Let's face it; the Nintendo Wii is on borrowed time. Ever since the publisher officially announced that they would be debuting their new console (codenamed Project Café) at this year's E3 in June, the Wii's internal clock began to tick just a bit faster. Anyone who's been around for a Nintendo console launch knows what this means - the previous console gets less and less quality games, as last generation's model is phased out.

Then there's Conduit 2. The sequel to last year's surprising Wii shooter won't blow you away, nor will it revolutionize the Wii, but by capitalizing on the success of the original, it does give Wii owners a competent and satisfactory shooter - something that's been desperately missing since the Wii's release nearly four years ago.

For those who didn't play the first Conduit, you may be surprised to know that John Adams, yes that John “2nd President of the United States” Adams; is a central figure in the story. Conduit 2 picks up almost directly after the original left off, with series protagonist Michael Ford chasing Adams through a conduit (it's pretty much a portal). You see, Adams is looking to gain more power, and is attempting to leverage and exploit an alien technology to do so. There's a few twists thrown in here and there, but it's not overly complicated, and doesn't really evolve to anything. He's a bad guy. You're a good guy. Enough said.

"...a competent shooter that manages to get the basics so right that it stands out."

Much like its predecessor, Conduit 2 isn't a flashy and revolutionary FPS, it's merely a competent shooter that manages to get the basics so right that it stands out. Key among these basics is just how well High Voltage Software understands how to tailor an experience to the Wii console. Rather than shoving an uneven control scheme at players, the development team grants a ton of freedom in just how you control their game. The default way to control Conduit 2 is of course via Wii-mote, which tends to feel a bit loose, luckily High Voltage offers a slew of control options like turning speed and button layout that you won't find on may titles not on PC. Undoubtedly though, the game is at its best when using a classic controller.

Perhaps what puts Conduit 2 above the line as a must have Wii title is the game's impressive art direction and level design. Save for a few performance issues, like a frame rate that tends to chug at all the wrong moments, Sega and High Voltage Software have pushed the Wii to its limits with the impressive visuals. Environments and actions like explosions are rendered quite nicely, as are the game's unique alien creatures. Sadly though, Conduit 2's progression doesn't seem as fresh; what you do in the beginning of the game is what you do in the end of the game, shoot stuff, flip a switch...shoot more stuff. At least it's done remarkably well.

"..it won't blow you away, but it is great at what it does."

Conduit 2's online multiplayer suite acts as a microcosm for the entire game experience; it won't blow you away, but it is great at what it does. You can play the game online or via a split screen interface. There are a number of different customization options to make every game different. The most noteworthy aspect of the multiplayer suite is the in game store option, which awards players with cash when they complete objectives in both the single player and online suite to unlock more upgrades and customization options.

In an increasingly thin library of quality Wii titles, Conduit 2 sticks out thanks it's impressive mechanics and well-handled development. It may not be revolutionary - in fact, there's nothing here that we haven't seen a million times before, but it's all done so well here. Wii owners looking for a new quality title to sustain the life of their console a bit more should check out High Voltage Game's impressive shooter sequel.