conduit-2
Latest
Conduit developer teases franchise news before year's end
A representative for High Voltage Software has teased there's something in the works for Wii shooter franchise The Conduit. Answering questions on GameFAQs, Bob Chamot, a designer at the studio said, "We haven't forgotten about Conduit over here, either. I would expect some new Conduit-related news before the year is out."High Voltage Software has been working on several projects, including the Zone of the Enders: HD Collection. We've followed up with the developer to see if there's anything more it can share about the Conduit project. Whatever it is, we hope it'll be an improvement over Conduit 2.
Conduit 2 review: More like Con-don't-do-it 2
And with that headline, I exhausted and easily matched every bit of creativity that Sega and High Voltage Software put into Conduit 2, a half-rendered, poorly scripted, mysteriously voice-acted, first-person shooter for the Nintendo Wii. I'm not allowed enough space to truly get down to the essence of lackadaisical trash this game is, but dear, sweet Lord, I'm going to try. %Gallery-115300%
Conduit 2 trailer does a bit of globetrotting
Where do you think Conduit 2 will take you? Wherever the bad guys are, we're sure -- but those alien creeps aren't located in one convenient place. They're scattered all across the globe, in places like China, the Bermuda Triangle, the Siberian tundra and the rainforests of the Amazon.
Conduit 2 multiplayer trailer gets political
Sure, sure, the Conduit 2 trailer does a great job of showing off the different modes included in the title's 8-person multiplayer -- but we're more intrigued by how every player is named after a US president. We just can't wait to trade shots with "Mr.Roosevelt" and "Mr.Polk."
Conduit 2: by the numbers
Sequels aren't always guaranteed to be better than their predecessors, but they'll always be bigger. David Pellas, designer director of High Voltage's Conduit 2, broke down many of the new features included in the Wii-exclusive shooter. Some of the additions rectify surprising omissions from the first game: the ability to sprint, alternate fire for weapons, and a proper sniper rifle. Embarassingly, the first game missed any female NPC skins for multiplayer -- an issue that has been rectified in Conduit 2. Some of the added features are far more significant: the addition of split-screen multiplayer (with a brand new Horde-inspired co-op mode!), for example. The experience is fleshed out with an in-game store system that allows you to purchase new weapons and don new perks with a persistent character across both single and multiplayer. Finally, the campaign adds a feature most FPS games are missing today: boss battles. Does all this newness amount to a better game? That's up to debate, of course. But no one can argue that Conduit 2 -- when broken down into numbers -- is a far more significant game than its predecessor.
Conduit dev High Voltage making Kinect-enabled 'licensed' game for 2K
Though it may be best known for its Wii-exclusive sci-fi shooter The Conduit, and its upcoming, The-less sequel Conduit 2, High Voltage Software makes most of its scratch putting out licensed games. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for Wii and DS? Yup, that's High Voltage. Iron Man 2 ... for Wii and PSP? Also High Voltage. And now the Chicago-area developer is working on another licensed game due out this year -- but there's something unique about this one: it uses Kinect. "It's not announced yet," High Voltage's Eric Nofsinger told Eurogamer. "We're doing that with 2K. It's a licensed game. That's our bread and butter as a developer." Nofsinger added that this new game "works well with or without Kinect" and that, while it "works very well" with Kinect, "I don't think it's this brilliant, genius idea." As if intent on further lowering expectations for the Kinect functionality, Nofsinger said, "It works really well because it's a 360 game. I don't think it necessarily works really well because it's a Kinect game." Regardless of how tacked on the developer thinks this bit of Kinect functionality is, we'll find out more "around GDC" when the game is expected to be announced. High Voltage previously made a licensed Family Guy title for 2K in 2006 and Go, Diego, Go!: Safari Rescue, based on the Nickelodeon series, for 2K Play in 2008.
Conduit 2 delayed again, release date now April 19
High Voltage Studios' Conduit 2 just can't keep its grip on a solid release date. The Wii FPS is now scheduled for release on April 19, after slipping from February and March dates. A studio representative told IGN that the delay will allow the team to "continue to balance and enhance the game's multiplayer, one of the key features and focuses during the development of this ambitious sequel." Unfortunately, with the delay, it's hard to pinpoint another high-profile release to look forward to on Wii in the first quarter. It looks like Wii gamers will need to stick with Black Ops for now.%Gallery-115300%
Conduit 2 channels March 22 launch, new weapons trailer
High Voltage Software's Conduit 2 will be available on March 17, 18 and 22 in Australia, the UK and North America, respectively. There's also a new trailer for the latest alien blasting pew-pew devices after the break.
