Capital Punishment

Game: The Conduit
System: Nintendo Wii
Release date: June 23, 2009
Developed by: High Voltage Software
Published by: Sega

It's no secret that first-person shooter (FPS) fans have little to celebrate on the Wii; the latest Nintendo console makes its money on action-adventure and platform games and, unfortunately, "shovelware," and either cannot or will not invest in first-party or third-party FPSs. The Conduit, along with earleir games like Red Steel, form the exception to this rule.

Set in Washington, D.C. in the not-too-distant future, The Conduit follows secret agent Michael Ford as he attempts to stop an alien menace called the Drudge from taking over the U.S. capital. Action takes place in several D.C. landmarks, including Reagan National Airport, the Jefferson Memorial, the Library of Congress, the Pentagon, and the White House.


The plot, characters, and voice work in The Conduit are unfortunately rather uninspired, but in a few areas the game shines, namely play control and graphics. The Wii is underpowered compared to its rival systems, but The Conduit makes the most of its processing power to create very vivid landscapes and models. High Voltage Software used a Wii-specific engine called Quantum3 to produce sophisticated graphic effects. The controls, which are fully customizable, are even more impressive. The Wii remote acts as a mouse would on a computer FPS, giving players total control over onscreen movement.


Another enjoyable, if underused feature of The Conduit is the All-Seeing Eye (ASE), a device recovered early in the game that can be used to identify invisible enemies and uncover secret messages, hidden chambers, and bonus discs.

Although it's underwhelming in several instances, The Conduit is an enjoyable and decent shooter on a system woefully lacking in that genre. Perhaps The Conduit 2, announced in March, will deliver the outstanding FPS experience Wii fans are waiting for.

Score: 80/100