Sunday, June 07, 2009

How good is ´The Conduit´?



76 percent?

How good is the futuristic Wii shooter ´The Conduit´? With many hopes pinned on a handful of more mature Wii games paving the way for a steadier flow of such titles, gamers, journalists and industry insiders are closely watching the critical and commercial reception of said games. Among them, ´The Conduit´ appears to be one of the big hopefuls with most observers, as well as the most controversial with some. While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question.

A third and critical review has now surfaced that offers that very assessment. The score by the UK's Official Nintendo Magazine, though not catastrophic, is a sobering 76 percent. An article by GoNintendo which linked scans of the review got subsequently deleted and only exists in its Yahoo cache version. The review remarks:


It's really not bad at all. It looks nice, it feels nice and feels decidely grown up. Unfortunately it also feels about ten years old. The rosy whiff of Rare's ´Perfect Dark´ is detectable through much of ´The Conduit´, though that's no bad thing. The action is seemless and immediate, the story is fast-paced and full of conspiracy. (...)

The problem is you can detect the formula almost immediately. Run through a corridor, crouch behind a box and chuck a grenade, flush out side rooms, storm bigger rooms, restore health, repeat all over again. There's nothing wrong with that, it just might mean you lose the incentive to get through the whole ten or so hours of the game's single player campaign. (...)

The reason ´The Conduit´ falls short of must have status is down to the repetition on offer in terms of influences and design decisions. Levels often become a chore, especially the ones set in dull grey military facilities, while the drudge aliens are aptly named. For all its lack of inspiration, ´The Conduit´ is still an enjoyable shooter. Just don't expect miracles.


I find it slightly irritating that the review's tone is largely positive and does not appear, in my mind, to match the review score. The only criticism seems to be lack of originality and the article notes more than once that that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Article deleted

So why has the GoNintendo article been deleted? While the magazine itself insists that the game has officially not yet been rated, there are two alternatives. The most likely is that the rating stands, the publisher simply wants to prevent early publication. For the very same reason, GoNintendo recently had to pull an article based on information by the same magazine publisher.

The second, less likely explanation is that early publication of the rating has led to a formal complaint by the publisher and the rating has been recalled by the magazine. Often, reviews are based on review code, which may differ substantially from the final retail version. And sometimes, there is flawed communication between studio, publisher and reviewer about which aspects will still be changed. This is unlikely, but has happened before.

Other review scores

Let us assume the rating stands and compare it to the others. Nintendo Power gave ´The Conduit´ only a little more, at 80 percent. Here is a summary of their alleged explanation:


The Conduit – “worthwhile endeavor” but wouldn’t “make as big an impact on a competing console”

Pros
-large amount of customization
-good weapon selection
-Intriguing locals (Library of Congress, Pentagon, etc.)
-“platform defining online play”
-Bounty Hunter mode
-best pure first person shooter on the Wii

Cons
-story is rote
-enemy AI fails to impress
-little innovation to speak of (outside if the controls)
-level of detail in the environment can be inconsistent at times
-no destructible environments
-The “All Seeing Eye” is a cool idea but underutilized
-the abrupt, Halo-esque ending (hints at a sequel?)


In fact, here is a scan of the entire article, courtesy of Nintendo-Online.de.

Finally, a German Wii magazine gave the game 87 percent. All in all, those are not catastrophic review scores, like I said before. But the fear is that if an official Nintendo magazine gives the game a 76, scores by important online portals like Gamespot or IGN could be lower.

Rave previews

What is also irritating is that the game received some rave previews. The Official Nintendo Magazine praised the game only in April. And the preview was written by the very same author. His review, as noted above, seems to find mostly praise for the game and differs little from the preview. It is mainly the review score that does not seem to fit the picture.

So how good is ´The Conduit´? We simply cannot tell right now. It is reassuring to note that the graphics really appear to live up to the hype. But a little originality would not be a bad thing, either. It will be interesting to keep track of the game's Metacritic score, averaging all important reviews, as more scores come in.

Also, let us bear in mind that critical reception is not as important as commercial success. And even poor sales figures of ´The Conduit´ would not convince publishers that the Wii is no vehicle for mature games. But the title is an important piece in the puzzle and its commercial success will go some way towards more such games in the near future.

EDIT The rating stands. Metacritic has now included the 76 percent rating on the game's profile.

EDIT In their review, IGN gave the game a staggering 86 percent. The article made me wonder whether the good people over at IGN read this blog. Read it for yourself.


I've no doubt that overzealous system-hating fanboys will assert that there is nothing particularly special about The Conduit, but I don't believe that. In my experience, the title features the tightest, most comfortable control scheme of any console-based first-person shooter to date and that's true because of an innovative, highly customizable configuration that's already changing the way developers approach FPSs on Wii. (...)

Meanwhile, the technology powering the experience is leaps and bounds ahead of most third- party offerings for Nintendo's system. Combined, you've got a game that controls flawlessly and looks great. If you're okay with a few presentational cliches -- a story involving aliens that seems played out -- and a shooting experience that rarely strays from straightforward running and gunning, you're probably going to love the end product. If, on the other hand, you own another system, nothing The Conduit offers, fantastic controls aside, will seem extraordinary. Supposing you are a single console owner, though, High Voltage's shooter not only delivers a fun single-player quest, but an engaging online mode that will keep you fragging complete with WiiSpeak support for months to come.

With poor ratings by Gamespot and especially 1Up (58 percent), the Metacritic average now stands at 75 percent. It is rare to see a game display such a broad range of ratings by the main reviewers.


Source: GoNintendo (Yahoo cache)
Thanks to: GoNintendo, grandjedi6, Nintendo-Online (German)

118 comments:

pero_detlic said...

"While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question"

well, i deny that. it's acctualy completly other way around. visuals sucks but gameplay and story and game in whole are still left to be reviewed

let's just wait for other reviews like ign's

Falafelkid said...

Hey Pero.

well, i deny that. it's acctualy completly other way around. visuals sucks but gameplay and story and game in whole are still left to be reviewed

Funny how noone who previewed the game says that. Noone. Quite the contrary, in fact. You know, judging a game by YouTube vids may not be the authoritative way. And I take the liberty of presuming that you have not seen an actual build, let alone played one.

Anonymous said...

i think official nintendo mag uk is down scoring 3rd partys games

i expect a generic shooter and not much more but it looks a good one

if its bad it reflects on high voltage not the wii


like an idiot would say there should be 3/4/5 competeing conduits now 3rd partys just dont get reality

Michelle said...

The Conduit is probably the best First Person Shooter developed for the Nintendo Wii.The customizable control scheme blew me away. It's like a modern Doom for the Wii.

pero_detlic said...

"Funny how noone who previewed the game says that. Noone."

perhaps. but there's sooo many screenshots and trailers, too many. just compare the conduit to rouge leader and mario galaxy. wii can do so much better then this... generic crap

"The Conduit is probably the best First Person Shooter developed for the Nintendo Wii"

also, perhaps. but that's just due to lack of ANY really good FPS for wii other than MP3

let's just wait for more reviews, i really hope you guys are right

Anonymous said...

Where oh where is the story on the group behind Sadness. I think by now if you had a story to write on that subject, you would have wrote it. Maybe you should just admit you don't have a story. That is my 2 cents

Falafelkid said...

Anonymous.

Where oh where is the story on the group behind Sadness. I think by now if you had a story to write on that subject, you would have wrote it.

...would have written it. Sorry, my dad's a linguist. Anyway. When it comes to stories of this calibre, you don't just write them or not. You write parts of them, research some more, then write others parts and so forth. So I hope you people can imagine that I have about half the article written (sic!) with some work still to be done. And you people wouldn't want an unfinished article. On the other hand, you want it to appear sometime or else it would become an indefinite article, right? So my father really is a linguist.

Also, I told you before that I now have a little Falafelkidkid at home and, quite frankly, he's more important to me than this blog or any of its articles (although this blog is already very important to me).

Anonymous said...

hello... hapi blogging... have a nice day! just visiting here....

Anonymous said...

"Funny how noone who previewed the game says that. Noone. Quite the contrary, in fact. You know, judging a game by YouTube vids may not be the authoritative way. And I take the liberty of presuming that you have not seen an actual build, let alone played one."

just...lol. I so lol at you if you really cant tell from the HD high rez vids and thousands of screens released how astonishingly lame The Conduit looks compared to what is perceived as industry standard nowadays(Half Life 2 or Bioshock) and how undeserved the hype is. Everything looks bad from models to texturing. The art style is a joke. The aliens are a joke. Not to mention the single player campaign which is said to be only 6 hours or so long.
Again, sorry but just ...lol

I can't believe how low Nintendo gamers can go. And the press only teaches them to be trifer.

and btw I have seen quite a few previews where they critisized the game for its uninspired presentation.

Some German Guy said...

Whatever happened to Factor 5?
Sorry if this is old news for you:

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=24076

Falafelkid said...

Hey Some German Guy.

Thanks, I saw that recently. But I have not heard from my contacts yet, unfortunately. If I hear anything, I'll post it straight away, of course.

Anonymous.

Everything looks bad from models to texturing. The art style is a joke. The aliens are a joke. Not to mention the single player campaign which is said to be only 6 hours or so long.

You seem to be quite the expert, here. Very detailed and constructive criticism, too ("looks bad", "is a joke"). And again, you're basing your comments on videos and screenshots (and hearsay = "is said to be").

That's not very professional to judge a game you have never actually seen yourself. Do I need to lecture you on the reliability of screenshots when it comes to judging moving pictures?

Oh, and comparing a Wii game to a supposed industry standard of PC and Xbox titles is, well... not too professional either.

and btw I have seen quite a few previews where they critisized the game for its uninspired presentation.

How about a link, mate?

