We’ve known a few things about High Voltage Software’s second major Wii FPS, The Grinder, for a little while now: it will feature a grindhouse art style and gameplay reminiscent of Left 4 Dead, use The Conduit’s Quantum 3 physics engine, and support both online and offline multiplayer.

Several gaming publications also have reported that the title will feature four-player co-op both offline and online.  This information appears to stem from an IGN interview conducted last year wherein High Voltage stated that “We think Left 4 Dead set the standard for this type of game and we fully intend to support four players.”

Now, however, gaming magazine Nintendo Power has revealed in its February 2010 issue that The Grinder is “being designed for two-player co-op play locally and via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and will also include a traditional competitive component.”

So the good news is that competitive deathmatches a la The Conduit’s multiplayer will be alive and well in this title, perhaps both online and offline.  The bad news is that it appears the local and online co-op multiplayer may have been cut in half from four to two players.

Other than that, Nintendo Power has reaffirmed that the title will support the Motion Plus accessory, which gaming website Kotaku talked about last year in its feature on the game.

We’ve contacted High Voltage for comment on whether or not the multiplayer has been halved or not, and whether it applies to offline, online or both.  We’ll keep you posted on any information we receive.

Media outlets have a new reason to fear the ire of angry Nintendo fanboys, and this time it’s not related to Mario, Zelda, or any other Nintendo properties.  Rather, the problem stems from certain inaccuracies, or shall we say, disagreements that gaming publication GamePro posted in its recent review of the Wii’s blockbuster FPS title, The Conduit.  And it essentially has little to do with the score.

Many of the most reputable review sites and publications scored the game around the 80 percent range – we scored it at 8.5, IGN gave it an 8.6, Nintendo Power and GamesRadar gave it an 8 – and GamePro actually followed fairly closely giving it 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

So what was the problem?  Aside from admittedly reviewing the game without even touching the online multiplayer mode – a feature which garnered the most praise from the gaming press – GamePro criticized The Conduit for “terrible motion controls” and “unimpressive graphics,” two features that other gaming publication lauded.  For instance, G4, which scored the game lower overall than GamePro at 3 out of 5 stars, still praised it for “engaging, responsive controls” and “slick visual effects.”
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With its June 23 release date just around the corner, The Conduit was hardly a new or shocking property at this year’s E3.  But I just couldn’t help stopping by to get some hands-on experience with the final build of High Voltage Studio’s killer app.

Though it has been stated many times before, The Conduit’s graphics cannot be done justice by screenshots alone.  Playing the game in person can be quite deceiving, and I had to constantly remind myself (as well as our senior editor, Christiaan) that I wasn’t playing a PS3 or Xbox 360 title.  The game’s Quantum 3 engine utilizes a variety of graphical features such as pixel shaders, bump mapping, and a ton of other terms I don’t fully comprehend.  The result is what I can honestly label one of the most beautiful games on the Wii. read more…