Nintendo Power gives Conduit a 6.5, E3 must be epic

Well folks, here it is. The highly anticipated Wii savior finally falls into the grubby hands of reviewers. The first verdict? A 6.5, from Nintendo Power. Nintendo Power. What was hailed as the Wii's hardcore gaming savior, is simply put aside as mediocre. To be honest, I was looking forward to the game, but with a sort of skepticism I've come to expect from upcoming Wii titles.



NP gives several reasons for the low score, including bad voice acting, short single player campaign, good, but inconsistent graphics, and horribly laggy online. Overall, this doesn't suprise me. Despite High Voltage's consistent bragging, nothing that I've seen of the game gave me the impression that it could stand out in any way, besides having decent graphics. I'll wait for other reviews definitely, as well as play it myself to get a real verdict. Looks like a rental.

One thing to consider, however, is the quality of the review. It is riddled with grammatical errors, as well as factual errors. Errors aside, it is still very poorly written. Read it, and see for yourself. Page 66 seems a little bit too early into the magazine as well. The screenshots used also feature an older version of the HUD (check IGN.com). Above all, it's a little suspicious that such a high-profile game would be reviewed so early (including its online component), and then put on the shelves. The evidence points to it being fake.

http://www.picvalley.net/u/1709/25782576520183922431242544711CxiV7ia8rTjgUmvxapBH.JPG

Regardless of the review's authenticity, it brings up the chilling and very real prospect of the Conduit flopping. Nintendo has got to do well at E3 this year. While they're certainly doing well in the sales department, the lack of good games on the Wii's horizon is ridiculous. Last E3 was a disappointment of epic proportions, topped only by Sony's 2006 showing. Nintendo has got to show off some good, core franchises this year. And it's not like they don't have options:

-Wii Zelda (Wii Motion Plus, anyone?)
-New Mario
-Pikmin 3
-Starfox
-F-Zero
-Kid Iccarus
-Metroid (Dread)
-Kirby

In addition to already revealed games, such as Zelda: Spirit Tracks, Mario and Luigi 3, and Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver. On the above list, bold titles are ones that I expect to actually be shown, simply due to time since a previous installment. Of course, all of the games on that list should be shown for the same reason. Also, options such as a DSi virtual console can be fleshed out.



Realistically, I expect another poor showing. 90% will be spent on sales figures (female gaming is up 35% from last year!!!!), followed by Wii Fit 2, Wii Stretching, Wii Play 2, and other assorted casual shit. In all liklehood, one or two new core franchise titles will be shown briefly at the end. The fact is, Nintendo is on top, and the current strategy they have is working - sales are through the rooof. Regardless, I hope I'm dead wrong. So come on Nintendo, surprise me.