Conduit 2
Encyclopedia
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
. 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".
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.
. 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. A sprint button has been added to allow players to charge or flee from opponents. Players can ride on vehicles in certain levels and fire weapons from them. At the beginning of levels, players can choose their weapon loadouts, and customize their character's appearance and ability upgrades. The use of iron sight
s has been implemented, and grenades explode on a timer. Levels are less "corridor-based" in design, with multiple paths to explore. The game's story unfolds during gameplay through triggered scripted sequence
s instead of through cutscenes as in the first game. Enemy AI has been enhanced; to make them appear more lifelike, enemies have conversations between themselves when they're unaware of the players presence. 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. 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. Enemy behavior also varies depending on which weapon the player is armed with. For example, enemies will try to search for players who have cloaked with the ARC Eclipse rifle. Enemies will 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. Conduit 2 features 23 enemy types, as opposed to the first game which only had 14. While Conduit 2 retains the customizable controls from the first game, the game supports Wii MotionPlus
for enhanced precision control and better tracking, though it is not required to play the game. In addition, Conduit 2 supports the use of the Classic Controller
and Classic Controller Pro.
High Voltage stated that they intended to concentrate more on art and story - both areas which were criticized in The Conduit. Conduit 2 takes place in many locations throughout the world. The game is set in Atlantis
in addition to Washington, D.C.
, Agartha
, Siberia
, the Amazon
, England
and China
. 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. The game also features boss battles
against large aliens, and 21 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. Likewise, some weapons from the first game have been retooled to fire differently. 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 field
s, and to discover hidden traps and unlockables. 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.
Conduit 2 supports patching to allow fixes to bugs and glitches in its online multiplayer. Another feature added is the ability for players to revive fallen teammates. The game introduces different character class
es, 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. Players are able to switch between four different character classes during the course of a match, each with different player-defined weapons and upgrades. 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. Conduit 2 also features a female NPC skin for multiplayer, which were absent in the first game. Conduit 2 features a currency system that allows players to earn experience point
s and medals that can be used to purchase weapons, upgrades and armor pieces to alter their characters look. 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.
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. 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. 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."
The game will be running at 48 kHz audio. On July 29, 2010, Sega revealed Conduit 2s box art. In September 2010 it was reported that the game would be delayed until Q1 2011 and supports Classic Controller input. In an attempt to improve Conduit 2s 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. In an interview with Keith Hladik, it was stated that all voice actors from the first game will not be returning but the new voice actors have done "a fantastic job making our characters come to life." Agent Michael Ford will now be voiced by voice actor Jon St. John
, who is best known for providing the voice for Duke Nukem
. Conduit 2 was originally compatible with the Wii Speak peripheral as The Conduit was, but functionality of the device was removed from the title at the insistence of Nintendo. 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. Motion controls were originally planned to be used for opening doors and flicking switches, but eventually this feature was removed from the game.
On January 18, 2011, 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.
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.
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
.
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.
in Conduit 2. Entrees were asked to write a 25 word letter detailing what they would like to see featured in Conduit 2.
. 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." 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. 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." 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.
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game developed by High Voltage Software
High Voltage Software
High Voltage Software is an independent game development company located at Illinois' Hoffman Estates. Established in 1993, it now employs approximately 95 staff members. Red Eye Studios, a motion capture facility, is a wholly owned subsidiary of HVS...
for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
video game console. It is the sequel to The Conduit
The Conduit
The Conduit is a first-person shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software for the Wii console. The Conduit was first revealed by the developer on the video game website IGN on April 17, 2008, and on October 29, 2008, the developer announced that Sega had signed on to be the game's...
. 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".
The game makes use of the Quantum3 engine, a game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
designed by High Voltage Software specifically for the Wii. The engine allows effects such as bump mapping
Bump mapping
Bump mapping is a technique in computer graphics for simulating bumps and wrinkles on the surface of an object. This is achieved by perturbing the surface normals of the object and using the perturbed normal during lighting calculations. The result is an apparently bumpy surface rather than a...
, reflection and refraction, and gloss and detail mapping to be implemented. Conduit 2 supports a wide variety of peripherals such as Wii MotionPlus
Wii MotionPlus
The is an expansion device for the Wii Remote video game controller for the Wii that allows it to more accurately capture complex motion. According to Nintendo, the sensor in the device supplements the accelerometer and Sensor Bar capabilities of the Wii Remote to enable actions to be rendered...
, Classic Controller
Classic Controller
The is a video game controller produced by Nintendo. It is used to play games on the Nintendo Wii video game console.-Classic Controller:The Classic Controller is plugged into the Wii Remote in order to be used. It features two analog sticks, a D-pad, face buttons labeled "a", "b", "x" and "y",...
, Classic Controller Pro
Classic Controller
The is a video game controller produced by Nintendo. It is used to play games on the Nintendo Wii video game console.-Classic Controller:The Classic Controller is plugged into the Wii Remote in order to be used. It features two analog sticks, a D-pad, face buttons labeled "a", "b", "x" and "y",...