Anonymous said...

"While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals,...."

you- cannot- be- serious.

Falafelkid said...

Anonymous.

you- cannot- be- serious.

Do you actually read reviews or just the fanboy's newsletter?

RGB said...

My friend has the game, I saw it last night. I am yet to play it, but the looks of the game (from what I have seen, I cant be too judgemental from not seeing it all) were nothing spectacular.

But I will give it a run soon.

Anonymous said...

lol 58% there was never a shadow of doubt in my mind that such a crap looking game would get low ratings in the end!

Anonymous said...

Gamespot:

"As fine as The Conduit performs technically, the lousy art makes it an eyesore at times. The levels blend together because they all have the same drab color scheme and no memorable landmarks. The enemies could have been ripped from any number of science fiction stories and are based on an unimaginative insect design that would be impossible to pick out of a lineup. It's a shame the art direction couldn't have matched the impressive technology because what could have been a visual showcase for the system is now just a model for wasted potential.

Wasted potential is the main theme for The Conduit because its technical prowess is overshadowed by misguided design decisions pasted onto a generic science fiction universe."

loooooooooooooooooooloooooooool
oooooooooooooooloooooooooololololol

Anonymous said...

gamepro:
"Sure, it's great to finally have a shooter that spiritually follows in the footsteps of a great game you played in the past (it also reminded me of Perfect Dark, to boot), but damn, the N64 was two generations ago -- what does it say about the Wii that The Conduit doesn't blow Goldeneye's graphics out of the water the way Halo 3 outshines the original Halo or Killzone 2 completely destroys the original Killzone?"

loooooooooooooolooooooooooooolololo
oooooooooooooooooooooool

Anonymous said...

1up

"Similarly, mundane environments reduce Washington D.C., which should have been a powerful setting for the game, to a shadow of itself. You'd never know you were fighting through the Pentagon and not any other generic office complex. Even the White House suffers the same fate, complete with a wholly unremarkable scene in the Oval Office that could just as well be the rental office at an apartment complex. At one point, a hint screen during loading suggests that you should explore the levels. That would have been great, but to have anything to explore there'd have to be more than the room-to-corridor-to-room crawl that makes up the bulk of the game."

loooooooooooooooololololololooool

Anonymous said...

but the biggest lol ever is this qoute:

"While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question"

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLOLOLOLOLOL
I LOL AT YOU!

Falafelkid said...

Oy, "overzealous system-hating fanboy" (IGN)

Funny you did not cite GamePro further:

I don't place the blame on High Voltage at all on this one, though -- they did a great job of squeezing every last drop of performance out of the Wii's tiny, bumblebee-like engine. Sure, the textures are muddy and the visuals lack any sense of next-gen polish but I didn't experience one moment of slowdown or a single graphical hitch during my entire time with the game.

And if you call my comments into question, how about these quotes:

The technology powering the experience is leaps and bounds ahead of most third- party offerings for Nintendo's system. Combined, you've got a game that controls flawlessly and looks great.
IGN

There are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
GamesRadar

It looks like what it is: a Wii shooter with cool graphical effects, and simple geometry and textures.
GameTrailers

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Cheat Code Central

Nice graphics
GameSpy

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Gamespot

The graphics (while attractive for a Wii game) don't look nearly as good as the screenshots imply
GameDaily

You really know jackshit about games, pal, and it shows. If you cannot differentiate between technical achievement and design decisions, you shouldn't be here. In fact, you just shouldn't be here, full stop.

Anonymous said...

Uuumm I hate to break it to ya mate but almost every single of your quotes contains quite a good bit of Conduit bashing I'm afraid. That's not very convincing in my book mate if every single of your quotes contradicts the point you're trying to make and in fact supports MY views.

And I suggest you take a little closer look at the IGN review and you might find this revealing bit of information:

"The Conduit's art is sometimes outperformed by its tech,blahblahblah..."

See, there you go:This is the smoking gun, and Casamassina let it slip. He's basically implying that Conduit looks like crap despite the fancy effects we have seen pulled of way better 8 years ago already in first gen cube titles like Rogue Leader and Wave Race. I think it really speaks volumes when such a revealing piece of classified top secret and not to mention sensitive info manages to overcome all the PR hurdles and bonds in order to leak out to masses. And especially as it comes from a corrupt heavyweight Ninty zealot who vanished without a trace long ago in the deepest depths somewhere where the sun don't shine in HVs pr puppetmasta namely Eric Nofsingers quantuum3 powered ass like poor Casamassina apparently has since day one. That shithole of empty promises he crawled into in his desperate attempt to find substance and quality where there is none and never was.

It really speaks volumes to me.
That little bit of info at the end of the review.

Seriously, all the low ratings that Conduit is getting only reinforce and reflect the concerns I had with this unbelievably subpar looking game from day one. In fact I knew it was going to be crap ever since the very first ugly shots emerged.

People like you are responsible for the low standards. You should stop teaching the trife to be trifer and looking at this game through rose-coloured glasses just because its exclusive! You are only making things worse by defending it!

Nintendo gamers standards should be much higher! It's a shame that such an obviously crap looking game like The Conduit gets so much attention. It's simply not acceptable. It's a farce.

But I'm happy to see that Conduits 15 minutes of fame are finally coming to an end. It's collapsing like a house of cards. I want you to know that I wont support it. I wont buy it. Period.

I won't buy a shooter on Wii unless it provides industry standard quality gameplaywise AND aesthetically. That's what I demand from a shooter on Wii. Half Life 2 quality.

Falafelkid said...

That's not very convincing in my book mate if every single of your quotes contradicts the point you're trying to make and in fact supports MY views.

That's where I stopped reading and that's where you need to start reading. Have you read those quotes and my comments at all? Honestly, pal. If you can't be asked to even read the stuff you are writing about or if you are just too dumb to understand those reviews and the points they are trying to make... fuck you.

TK said...

f-kid:
I also was going to remark that the use of the term "astounding" was over the top; that "no one" could deny its visuals are astounding would be practically impossible to support in any case, and is certainly not supported even by the examples you cite (not to mention pero_detlic's own opinion)!

The descriptions of the graphics in your own examples range from 'muddy' to 'nice' to 'attractive'. Even the most laudatory comment made, from IGN, said the game looks 'great'. Astonishing is a much stronger term than great. Oxford defines it to mean: shocking with surprise or wonder, amazing.

A better phrasing in this context would be to say:"while it is widely praised for its impressive graphics", etc.

Best,
TK

Anonymous said...

Do me a favour mate and just stop teaching the trife to be trifer!

You're tricking no one into believing that Conduit features"astounding visuals" let alone quality gameplay!

The poor ratings speak for themselve.
And Mr. Casamassina is lost somewhere where the sun don't shine at all if you know what I mean.

Anonymous said...

"I don't place the blame on High Voltage at all on this one, though -- they did a great job of squeezing every last drop of performance out of the Wii's tiny, bumblebee-like engine. SURE, THE TEXTUERS ARE MUDDY AND THE VISUALS LACK ANY SENSE OF NEXT-GEN POLISH but I didn't experience one moment of slowdown or a single graphical hitch during my entire time with the game"
Gamepro

Ouch.

"The TECHNOLOGY powering the experience is leaps and bounds ahead OF MOST THIRD- PARTY OFFERINGS FOR Nintendo's system. Combined, you've got a game that controls flawlessly and looks great."
IGN

Ouch.

"There are CERTAIN VISUAL ELEMENTS that can ALMOST, SORTA, KINDA, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def."
Gamesradar

Ouch.

"It looks like what it is: a Wii shooter with cool graphical effects, AND SIMPLE GEOMETRY AND TEXTURES."
Gametrailers

Ouch.

"Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. HOWEVER, THE ENVIRONMENTS YOU MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH ARE MOSTLY GENERIC-LOOKING AND ARE COMPRISED OF BLURRY AND BLAND TEXTURES."
Cheat Code Central

Ouch.


"Nice graphics"
GameSpy

Ok, I'll give you that mate lol.


"Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, BUT IT'S TOO GENERIC TO CAPITALIZE ON ANY OF THOSE TECHNICAL FEATS.
Gamespot"

ouch.(and don't forget my quote from the same review above)


"The graphics (while attractive for a Wii game) DON'T LOOK NEARLY AS GOOD AS THE SCREENTSHOTS IMPLY."
GameDaily


Ouch.


Well, to awnser your question, yeah I do read your stuff (eventhough it tends to be a bit painful at times I'm afraid)..... and maybe you should too next time before you make a complete clown out of yourself and resort to lame insults. It's not very proffessional for an "industry insider" and "journalist" to say "fuck you" to his readers, is it?

Falafelkid said...

Hi TK.

The use of the term "astounding" was over the top; that "no one" could deny its visuals are astounding would be practically impossible to support in any case, and is certainly not supported even by the examples you cite. (...)

A better phrasing in this context would be to say:"while it is widely praised for its impressive graphics", etc.


Some fair points there, thanks for the contribution. Impressive graphics, astounding visuals... aren't we splitting hairs here just a little? I don't think that there is much difference. As for the "noone denies" part, I was obviously talking about reviewers. If that wasn't so obvious, after all, mea culpa. I should have expressed myself clearer. But it's obvious to me that the only valid opinion about a game before its release is a reviewer's opinion. And please don't make the same mistake the trolls are making, confusing technical achievement with design decisions. Anyway, see below for an elaboration of my point.

Anonymous

You're tricking no one into believing that Conduit features"astounding visuals" let alone quality gameplay!

First of all, who ever talked about quality gameplay? I undestand you want to twist my words around, but you're knocking on the wrong door, unfortunately.

