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June 30, 2009 11:01 AM PDT

Is The Conduit the Wii's best shooter?

by Dan Ackerman, Jeff Bakalar and Scott Stein
  • 24 comments

One of the bigger pushes for Nintendo's Wii console recently has been The Conduit, a sci-fi first-person shooter from Sega. Looking past the hype, we put it to the test--hoping to find out if the popular Wii is actually good for something other than casual, party, and kids' games.

As with the recent Ghostbusters debate, our CNET editors' gaming roundtable gives conflicting opinions below, and we naturally want to hear what you think in the handy comments section.

Jeff Bakalar:
We're really impressed at how customizable the game is. In addition to completely changing the controls around, you have the option to move around individual HUD (heads-up-display) items at your leisure, so you can build the presentation that's right for you.

Control-wise, the game performs very smoothly, just how you'd want a first-person-shooter on the Wii to play. It's refreshing to see a game like this built from the ground up specifically for the Wii--you'll notice little things like rack focusing and other camera tricks that aren't seen in most Wii games.... Read More

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June 2, 2009 1:31 PM PDT

Two new Super Mario Wii games among those announced at Nintendo E3 press conference

by Jeff Bakalar
  • 1 comment

Now that the Nintendo E3 2009 press conference is behind us, let's take a look at some of the game announcements for the Wii. While we saw a few titles we were expecting, there were a couple that came as total surprises.

Right out of the gate, we got to see a brand-new 2D Mario Bros. game for the Wii. New Super Mario Bros. will allow for four-player co-op playing and will feature new game characters and power ups.

Wii Fit Plus, the successor to Wii Fit, will arrive in the fall and come bundled once again with a balance board. Of course, the software will also be available separately for those who already own it.

(Credit: Gamespot)

While we already knew about the July 26 release of Wii Sports Resort, we did get to see archery and basketball demos take advantage of the Wii MotionPlus peripheral. Speaking of MotionPlus, Nintendo announced that the Ubisoft-developed Red Steel 2 will require the accessory to play.

While we also knew about the Wii exclusives Dead Space: Extraction, Resident Evil Dark Side Chronicles, and The Conduit, we were thrilled to see a new Metroid game unveiled. Metroid Other M seems to be a hybrid first-person meets third-person action title and will be released in 2010.

Finally, we were treated to a taste of a Super Mario Galaxy sequel. Super Mario Galaxy 2 features more 3D Mario action geared at gamers of all ages. This title is also set to release in 2010.

May 13, 2009 2:50 PM PDT

Six video game trailers you should be watching

by Jeff Bakalar
  • 6 comments

Last week we gave gamers plenty of reasons to be excited about the month of May's anticipated releases. Now we're providing video sneak peeks at some of the latest in digital interactive entertainment.

We've got the latest trailer from The Conduit, a first-person-shooter built from the ground up exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. Also for the Wii is Let's Tap, a title that offers a brand-new way of interacting with games. You control Let's Tap by doing just that, tapping right in front of your Wii remote.

The unbelievably realistic graphics in Fight Night Round 4 will simply knock you off your feet. It's by far the best-looking boxing simulator we've ever seen. Speaking of graphics, the PlayStation 3 exclusive inFamous provides plenty of drool-worthy eye candy. In the game you play as Cole, a man with the superhuman power of creating lightning. Will you use your powers for good or for evil?

Finally, two franchises from the days of the NES are back. Punch-Out!! returns with Little Mac's quest to glory as he battles new and familiar foes. Bionic Commando brings back all of the robotic arm swinging fun you had 20 years ago, with updated graphics and brand-new storyline.

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