, and the PDP Headbanger Headset.
Gameplay
Conduit 2s single player mode has had many changes from the first gameThe Conduit
The Conduit is a first-person shooter video game developed by High Voltage Software for the Wii console. The Conduit was first revealed by the developer on the video game website IGN on April 17, 2008, and on October 29, 2008, the developer announced that Sega had signed on to be the game's...
. 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. A sprint button has been added to allow players to charge or flee from opponents. Players can ride on vehicles in certain levels and fire weapons from them. At the beginning of levels, players can choose their weapon loadouts, and customize their character's appearance and ability upgrades. The use of iron sight
Iron sight
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
s has been implemented, and grenades explode on a timer. Levels are less "corridor-based" in design, with multiple paths to explore. The game's story unfolds during gameplay through triggered scripted sequence
Scripted sequence
In video games, a scripted sequence is a pre-defined series of events that occurs when triggered by player location or actions.Some scripted sequences are merely used to play short cut scenes that the player has little control of...
s instead of through cutscenes as in the first game. Enemy AI has been enhanced; to make them appear more lifelike, enemies have conversations between themselves when they're unaware of the players presence. 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. 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. Enemy behavior also varies depending on which weapon the player is armed with. For example, enemies will try to search for players who have cloaked with the ARC Eclipse rifle. Enemies will 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. Conduit 2 features 23 enemy types, as opposed to the first game which only had 14. While Conduit 2 retains the customizable controls from the first game, the game supports Wii MotionPlus
Wii MotionPlus
The is an expansion device for the Wii Remote video game controller for the Wii that allows it to more accurately capture complex motion. According to Nintendo, the sensor in the device supplements the accelerometer and Sensor Bar capabilities of the Wii Remote to enable actions to be rendered...
for enhanced precision control and better tracking, though it is not required to play the game. In addition, Conduit 2 supports the use of the Classic Controller
Classic Controller
The is a video game controller produced by Nintendo. It is used to play games on the Nintendo Wii video game console.-Classic Controller:The Classic Controller is plugged into the Wii Remote in order to be used. It features two analog sticks, a D-pad, face buttons labeled "a", "b", "x" and "y",...
and Classic Controller Pro.
High Voltage stated that they intended to concentrate more on art and story - both areas which were criticized in The Conduit. Conduit 2 takes place in many locations throughout the world. The game is set in Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
in addition to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Agartha
Agartha
Agartha is a legendary city that is said to reside in the earth's core. It is related to the belief in a hollow earth and is a popular subject in esotericism....
, Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, the Amazon
Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries that drains an area of about , or roughly 40 percent of South America. The basin is located in the countries of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. 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. The game also features boss battles
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
against large aliens, and 21 weapons, with additions such as the "Aegis Device" (known as the vortex cannon prior to the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, commonly known as E3 2010, was the 16th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 14–17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software...
) 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. Likewise, some weapons from the first game have been retooled to fire differently. 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 field
Force field
A force field, sometimes known as an energy shield, force shield, or deflector shield is a concept of a field tightly bounded and of significant magnitude so that objects affected by the particular force relating to the field are unable to pass through the central axis of the field and reach the...
s, and to discover hidden traps and unlockables. 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.
Multiplayer
Along with a standard single-player and multiplayer online modes, the title features four-player split-screen multiplayer with offline and online modes. The online element features "increased security" over the first game to prevent hackers. Bounty Hunter mode returned from the first game, 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. 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. 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.Conduit 2 supports patching to allow fixes to bugs and glitches in its online multiplayer. Another feature added is the ability for players to revive fallen teammates. The game introduces different character class
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
es, 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. Players are able to switch between four different character classes during the course of a match, each with different player-defined weapons and upgrades. 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. Conduit 2 also features a female NPC skin for multiplayer, which were absent in the first game. Conduit 2 features a currency system that allows players to earn experience point
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s and medals that can be used to purchase weapons, upgrades and armor pieces to alter their characters look. 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.
Production
Development of Conduit 2 began after The Conduit shipped in June 2009. The game was announced on March 29, 2010, after months of speculation of a sequel's existence. During the production of the first game, development resources were spread thin as both the gameplay and the game's engineGame engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
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. 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. 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."
The game will be running at 48 kHz audio. On July 29, 2010, Sega revealed Conduit 2s box art. In September 2010 it was reported that the game would be delayed until Q1 2011 and supports Classic Controller input. In an attempt to improve Conduit 2s story over the first game High Voltage Software hired novelist Matt Forbeck and Jason Blair, the writer of the video games Borderlands
Borderlands (video game)
Borderlands is a science fiction based first-person shooter with RPG elements that was developed by Gearbox Software for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was first revealed in the September 2007 issue of Game Informer magazine...
and Prey
Prey (video game)
Prey is a first-person shooter video game developed by Human Head Studios , and published by 2K Games. The Xbox 360 version was ported by Venom Games. The game was initially released in North America and Europe on 11 July 2006...
