Those who argue against so-called "hardcore" games on the Wii have some fresh justification, with news that The Conduit failed to break into the top five Wii games for June and shifted a mere 72,000 copies. While some in our comments argue that the game was only released on June 23 (a fair point), it's still not a glowing success for the game's launch week.
"In terms of top SKUs, The Conduit placed at number 25," said a spokesman for NPD. Looks like The Conduit will share a similar fate to House of the Dead: Overkill and MadWorld, as Sega continues to find that special something and create a "hardcore" title that will actually sell on the Wii.
This is Sega's third attempt to put a more traditional videogame on the Wii, and so far the results have been less than impressive. Sega maintains that its strategy is working, with its games making back money with a slow burn rather than a quick burst, but it still has to be discouraging for publishers and studios to see these games hit the ground with a stumble rather than a dash.
Still, Capcom's doing alright, so we know that these "mature" games have an audience. Maybe Sega needs to dig deep into its pockets and actually market these things?
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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or actually tell wii owners that their games exist, im assuming that most of the ordinary wii owners arent up to date in gaming news
I was about to say the same thing. Are we ignoring the fact that this came out on June 23rd? That would mean it sold 72K copies in a week, not in a month.
No More Heroes debuted, I think, at about the same clip of 50k ish initial sales.
Maybe that's just how big the market is on the Wii? Certainly, there's a number of people that have bought into the "lifestyles" that each console taps into. Maybe, frightening, that how niche the "core" market really is on the Wii?
In which case, doing so well w/o marketing overhead might be the thing that makes these ventures profitable.
Still, I'd be interesting in seeing how a game as robust as a Fallout 3 (long form RPG) or God of War (Solid 8 hour actioner) would fair, if a good AAA attempt is put forth.
TCon came out on june 23rd, it is 72k on a week, hardly a failure.
Ooh yeah.
hmm...
Call Of Duty: World At War on Wii - although obviously not as good as the 360 or PS3 versions - kicks the absolute crap out of this game.
I agree, the game is barebones to say the least, the online mode is the main draw, it is basic as the single player campaign but we have nothing of the sorts more so considerinf that it sidesteps Friend codes so it is good.
The Conduit could mean more FPS ands traditional gaming on Wii, the same way the success of SEGA´s shooters and RE:UC paved the way the torrent of on rails shooters we get nowadays.
But I'm always saddened to hear about Platinum games underselling, because I loved Clover Studios. MadWorld doing badly is a shame. The sooner we get Bayonetta the better!
If this game came out on 360 or ps3 i'd probably never care to pick it up, simply for the bland and average looks of it. Woo. FPS. Alien lookin things. Government conspiracy? Woo. But put it on the Wii, and suddenly you're innovative!
Maybe they should have just gone with 10 minigames and bright colors. That would sell shitloads.
I am a Wii owner, and that's the only current-gen console I own. Although I have access to a 360, it's not mine, so the only console I actively buy games for is the Wii.
And I did not buy this game. From the moment it was announced on IGN and we saw that very first video, my only reaction was that it looked generic. The main character looks like a tool, and the aliens look just like people in cruddy costumes. That's a mark against the game in my book, and when the game comes out, the reviews pour in, and we find out that the game is just sub-par anyway, it comes accross to me as a game I could safely let go.
I consider myself somewhat of a Nintendo fanboy, but even I can't justify buying a game that I know is going to be mediocre. That would be stupid.
If a game comes out and it looks good, I'll get it. But it has to be good by my standards, not the "good" associated with a 7.0 from Gamespot. That's the same reason I didn't bother with Deadly Creatures or Battalion Wars 2. They struck me as "meh" games. I get the same feeling from The Conduit
And that's what really grinds my gears about people telling me I better buy these games if I want to get more hardcore material on the Wii. It makes me feel like Sega etc. are just a bunch of panhandling bums begging for my money; you see them, and you walk on the other side of the street because the mere sight of them make you feel irritated and uncomfortable.