Conduit 2 trailer catches us up on the going-ons of Ford
Heroes come from the most unlikely places. For example, Conduit 2 protagonist Michael Ford, in the first game, unwittingly found himself at the center of a conspiracy involving The Drudge, a seemingly alien-looking race of creatures who had it out for the human race.
Conduit 2 preview: Pipe dream
High Voltage certainly had ambition and vision when designing the original Conduit for Wii, hyping it as a marquee FPS title for Nintendo's console. Unfortunately, the execution wasn't there. Fast forward a year since its release, and High Voltage is working on a sequel. Although the team admits the first game didn't meet expectations, I couldn't help but get a sense of déjà vu while watching the strictly hands-off demo. This time, it's actually going to be really good -- but isn't that what you guys promised us last time? Conduit 2 has all the features you'd expect of a sequel. More locations! This time, you'll be wandering around a variety of locales, including the mythical Atlantis. (You do make a return trip to DC, but only for one level.) More weapons! With more human, alien and Atlantian guns to use this time around. Better graphics! Or, at least, better art direction and a closer attention to detail. Each level looks very different, with an intentional focus on offering different color palettes throughout the game. Humor! In an attempt to take things a bit less seriously than in the first game, expect many more quips from Ford as he goes through his mission. The banter felt strangely reminiscent of a Duke Nukem game. Yet, in spite High Voltage's efforts to build upon the previous game, there's one feature I still couldn't find in the hands-off demo: fun.%Gallery-105084%
Show off with Conduit 2's Limited Edition
If you're a fan of both The Conduit and displays of wealth, you'll be happy to know that if you buy Conduit 2 from GameStop, you can make both your copy and your in-game character look more opulent. The retailer is offering a limited-edition version of High Voltage's Wii FPS (for the same $50 price as the regular edition) that includes an art book. It's just the thing to show off the fact that you have a limited edition. In addition to the art book, you'll get in-game bonuses including the "Eye of Ra," a version of the All Seeing Eye that finds hidden items twice as quickly, and "Gold Destroyer Armor" for multiplayer, which is like the normal armor, but golden.%Gallery-107132%
Conduit 2's All Seeing Eye avoids GoldenEye, moves to 2011
November 2 was going to mark the release of not one, but two high-profile first person shooters on Wii: Conduit 2 and GoldenEye. It looks like Sega and High Voltage are taking a step back, telling Nintendojo that the Conduit sequel has been pushed back to Q1 2011. There's no specified reason for the delay, but it's likely that Q1 offered a better release window for the Wii shooter. Sega famously released Resonance of Fate one week after Final Fantasy XIII. Presumably, Sega would want a better fate for Conduit 2.
Preview: Conduit 2
The High Voltage representatives showing off The Conduit 2 behind closed doors at the Sega booth were quick to admit that the first game may not have lived up to the hype. While they were incredibly proud of what they created with that game, they admitted there was plenty of room for improvement -- generic, repeating waves of enemies were just one of the frank criticisms they had for their game. The sequel would afford them opportunity to correct these shortcomings. And then we were thrust into the demo. %Gallery-95380%
Conduit 2 includes optional MotionPlus support
High Voltage Software experimented with support for the MotionPlus peripheral in The Conduit, but omitted it from the final game. Sega announced today that the sequel will allow players to augment the game's controls with the underused gyroscope peripheral. According to the announcement, in addition to general response improvements, the MotionPlus will improve "edge tracking and transitions to pointer control" -- which sounds like it should make the experience of accidentally pointing off screen while turning somewhat less infuriating. If you are living a MotionMinus life and still want to play Conduit 2, don't worry: it's totally optional. Conduit 2 will be out this fall.
High Voltage: It's just 'Conduit 2' now
In a Nintendo Life interview, producer Jason Olson clears up something regarding the title of the sequel to last year's The Conduit: it's less definite now. "It's Conduit 2. The 'THE' got a bit clunky – too much of a mouthful – and we always referred to it as Conduit 2 internally. It flows better and just kinda stuck." Of course: now that there are two of them, each is just a Conduit. Olson also offered some details about the revamped multiplayer. Perks will now be available, which will allow players to customize their characters significantly. "If I wanted to be a medic, for example, I'd probably pick Reverse Damage (Shooting allies heals them), Field Medicine (Doubles revive times), and Robot Legs (Unlimited sprint) among my perks. If I wanted to be a tank, I'd pick Heavy Armor (Damage reduction at a cost to movement speed), Ammo Belt (Two extra magazines), and Improved Bullet Damage." And you'll be able to set up two sets of abilities, so you can switch quickly.