, to pen the games script. In an interview with Keith Hladik, it was stated that all voice actors from the first game will not be returning but the new voice actors have done "a fantastic job making our characters come to life." Agent Michael Ford will now be voiced by voice actor Jon St. John
Jon St. John
Jon St. John is an American voice actor and singer. He started his career in voice work in 1975, when he was a Top 40 radio DJ in North Carolina. Because of his vocal talent and technical skills, he was hired as a production director for several US radio stations in cities including: Norfolk, New...
, who is best known for providing the voice for Duke Nukem
Duke Nukem (character)
Duke Nukem is a fictional character and action hero who has been the protagonist in over a dozen video games.The character first appeared in the 1991 video game Duke Nukem developed by Apogee Software...
. Conduit 2 was originally compatible with the Wii Speak peripheral as The Conduit was, but functionality of the device was removed from the title at the insistence of Nintendo. 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. Motion controls were originally planned to be used for opening doors and flicking switches, but eventually this feature was removed from the game.
On January 18, 2011, 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.
At the 2011 Game Developers Conference
Game Developers Conference
The Game Developers Conference is the largest annual gathering of professional video game developers, focusing on learning, inspiration, and networking...
High Voltage Software revealed a tech demo
Tech demo
A tech demo is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a product, put together with the primary purpose of showcasing the idea, performance, method or the features of the product...
of Conduit 2 for the Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo 3DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo. The autostereoscopic device is able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without the use of 3D glasses or any additional accessories. The Nintendo 3DS features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS series software, including Nintendo DSi software...
. 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.
Backstory
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 mythologySumerian religion
Sumerian religion refers to the mythology, pantheon, rites and cosmology of the Sumerian civilization. The Sumerian religion influenced Mesopotamian mythology as a whole, surviving in the mythologies and religions of the Hurrians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and other culture...
and the Reptilian Conspiracy
Reptilians
Reptilians are purported reptilian humanoids that play a prominent role in modern ufology and conspiracy theories.-Alien abduction:...
, 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
Tiamat
In Babylonian mythology, Tiamat is a chaos monster, a primordial goddess of the ocean, mating with Abzû to produce younger gods. It is suggested that there are two parts to the Tiamat mythos, the first in which Tiamat is 'creatrix', through a "Sacred marriage" between salt and fresh water,...
and the Deluge myth
Gilgamesh flood myth
The Gilgamesh flood myth is a deluge story in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Many scholars believe that the flood myth was added to Tablet XI in the "standard version" of the Gilgamesh Epic by an editor who utilized the flood story from the Epic of Atrahasis...
.
In addition, Conduit 2 incorporates other conspiracies such as the Dropa stones
Sungods in Exile
Sungods in Exile is a book published pseudonymously in 1978 under the name David Agamon, allegedly from the notes of a Dr Karyl Robin-Evans whom Agamon claimed was a professor at Oxford University....
, Tunguska event
Tunguska event
The Tunguska event, or Tunguska blast or Tunguska explosion, was an enormously powerful explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, at about 7:14 a.m...
, and disappearance of Col. Percy Fawcett
Percy Fawcett
Lt. Colonel Percival Harrison Fawcett was a British artillery officer, archaeologist and South American explorer....
.
Synopsis
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 rigOil platform
An oil platform, also referred to as an offshore platform or, somewhat incorrectly, oil rig, is a lаrge structure with facilities to drill wells, to extract and process oil and natural gas, and to temporarily store product until it can be brought to shore for refining and marketing...
located in the Bermuda triangle
Bermuda Triangle
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and surface vessels allegedly disappeared under mysterious circumstances....
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
Leviathan
Leviathan , is a sea monster referred to in the Bible. In Demonology, Leviathan is one of the seven princes of Hell and its gatekeeper . The word has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature...
. 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
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
, 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
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
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
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 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
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. 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
Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z is the name given by Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett, a British surveyor, to a city that he thought existed in the jungle of the Mato Grosso region of Brazil...
in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. 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
Agartha
Agartha is a legendary city that is said to reside in the earth's core. It is related to the belief in a hollow earth and is a popular subject in esotericism....
, 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
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, arrive, telling Ford that they have come to help him in the upcoming battle.
Marketing
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 posterWanted poster
A wanted poster is a poster distributed to let the public know of an alleged criminal whom authorities wish to apprehend. They will generally include either a picture of the alleged criminal when a photograph is available, or of a facial composite image produced by a police artist...
in Conduit 2. Entrees were asked to write a 25 word letter detailing what they would like to see featured in Conduit 2.
Pre-release previews
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.Post Release
Conduit 2 has received mixed to positive responses from critics, with a score of 64 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. 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
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
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." GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
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. GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
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." Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
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.
External links
- High Voltage Software official website
- Sega Games Conduit 2 official website
- Online Gameplay Footage