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by David MarseillesDavid Marseilles
on 25 Jun 2009 00:53
Tags: conduit fps preview scifi

The Conduit Multiplayer: Pros and Cons

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There are some things that previews and even pre-launch reviews are worthless for. Multiplayer is one of them. This is because you can't know what the network performance will be like until tens of thousands of gamers raid the servers and bring things to a crawl. I'll be putting down some initial pros and cons in this post over the next couple of days.

Pros:

  • Finally, Scifi. Enough with WWII shooters already. We get it, they had guns then. Explore something, ANYTHING else. The environments and weapons of SciFi make for an excellent alternative.
  • You can find a Friend online and join whatever game they are in. Neither WaWii nor MoHH2 had this functionality.
  • Great control customizations
    • Full custom button remapping is a first for Wii (WaWii had different presets, but no custom). If there were any justice, there would never be another Wii shooter without it. You can even take vital functions away from motions and put them on a button. I did.
    • You can change the sensitivity of motions, which is VITAL. In MoHH2 I'd always accidentally trigger a reload when I was fighting someone on a staircase and aiming up, then down. I'd just as soon have no motions, but this is nice too.
    • The standard dead zone alterations, turn speed, cursor sensitivity are all present and accounted for.

Cons:

  • Friend Codes
    • We'll stop complaining the day they finally fraking die. No sooner. If you don't understand why they suck, I envy your bliss.
    • We don't blame High Voltage for this, as so far, they've been the most sympathetic to gamers of any company on the topic, but it still screws up the game so it's still a con.
  • Lag — could just be launch day excitement. Hopefully it improves over time.
  • Framerate drops
    • it is unclear if network performance is the cause of this. Will it get better after the launch is over? Who knows.
  • There's an intermediate connection screen between when you select a game type and before you go into a game lobby that can hang and there's no way to back out (B gets you out of most menu stuff) if it has trouble authenticating some of the players, short of actually turning off your Wii. It's a rare problem, but still a con.
  • Analog lag.
    • I don't know if this is a function of the networking or control design, but the control response to the analog stick is terrible. It feels like you're trying to drive a tank instead of moving a nimble secret agent whose job it is to save the world. Strafing speed is okay, but the time it takes you to get to full strafe speed from rest or to switch from strafe right to strage left is appallingly slow. The same for changing from forward motion to backward motion.

Neutral:

  • You can't take a party of friends into a public game. This is nice because it sucks ending up with 2 n00bs against a skilled, skype-using party of 4 friends. It sucks because with the ever-disgusting friend code system, putting together a full-fledged private match is tough to do, with the party system, you only needed half a private match to get a full game going.

by David MarseillesDavid Marseilles
on 24 Jun 2009 22:47
Tags: conduit fps scifi

The Conduit, Promotional unlock Codes

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The following two codes are from Gamestop's special edition of The Conduit for preorders.

NewASE11
SuitMP13

Enter the codes under Extras -> Promotional Code

To turn them on, Extras -> Unlockables -> Cheats


by David MarseillesDavid Marseilles
on 22 May 2009 20:43
Tags: adventure fps metroid scifi

Metroid Prime Trilogy

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I still haven't bought MP3C, though I did rent it, and I haven't played Echoes at all and this is why.

Via Kotaku | Permalink


by David MarseillesDavid Marseilles
on 06 May 2009 18:19
Tags: conduit fps preview scifi wii

The Conduit Multiplayer Previewed

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Let's start with the high praise: "It's pretty much what you'd expect from a modern console FPS, but not necessarily what we've come to expect from Nintendo WFC titles." So says Joystiq. So pray we all.

The highlights are that HVS apparently improved performance in the online mode by reducing graphical fidelity (smart move if you ask me). You probably already know that the Conduit reduced the total number of players to 12 from a planned 16. There are seven maps, 3 categories (Team Objective (which includes a CTF sub-type), TDM, FFA), and there seem to game sub-types for each category (Joystiq played a Free For All variant called "Bounty Hunter" where everyone races to be the first one to kill the player designated as the hunted, also spotting a Last Man standing mode and a "King of the Hill"-like mode).

They reported that movement speed felt slow and there was no Sprint option. WiiSpeak lets you talk either to your team or the five nearest players—it's unclear from the preview whether that's automatically chosen based on the mode you're playing, or if you can manually switch it and say, talk to someone on the opposite team in TDM. Everything is as customizable as you've come to expect from HVS, from modes, rules, HUD arrangement and of course, control config.

Read the whole thing and keep marking the time until it releases. Then buy a copy for you and another for a friend. The success of this game reflects not just on the Wii, but probably on its successor too.

There was a past multiplayer demo Sega ran that fell through a little while ago, and I expect this demo will be reported by some other sites soon as well, so keep your eyes open for more impressions.


by David MarseillesDavid Marseilles
on 10 Nov 2008 03:23
Tags: fps news scifi ts4

More Free Radical Polling (Timesplitters 4)

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You know Free Radical WANTS to put TS4 on Wii. They want it bad. They've put up a second Wii-related poll now, and WiiHD recommends you go vote on it. They're asking if Wii owners want more crappy Wii games, or more standard high-quality games ("More regular games like on other consoles"). Did you miss Call of Duty 4? Do you Wish for Mirror's Edge? Do you fear Medal of Honor Operation Anaconda might skip Wii like so many before it? Do you wish there were more Metroids and less Wii Musics? Then tell Free Radical you want some regular games.

Why are you still reading? Go vote!