Deadly Creatures, Battalion Wars 2 and The Conduit all have their own levels of "meh". I like all three, and definitely got some good times out of all of them.
They're all worth rentals, at least, for whatever that's worth to you...
Are you sure? I never played it (obviously), but I own the first one and I thought it was just... unbearably lame.
Is BW2 anything like the first title?
There's a big difference between Call of Duty, an established and well-known franchise, and The Conduit, a newcomer to the FPS genre. Everybody expects Call of Duty to sell well because it's well-known. People are just saying that mature games can't sell on the Wii because most new franchises to come to the platform have been under-achievers, which for some of the part is true (Even in Japan, No More Heroes sold like shit). Fine, it came out in the last week of June, but you really can't say that justifies that mature Wii games can sell a lot. Personally, I don't think it will hit one million units, but if I'm wrong, I'll be the first one to say it.
Btw, I do want a Wii, but I'm just being honest.
Even as someone that digs The Conduit, I've got to say Killzone 2 and Halo 3 are overall higher quality experiences, no question.
And while the game sits right there between godawful and "oh, ok" in the looks department, playing through has been a fun experience.
If you dig the idea and execution of IR shooting, its well done in that regard. But certainly, compared to offerings on other systems, it is understandably a hardsell.
The Grinder is the "next time". I think it will do MUCH better than The Conduit because it's the "Wii L4D", and people will be fresh off of the real "L4D" boycott/hate.
Also, can any owners here confirm that it's a fun game? (i liked metroid prime 3, and liked what i saw of bioshock, but don't like halo--which camp of fps does conduit fall into?)
Anyway, if anyone wants to play with someone else online here's my Friend Code.
2579-1358-6801
See you guys on the battlefield.
Figure it out Nintendo... are you selling gym equipment that's not really gym equipment, or are you selling a gaming console that EVERYONE (not just dumb celebrity blondes) can enjoy?
Its not great, but its not horrible either. inFAMOUS only sold 175,000 its first week, and its a 1st Party game. As for the marketing I don't know what you're talking about Jim, the Conduit was marketing all over the place. It had TV ads on all the time, on many different channels. I see more Conduit commercial than both UFC, or inFAMOUS!
I haven't played Conduit but I saw numerous streams of it and it does seem rather bland, this is just another case of Wii fans hyping the shit out of a mediocre titles and then being shocked when it sells poorly.
In 2009, however, developers have pretty much cracked the code on developing console FPS games. The Conduit, with it's boring level design, slow pacing, feature-less multiplayer and drab art design, doesn't aspire to be a good FPS. It wants to be an FPS "like on those other consoles". It's a game that tries to shoo-horn a genre on the Wii that A) doesn't really fit, and B) doesn't serve the console that well. When the Wii is at it's best, with games like Warioware:Smooth Moves, No More Heroes, and Super Mario Galaxy, the games are UNLIKE ANYTHING ON ANY OTHER PLATFORM. PERIOD. You can find plenty of FPS games, however, and trying to build the Wii into a second rate 360 or PS3 does a tremendous disservice to the Wii and it's playerbase.
The Wii doesn't need to try and emulate the other consoles. By offering it's own unique and bizarre gameplay experiences, it has become the most popular console on the planet.
I actually like The Conduit despite being a run of the mill FPS that suffers from uninspiring level design, a lackluster story and some technical issues Thankfully, the enemy AI doesn't feel cheap and the controls makes dual analog feel archaic and sluggish in comparison at least in my opinion.Also, the customization options are a superb feature that all future FPS should really offer. Also, some of the weapons are really cool to use and the voice acting is surprisingly good.
Despite some of the glitches and occasional lag issues with the online multiplayer, it's actually quite fun even though it can't stand up to the other big FPS title out there. HVS has some things to be proud of with its first big original IP even though it ultimately didn't live up to the hype.
I think the Conduit deserves to sell well not so much because its the really the first full-fledged original and exclusive FPS on the platform, but because it gets enough things right to make it an enjoyable third-party game. In addition, I'd certainly like HVS offer a sequel in addition to releasing The Grinder.