And for the last time, the game's graphics are technically very impressive. Try to find one reviewer stating that the Quantum 3 engine does not do wonders on the limited hardware. On the other hand: the studios's design decisions - level design, texturing and so forth - are criticized almost unanimously.

Let us keep those two separate things apart. If you know only the very basics of game development, you'll know that there's programmers and artists. I am talking about the achievements of the former group. I hope I made my point clear.

"There are CERTAIN VISUAL ELEMENTS that can ALMOST, SORTA, KINDA, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def."
Gamesradar

Ouch.


OH, HOW I LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED. A Wii game is being only in parts sort of compared to a 360 game? OUCH INDEED.

It's not very proffessional for an "industry insider" and "journalist" to say "fuck you" to his readers, is it?

Oh, I would never say that to my readers. I am saying it to you - and you don't read this blog (not much, anyway). And it's perfectly okay for industry insiders to swear. If Jaffe can do it, why shouldn't us journalists be allowed to? I am just sick and tired of spending time with idiots who don't know their virtual arse from their polygonal ellbow.

And, lastly, to completely ignore the difference between graphics on a technical level and from a design point of view costs you some competence, to come here to troll costs you respect, but to misspell ´professional´ - priceless.

Falafelkid said...

Oh, and TK.

Do you write for Joystiq? If so, we might have met. I sat next to a bunch of Joystiqers at Nintendo's 2006 E3 media briefing in the Kodak Theater. Can you spot the Falafel?

justlol said...

"And for the last time, the game's graphics are technically very impressive. Try to find one reviewer stating that the Quantum 3 engine does not do wonders on the limited hardware."

LoooooooooooolOOOLOLOLOLOLOOOOOOL
OOOOOOOLOOOOOOOOOOOOLOOOOOOOOL

yeah m8 noone denies that it offer astounding visuals...you are spot on. It's very astounding and impressive lol.

We all totally agree with you.

Anonymous said...

omg lol casamassina and bozon are in the conduit credits lol

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums

/o252/MiniDitka/The%20Conduit

/uvs090625-001.jpg

there you go falafel man!!!

Falafelkid said...

Wow, the 12 year-olds have come out to play again. Shame you didn't bring any quotes (though it's obvious why you didn't). And I laugh at anyone belittling my professional record after 10 years in the industry. How is that wannabe, pray tell? There's only one of us laughing here and it ain't you, kids.

junior mafia said...

sorry mister f but I have a hard time taking you seriously when you say something along the lines of "Conduit offers astounding visuals".

It's obvious that you don't know what you're talking about by making such bold statements. I strongly asume that you never even were a real gamer to begin with and that you have most certainly never expirienced the most memorable moments that some of the best games that came out offered from a visual standpoint to be able to form an opnion.

You are just a slick talking wannabe in my opnion. You are not making up your own mind about The Conduit. That's not very professional if you ask me.

Falafelkid said...

Junior Mafia

sorry mister f but I have a hard time taking you seriously when you say something along the lines of "Conduit offers astounding visuals".

It's obvious that you don't know what you're talking about by making such bold statements.


First of all, I have elaborated on my comments and they are mirrored by pretty much every single review I have read: great effects, great technology, but ruined by bad art direction and design choices. Anyone who knows even a little about game development looks at these issues separately, as do the reviewers. You should rather assume that those anonymous trolls don't know what they are talking about. Just read the reviews, please, or at least the above quotes.

And as far as having their own opinion is concerned: the only people who have a valid opinion at the moment are those who have actually played it. Based on gameplay videos, I can obviously agree with the gist of the reviews, as summarized above. But I will reserve my final judgement until I get my copy. Now, if anyone wants to know my opinion on ´Another Code: R´ in the meantime, you are welcome to that. I finished that yesterday.

InvestigativeReports said...

"You should rather assume that those anonymous trolls don't know what they are talking about. Just read the reviews, please, or at least the above quotes."

Yeah, but what if all those anonymous trolls and even junior mafia are one and the same person?

Would that interfere in any way with the according to you oh so "astounding visuals" of the conduit?
;)

Anonymous said...

"Anyone who knows even a little about game development looks at these issues separately, as do the reviewers."

How come then that there aren't two seperate ratings for both of em they are so different from one another!

I don't know about you mate but to me those aspects are tied closely and together make up what is judged as "graphics". Taking both aspects into account!They are not in some parallel universe ,they coeexist! What's the purpose of judging a game based only on one aspect? That's not to say that you can't point out certain aspects in a review. But what I'm trying to say is that what counts in the end is the overall image.

And when I look at The Conduit I see what I consider bad graphics. But for you somehow those bad graphics that I see are astounding graphics! Thats very puzzling to me how you would come up with such a term when describing Conduit visuals, because to me it really looks bad...I mean really really bad I'm afraid!?!

Lady Gaga said...

what does your girlfriend think about Conduit's graphics mister falafel? Is she just as quick as you to point out the "astounding visuals" that the title offers?

Troll Force said...

Wow, the troll force seems to be in full effect today.

Falafelkid said...

Yeah, but what if all those anonymous trolls and even junior mafia are one and the same person?

Huh? What does that have to do with the topic at hand? Nothing. And anonymity is a luxury I grant here. I would greatly appreciate people not abusing it.

How come then that there aren't two seperate ratings for both of em they are so different from one another!

*SIGH* Because a game with a great performing engine and impressive visual effects, like Conduit, can still be ugly, or at least unimpressive and generic, like Conduit. Look, I am going to break it down to the lowest possible level. The engineers did a beautiful job, but the architects and interior designers fucked it up. That's the gist of almost every review out there, from the 80s down to the 60s scores. I am just trying to get everyone to understand what the reviews say. I have never said that Conduit is aesthetically pleasing, that its textures are perfectly crafted or the level design is revolutionary. It seems the opposite is the case. I never said anything else. Astounding visuals can still look bad. *SIGH*

goofy said...

"astounding visuals" can still be unimpressive and ugly all of a sudden?oh the irony!I smell damage control, and it smells like ass.

Falafelkid said...

"astounding visuals" can still be unimpressive and ugly all of a sudden?oh the irony!I smell damage control, and it smells like ass.

I am saying what I have been saying all along. And you still haven't understood this, not even at the Sesame Street level? I know where that smell really is coming from. Because my assertion (astounding visuals, no originality) was a summary of the reviews, you tit. Just because it's exactly what I am saying, here's what Cheat Code Central and Gamespot wrote, respectively.

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.


Are you just too dense to understand plain English? I have been consulting actual game developers about this story and they totally agree with the reviews and how I summed them up. Just leave it at that. It's getting embarrassing for you.

Anonymous said...

OMG mate please wipe your ass because the smell is starting to become unbearable I'm afraid.

Stop beating around the bush you self-absorbed prick! YOU flat out stated that Conduit offers "astounding visuals". And now you're desperately trying to qualify your statement by hiding behind lil excerpts from reviews that point out "certain visual elements" that stick out in a positive way while painstakingly leaving out the bad aspects that ultimately form and define The Conduit's graphics and tell the whole story namely things like modelling, texture design,level design, scope, art direction and style.


Graphics are the sum of its parts!Not just some certain visual elements! Graphics are judged that way you lil script knower you.

And that Casamassina is featured in the credits speaks for itself.

Oh and btw, I couldn't care less what type of german jamba mobile phone developers you consult as I'm not too brainwashed by empty pr tech talk to make up my own mind about Conduits graphics.

Cheers.



IALS

Falafelkid said...

If you people think I still read your comments, think again. Astounding visuals, phenomenal looks, visually top-notch. At the same time: no originality, too generic, bland textures. My comments are in the best company of those major reviews. And developers agree, too. There isn't even an argument here. Case closed.

Anonymous said...

ok mr f, "Astounding visuals, phenomenal looks, visually top-notch" BUT no originality, too generic, bland textures!

It all makes sense

Falafelkid said...

Take that matter up with Gamespot and Cheat Code Central and all the other reviewers. They are perfectly capable of dealing with village idiots. I don't need to do that for them.

Reggienator said...

ok wii lobby defense force sergenat Falafel! May the quantum3 force be with you and your Nofsinger troopers.

I sincerely hope that HV will include you in the credits too next time alongside your partners in crime Casamassina and Bozon. You deserve it more than anybody else for defending Conduit against all these evil village idiots who know nothing about games. Thank you for your unparalleled faith and devotion towards The Conduit.

Best regards.
- Reggienator

Falafelkid said...

Like I said, not reading any more trollery. It's so reassuring to know that I have made a valid point that all major media outlets and developers of AAA console titles agree with. Astounding visuals, phenomenal looks, visually top-notch. At the same time: no originality, too generic, bland textures. You can't even tell my comments apart from main reviewers like Gamespot. Lalala, I'm so happy... ;)

High Voltage said...

and the quantum3 medal of honour goes to sergeant Falafel for his astounding faith, phenomenal quotes and top notch defense force!

Falafelkid said...

Hello and welcome to the trolls' gaming knowledge quiz where we ask trolls quiz questions but don't read their answers. Today's subject is ´The Conduit´.

Which media outlet said:

a) astounding visuals, but no originality

b) phenomenal looks, but too generic

c) visually top-notch, but bland textures


Was it:

1) Gamespot?

2) Cheat Code Central?

3) Falafelkid?

Gamepro said...

Umm not to burst your bubble or anything matey, but don't you think you're trying a bit too hard to convince the masses with your quiz shows for a game that "doesn't blow Goldeneye's graphics out of the water the way Halo 3 outshines the original Halo or Killzone 2 completely destroys the original Killzone?"

lol

Falafelkid said...

So, which media outlet did say:

a) astounding visuals, but no originality

b) phenomenal looks, but too generic

c) visually top-notch, but bland textures


The correct answer is: who cares? They were all in agreement anyway.

