a b c Hinkle, David (June 16, 2008). "Wii Fanboy interviews High Voltage on The Conduit". Nintendo Wii Fanboy . Retrieved June 16, 2008.

Like most FPS games, The Conduit's story is nothing to write home about. You play Michael Ford, an agent in a secret North American organization who was hired after saving the president's life. Aliens, known as the Drudge, are using special portals, the titular conduits, to teleport directly to the Earth and threaten the human race, so it's up to agent Ford to stop them. Along the way he'll be involved in conspiracies and a bunch of cliché plot twists. The game is notable for the strong focus on the game's visuals by High Voltage Software, using a Wii-specific engine called Quantum3. Upgrading the game engine, which had previously been used by the developer in several other titles, began in October 2007. [9] [23] This engine "allows the developer to create graphic effects normally seen on other consoles with vertex and pixel shaders." These effects include bump-mapping, reflection and refraction, light and shadow maps and projections, specular and Fresnel effects, missive and iridescent materials, advanced alpha blends, gloss and detail mapping, motion blur, interactive water with complex surface effects, and animated textures, among other things. [7] The Quantum3 engine also includes advanced artificial intelligence, allowing for enemies in the game to possess "human-like behavior". According to Eric Nofsinger, "Our [High Voltage Software]'s goal is to be the most technically innovative Wii developer on the planet." [7] Marriott, Scott (June 23, 2009). "G4: The Conduit Review". G4 TV. Archived from the original on May 15, 2012 . Retrieved June 24, 2009. a b Casamassina, Matt (July 25, 2008). "Wii Best of E3 Awards 2008: Wii Game of E3 2008". IGN. Archived from the original on July 29, 2008 . Retrieved July 26, 2008. 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...[and is] 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". [60] 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." [58] 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". [57]a b c d Casamassina, Matt (July 9, 2008). "Pre-E3 2008: The Conduit Update". IGN. Archived from the original on July 11, 2008 . Retrieved July 9, 2008.

a b c Biessener, Adam; Reeves, Ben (August 2009). "The Conduit". Game Informer. No.198. p.92. ISSN 1067-6392. OCLC 27315596. A sequel, Conduit 2, was announced on March 29, 2010, [13] and released in April 2011. A high definition port titled The Conduit HD for Android was released, initially for devices with Nvidia Tegra chipsets, on March 14, 2013. [14] The port went on to receive critical acclaim. [15] Gameplay [ edit ] Despite the matchmaking system only working on ‘hours played’ rather than actual skill level, many matches will end up being quite close. Unfortunately, The Conduit often suffers from lag, not to an unplayable extent but people will sometimes die several seconds after they’ve been shot, or players may appear to kill each other at the exact same time. The usually smooth framerate also dips online, and the movements of other players will seem jerky and unpredictable.Prometheus then prompts Ford to investigate and defend the Pentagon and secure its national defense codes. After he eliminates the Drudge forces there, Prometheus deduces that a much larger infestation is in downtown Washington D.C. The search for its source leads Ford down into the subways, where he finds and enters the large Conduit depicted at the start of the game. It transports him to the Trust's headquarters, where he learns that the existing Drudge are being created and deployed into the city by Trust-maintained Conduits. After fighting through the base, with Adams taunting Ford and jamming Prometheus' communications signal, Ford reaches a chamber holding a single captive alien being who reveals himself as Prometheus. Prometheus explains that he was used as the genetic blueprint to clone Adams' army of Drudge, who at this point are revealed to be creatures created on the Earth and are not aliens, and persuades Ford to kill him to prevent Adams' work from continuing. Ford, after hesitation, complies and proceeds to clear out the rest of the base, when Adams disables the base's Conduit networks and activates its self-destruct sequence to trap Ford. Prometheus then speaks to Ford from the ASE, where he uploaded his consciousness before his death, and instructs Ford on how to reactivate the Conduit network in the base. After fighting his way through the last of the Drudge, Ford enters a Conduit to escape the self-destructing Trust headquarters, determined to find and kill Adams. This leads immediately into the events of Conduit 2. In streets, go to the light pole that has a Drudge egg-looking thing next to it. This is at the end of the map with all the rubble that you can climb up on to. This is NOT able to do on both lights, so you MUST use the one with the egg next to it. Zero Punctuation: The Conduit". www.escapistmagazine.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009.

a b Bramble, Simon (July 2009). "The Conduit: Sega's much hyped shooter falls short of greatness". Official Nintendo Magazine (44): 78–79 . Retrieved June 8, 2009. [ permanent dead link] The Conduit HD has finally blasted its way onto Tegra 3 devices". Droid Gamers. March 14, 2013. Archived from the original on March 16, 2013 . Retrieved March 15, 2013.It’s a shame really that the primary narrative is so throwaway, because there are a couple of incidental details that actually threaten to intrigue the player. In early levels, interactable radios are scattered about, providing glimpses of various military and public broadcasts that really flesh out the proceedings. There are also many secret messages hidden in each level that entwine the story with real-world ufology, prompting some fascinating online reading that hints at what the story could have been.