SEGA and High Voltage Software send a little Thanksgiving treat to fans of the Conduit. The intro trailer from Conduit 2 has just been released, which you can see below (or here via YouTube). The trailer shows a bit of where The Conduit concluded and where (or how deep) it is going.
Conduit 2, exclusive for the Wii,will be available as a standard edition and in a GameStop Exclusive Limited Edition (pre-order here) sometime in February 2011.
About Conduit 2, from SEGA:
“Conduit 2 is the second chapter in the epic story of Secret Agent Michael Ford, a tormented man who barely survived the alien invasion of Washington D.C. In the closing minutes of The Conduit, Michael was faced with a choice: follow the nefarious John Adams through the conduit portal or die. Standing in Adams’ bunker as the invasion of Washington D.C. rages above him, starring at the strange conduit in front of him, Michael had only one choice. Follow the bastard and finish this once and for all.”
SEGA and High Voltage Software have been behind the Wii since launch. One big game that was released in 2009 for the Wii was The Conduit, a sci-fi first person shooter set in Washington DC. Although it was received with mixed reviews, it sold enough at retail for SEGA to green light a sequel. Now, coming early next year, we have Conduit 2. I was able to get my hands on the game on the show floor and talked with Eric Nofsinger, the COO of High Voltage Software, about what has changed – and there are tons of changes.
First off, one of the biggest complaints that Eric talked about was the setting and environments. They were not unique enough. In Conduit 2, you will be traveling all over the world, keeping everything fresh and interesting to look at while playing. Also, the levels are no longer linear. You will have objectives that bring you around to various parts of the more diverse levels and even backtracking to places you already have been. This was apparent in the demo as I was traversing through a oil rig, up, down, left and right to diffuse some bombs. I found this interesting because it is something that most shooters in the market currently just have you running down corridors. Even the nice-looking boss battle that I encountered had less linear objectives to beat. Eric also stressed that these levels will have more than a couple objectives to complete, allowing you to become acclimated to the design of each environment.
One of the best parts of The Conduit were the controls and the player’s ability to customize them. They are back with even more ways to customize, giving any FPS fan a way to play how they want. From my time with Conduit 2 (I did not play the first) I can confirm that the controls are intuitive. I was getting so into the game during my demo that it felt natural by the time I killed the boss. Learning a completely different control scheme in that short of a time is a testament to the amount of research and testing that is done at High Voltage Software.
Without playing the first game, I am not an expert on the series, but Conduit 2 looks like a solid sequel. While not having the graphical fidelity of the HD consoles, High Voltage Software is capitalizing on the Wii market with supreme amounts of customization. During my talk with Eric Nofsinger, they have listened to all the reviews and criticisms and tried to create a game that is everything people liked about the first game and more. The team behind the game at High Voltage Software knows the Wii system very well and Conduit 2 looks like an improvement at every level.
Today, High Voltage Software has announced it has purchased a lifetime license to use Terminal Reality’s Infernal Engine. The Infernal Engine will be used by High Voltage Software in upcoming games for “next-generation platforms,” which includes the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. High Voltage Software has used it’s own Quantum 3 game engine for The Conduit and is applying it to their upcoming Gladiator A.D. and The Grinder. Those are games for the Wii system, so the Infernal Engine will help High Voltage Software bring their games to the PS3 and Xbox 360.
“We already have the most advanced Wii technology available. By incorporating some of the best PS3/360 technology, we are able to really push the envelope with our next wave of titles.” said Kerry J. Ganofsky, founder of High Voltage Software.
“With more than 75 titles shipped, High Voltage Software has a proven track record of developing quality products on all of the current platforms. Through the use of the Infernal Engine technologies, they are now able to extend that remarkable track record into the next-generation platforms.” said Joe Kreiner, VP Sales and Marketing at Terminal Reality.
No specific games for the Xbox 360 or PLAYSTATION 3 games were announced. For more details on the Infernal Engine and games it has been used with, visit infernalengine.com. To see more on High Voltage Software and their games, visit high-voltage.com.
Toys R Us has a great, and limited time, deal going on some new Xbox 360 and Wii games, along with some good previously released games. If you’re planning on picking up any of the new game releases below, definitely consider taking advantage of this great limited time offer (ends on 6/27, but most likely supplies will be out first). Choose wisely. Only one discount per order.
BUY ONE of these NEW games (see here on toysrus.com): Fight Night: Round 4 (Xbox 360) for $59.99 Overlord II (Xbox 360) for $59.99
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360) for $59.99
The Conduit (Wii) for $49.99
Little League World Series 2009 (Wii) for $39.99 Resident Evil Archives (Wii) for $29.99
Bionic Commando (Xbox 360) for $24.00 (60% off $59.99) Prince of Persia (Xbox 360) for $16.00 (60% off $39.99) Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Xbox 360) for $12.00 (60% off $29.99) Street Fighter 4 (Xbox 360) for $24.00 (60% off $59.99) WWE: Legends of WrestleMania (Xbox 360) for $24.00 (60% off $59.99)
Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii) for $20.00 (60% off $49.99) Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party (Wii) for $16.00 (60% off $39.99) Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles (Wii) for $12.00 – in stores only (60% off $29.99)
Ready for a busy gaming week ahead? You have plenty of games to pick from. There’s a few big sequels coming out with games like Fight Night Round 4, Overlord 2, and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen available. There is one game that stands out as a completely new experience. The much anticipated The Conduit is a new FPS game arriving for the Wii. The original Resident Evil also gets re-released on the Wii as part of the Resident Evil Archives collection. The first Nintendo DS game to be released with DSi exclusive features comes out, which is My Healthy Cooking Coach. Check out the list of new games arriving below!
This week’s new video game releases: (subject to change)
One of the best parts of The Conduit were the controls and the player’s ability to customize them. They are back with even more ways to customize, giving any FPS fan a way to play how they want. From my time with Conduit 2 (I did not play the first) I can confirm that the controls are intuitive. I was getting so into the game during my demo that it felt natural by the time I killed the boss. Learning a completely different control scheme in that short of a time is a testament to the amount of research and testing that is done at High Voltage Software.