If you answered correctly, you can win a trip to the international hairsplitters convention. Here you can take out your fine tools and... No, Sir. Sir? SIR? The troll in the front row? You are holding a battle axe, which is no good for.. Oh, well. Looks like he should have brought a flame shield, too. Anyone for troll roast? It tastes a little bland, like Conduit's textures. But it's been grilled to perfection. Tuck in.

Falafelkid said...

Here we go again:

"It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. " (Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb)

I feel so sorry for everyone who is confused by all these dialectical comments.

Eric Nofsinger Fan said...

Yeah matey..I totally agree... but, I still wonder, don't you sometimes wish, I mean don't you also sometimes hold on a second and think to yourself : "damn, if only The Conduit would "blow Goldeneye's graphics out of the water the way Halo 3 outshines the original Halo or Killzone 2 completely destroys the original Killzone?"

if only mate........

Nevertheless tho' I'm really looking forward to seeing you in the credits to High Voltages' next astounding and top notch game along side your Wii lobby goons in crime Bozon and Casamassina from the Qunatum3 defense force unit sergeant Falafel!!

No one deserves it quite like you guys, I'm telln' ya. You're real heroes.

Oh and btw hows the view from your new offices at Eric Nofsingers Ass Force Base? Must be a beautiful view from up there! I hope it's also warm and fuzzy! and it smells good I'm sure matey!

Have a warm and fuzzy day sergeant F.

Cheers.
-Eric Nofsinger Fan

Falafelkid said...

I am sure it's hard to understand that I was not actually praising the game. On the contrary, I was criticizing one aspect while praising another. Little crusty fanboy heads only know one or the other. You fanboys only know attack and defense. See, I am a journalist (look it up sometime) and we weigh our opinion and even see two sides to a coin. But it must be all very confusing.

Also, I am sure that you feel pretty stupid with the likes of Gamespot and people like Gerstmann completely in agreement with me. Just so you people can fail again at understanding what every industry insider understands, here's the growing list of comments:

a) astounding visuals, but no originality

b) phenomenal looks, but too generic

c) visually top-notch, but bland textures

d) generic look, but doesn't look bad


And you know that I don't read the crap you write anymore, right? I just smell bullshit and post that list again. Oh, and you do know that with every comment you write you push up my AdSense rating? So keep trolling mate. It's making me rich. You're my comments bitch and you will do as I say. So get typing right now!

Quantum3 Power said...

"See, I am a journalist (look it up sometime) and we weigh our opinion and even see two sides to a coin. But it must be all very confusing."

No you're not a journalist mate, you're a sergeant. A quantum 3 powered Wii defense force sergeant with an office at the infamous Nofsinger Ass Force Base and connections to the highest ranked officials that are listed in the The Coduit's who is who credits bible.

And I'm sure you're just one lil tiny step away from being included in the credits too matey so please don't be so modest sergeant F.!

High Voltage and the Quantum3 republic is proud of you and your abundant merits!

Falafelkid said...

Cool, will you do everything I say? Come on, comment again. Comment, my little blog bitch!

Oh, and here we go again with the quotes:

a) astounding visuals, but no originality

b) phenomenal looks, but too generic

c) visually top-notch, but bland textures

d) generic look, but doesn't look bad


Oooh, you must be so mad that I never said what you wanted me to say, eh? However, you will do whatever I want you to, right? So comment some more. Want to pretend some more I said the Conduit would be a really good game? Pretend I actually defended the game? Complain my opinion about the game is invalid and then complain that I don't have an opinion? Go ahead, pour your little fanboy heart out and post them lies. I won't read any of them, but my SiteTracker and AdSense standing are going through the roof. Cheers, pal.

Nofsingers Ass Force Base said...

wow sergeant F I'm happy to report that you have just made another quantum3 step forward and are now on the verge of being included in the credits of High Voltages next "visually astounding" game.

You almost made it sergeant F.

That's one small step for Nofsinger's Ass Force Base but one giant leap for the Quantum3 Republic.

Anonymous said...

"That's the gist of almost every review out there, from the 80s down to the 60s scores."

You mean down to the 40s. But that's just a lil mistake that creeped in sergeant F. Nothing that puts your credibility on the line in any way, don't you worry.

Everything is going according to plan. The Quantum3 repulic still has the highest trust in you.

Falafelkid said...

Isn't it a laugh? I have only said what all major reviewers are saying and trolls are flaming me for it, not Gerstmann and Gamespot. Noone here defended the game. We all weighed impressive technical aspects with bad design decisions. But to a raving fanboy, only black and white exist.

Of course, I am happy to get my clicks because it's making me rich (or a little richer, since television journalism at my level of seniority actually pays quite well).

But seriously, are there any reasonable people left in this comments section? Anyone? If so, check these summaries of the game, by myself, Gerstmann, Cheat Code Central and Gamespot:

a) astounding visuals, but no originality

b) phenomenal looks, but too generic

c) visually top-notch, but bland textures

d) generic look, but doesn't look bad


Now, any difference between them? No? Didn't think so. After all, I have been in the industry for at least as long as Gerstmann and Co. have. Ah well, let's enjoy the trollery while it lasts. Of course, I ain't reading that crap anymore.

Falk said...

Hi there,
first of all let me tell you that i have been reading this blog for three years now. Falafelkid often impressed me with good journalistic work and rumors that hit the spot.

BUT...
After reading this little "talk" i am truly disppointed. Mr. Falafelkid gets attacked for some comment he made and totally loses his good behaviour. And it doesn't matter if the "troll" cannot behave because its not his blog! If you think you're point was made, leave it.

I really hope this only happend because you didn't get enough sleep, otherwise i will definitly stop reading this blog. And don't catch yourself thinking: " What do i care... One loser less, that i don't need." Because that would just underline the note of upcoming snootiness i felt reading this "fight".

And since i need to get rid of my opinion too :), here it is: I don't care about the technical achievements the programmers made if the game looks as generic as it seems to be the case. I haven't seen ONE glimpse that made me think "Wow that looks great!". But the much bigger flaw is that the game lacks splitscreen-multiplayer. If it had that i wouldn't care abouot the graphics that much.

Hoping to find better mood and a little more professionalism again in future...

Falk

ass force base trooper said...

Dear sergeant F, it's my pleasure to support you in becoming even richer than you already are in your position as the astounding and top notch quantum3 defense force sergeant that you happen to be. But apart from that what really motivates me is to help you in your incredible struggle to become one of the chosen fews to be included in high voltages holy credits bible alongside the likes of general casamassina and leutenant bozon.It's a truely magnifiscent undertaking and I feel honoured to be part of the astounding quantum3 movement. After all your unparalleled dedication and devotion has been a constant source of inspiration for me. It should come as no surprise to you that president Nofsinger shows deep gratitude and appreciation for your merits in defending the "visually astounding" quantum3 republic against all these evil IALS and Gamepro troll unions that are filled with so much hatered and are dead keen on destroying the beautiful and not to mention "visually astounding" republic of quantum3. Sergeant F I can't stress enough how proud we are of you here at Nofsingers Ass Force Base. On a side note, the local weather forecast has given warnings of strong winds and dense fog in your area. The sun won't come out today mate, but I guess it's a situation that you have become accustomed to at Nofsingers Ass Force base sergeant F. Don't let it go to your head or should I say in your nose?!?ah well,whatever mate as long as the quantum3 republic is alive and kicking everythings in butter huh?! Best regards, ass force base trooper

Falafelkid said...

Hey Falk.

(...) totally loses his good behaviour. And it doesn't matter if the "troll" cannot behave because its not his blog! If you think you're point was made, leave it.

First of all, thanks for your contribution. It's very refreshing to have someone reply here who actually has a point and, possibly, a very good one. Did I really lose my temper? Not really. I am totally calm and have been throughout. I experienced far worse on this blog, so, in all honesty, I really didn't lose my temper or anything. And all I did was tell the guy to fuck off. Granted, I rarely do that. But when I am simply being spammed, I don't really feel the need to hold back.

At the same time, arguing back and forth with nutcases only, I may simply have lost sight of the real issue here, which I guess you are getting at with your comments. If I did, I apologize (to the vast majority of normal readers). And you are quite right: Everyone has made their point.

It is bewildering, though, that the criticism leveled at me does not stick in the slightest. I am portrayed as defending the game, whereas I am weighing pros and cons, as based on the major reviews and footage. I haven't played it myself yet, so I obviously cannot recommend it or discourage people from buying it. I was simply summarizing the main reviews at the time. And all the reviews since have been compatible with that summary. I mean, seriously, consider these statements, look me in the eye and tell me that my comments are out of line:

a) astounding visuals, but no originality

b) phenomenal looks, but too generic

c) visually top-notch, but bland textures

d) generic look, but doesn't look bad

Surely, we are all saying the same here.

And since i need to get rid of my opinion too :), here it is: I don't care about the technical achievements the programmers made if the game looks as generic as it seems to be the case. I haven't seen ONE glimpse that made me think "Wow that looks great!". But the much bigger flaw is that the game lacks splitscreen-multiplayer. If it had that i wouldn't care abouot the graphics that much.

Again, fair comments, but perhaps you misunderstood my point as well. My positive impression of the Conduit's tech (or rather the reviewer's impression) doesn't necessarily outweigh the negative impressions of the apparent lack of artistic direction. I won't be able to adress that balance until I get the game next week.

Interesting fact about the lack of a spliscreen multiplayer. So the game has no offline multiplayer whatsoever then? That would indeed be sorely missed. It was a big plus for ´Red Steel´ and I played it lots.

However, the game seems to offer the best online multiplayer experience of any Wii title, I hear. As far as a good appraisal of Conduit's online multi-player is concerned, this private video review has some interesting details about exchanging friend codes I wasn't previously aware of.

astounding visuals said...

