Conduit 2, developed by High Voltage Software and published by Sega, is a first-person shooter for the Wii. It is the sequel to 2009's The Conduit. Players once again assume the role of Michael Ford.
Nintendo Power confirmed on March 29th that Conduit 2 would be released in Fall 2010 as a Wii exclusive. [1] A trailer released on October 13th confirmed a release date sometime in February 2011. Initially slated for February 15th, the game was pushed to March 22nd on January 18th, 2011. A further delay to April 19th, 2011 was announced, where it would ultimately be released. [2]
Campaign
Backstory
The game's backstory, drawn from Mesopotamian Mythology like its predecessor, delves into the Annunaki, an alien race embodying Prometheus and Adams, entwined with historical extraterrestrial events. The sequel clarifies this concept, grounding it in the ten Annunaki figures from Mesopotamian lore. These Annunaki reigned over humanity until a rebellion, incited by Prometheus, led to the near-destruction of humans by the Ducaz. Prometheus then sank Atlantis, imprisoning Andromeda within, before surrendering to the Annunaki.
Just as John Adams covertly influenced the United States across centuries, other aliens manipulate nations worldwide. With Adams's global takeover plans underway, Ford seeks assistance from these extraterrestrial entities. Michael Ford's journey spans various global locations, including Atlantis, the Drudge's vessel and a hub world containing portals to destinations like Washington, D.C., Siberia, Agartha, and the Lost City of Z.
Missions
Within Atlantis, it is possible to replay most of the missions at any time to find items that were missed on a first walkthrough. Boss battles can be replayed separately from the main level.
Plot
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The game opens with a CGI cutscene depicting the final moments of *The Conduit* campaign, where Michael Ford and Prometheus enter a conduit to escape a Trust facility moments before it self-destructs. The scene then shifts to show images of areas in Atlantis, along with a shot of the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, where Atlantis lies sunken. A mysterious creature appears, swimming up toward an oil platform near Atlantis. A bright flash from a conduit marks Ford's arrival on the platform. During the introduction, an unknown character narrates, foreshadowing events that will unfold by the game’s end. After emerging from the conduit, Ford finds himself on a large oil derrick off the coast of Florida near the Bermuda Triangle. He lands on all fours, and as he stands, a worker aims a USP45 pistol at him, but Ford quickly disarms him. Another worker throws a wrench, which Ford catches and throws back, knocking the worker over the edge of the derrick. Picking up the pistol, Ford realizes that everyone on the platform is hostile. As he fights his way through, he encounters the Leviathan, a massive sea serpent. Following an intense battle, Ford and the Leviathan plunge into the ocean, eventually reaching Atlantis. Atlantis serves as a hub where players can receive new missions. When Ford awakens, the ship's defense systems immediately send mechanical beings, known as Fixers and Sentries, against him. Prometheus informs him that they need to unlock the door to the main chamber of the ship. Once inside, Ford acquires the advanced Destroyer Armor, far superior to his Trust Armor. Reaching Atlantis' main hub, he awakens Andromeda, who is shocked to see Ford in Destroyer Armor, wielding the "All-Seeing Eye." She assists him, unaware that Ford knows Prometheus, who requests Ford not to reveal his presence to her. Using coordinates Prometheus provides, Andromeda sends Ford to Washington, D.C., to find Adams. Upon arriving in Washington, Ford finds a city devastated by the Trust base explosion. The remaining inhabitants are enemy Drudge and Trust soldiers. Ford and Prometheus discover that some Drudge have turned against the Trust. Ford encounters a friendly Drudge named Thex, who explains that Ford inadvertently freed them from the Trust's control. After exploring further, Ford finds a hidden chamber in the National Institute, uncovering the locations of other Progenitors. Prometheus realizes Adams intends to kill the Progenitors to gain power. Back in Atlantis, Ford reactivates the ship’s systems after years of neglect. Andromeda grows suspicious, sensing Ford’s knowledge of Prometheus. During their exploration, Prometheus reveals that Andromeda once fought beside him but believes he betrayed her. When she eventually learns of Ford's alliance with Prometheus, she reveals details about the ASE, known as the "Eye of Tiamat," and her forced confinement on the ship by Prometheus. After reactivating the conduit in Atlantis, Ford travels to China. In China, Prometheus reveals that his brother Li lives here and that the Trust is hunting him as well. It becomes Ford's mission to warn Li. Prometheus also confides that Ford is not the first "Destroyer" and that previous Destroyers met grim fates. After confronting Trust soldiers and Li's defenses, Ford reaches Li's inner chamber. Li accuses Ford of intending to kill him, recalling a past attempt by a previous Destroyer. A fierce battle ensues, ending in Li’s death, after which Prometheus persuades Ford to absorb his essence using the ASE, although Ford hesitates, fearing it resembles Adams' actions. Returning to Atlantis, Andromeda demands the truth. Prometheus reveals himself, and Andromeda, furious, refuses to listen. He instead sends Ford to Siberia to warn Katarina. Upon arrival in Siberia, Ford and Prometheus board a ship piloted by Free Drudge, who agree to transport them to Katarina's fortress in exchange for help. Inside, Ford discovers that Katarina, held captive and fatally wounded, can only survive by passing on her powers to prevent Adams from taking them. Ford escapes with the Free Drudge, engaging in an air battle against Trust forces. Andromeda then provides coordinates to the last Progenitor not captured by Adams. The Free Drudge drop Ford at the Lost City of Z, where he confronts Trust forces to locate the last Progenitor. Prometheus explains that all the powers Ford has absorbed, as well as Prometheus' own, must be transferred to Ford. Ford resists, knowing this process will be fatal for Prometheus, but Prometheus insists. After absorbing the energy, Ford returns to Atlantis, only to find it overrun by Adams' strike force. A grenade explosion incapacitates both Ford and Andromeda. Adams seizes the ASE, but finding it empty, he demands to know where Prometheus has gone. A final battle ensues. During the fight, Adams reverts to his Progenitor form. Before Atlantis is further destroyed, Andromeda opens a conduit to Agartha, the Earth's center, where Ford transports himself and Adams for a final showdown. Ford ultimately defeats Adams, absorbing his powers. However, the ASE goes haywire, sending a signal to a dormant machine in space, which begins its journey to Earth. Back in Agartha, several people in Destroyer Suits appear through a conduit, including figures resembling George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, who announce they’ve come to help. The game credits roll. In a post-credits scene, Ford returns to Atlantis, where Andromeda expresses regret for her treatment of Prometheus and warns of a massive energy signature approaching Earth, signaling that a new threat is imminent. |
Gameplay
A new writer was hired by HVS to help with the sequel. This writer had previously worked on Prey and was brought on board to make the story more immersive than the original. Additionally, the protagonist, Ford, was given more dialogue to prevent his personality from being too obscured.