Free Radical Polling Via gonintendo | Permalink


by David MarseillesDavid Marseilles
on 04 Nov 2008 02:39
Tags: conduit fps friend-codes interview scifi

High Voltage Still Working on Networking

condi.jpg

In an interview with Iran White (IW) at Wiirincontrol.com, Eric Nofsinger again confronted the topic of Friend Codes, empathizing with gamers' frustrations. It is possible to read part of the passage below as saying that Friend Codes are not inevitable, but given the bolded underlined portion (emphasis WiiHD's) a more fair reading simply has Nofsinger explaining, as he has before, that they're doing everything they can to improve the Friend Code system, not trying to bypass it altogether. Some months ago, The Conduit makers alluded to Mario Kart in a pretty positive way, as if it had solved the Friend Code dilemma and they were no longer a problem

IW: Many Xbox 360 and PS3 gamers have a sort of “one eye on it” interest in The Conduit. Graphics aside, for them the clincher will be how well the game plays online. While Friend Codes aren’t a deal breaker, it is a major concern. Has Nintendo given you an explanation for why they are so adamant about the use of Friend Codes for even such a game as The Conduit, even though they’ve built a significant Parental Controls system into the Wii?

EN: Yeah, this is definitely something that we go back and forth with them on. They do have their security issues that we need to be cognizant of. We’re very aware of those concerns and understand where they are coming from with that. But really all we can commit to is creating the best possible experience.

Personally, I’m not a fan of Friend Codes, I don’t think that anyone on the team is a fan of Friend Codes. What we’re promising people is that we’re working with Nintendo, we’ve had them out to the office. We’ve been over to their place. We’re in regular communication with them. It will be as good of an experience on Multiplayer as possible. We know it’s important. We don’t want to let folks down.

IW: Yeah, I understand. It’s Nintendo’s thing, you have to play by their rules.

EN: Yeah, absolutely. And you know, I know that there’s been one notable exception of a game that hasn’t had friend codes. As far as I know, at least from what’s been relayed to us, that exception was a one time thing. It’s something where we need to continue to work with them closely, and figure out something that does hit what they need, but also hits what we need as gamers, you know?

What was that one time exception? Medal of Honor: Heroes 2. An otherwise unremarkable game that may well still be the gold standard in Wii FPS multiplayer even after QoS, Call of Duty and The Conduit come out if Nintendo doesn't get their act together.

wiirincontrol.com Via Gamefaqs user Teh_5_Starz | Permalink


by David MarseillesDavid Marseilles
on 31 Oct 2008 04:18
Tags: conduit fps news scifi

The Conduit's Conduit

conduit.jpg

By now, it's old news. The Conduit will be published by Sega. What does that mean? Nothing particularly good, but nothing particularly bad either. Sega doesn't have the resources to bypass Nintendo's archaic and idiotic Friend Code networking, nor are they likely to have enough influence to convince Nintendo to make exceptions for them. So we've gone from "probably" using friend codes, to yes, we are in fact stuck with them. Yipee.

WiiHD has no particular opinion on Sega's game quality. They're no Capcom, but they aren't churning out mega-crapware either. If they're committed to putting serious dollars behind the promotion of The Conduit, something Nintendo refused to do with MP3C, that could help make sure there is a sequel. We'll see.

WiiHD did have higher hopes for The Conduit's feature set. But oh well. If you can't cope with unnecessary disappointment, Wii is not the best console for you.

Permalink


by David MarseillesDavid Marseilles
on 02 Oct 2008 00:16
Tags: ds fps moon scifi screens

Moon Shots (DS)

alphabase.JPG
Yes, Call of Duty: World at War is coming to DS. Yes, Quantum of Solace is coming to DS. But the DS shooter WiiHD is most eager to see is Moon. From the makers of Dementium, another original DS shooter, this bad boy has all the makings of a dark and cool portable shooter experience.

Renegade Kid was kind enough to dump a load of new screens on us, so we're dumping them on you. Catch the gallery after the break.

Via Michael Myers PR | Permalink


by David MarseillesDavid Marseilles
on 18 Sep 2008 03:27
Tags: fps news scifi timesplitters ts4

Timesplitters 4 Wii

ts4.jpg
One of WiiHD's VERY first posts was about Timesplitters 4 and Wii. Nowadays, prospects for shooters on Wii are slightly better than they were about this time last year, but the thought still sends chills down the spine.

As it turns out, Free Radical is looking for feedback about what platforms you want to play TS4 on. Wii is on the list to vote for, so what are you waiting for? VOTE FOR IT.

Then pass that link along to any other Wii fan you know. Or any other person you who you can nag into casting a vote for you. You might well be able to find a way to vote multiple times, but your time is far better spent getting a larger number of people to vote for Wii.

VOTE NOW Via Kotaku | Permalink


by David MarseillesDavid Marseilles
on 16 Sep 2008 18:44
Tags: action force-unleashed scifi star-wars tmi

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed TMI

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Is there really such a thing as Too Much Information (TMI)? Well every so often, especially during review cycles, WiiHD tries to cram too many quotes into a single post, so we use our TMI format to make things a little easier. Below the review scores are collapsible links (+ View So-and-so's Quotes). When you click them, they pop open with that outfit's most important quotes on the game.

Today is the day many have been waiting for, the release of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. So what sort of impressions did it unleash on the critics?

IGN Wii: 7.8 out of 10 (Good)

Game Daily: 7 out of 10 (OK)

GameSpy (Wii): 4.5 out of 5 (Good)

Not the greatest Star Wars game ever, if you believe the reviews. But still a potentially fun romp where you get Jedi powers without all the Jedi moralizing, and a sweet multiplayer mode exclusive to Wii. As always, there's a gallery after the break.

Permalink


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