"Again, fair comments, but perhaps you misunderstood my point as well. My positive impression of the Conduit's tech (or rather the reviewer's impression) doesn't necessarily outweigh the negative impressions of the apparent lack of artistic direction."

loooooooooooooolollololol
just lol what a joke you are

Falafelkid said...

Oh, and Falk (hopefully not Fake)

Hoping to find better mood and a little more professionalism again in future...

What's all this about professionalism? I hate to beat my own drum, but I conduct myself very professionally. I think I have had a few good innings with this blog so far. More than 1,5 million visits and a whole host of exclusive news stories. And, to my knowledge, I was never wrong about a story I broke.

I also like to think that keeping the comments section free for everyone who wishes to post anonymously is a good service to the people out there. You are all free to write what you want. If some idiots want to abuse that chance and troll, fine. Their loss. And, like I have said, there have been some really bad times in the past. But keeping the comments section open to all of you is something I would consider very professional.

That's not to mention what I do in my profession as a television producer, author and videogame journalist. Have you had a look at my special about violence in games? I would recommend you have a look at that.

Falk said...

Hi there again,

Again, fair comments, but perhaps you misunderstood my point as well.

I like to think i did understand your point and i don't want to critisize it, as i was not able to see the game live. The techengine might be able to pull of good stuff, but i'm, up to now, not convinced that some effects can make up for the lack of design.

What's all this about professionalism? I hate to beat my own drum, but I conduct myself very professionally.

I am sorry for this misunderstanding. I didn't refer to your journalistic work in total, it was meant to be applied on the "fuck off" subject. I still think it's not necessary to use such strong language. But maybe i'm just a little square. And i hope you leave your comment sections open as it is (i hate registering for everything i do :) ).

On the multiplayer subject: A well done online multiplayer is great stuff, but i already have plenty of those (not on the wii i admit). I am still waiting for a game bringing back Golden Eye times. And other then Red Steel there is no attemp i know of on the wii. But my hopes are up for the Metroid Triology, because i have read that part 2 had local mp.

so far
Falk
(and last time i checked, i was real :) )

Falafelkid said...

Hey Falk.

Once again, thanks for your comments and your authenticity (very reassuring).

I'm, up to now, not convinced that some effects can make up for the lack of design.

Nor me, we're in agreement there.

I am still waiting for a game bringing back Golden Eye times.

Yeah, ´Halo´ is the new definitive console shooter only to some. I prefer my ´Gears of War´, if you ask me. But even with those impressive HD graphics (and here I mean impressive in every respect), I find it hard to go back to the standard controller. The Wiimote is the perfect FPS solution for me (and many others). That's why it's surprising that there are so few Wii FPS out there (and half of them are complete shite like ´Far Cry: Vengeance´ or graphically insulting like ´James Bond´).

Of course, FPS are usually combined with high-end graphics engines. And in this way, PS3 and 360 are better suited for them than Wii. But, mainly, those games are PC only. Valve's Doug Lombardi told me at the beginning of this console generation that this was the first gen where PCs overtook consoles in terms of hardware power right away. With previous generations, he said, it took the PC some time to match the consoles. So that would explain why console FPS have not been the best. While a ´Half-Life 2´, arguably the best FPS of late, came out for Xbox last gen, this time round, Valve is giving us the cold shoulder.

I still think it's not necessary to use such strong language. But maybe i'm just a little square. And i hope you leave your comment sections open as it is (i hate registering for everything i do :) ).

You are right. I shouldn't have to resort to that. Anyway, the comments section will stay as it is, that's a promise.

Anonymous said...

I agree with that IALS post...Falafelkid is seemingly not man enough to admit that The Conduit
looks like utter crap! And is far from being technically impressive!

"Astounding visuals"???? jesus christ please look at it for a sec....you cannot be serious! The Conduit is the oppsite of visually astounding!

Please face goddamn reality!

*shakes head*

Anonymous said...

big shout outs to sergeant F from Nofsinger's Ass Force Base(where the sun don't shine)!

Falafelkid said...

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

There are two sides to the coin, which is easy enough to understand even for people who haven't been industry insiders for ten years.

Anonymous said...

I don't see any two sides of the coin when I examine Conduit shots or vids..I dont see any elements that stick out..all I see are totally cheap, uninspired and lame graphics...I dont give a damn what reviewers think...I make up my own mind about it...and I dare pretend that I'm entitled to an opnion because I have been playing games for nearly 20 years now.

Conduit has bad graphics imo. I don't find it technically more impressive than Rebel Strike, Galaxy, Resi 4 or Metroid Prime.

I think it's a disgrace to the accomplishments of said games to call The Conduit visually astounding.

Conduit does not look astounding for a 2009 Wii game.

Falafelkid said...


Conduit does not look astounding for a 2009 Wii game.


First of all, I said it looks astounding, but. And that's what all the reviewers have said, whether they have given the game 80 percent or 40 percent. You are free to disagree. But you have to be aware that you are not really disagreeing with me, but with all the reviews out there, including Gerstmann and Gamespot. Why don't you complain to them? They called the game's graphics phenomenal and top-notch (again, with a big but). You are aware of that, are you?

astoundingbut said...

okay, conduit looks astounding,BUT

maybe we should create a new term out of that and just call it "astoundingbut" instead of two words.

After all everybody agrees that it looks topnotchbut,phenomenalbut,
astoundingbut!

*shakes head*

Falafelkid said...

After all everybody agrees that it looks topnotchbut,phenomenalbut,
astoundingbut!


Indeed they do. That's why I paraphrased the reviewers such. And they said that regardless of rating the game 80 percent or 40. That's some agreement there. And trolling around my blog won't make that go away, I am afraid.

The Man In The Mirror said...

I hate to break it to ya matey but
there has only ever been 1 troll out there and that's the troll who blatantly stated that The Conduit "offers outstanding visuals"(a statement which couldn't be further away from the truth I'm afraid.)

It's the man in the mirror.
Cheers.:-)

Falafelkid said...

All reviewers are in agreement, I merely summed them up. Whether they gave the game 80 percent or 40, they said just what I wrote. So that agreement is unanimous and my statement is validated on all fronts. Still pretending it was just me is getting really embarrassing now (I don't read that crap anymore, though).

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

the man in the mirror said...

You are the only one who ever said that Conduit offers astounding visuals.

Stop hiding behind these editors:


Gamespot:

"..., the lousy art makes it an eyesore at times. The levels blend together because they all have the same drab color scheme and no memorable landmarks. The enemies could have been ripped from any number of science fiction stories and are based on an unimaginative insect design that would be impossible to pick out of a lineup. It's a shame the art direction couldn't have matched the impressive technology because what could have been a visual showcase for the system is now just a model for wasted potential.

Wasted potential is the main theme for The Conduit because its technical prowess is overshadowed by misguided design decisions pasted onto a generic science fiction universe."

"Monotonous levels"

"Generic art design and story"

"However, as entertaining as The Conduit can be, the bland level design and relentless monotony of the single-player campaign create an air of sleepy boredom"

cheatcc:

"Graphics that verged on Xbox 360 and PS3 levels were also supposed to be a major selling point of The Conduit, but the visuals are somewhat of a mixed bag. There are definitely certain things in the game that will leave you questioning which console you�re playing, but far too many that will instantly remind you."

"However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures, you�ll see the same few enemies and death animations the whole way through, and sometimes the blur effect utilized when reloading or zoomed in with a weapon is overly drastic."

"With its inconsistent visuals, reliance on disorienting waggles for some abilities, clich� storyline, and the linear and often frustrating design of the single-player experience in this game likely won�t pull many multiple console owners away from their plethora of readily available FPSs."

"there are also a ton of blurry and bland textures making up the game�s environments."

Eurogamer.net:

"It's not the visual tour-de-force we've been led to expect, either. Although smooth-running and boasting a high degree of technical polish in the effects, The Conduit suffers from weak, derivative artwork and corner-cutting in the details, and as an entrant in the Wii's beauty pageant it can't hope to hold its own against the sumptuously presented (and, for that matter, vastly more entertaining) House of the Dead: Overkill, for example.

Nonetheless, the snappy, futuristic thrill of the controls adds a great deal of the tactile satisfaction that the guns lack, and the design of The Conduit is so bland that it doesn't do much more wrong than it does right, which is very little. Shooting your way through it is unremarkable but hardly unpleasant."

Falafelkid said...

Astounding, phenomenal, top-notch, each with a big but attached... it's all the same. All reviewers are in agreement, I merely summed them up. Whether they gave the game 80 percent or 40, they said just what I wrote. So that agreement is unanimous and my statement is validated on all fronts. Still pretending it was just me is getting really embarrassing now (I don't read that crap anymore, though).

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

The Man In The Mirror said...

lol you didn't sum anything up being that there weren't any reviews up by the time you wrote that crap except for 1.

Noone apart from you ever said something along the lines of "While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question"

...a statement oozing with stupidity.

And apart from that it's obvious that when you said "originality" you weren't reffering to the visual side of tings but rather to the sucked dry setting and lame story in general!

you're not fooling anyone here. You didn't critizise the graphics at all. Quite to the contrary: You flat out stated that conduit "offers astounding visuals"

lol

And it's there for everybody to see. You should really face the man in the mirror for once in your life mate....I know how much you wish it was gertsmann when you look in the mirror but it's not him...it's you matey and noone else who is making up all this bullshit.

People in this comments section have proven that over 90% of your quotes contradict the point you're trying to make! All the reviewers made themselves clear and bashed many aspects of conduits graphics except for you.


Yeah matey its getting really embarassing for you now.

Falafelkid said...

