| Conduit 2 | |
|---|---|
North American cover art |
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| Developer(s) | High Voltage Software |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Engine | Quantum3 |
| Platform(s) | Wii, 3DS |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, co-op, split-screen multiplayer, online multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T[3] |
| Media/distribution | Wii Optical Disc |
Conduit 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software for the Wii video game console. It is the sequel to The Conduit.[4] The developers called the game Conduit 2 because they felt the original name of The Conduit 2 was "too much of a mouthful" so they dropped the "The".[5]
The game makes use of the Quantum3 engine, a game engine designed by High Voltage Software specifically for the Wii. The engine allows effects such as bump mapping, reflection and refraction, and gloss and detail mapping to be implemented. Conduit 2 supports a wide variety of peripherals such as Wii MotionPlus, Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro, and the PDP Headbanger Headset.[6][7]
Contents |
Conduit 2's single player mode has had many changes from the first game. Players have the ability to flip over objects such as tables, bookshelves and soda machines to use as cover, and shoot off enemy armor and helmets to expose weak spots.[8][9] A sprint button has been added to allow players to charge or flee from opponents.[8] Players can ride on vehicles in certain levels and fire weapons from them.[10] At the beginning of levels, players can choose their weapon loadouts, and customize their character's appearance and ability upgrades.[9][11] The use of iron sights has been implemented, and grenades explode on a timer.[12] Levels are less "corridor-based" in design, with multiple paths to explore.[8] The game's story unfolds during gameplay through triggered scripted sequences instead of through cutscenes as in the first game.[8] Enemy AI has been enhanced; to make them appear more lifelike, enemies have conversations between themselves when they're unaware of the players presence.[13][14] The enemies can flip and knock over things like tables and filing cabinets for makeshift cover, and enemies blind fire when players aim at them while they're behind cover.[8][13] The enemies possess randomized weapons. The enemy AI behavior also changes depending on which weapon they have. For example, a foe with a shotgun will attempt to run up to the player to shoot him at close range, while a foe with a rifle will hang back and shoot from afar.[15] Enemy behavior also varies depending on which weapon the player is armed with. For example, enemies try to search for players who have cloaked with the ARC Eclipse rifle.[16] Enemies dive out of the way of fragmentation grenades and attempt to suicide bomb the player when stuck with a radiation grenade. Enemies feature randomly selected armour pieces and helmets so that each enemy looks different.[9] Conduit 2 features 23 enemy types, as opposed to the first game which only had 14.[17] While Conduit 2 retains the customizable controls from the first game,[5] the game supports Wii MotionPlus for enhanced precision control and better tracking, though it is not required to play the game.[18] In addition, Conduit 2 supports the use of the Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro.[19]
High Voltage stated that they intended to concentrate more on art and story - both areas which were criticized in The Conduit.[20][21] Conduit 2 takes place in many locations throughout the world.[21] The game is set in Atlantis[22] in addition to Washington, D.C., Agartha, Siberia,[20] the Amazon, England and China.[23] Conduit 2 features 16 campaign missions at an estimated 6-8 hour length, as opposed to The Conduit's 9 missions at 4-6 hours.[17] The game also features boss battles against large aliens, and 21[17] weapons, with additions such as the "Aegis Device" (known as the vortex cannon prior to the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010) which catches rounds fired by opponents and then fires the collection of ammunition back at them, or a mobile turret that can be picked up and moved to different parts of a level, and remotely fired from behind cover, as well as the Phase Rifle; which is capable of firing through walls. Some weapons are customizable. Most weapons have a secondary fire mode.[24] Likewise, some weapons from the first game have been retooled to fire differently.[8] Various weapons and devices have returned from the first game with some being improved upon, such as the All-Seeing-Eye or ASE, used to scan objects for use in a wide range of circumstances, such as data logs, force fields, and to discover hidden traps and unlockables.[5][8][22] While in the first game, the ASE emitted a sound in order to indicate nearby scannable objects, Conduit 2 features a manual sonar like "ping" system which helps indicate to players where scannable objects are hidden.[14]
Along with a standard single-player and multiplayer online modes, the title features four-player split-screen multiplayer with offline and online modes.[4] The online element features "increased security" over the first game to prevent hackers.[8] Bounty Hunter mode returned from the first game,[22] as well as a new Co-op mode which features "Invasion Mode", in which players combat waves of enemies on the same console in split-screen mode.[25] The game allows up to 12 players to battle online, and was one of the first Wii games to support the PDP Headbanger Headset, which allows voice chat between players without the need for exchanging friend codes.[4][22] In addition to the Wii's use of Friend Codes, the game features a "Rival System" in which a player can send rival requests to other players in the lobby to add to their rivals list. Up to 96 friends can be listed.[26]
