The Conduit [Wii]

I tested the online portion several times in preparation for this review and it yielded mixed results. In various matches with upward of eight or 10 players, I noticed that in some cases everything ran beautifully. No lag, perfect WiiSpeak recognition, and the end result was nothing short of addictive. The variety in maps is adequate, the gameplay styles enjoyable and with such tight controls at your fingertips, the matches really do get intense. However, I also encountered situations overrun with lag in which on-screen characters would skip around erratically, making maintained matches virtually unplayable. It seems clear to me that the technology is in place for some great online experiences, but whether or not you actually get them may depend on your connection speed, as well as how many people are playing against you. Even with this split between good and bad connections, though, I think there will be a lot of Wii owners willing to suffer through some laggy battles for the good ones, which make possible some truly entertaining fragfests.

Closing Comments
It's not revolutionary, but the Conduit is a great first-person shooter designed just for Wii owners. 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. Meanwhile, the technology powering the experience is leaps and bounds ahead of most third- party offerings for Nintendo's system. Combined, you've got a game that controls flawlessly and looks great. If you're okay with a few presentational cliches -- a story involving aliens that seems played out -- and a shooting experience that rarely strays from straightforward running and gunning, you're probably going to love the end product. If, on the other hand, you own another system, nothing The Conduit offers, fantastic controls aside, will seem extraordinary. Supposing you are a single console owner, though, High Voltage's shooter not only delivers a fun single-player quest, but an engaging online mode that will keep you fragging complete with WiiSpeak support for months to come.

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