I have elaborated on my comments and they are mirrored by pretty much every single review I have read: great effects, great technology, but ruined by bad art direction and design choices. Anyone who knows even a little about game development looks at these issues separately, as do the reviewers.

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

The Man In The Mirror said...

Falafelkid:

"...it offers astounding visuals,..."

Falafelkid said...

While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question.
Falafelkid, summing up the first review

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

The Man In The Mirror said...

Falafelkid:

"While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question"

You're the only one who ever said something like that and it's absolutely not in line with what the other reviewers said so stop pretending otherwise.

All other reviewers were quick to point out the sheer blandness, and how generic and lame everything looks whereas you blatantly praised Conduit's visuals pretending that noone denies that "it offers astounding visuals."

You flat out lied to your readers.
You didn't sum up the reviews. That's a lie. There was only one review out by the time you wrote the article. And that review didn't mention "astounding visuals".


Face the man in the mirror!

The Man In The Mirror said...

A lil Comparison:

Falafelkid:

"While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question"



IGN UK:

"Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction. It's full of bland weaponry, insipid character design and barely competent level design, wrapped up in a generic conspiracy bow. It plays like a top 10 of FPS clichés, packing in bunkers, sewers and airports constructed from barely identifiable identikit copy-and-paste corridors.

It's so crushingly familiar that the single-player mode frequently threatens to derail itself through sheer lack of excitement and imagination alone. Levels are absurdly linear, rarely offering any sense of scale and never any scope for strategic creativity. Truthfully though, The Conduit's enemy AI is so unspectacular, all you need to get by is a simple run-and-gun mentality, stripping the experience of any sense of challenge and ultimate accomplishment. In fact, the only time you could accuse the game of being 'difficult' is when it slips back into its bizarre obsession with locking you down in a room with no cover and throwing as many enemies as it possibly can at you."

Astounding visuals LOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLOOOOOL
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

Hey mate you're giving me such a good time on your blog I'm tellin ya! it's so funny and enteraining to watch your house of cards collapsing!

Thank you for that bro. I appreciate it lol
;)

Falafelkid said...

I am sick and tired of spending time with idiots who don't know their virtual arse from their polygonal ellbow.

Feels good, though, to have your comments vindicated by every single major review out there: impressive tech, but bad art direction. HVS has some good programmers and some bad artists.

A strange mix of the absolutely brilliant and the frequently abysmal, just about riding its tide of goodwill to meet in the middle and deliver a solid, if unremarkable experience. (...)

Its graphics engine [is] no small feat of programming prowess that's capable of huge numbers of onscreen enemies, explosions and all sorts of other visual trickery usually reserved for current-gen consoles, all running at a rock solid frame rate.

Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction. It's full of bland weaponry, insipid character design and barely competent level design, wrapped up in a generic conspiracy bow.

Matt Wales, IGN UK, 70%

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

Falafelkid said...

I have elaborated on my comments and they are mirrored by pretty much every single review I have read: great effects, great technology, but ruined by bad art direction and design choices. Anyone who knows even a little about game development looks at these issues separately, as do the reviewers.

Feels good, though, to have your comments vindicated by every single major review out there:

A strange mix of the absolutely brilliant and the frequently abysmal, just about riding its tide of goodwill to meet in the middle and deliver a solid, if unremarkable experience. (...)

Its graphics engine [is] no small feat of programming prowess that's capable of huge numbers of onscreen enemies, explosions and all sorts of other visual trickery usually reserved for current-gen consoles, all running at a rock solid frame rate.

Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction. It's full of bland weaponry, insipid character design and barely competent level design, wrapped up in a generic conspiracy bow.

Matt Wales, IGN UK, 70%

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

Falafelkid said...

Astounding, phenomenal, top-notch, each with a big but attached... it's all the same. All reviewers are in agreement, I merely summed them up. Whether they gave the game 80 percent or 40, they said just what I wrote. So that agreement is unanimous and my statement is validated on all fronts. Still pretending it was just me is getting really embarrassing now (I don't read that crap anymore, though).

A strange mix of the absolutely brilliant and the frequently abysmal, just about riding its tide of goodwill to meet in the middle and deliver a solid, if unremarkable experience. (...)

Its graphics engine [is] no small feat of programming prowess that's capable of huge numbers of onscreen enemies, explosions and all sorts of other visual trickery usually reserved for current-gen consoles, all running at a rock solid frame rate.

Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction. It's full of bland weaponry, insipid character design and barely competent level design, wrapped up in a generic conspiracy bow.

Matt Wales, IGN UK, 70%

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

The Man In The Mirror said...

I know that you know that you're a liar!

The man in the mirror will get you!

The Man In The Mirror said...

It's really reassuring to see how all the people in this comments section have completely destroyed you and everything you stand for, namely pure lies!

We have ultimately exposed you as a brazen faced liar who tries to hide behind lil review excerpts that don't tell the whole story in his desperate attempt to validate his own obnoxious comments!


I have accomplished my mission! And it is with great relief that I will let you crazy clown have the last word.

Cheers sergeant F, greet all your wii defense force goons from me at Nofsingers ass force base and don't let the windy weather knock you off course!
:-)

Falafelkid said...

*SIGH* A game with a great performing engine and impressive visual effects, like Conduit, can still be ugly, or at least unimpressive and generic, like Conduit. Look, I am going to break it down to the lowest possible level. The engineers did a beautiful job, but the architects and interior designers fucked it up. That's the gist of almost every review out there, from the 80s down to the 40s scores. I am just trying to get everyone to understand what the reviews say.

I have never said that Conduit is aesthetically pleasing, that its textures are perfectly crafted or the level design is revolutionary. It seems the opposite is the case. I never said anything else. Astounding visuals can still look bad. *SIGH*

A strange mix of the absolutely brilliant and the frequently abysmal, just about riding its tide of goodwill to meet in the middle and deliver a solid, if unremarkable experience. (...)

Its graphics engine [is] no small feat of programming prowess that's capable of huge numbers of onscreen enemies, explosions and all sorts of other visual trickery usually reserved for current-gen consoles, all running at a rock solid frame rate.

Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction. It's full of bland weaponry, insipid character design and barely competent level design, wrapped up in a generic conspiracy bow.

Matt Wales, IGN UK, 70%

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

The Man In The Mirror said...

Sorry but I just had to come back with this.

Falafelkid said:


"While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question"

Edge says:

"It is unfortunate that High Voltage has produced a Wii engine capable of slick visual effects and then used it to create a world with such a paucity of artistic identity. Fighting bug-men and men in suits wearing dark glasses, you negotiate humdrum levels with about as much architectural interest as a submarine interior. Your enemies, meanwhile, are more A than I, either crouching behind boxes and popping their heads up in the same spot ad nauseam, or pathetically running right into your shotgun sights. Almost all of the battles in The Conduit beyond its first few levels revolve around killing respawning enemies and then destroying their spawning pods. This is not progress for the firstperson shooter genre.

More things that dull the brain. Grey corridor leads to boxy room leads to grey corridor leads to boxy room. The exact same layouts used two, three, even four times over. The Pentagon apparently sharing an architect with the Washington DC sewer system. Corridors that feel like they will simply go on forever. And then, just to rub it all in, a puzzle template that completely fails to inject into the action the sort of additional, non-combat interest it was intended to deliver. Revolving around a bauble named the ASE, which beams a probably mystical symbol at walls to reveal ‘hidden’ messages and triggers, you must scan your environment in order to open doors. So, once all of the baddies in a location have been dispatched, it’s a matter of looking closely at the walls and fittings around you to find the scannable bits. It’s a constant task, and it never gets less monotonous. And, despite claims to the contrary, The Conduit is not a brilliant-looking game, something the ASE mechanic serves to highlight since you’re forced to pick its visuals apart with such scrutiny.

Nintendo is claiming that The Conduit might attract Halo fans to its console, but this game isn’t fit to wait Master Chief’s table. It is, however, a good argument for the abandonment of that pernicious and so often misleading label, ‘hardcore’.

‘Danger! High Voltage Software’ shouts the developer’s logo. On this evidence, it’s a warning that should be taken seriously."

OMG LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
LOOOOOOOOOOOOLOLOLOLOLOOOOOOOOOL

OH HOW I LOLED AND LOLED AND LOLED

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL astounding visuals! fluffy you're so lol sorry but just....lol!!
I have nothing to add the quotes speak for themselve!!

Case Closed said...

Falafelkid says:

"While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question"

CVG says:

"Downers
Mindless, target gallery shootouts
Dull, lifeless environments
Stupid AI
Doesn't look like a 360 game"

"Many Wii owners have been excitedly awaiting The Conduit, "a Wii game that looks like a 360 title" boasted the dev. Unfortunately, the final product is neither technically very impressive nor a particularly noteworthy shooter."

"Unfortunately every other element of The Conduit's make up, from its generic alien baddies, stupid soldiers and dull puzzles, is as bland as Roger Federer's face.

Far too much of the disappointing solo campaign has you progressing through lifeless, repetitive corridors, engaging in firefights with all the strategy and excitement of a shooting gallery, before moving on to the next mission and doing it all over again."

"The blandness unfortunately isn't limited to just the puzzles and The Conduit simply lacks the standard of set-piece and design we're used to seeing in even the most run-of-the-mill current gen first-person shooters.

With the exception of the Half-Life-esque alien guns, the weapon roster is strictly generic 'shotguns and assault rifle' fare and thanks to stiff enemy animation that has alien numpties failing to react to any of your shots, the process of gunning itself isn't particularly satisfying either.

The fact that almost every enemy in the game flows from infinite, alien-spawning portals just hidden around the corner doesn't help. Every grunt killed is quickly replaced with another and you're forced to abandon all strategy to run and gun towards the aforementioned portals. It really is the definition of mindless shooter design.

