The Conduit - Reception

Reception

The Conduit has received mixed to positive reviews. The game has an aggregate average of 72.23% at GameRankings based on 64 reviews, and a metascore of 69% at Metacritic based on 79 reviews. In general, the game's praise is mostly centered on its technical success, online play, and intuitive controls, while its criticism is centered on the storyline and single-player experience.

Nintendo Power praised the game as proof that first-person shooters work well with the Wii console, and further complimented the customization allowed by the control system, calling the experience "seamless." Points of criticism were that the story was simple and predictable, environments lacked the destructible elements of many other contemporary games, and that the All-Seeing Eye device featured in the game was underused. The online multiplayer mode was favorably compared to that of the Halo video game franchise, and was noted as "impressively smooth." The reviewer concluded by stating " can at least lay claim to the best pure first-person shooter on Wii." Official Nintendo Magazine criticized some campaign levels as repetitive and "a chore," and asserted that "the Drudge aliens are aptly named." The multiplayer mode was called a welcome addition to the Wii's online shooter lineup, however, and the reviewer noted that the plot was "a lot of fun" due in part to cut scenes that helped tie events in the game together. Overall, the reviewer believed that the game lacked inspiration, but was still an enjoyable shooter video game.

IGN lauded the game's customizable control scheme, considering it to be "the tightest, most comfortable control scheme of any console-based first-person shooter to date" as well as the "engrossing" plot that "throws you for a loop now and again... all made more immersive by way of excellent voice acting." The reviewer noted that the game was "very much a straightforward, linear FPS focused on simple run-and-gun gameplay" but that "the gunplay in High Voltage's project is no less intense or enjoyable" as a result. Criticism included that "you will find yourself fighting the same small selection of enemies throughout the adventure" and that "it's not revolutionary." The multiplayer mode was complimented, but the reviewer claimed that some online matches would lag, making some games "unplayable." GamesRadar stated the game was "fun, controls well, and is, at times, quite beautiful... yes, for a Wii game." The voice work for the campaign mode was praised as "stellar," but the reviewer described the overall storyline as "a shell of rather vanilla conspiratorial intrigue." Multiplayer was noted as being "a cut above" other Wii online games, and the reviewer summarized by saying "The solid, yet unremarkable single-player won’t win any awards, but The Conduit still features the most finely honed online outings available on Wii." GameSpot praised the game as an "undeniable success" from a technical standpoint, calling the controls "outstanding" and the graphics "top-notch." The game's other features met with criticism, however, with the reviewer calling the single-player levels generic and monotonous and the multiplayer "unremarkable." The game's main fault, according to the reviewer, was that it was too generic, with the technical successes overshadowed by "wasted potential."

Game Informer felt that the game's multiplayer elements were strong for a Wii game in the genre, but the single player mode seemed to be "little more than a thinly disguised sequence of arenas whose doors magically unlock after you've cleared the area of hostilities". They also praised its weaponry, calling it "inventive", and the graphics, but noted that the controls, particularly the aiming, felt shaky, and that the Wii remote itself was the biggest problem getting in the way of smooth control, with the placement of the "secondary buttons" being "poor".

Classic Game Room gave a positive review. They declared that The Conduit was an enjoyable first-person shooter on a platform nearly void of them. They also praised the online multiplayer, claiming, "...it works like it should."

Ben 'Yahtzee' Croshaw of Zero Punctuation gave a very negative review of the game. Yahtzee criticized the aiming system of the game, saying: "The Conduit's gameplay is marred by the limitations of the Wii controller... Pointing at the screen to shoot is the standard Wii FPS model, but the only way to turn is to aim to the side, and since the Wiimote only works when it's pointed directly at the screen, you stop turning if you aim too far." Yahtzee also criticized the plot, describing it as "barely fucking there and at the same time virtually impenetrable," and the graphics as being not anywhere close to Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 graphics as the game was advertised, and concluded by saying "I would sooner recommend nailing your tongue to a subway train."

Upon being ported to the Android OS, The Conduit HD was received far better than the original Wii version.