14 DAY TRIAL // SEGA is announcing that it will publish Nintendo Wii shooter The Conduit in both North America and Europe. The game is developed by High Voltage Games and it's aiming to be the first real shooter which plays on the Nintendo made console.
Simon Jeffery, the president of SEGA of America, says that “The Conduit is one of the most talked-about Wii games this year, and High Voltage Software has only scratched the surface of the game in terms of what they have shown so far. They have proven that graphical and technological innovation can be exciting to the Wii market, and SEGA is thrilled to partner with a team that truly shares our belief in the Wii’s gaming potential beyond the casual market”.
The game is built using a proprietary engine, called Quantum 3, that is designed to squeeze out every bit of graphics power that the Wii has to offer. If you look at screenshots for the first time, you'll never guess that this was not an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 game. The engine also allows players to use the Wiimote and the Nunchuk to perform all in game actions. To make a better game, High Voltage is also including support for Wii Motion Plus, an add on for the Wiimote which is set to enable more accurate tracking of complex player movement. High Voltage is saying that playing The Conduit on the Wii will feel as natural as playing a shooter with a mouse and keyboard setup.
The game should arrive sometime in 2009 and both publisher and developer are hoping that it will attract a more hardcore audience to the Nintendo Wii. At the moment, the gaming console market is dominated by releases which adopt a more casual look and are targeted to audiences that do not necessarily appreciate the finer points of a good shooter experience.