In terms of spectacle, the best it has to offer is a giant, generic 'boss' bug that's killed hundreds of special forces soldiers, but is completely powerless when faced against your alien-killing "knowledge".

After three minutes of repeatedly shooting it in the face, it awkwardly slumps over and disappears. This is the sort of stuff we were playing on Xbox 1 and it wasn't very good then either.

And for whether or not is looks like "a 360 title", you can look at the screenshots and video on this page and decide that one for yourself."


Your house of lies has ultimately collapsed I'm afraid!

Falafelkid said...

Are you people really totally dense? All those quotes you give - with the only possible exception of CVG - say exactly what I said back then. And you idiots don't grasp that it wasn't even my opinion I was stating but I was summing up the first review and other early comments? Pretty much all subsequent reviews vindicated what I had written and yes, that's including that EDGE quote ("slick visual effects").

So what is wrong with you? What on earth do you guys pretend I have said? I have never said this game is aesthetically pleasing, ever. It is impressive from a technical point of view and nearly everyone says that, regardless of awarding the game 80% or 40%. Almost everyone also says that it's bland and dull and ugly, which I also noted right from the start in saying that it lacks originality. Now that I have actually played it, I would find stronger words for either, both the impressive technical aspects and the awful artistic choices. But it was a very fair statement and still stands. Case closed.

If you guys still feel that you disagree here and have any guts at all, then meet me in a chatroom over the next days and get your point across calmly, if you have one. Just say when. But I seriously doubt it, since you have ignored my comments and simply accused me of trying to praise this game, which I never did. Everything I said is backed up by these reviews:

It is unfortunate that High Voltage has produced a Wii engine capable of slick visual effects and then used it to create a world with such a paucity of artistic identity.
EDGE magazine, 40%

A strange mix of the absolutely brilliant and the frequently abysmal, just about riding its tide of goodwill to meet in the middle and deliver a solid, if unremarkable experience. (...)

Its graphics engine [is] no small feat of programming prowess that's capable of huge numbers of onscreen enemies, explosions and all sorts of other visual trickery usually reserved for current-gen consoles, all running at a rock solid frame rate.

Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction. It's full of bland weaponry, insipid character design and barely competent level design, wrapped up in a generic conspiracy bow.

Matt Wales, IGN UK, 70%

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

Anonymous said...

"I have never said this game is aesthetically pleasing, ever. It is impressive from a technical point of view and nearly everyone says that, regardless of awarding the game 80% or 40%. Almost everyone also says that it's bland and dull and ugly, which I also noted right from the start in saying that it lacks originality."

OMG LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLOOOOOOL
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLOOOOOOLO
OOOOOOOOOOLOLOLOLOLOOOOOOOOOOOL

How can you even breath???

Falafelkid said...

Fine, I didn't think you people had the guts to leave the veil of anonymity behind and try to present a coherent argument in a direct conversation. There is nothing there. The lights aren't even on.

If you cannot find a quote of me saying the game is aesthetically pleasing and you are too afraid to come out into the open then you are just a bunch of trolls who know jackshit about games. Unlike the following gentlemen.

It is unfortunate that High Voltage has produced a Wii engine capable of slick visual effects and then used it to create a world with such a paucity of artistic identity.
EDGE magazine, 40%

A strange mix of the absolutely brilliant and the frequently abysmal, just about riding its tide of goodwill to meet in the middle and deliver a solid, if unremarkable experience. (...)

Its graphics engine [is] no small feat of programming prowess that's capable of huge numbers of onscreen enemies, explosions and all sorts of other visual trickery usually reserved for current-gen consoles, all running at a rock solid frame rate.

Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction. It's full of bland weaponry, insipid character design and barely competent level design, wrapped up in a generic conspiracy bow.

Matt Wales, IGN UK, 70%

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

Oh, and your English skills are subpar. But I know why.

The Man In The Mirror said...

"Oh, and your English skills are subpar. But I know why."

LOL what? who you calling subpar you lil bockwurst?
Seriously matey, please tell me, could it be any more obvious how superior and natural my english is over yours? I'm beggin you! Look, The way I see it, there's absolutely nothing wrong with my english. In fact, I'm perfectly comfortable with my skills as they display a level of maturity and style that's obviously lacking from your "krauty style". And btw mate it really ain't hard to tell that you're all but a native speaker eventhough you're tryin sooooo hard to sound like one. Or maybe that's the reason why your english actually sounds quite compulsive and not to mention rather "bockwursty" "but I know why buddy" huh!?ha ha.

But I guess that doesn't mean jack shit as long as The Conduit "offers astounding visuals" does it matey? And as long as "noone denies" that? Am I right!?!
You know what's really astounding? The degree of denial that you display is absolutely astounding to the max if you ask me. I'll give you that mate!

People like IALS, Pero, and all the anonymous posters have exposed your lame lies by every trick in the book and all the review quotes from the likes of GamePro, Edge, CVG and IGN UK gave your sorry ass the finshing blow.

You will always be remembered as the crazy clown who called Conduit's visuals "astounding" despite crushing evidence to the contrary from every major review source out there.

How does it feel to be the only person on this planet attesting Conduit to "offer astounding visuals"? A statement so full of deceit, bullshit and sheer fanboyizm that only a total wii noob like you could come up with.

You're so full of fail that it ain't even funny. It's fascinating how someone can still be so ignorant and stubborn despite all the overwhelming evidence that proves him wrong. And it's only getting more embarassing for you with every new review that emerges. I strongly suggest you to get your act together, to be a man and to face your fucking lies for once in your life you self absorbed prick of a wannabe journalist!

Stop acting like the all-knowing and witty game journalist. The opposites the case. You're transparent. Trust me, it doesn't take a level designer or concept artist to expose your lies! In fact, every sane individual with a bit of common sense left in their brains can tell that....

Falafelkid said...

I am simply offering you the chance to argue your case calmly and directly. If you just want to troll, don't pretend that I am the unreasonable one here.

Look, every dev team is split into the programmers on one side and the artists on the other. There are very few additional jobs that don't easily fall into either category. So it's very simple and straightforward to say that the former group did one hell of a job with regards to one game and the latter group failed miserably. That's what everyone is saying. There is no fanboyism in saying that the bump mapping and bloom lighting in Conduit is technically on par with Metroid or even better. And I wish you'd read the reviews, because they say just that. Want to phone up Gamespot and ask them for an opinion regarding my quote? Go ahead, feel free. I know exactly what they'd say.

Alternatively, argue it out with me. Give me a date and time and we can have a little one to one chat, if you truly have reasonable objections to what I said and what every reviewer has said since. If you are afraid to come out of hiding and take me up on that, then you're simply a troll and should stop pretending that I am the unreasonable one, here. It really is as simple as that.

It is unfortunate that High Voltage has produced a Wii engine capable of slick visual effects and then used it to create a world with such a paucity of artistic identity.
EDGE magazine, 40%

A strange mix of the absolutely brilliant and the frequently abysmal, just about riding its tide of goodwill to meet in the middle and deliver a solid, if unremarkable experience. (...)

Its graphics engine [is] no small feat of programming prowess that's capable of huge numbers of onscreen enemies, explosions and all sorts of other visual trickery usually reserved for current-gen consoles, all running at a rock solid frame rate.

Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction.

Matt Wales, IGN UK, 70%

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

Oh, and your English is not that bad for a German, I admit in all honesty. I just wanted to flame the flamer and it seems to have worked, eh? Worked you up good, mate. Your retort, though... "krauty style English", haha. I am practically native, did you know? Anyway. Call it quits, alrighty? No hard feelings, guv?

The Man In The Mirror said...

"So it's very simple and straightforward to say that the former group did one hell of a job with regards to one game and the latter group failed miserably. That's what everyone is saying."

Hey mate please, let it be. Cut the crap! it's getting really annoying! I'm so fed up with you're lame excuses. Why do you keep on spewing forth your blahblah excuses that don't add up? I don't get it? Why can't you just admit that you lied?

I mean you're aware that you lost the argument the moment you used the description "astounding visuals", when reffering to Conduit's "visuals" right!?!???

Noone would EVER perceive or interpret what you said as solely reffering to the technical aspect!
Astounding visuals mate! Do you in all seriousness want to tell me that when you say "offers astounding visuals" people gonna be able to tell that you were merely reffering to the technical achievement that is astounding?

Why do I even have to break it down to you like that? What sort of mug do you take me for mate?

*shakes head*


"Oh, and your English is not that bad for a German, I admit in all honesty."

Ho hum!?!?!?! and what makes you so certain that I'm german if I may ask? who gave you that idea???

Falafelkid said...

Astounding visuals, phenomenal looks, visually top-notch. At the same time: no originality, too generic, bland textures. My comments are in the best company of those major reviews. And developers agree, too. There isn't even an argument here. Case closed.

If you guys still feel that you disagree here and have any guts at all, then meet me in a chatroom over the next days and get your point across calmly, if you have one. Just say when. But I seriously doubt it, since you have ignored my comments and simply accused me of trying to praise this game, which I never did. Everything I said is backed up by these reviews:

It is unfortunate that High Voltage has produced a Wii engine capable of slick visual effects and then used it to create a world with such a paucity of artistic identity.
EDGE magazine, 40%

A strange mix of the absolutely brilliant and the frequently abysmal, just about riding its tide of goodwill to meet in the middle and deliver a solid, if unremarkable experience. (...)

Its graphics engine [is] no small feat of programming prowess that's capable of huge numbers of onscreen enemies, explosions and all sorts of other visual trickery usually reserved for current-gen consoles, all running at a rock solid frame rate.

Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction. It's full of bland weaponry, insipid character design and barely competent level design, wrapped up in a generic conspiracy bow.

Matt Wales, IGN UK, 70%

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

Reinforced(TMITM) said...

