We've been getting teased for weeks about jumping onto the multiplayer mode of The Conduit and this week finally put us smack dab in the middle of it. After a short trip to Sega of America's offices in San Francisco, we hooked up with members of the High Voltage development team, Sega's PR folks and a select member of journalists to get a taste of what it will be like to get this baby online.
As we sat down after a little lunch, we came across the main Multiplayer screen which is pretty basic but with some customization. First, I noted that there were four character types: Agent, Drone, Guard and the Scientist who looks like a goofball. You can also adjust the color of your clothes if you want to get in style. As in the single player mode, you can also customize your HUD which is fantastic. You simply click and drag the various panels to anywhere you'd like on the screen. I really wish more games allowed you to do this. After fidgeting around with it we were also explained that you can map any button on the Wii remote and nunchuck to anything you want as well. As for playing, well you'll be able to play with Friends, Worldwide or Regional (which is for North and South America). If you want to play with friends, you simply exchange friend codes which is nicely displayed for you so you don't have to search around. The really nice thing and developers take note, is that you can also see your friend's friends. So if you're playing with your brother for instance and he has two people on his friends list, you can then add those people to your own without having to send each other your codes. Very nice! This should make filling out your friends list a breeze so thank you High Voltage. As you get set to play, you'll be able to see who's playing and their rank which is translated into an icon next to each name. All told, there are 24 rank-ups for those who want to know right off the bat. When you enter a lobby, you can then vote on rules, maps and weapon sets.
Afterward, we finally got to jump in and play as each writer was identified by a president's name. I was ‘Nixon' (and yes, ‘Obama' from Joystiq.com shot me frequently). We first played on a small map that was dubbed "Streets" which was probably supposed to be for about 4 players so you can imagine the mayhem with 12 people running around. In total there are 16 maps to choose from though we only saw a couple. Controlwise, it worked out pretty good as you aim with the Wii remote and shoot with the trigger. You can also zoom in or lock onto an enemy while a throwing motion with the nunchuck allows you to launch a grenade. Not bad, though you'll have to keep your reticule pointing at where you'll want to throw. You can also do a quick 180 degree turn which was quite helpful. I did pretty good in that first map as I shot away from a distance before going balls-to-the-wall and just going for as many kills as I could. A jabbing motion by the way with the Wii remote is for melee attacks.
We also played some Team Objective which is essentially like capture the flag as well as some Team Reaper (deathmatch) which was a load of fun and finally Bounty Hunter which is kind of unique and stressful at the same time. So essentially, in BH, you are someone else's target while you have your own target to kill. When you kill your target or get killed, the target switches to someone else. While you know who your target is based off an icon, you have no clue who is after you. Where it gets sticky is that if you shoot the wrong target, you'll lose points. If you happen to figure out who your hunter is and you kill him/her, then no points are lost – you simply get them off your back until a new hunter comes looking for you. This was a blast and a different take on your usually free for all. As I mentioned already, the team deathmatch was also really enjoyable and everyone in the room was clearly having a good time.
I'd have to say that although there was some very minor lag, partially due to the fact that we were really close up to the sensor bar, the game ran pretty smoothly. The controls for me were solid in terms of response time and accuracy. Graphically it looked pretty good too though it seems that the single player campaign appears sharper and more detailed but I'll have to play it more to make a final assessment of that. Still, it's one of the sweetest looking games on the Wii. The WiiSpeak can also be used and we were given a brief demo of how it works. You'll have to hook it up before starting the game however, so make sure it's good to go otherwise you'll have to reset the game. In-game, you'll be able to talk to your teammates or the 5 nearest people to you if you're playing free for all.
All in all, it was good times all around and I can't wait to play it again. We may have just found the best multiplayer experience on the Nintendo Wii. June 23, the official release date, can't come soon enough.
As we sat down after a little lunch, we came across the main Multiplayer screen which is pretty basic but with some customization. First, I noted that there were four character types: Agent, Drone, Guard and the Scientist who looks like a goofball. You can also adjust the color of your clothes if you want to get in style. As in the single player mode, you can also customize your HUD which is fantastic. You simply click and drag the various panels to anywhere you'd like on the screen. I really wish more games allowed you to do this. After fidgeting around with it we were also explained that you can map any button on the Wii remote and nunchuck to anything you want as well. As for playing, well you'll be able to play with Friends, Worldwide or Regional (which is for North and South America). If you want to play with friends, you simply exchange friend codes which is nicely displayed for you so you don't have to search around. The really nice thing and developers take note, is that you can also see your friend's friends. So if you're playing with your brother for instance and he has two people on his friends list, you can then add those people to your own without having to send each other your codes. Very nice! This should make filling out your friends list a breeze so thank you High Voltage. As you get set to play, you'll be able to see who's playing and their rank which is translated into an icon next to each name. All told, there are 24 rank-ups for those who want to know right off the bat. When you enter a lobby, you can then vote on rules, maps and weapon sets.
Afterward, we finally got to jump in and play as each writer was identified by a president's name. I was ‘Nixon' (and yes, ‘Obama' from Joystiq.com shot me frequently). We first played on a small map that was dubbed "Streets" which was probably supposed to be for about 4 players so you can imagine the mayhem with 12 people running around. In total there are 16 maps to choose from though we only saw a couple. Controlwise, it worked out pretty good as you aim with the Wii remote and shoot with the trigger. You can also zoom in or lock onto an enemy while a throwing motion with the nunchuck allows you to launch a grenade. Not bad, though you'll have to keep your reticule pointing at where you'll want to throw. You can also do a quick 180 degree turn which was quite helpful. I did pretty good in that first map as I shot away from a distance before going balls-to-the-wall and just going for as many kills as I could. A jabbing motion by the way with the Wii remote is for melee attacks.
