with. You shoot with the B-trigger, jump with A button, crouch and lock-onto enemies with the nunchuk's buttons and can select between two guns with the D-Pad. With a quick flick of the nunchuk, you can toss grenades and if you thrust forward with the Wii remote, you'll knock enemies out with the butt of your gun. Normally I'd be against such gestural inclusions because they so often prove unreliable, but they work flawlessly every time in The Conduit and they allow for a more immersive combat experience, which is commendable. (In the developer's next game, The Grinder, it has opted to assign melee combat to a button because you're fighting too many enemies at any given moment and gestures would therefore not be ideal. It's clear to me that these guys know Wii's strengths and weaknesses.)

The game itself is split into two modes: single-player and online multiplayer. The single-player portion is comprised of nine missions that took me about five and a half hours to complete. That's the number the game clocked when I had blasted through the last stage, anyway, but it is a bit misleading because it does not consider any of my deaths and subsequent restarts. I'd realistically tack on a couple more hours to the experience, which puts it at about average length for a shooter. Additionally, the title features a full achievements system and hidden data tracks scattered throughout levels that unlock cheats and concept art. And of course, you can also change the difficulty so that the normally-forgiving AI characters mount more formidable offensives. (By the way, one little gripe: you will find yourself fighting the same small selection of enemies throughout the adventure.)

The Conduit is very much a straightforward, linear FPS focused on simple run-and-gun gameplay. It really does seem to be a Wii version of Perfect Dark in that regard. Therefore, if you've grown accustomed to FPSs with relentlessly scripted scenarios, vehicular combat, and that one big feature (destructible environments in Red Faction; the ability to command monsters in The Darkness), you will probably find The Conduit's designs lacking by comparison. I can see that, but the gunplay in High Voltage's project is no less intense or enjoyable as you run through futuristic bases and dilapidated city backdrops pumping bullet after bullet into soldiers and aliens. You will use a variety of weapons, from pistols and shotguns to rocket launchers and alien blasters, to dispose of foes with satisfying accuracy. And when you're not shooting them down, you'll be able to select Ford's All-Seeing Eye, a special gadget that can hack into computers, find secret portals and messages, and unlock doorways through the city, to progress, which mixes up the action some and is also good fun.

When you're all finished with the single-player mode, you can hop online and continue the fight via The Conduit's 12-player-compatible online component, a very welcomed addition that greatly enhances replay value. The bad news is that you'll still need to trade friend codes with your buddies before you can play them, but don't worry because there's also plenty of good news. The Conduit features a robust list of modes and maps to play online and nearly 20 weapons to use as you rip through arenas blasting foes. There's the standard marathon in free-for-all, an every-man-for-himself fragfest set to a countdown timer, but there also some good variations. In ASE Football, you search a map for the gadget and then try to hold onto it the longest without being shot dead. And in Bounty Hunter, you must search locales for a specific target and if you shoot the wrong opponent, you'll be penalized. There's also team play scenarios like capture the flag, an oldie but goodie. Thankfully supports WiiSpeak online so you can actually chat with your friends as you run about levels destroying each other or opponents. What a concept!