Slick visual effects or technical achievements do not equate to "astounding visual" but thats what you wrote mate!face it! And you went to great lengths to defend that unbereable statement. That's the reason why people feel "offended" or at least forced to confront you to-let's say- put things straight.

Those are long time contibutors to this blog like IALS and Pero that you're pissing off.;)

Those guys were quick to point out from day 1 that The Conduit was going to end up being utter crap ever since first screens emerged. Remember?

But after all those warnings and screens and videos that tell the whole story you still have the guts to say something completely insane and unreasonable like:

"While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question"




I mean in all seriousness mate, how can you look at a Conduit screen or vid and then step up and say something like:

"While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question"

How can you square that with your conscience? it certainly bodes ill for your ability to make up your own mind about those horrendous graphics in question! I mean jesus christ are you really that dense and clueless to figure out how bad it looks? is it really that hard to see for you?

You could have shown a good bit more sure instinct when you wrote that at least. Not to mention that it's an insult to the achievements of truely good looking games like Resi 4 and Galaxy.

"Astounding visuals" is the whole spectrum of the graphics not just effects! it's perceived as the whole thing. Noone would ever say "offers astounding visuals" and only mean ceratiin technical aspects especially when the game in question looks as ugly and lame as The Conduit happens to do. Don't act like you don't know bloke!

You should have made yourself clear when you wrote that just like all the previewers and reviewers did (that didn't happen to be featured in the credits I should add!)


Case closed.

Falafelkid said...

How is "astounding visuals" different from "phenomenal looks" and "visually top-notch"? You guys never answer that. Two reviews note that the graphics almost look on par with 360 visuals. You guys never answer that. And saying Conduit is utter crap is raving fanboyism, as is saying that Conduit is a revolutionary console shooter. It's a tech demo with shoddy design. You guys never address the issues. No wonder you won't take me up on a one on one. Trolls hate daylight.

Just read the reviews:

It is unfortunate that High Voltage has produced a Wii engine capable of slick visual effects and then used it to create a world with such a paucity of artistic identity.
EDGE magazine, 40%

A strange mix of the absolutely brilliant and the frequently abysmal, just about riding its tide of goodwill to meet in the middle and deliver a solid, if unremarkable experience. (...)

Its graphics engine [is] no small feat of programming prowess that's capable of huge numbers of onscreen enemies, explosions and all sorts of other visual trickery usually reserved for current-gen consoles, all running at a rock solid frame rate.

Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction. It's full of bland weaponry, insipid character design and barely competent level design, wrapped up in a generic conspiracy bow.

Matt Wales, IGN UK, 70%

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

The Man In The Mirror said...

"It's a tech demo with shoddy design."

The only thing that is shoddy are your lame excuses.

Blokey sorry but I simply don't have the energy left to keep on debating with you. I'm sick and tired of your bullcrap. You don't want to face the man in the mirror. You still act like it's Gertsmann and Tom Mc Shea when you look in the mirror.

You're still so stubborn eventhough you know exactly that you shot yourself in the foot with that insane statement!

Look, I'm gonna break it down for you for one last time: The difference between those two reviews and you is that they made themselve unmistakably clear! They pointed out certain aspects that happen to stand out in a rather positive way like the amount of stuff going on at once and some of the effects but at the same time they were quick to bash the shit out of Conduit for its overall "visuals". VIsuals that are the opposite of astounding.

But that's not what you did! You did this( and said reviews weren't even published when you wrote this):

"While noone denies that it offers astounding visuals, its gameplay and originality are sometimes drawn into question"


End of debate.

Falafelkid said...

Are you people really totally dense? All those quotes you give - with the only possible exception of CVG - say exactly what I said back then. And you idiots don't grasp that it wasn't even my opinion I was stating but I was summing up the first review and other early comments? Pretty much all subsequent reviews vindicated what I had written.

So what is wrong with you? What on earth do you guys pretend I have said? I have never said this game is aesthetically pleasing, ever. It is impressive from a technical point of view and nearly everyone says that, regardless of awarding the game 80% or 40%. Almost everyone also says that it's bland and dull and ugly, which I also noted right from the start in saying that it lacks originality. Now that I have actually played it, I would find stronger words for either, both the impressive technical aspects and the awful artistic choices. But it was a very fair statement and still stands. Case closed.

If you guys still feel that you disagree here and have any guts at all, then meet me in a chatroom over the next days and get your point across calmly, if you have one. Just say when. But I seriously doubt it, since you have ignored my comments and simply accused me of trying to praise this game, which I never did. Everything I said is backed up by these reviews:

It is unfortunate that High Voltage has produced a Wii engine capable of slick visual effects and then used it to create a world with such a paucity of artistic identity.
EDGE magazine, 40%

A strange mix of the absolutely brilliant and the frequently abysmal, just about riding its tide of goodwill to meet in the middle and deliver a solid, if unremarkable experience. (...)

Its graphics engine [is] no small feat of programming prowess that's capable of huge numbers of onscreen enemies, explosions and all sorts of other visual trickery usually reserved for current-gen consoles, all running at a rock solid frame rate.

Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction. It's full of bland weaponry, insipid character design and barely competent level design, wrapped up in a generic conspiracy bow.

Matt Wales, IGN UK, 70%

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

Megazipfi said...

I got two words left for ya in ya og language bro:

"Voll-kasperl!"
;)

Falafelkid said...

I gots three in return:

Yes, you are!

Minga Boogie Down said...

Oh and what's more, "Voll-kasperl!" also suits you really nicely in that regard being that you're originally from cologne!
;)

Falafelkid said...

Yup, you certainly are the clown here. I'm not from Cologne and English is my first language, as is German. Shows what you know about me: as little as you know about games.

It is unfortunate that High Voltage has produced a Wii engine capable of slick visual effects and then used it to create a world with such a paucity of artistic identity.
EDGE magazine, 40%

A strange mix of the absolutely brilliant and the frequently abysmal, just about riding its tide of goodwill to meet in the middle and deliver a solid, if unremarkable experience. (...)

Its graphics engine [is] no small feat of programming prowess that's capable of huge numbers of onscreen enemies, explosions and all sorts of other visual trickery usually reserved for current-gen consoles, all running at a rock solid frame rate.

Yet for all its graphical clout, The Conduit is simply one of the ugliest games we've seen in recent memory thanks to a total lack of creative, cohesive art direction. It's full of bland weaponry, insipid character design and barely competent level design, wrapped up in a generic conspiracy bow.

Matt Wales, IGN UK, 70%

Sure, the environments may come courtesy of the architectural design firm of Brown, Gray, and Blocky, but there are certain visual elements that can almost, sorta, kinda, trick you into thinking you’re playing a 360 game in standard def.
Chris Antista, Games Radar, 80%

Things like the All Seeing Eye, your weapons, your hands, cinematics, lighting effects, and water all look phenomenal. However, the environments you make your way through are mostly generic-looking and are comprised of blurry and bland textures.
Adam Brown, Cheat Code Central, 78%

Visually, the game is also top-notch, filling the screen with enemies, explosions, and fancy lighting effects, without the slightest drop in frame rate. (...) The Conduit has an impressive backbone, but it's too generic to capitalize on any of those technical feats.
Tom Mc Shea, Gamespot, 65%

It has a generic look to it, but The Conduit doesn't look bad. The environments can get sort of large, and the areas are detailed well enough. You'll probably notice that those environments aren't destructible, and the enemy design is kind of lame. It also maintains a good, smooth frame rate throughout.
Jeff Gerstmann, Giant Bomb, 40%

Falafelkid said...

Oh, and you also know nothing about Cologne. But don't worry. They might teach that in third grade.

Anonymous said...

ok mr falafel you're super duper and the rest knows nothing me in particular ;)

Falafelkid said...

That's the gist of it, even though I'm with the rest and you're on your own. Look, can't you wait for puberty somewhere else?

Anonymous said...

ok mr falafel ;)

Falafelkid said...

Fine. *phew*

cheat-master30 said...

It's not that uncommon, remember the Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess, and it's 8.8 rating that caused a mass outrage among various gamers? Yeah, the same person who gave that rating (Gerstmann I think) was the reviewer who gave it a low score in a different gaming publication. Take whatever out of that as you will, considering it's rumoured said reviewer doesn't like the Wii's control scheme.

To be fair though, I personally half expected these ratings. The Conduit got hyped as the next big thing. What happens to everything hyped as the next big thing? They don't live up to their own hype, and cause at least somewhat backlash, and the standard arguments between those who think they're overrated and those who think they're the messiah.

Oh, and you should have seen the reaction to The Conduit's Official Nintendo Magazine UK review... some of their readers had a hundred odd page forum topic about the game, the average score came out, and then about fifty million complaints of them being biased, broken, paid to hate third party games and all the rest were posted, at least until the other publications reviewed it and more negative scores went up online.

Unknown said...

I would go as far to place my bets that 99% of all negative remarks on THE CONDUIT are from strict haters of any and all 3rd Party games or at least initially influenced by them.

Hence why I am looking forward to the Wii's more mature gaming titles like CURSED MOUNTAIN.. not everything has to have Mario in it!

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-story-cursed-mountain/52862

Free Wii Games said...

lol 58% there was never a shadow of doubt in my mind that such a crap looking game would get low ratings in the end!

Artmast said...

Personally I would give The Conduit about an 85%. It has some excellent components.

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mars9168 said...

Nice post.
It's not revolutionary, but the Conduit is a great first-person shooter designed just for Wii owners. Whether it compatible with normal Wii Accessories ?
HVS had a battle on its hands because most publishers weren't up for the gamble. That being true, the company started work on a Wii-exclusive first-person shooter backed by a powerful proprietary 3D engine designed to maximize the system's technical potential.

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