Conduit 2 supports patching to allow fixes to bugs and glitches in its online multiplayer.[9] Another feature added is the ability for players to revive fallen teammates.[27] The game introduces different character classes, each with unique attributes, and allow the player to alter their characters appearance as well as unlock over 30 suit upgrades that bestow special skills, such as robotic legs that let the player to sprint greater distances.[5][22] Players are able to switch between four different character classes during the course of a match, each with different player-defined weapons and upgrades.[5] The multiplayer features 12 maps, 14 game modes and 60 player rankings, whereas The Conduit only featured 7 maps, 9 game modes and 25 player rankings.[17] Conduit 2 also features a female NPC skin for multiplayer, which was absent in the first game.[17] Conduit 2 features a currency system that allows players to earn experience points and medals that can be used to purchase weapons, upgrades and armor pieces to alter their characters look.[9][27] A new voting system has been implemented into the multiplayer which allows players to choose between two online maps and game types when the player enters the lobby for a specific mode. There is also a playlist featuring no radar and no lock-on.[24]
Development of Conduit 2 began after The Conduit shipped in June 2009.[5] The game was announced on March 29, 2010, after months of speculation of a sequel's existence.[4] During the production of the first game, development resources were spread thin as both the gameplay and the game's engine were designed simultaneously. For Conduit 2, the developers were able to devote their resources fully to game design, as the engine had already been made.[15] As they did during the development of the first game, High Voltage Software asked for feedback from fans for what features they wanted to see in the game. Features such as split-screen, sniper rifles and female characters were put in at fans requests.[9] Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America said, "The Conduit 2 is an enormous sequel. Not only does it greatly improve and expand on the original, the online and co-op play modes aim to raise the bar for Wii war games."[28]
The game runs at 48 kHz audio. On July 29, 2010, Sega revealed Conduit 2's box art.[29] In September 2010 it was reported that the game would be delayed until Q1 2011 and supports Classic Controller input.[30] In an attempt to improve Conduit 2's story over the first game High Voltage Software hired novelist Matt Forbeck and Jason Blair, the writer of the video games Borderlands and Prey, to pen the games script.[31] In an interview with Keith Hladik, it was stated that all voice actors from the first game would not be returning but the new voice actors have done "a fantastic job making our characters come to life."[32] Agent Michael Ford is now voiced by voice actor Jon St. John, who is best known for providing the voice for Duke Nukem.[33] Conduit 2 was originally compatible with the Wii Speak peripheral as The Conduit was,[34] but functionality of the device was removed from the title at the insistence of Nintendo.[35] Wii Speak support was dropped as it was incompatible with the PDP Headbanger headset, which support was opted for instead for its lower latency and better sound quality.[36] Motion controls were originally planned to be used for opening doors and flicking switches, but eventually this feature was removed from the game.[9]
On January 18, 2011,[37] Sega announced Conduit 2 would be delayed until March in North America. A few days later, they announced it would be pushed back to April 2011 in North America.[38]
At the 2011 Game Developers Conference High Voltage Software revealed a tech demo of Conduit 2 for the Nintendo 3DS. The demo, based on the China level from Conduit 2, demonstrated stereographic 3D effects, as well as the ability to shift into a third person perspective.[39]
The backstory for the game is told primarily through scan-able conspiracy objects scattered throughout the game. Conduit 2's backstory relies heavily on Sumerian mythology and the Reptilian Conspiracy, a conspiracy theory that the Annunaki, a group of Sumerian deities, were actually extraterrestrials who used humans as slaves and entertainment. The progenitors fill this role in Conduit 2, serving as a basis for the Annunaki deities and having since scattered themselves across the world, secretly controlling and influencing the governments and people of their respective areas. References are also made to Tiamat and the Deluge myth.
In addition, Conduit 2 incorporates other conspiracies such as the Dropa stones, Tunguska event, and disappearance of Col. Percy Fawcett.
The game starts immediately after the events of the first game, with Michael Ford following John Adams through a conduit. Ford finds himself on an offshore oil rig located in the Bermuda triangle and he catches up with Adams, who has arrived full circle at the derrick's conduit. Adams escapes through the conduit shortly before it is destroyed by a massive leviathan. Prometheus is able to have the leviathan home in on the ASE, which results in it swallowing Ford and regurgitating him beneath the sea in Atlantis, an alien spacecraft that was used by Adams, Prometheus, and their siblings to arrive on Earth. Ford soon gains the destroyer exoskeleton suit, and awakens a woman named Andromeda from cryostasis. She reveals that her purpose is to aid The Destroyer, who Ford has become after acquiring the destroyer armor.
