Wii would like…decent graphics
The Nintendo Wii is a next-generation console with game graphics worse than most PS2 titles. It’s also the best-selling ‘next-gen’ console, yet it seems incapable of producing titles for mature audiences. To make things even stranger, the developer hoping to turn the Wii into a console with both Xbox 360-level visuals and games for an adult demographic is none other than High Voltage Software, creator of such stinkers as White Men Can’t Jump and the PlayStation Portable edition of 50 Cent: Bullet Proof. The proposition sounds a bit optimistic, but it might just be crazy enough to work
High Voltage Software is currently working on The Conduit, a first-person shooter exclusively for the Wii. The game’s subject matter is pretty basic FPS stuff: In the near future, Washington D.C. is invaded by aliens, and gamers must get to the bottom of the extraterrestrial attacks by playing as a secret service agent codenamed “Mr. Ford.” Look up any in-game screenshots, and you can guess that it will probably involve lots of run-and-gun action à la Halflife 2, with emphasis on high-tech weapon combat and some random puzzle-solving thrown in for good measure. In other words, it looks like a game you’ve already played before on a 360 or PS3, but definitely not on a Wii.
This first instance of true-blue next-gen graphics appearing on the Wii is the result of High Voltage Software’s “Quantum3” game engine, which makes use of a “full 16-TEV stage material pipeline using up to eight texture sources and a host of innovative blend operations.” The Conduit not only boasts great graphics, but promises to make full use of the Wii’s interactive capabilities, such as a completely customizable control scheme. By combining the crisp graphical standards of the 360 and PS3 with the Wii’s novel control system, we may see a truly next-generation experience in gaming. High Voltage isn’t the most reputable developer out there, but if it makes good on its promises, The Conduit could have some serious reverberations in the gaming industry.