The gameplay was also changed in a number of ways. Levels were designed to be less predictable and straightforward, and the environments were made larger to allow for more tactical freedom and exploration. Branching levels offered multiple paths for the player to take, each with its own unique gameplay experience. The ability to sprint and take cover was added, along with the ability for enemies and the player to flip over objects for makeshift cover. Enemies were also given different weapons and AI behavior depending on the weapon they were carrying.
Players had a wide range of options to modify their character's appearance, including different suits with their own attributes, similar to a class system. Currency could be earned to unlock suit upgrades, armor, and other items. The suit loadouts could change the gameplay style and had to be chosen tactically, as some might make the player move slower but have more defense.
The player could also choose weapons and suit upgrades, which acted as perks similar to the Call of Duty series. There were nearly 30 suit upgrades that added abilities to the character, such as invisibility on radar and the ability to carry two heavy weapons at a time. This class system could be used in both single-player and multiplayer modes.
At the beginning of a level, the player could choose their loadout weapons and customize their appearance with different helmets and color schemes. The developers decided to have one primary suit slot and three secondary slots for upgrades, but this was subject to change. Conduit 2 supported Wii MotionPlus for enhanced precision control and better tracking, but it was not required to play the game. The game also featured Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro support, mainly to compete with GoldenEye 007 Wii and to appeal to players who preferred dual analog controls.
Ally System
The Ally system is a new feature in the game. Very similar to the Rival System in Metroid Prime Hunters and Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom, in the Ally system a player can flag another player in the lobby and if they accept the invitation they will be added to your friends list (up to 64 friends) and you can find them online without having to exchange Friend codes. Friend codes are still usable in the game, however.[3]
Multiplayer
Main Article: Multiplayer
Just like its predecessor, Conduit 2's multiplayer mode will be playable online through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, up to 12 players can play competitive. The new HUD in multiplayer looks similar to Halo 3's HUD. It will also support the Headbanger headset for voice chat, which was released in late October. It will not include Wii speak support due to a joint decision made by Nintendo and High Voltage Software. Players will be able to voice chat with friends and rivals.[4]It also has a 2-4 player split-screen versus mode.
The game will not feature weapon sets like those of the original. Instead, players will use the weapons from their custom loadouts by purchasing weapons from an in-game store using points they earn while playing. When you start a map you have four custom classes to pick from and there will be a map rotation where players will pick from 2 maps to prevent everyone from voting for the same maps over and over again. The weapons will also be upgradable, and will have secondary fire.
Team Invasion
Main Article: Invasion Mode
Up to four people Offline can play in a new co-op mode which will let players fight against waves of enemies on 3 different multiplayer maps. The enemies drop coins, which can be used in the in-game store, if you are killed you will lose some of your coins, and teammates can grab them. Difficultly and the map can be adjusted before starting.
Weapons
All main weapons from The Conduit are included, as well as five new weapons. Each gun from The Conduit has been tweaked to some degree, and either an alternate fire or the ability to aim down the iron sights has been added.[5]. Also the prototype weapon HVS45 is included.
Unlike the first game, all weapons are available in every game type, be it single player, co-op, or multiplayer. They are also categorized by the the type of "bullet" they fire: Ballistic - Energy - Explosive.
Conventional Weapons
- USP45 (Pistol)
- SCAR (Assault Rifle)
- MP5KA4 (Sub-machine gun)
- SPAS-12 (Shotgun)
- SMAW (Rocket launcher)
Drudge Weapons
Trust Weapons
Prototype Weapons
Atlantean Weapons
Grenades
Marketing
High Voltage Software and Sega ran a sweepstakes whose winners will get their faces shown on Missing person fliers or Wanted posters on the game. Lucky winners will win a free copy of Conduit 2 (This offer is exclusive to residents of the USA and Canada excluding Québec).[6] The contest is officially over, but the winners are yet to be revealed.
In E3 interviews, Hight Voltage representatives said that a demo was possible, but unlikely, as it has only been done once before, with Monster Hunter Tri.
Gallery
References
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