Andromeda reprograms the ship's conduit to take Ford to the last conduit used by Adams, which takes Ford to a defunct Cold War bunker in D.C. Arriving outside the Smithsonian, Ford enters the museum and uses several artifacts to discover the locations of two other progenitors who may be able to help Ford defeat Adams. Ford returns to Atlantis, where Andromeda tells him that Adams has begun killing other progenitors and stealing their power to increase his own. Ford takes the ship's conduit to China, where he hopes to warn a progenitor named Li. Li, however, underestimates Adams power and believes Ford was sent to kill him. He attacks Ford but Ford defeats Li, absorbing his energy using the ASE.
Back in Atlantis, Andromeda sends Ford on his way to the base of Kalarina, a female progenitor who is now being held captive by the Trust, located in Siberia. When Ford manages to make his way to her, she sacrifices herself and her energy so that Ford can defeat Adams. Andromeda radios to Ford the location of the only progenitor left located at the Lost City of Z in Central America. Ford arrives there and uses the ASE to absorb the energy from a progenitor corpse. Prometheus then transfers the energy of himself and the three other progenitors from the ASE to Ford's armor so that he will be strong enough to defeat Adams, killing himself in the process.
Ford arrives back in Atlantis only to discover that its security is about to be breached by Adams, who has come to take the remaining progenitor energy and destroy the ship. Andromeda, knowing the ship would be destroyed in the battle, reprograms the conduit's coordinates to Agartha, located in the center of the earth. Ford tackles Adams through the conduit and into Agartha, where they battle. Ford manages to kill Adams, and absorbs the remaining progenitor energy from him. Andromeda expresses regret, saying that perhaps Prometheus' intentions were noble after all. The ASE, sensing that all of the progenitors are now deceased, sends out a signal to Tiamat, a dormant alien spacecraft that contains limitless knowledge of the universe. Tiamat awakens and heads towards Earth as the conduit in Agartha opens and several men in destroyer armor, including George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, arrive, telling Ford that they have come to help him in the upcoming battle.
SEGA and High Voltage Software ran a competition Nintendo created that offered entrees the chance to have a picture of their face onto a wanted poster in Conduit 2. Entrees were asked to write a 25 word letter detailing what they would like to see featured in Conduit 2.[40][41]
From the E3 playable preview, Conduit 2 was met with positive expectations from reviewers, praising the many improvements from the first game such as those in the multiplayer mode.[42]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 64[43]
G4TV=3/5 |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Game Informer | 6 out of 10[44] |
| GameSpot | 7 out of 10[45] |
| GameTrailers | 7.9 out of 10[46] |
| IGN | 7.5 out of 10[47] |
| Official Nintendo Magazine | 84%[48] |
| Joystiq | [49] |
Conduit 2 has received mixed responses from critics, with a score of 64 on Metacritic. Nintendo Power gave Conduit 2 a 7.5/10 stating that it still had some flaws but praising the effort. Official Nintendo Magazine UK gave it 84% criticising the "B-Movie" plot but praising the visuals and level design.
IGN gave Conduit 2 a 7.5/10, praising the "truly excellent" art direction, which "will take you from the stunning caverns of China to snowy Siberian hills" and the pacing, for which "the designers deserve an immense amount of credit." The "big, epic" boss fights were noted as a high point, while the "lack of variety" in standard enemy design made the single-player "feel generic at times." The review concluded that the game was "worth playing for the visuals alone" and "the fact that gameplay and control operate as well as they do speaks volumes" about the talent of the developers. However, the game was criticized for doing little to distinguish itself from the original, and for lacking "creativity and diversity."[50] GameSpot gave the title a 7/10, stating "Conduit 2 overcomes its problems by offering a long and varied single-player campaign with a good sense of humor." The "spectacularly inept" AI and the multiplayer were subject to criticism.[45] GameZone gave the game a 7 out of 10, stating "There’s enough trigger-happy joy here to keep you busy long after the campaign ends, guaranteeing valuable longevity. Hopefully, a bolder design philosophy will allow future iterations to break new ground rather than settle for “good enough” in meeting player expectations."[51] Joystiq was very harsh in their review, scoring the title a 1 out of 5 star rating.
In the UK, Conduit 2 failed to reach the top 10 in the Wii charts upon release, instead entering at number 26. In five days Conduit 2 sold 25,374 copies in America.