Introduction

On April 17, 2008 IGN.com revealed The Conduit to the world. Its developer, High Voltage Software, whose past was largely shaped by licensed games, was introduced to the prime time. Nearly fourteen months later a finished product was sent to retailers. In that time High Voltage has become known as a vocal studio who listens to the demands and suggestions of its players. The Conduit has become a battle standard for the Wii in the fanboy wars. Even now, as it has been acknowledged that The Conduit doesn't reach the heights of Halo, Killzone, or Call of Duty, it is regularly identified as the best FPS experience on the Wii.

This is an offering to High Voltage Software: a complete analysis of The Conduit. Single player, multiplayer and everything in between will be examined. Praise will be doled out, flaws will be pointed out, and suggestions will be made.

In addition to sharing the analysis with the Kombo audience this feature will be sent directly to High Voltage Software's doorstep. Not only do I want to help High Voltage craft an even better game next time, I'm hoping that this article will keep The Conduit a conversation piece. High Voltage wants to hear what you guys have to say, and if you aren't telling them, they will never know. I can guarantee that High Voltage will be watching the response the Kombo fans give this article.

It's going to be a long haul ladies and gentlemen, so make sure you have a beverage and sandwich handy.

Presentation

Top notch. This feels like a next-gen game in every way. Menus are sharp, well designed and navigable by IR and d-pad. High Voltage Software paid a lot of attention to making sure this felt like a real, hardcore game that happened to be on the Wii.

Controls

High Voltage Software did a bang up job on this front. The button and gesture layout is completely interchangeable and that is a godsend. The size of the bounding box is totally player controlled and it feels great. They put the tools in the players' hands so they can design their own scheme. There are options for literally everything you can think of and even more options for things you didn't think of. Every gesture with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk works like it should. That is something that not many Wii games can claim. Controls are one of the only elements of The Conduit that doesn't leave much room for improvement.