Sega’s The Conduit could easily be the most anticipated title of the year for the Wii, at least from the core gamer perspective. Too long have we been forced to wade through mini-game compilation after mini-game compilation. I’m not saying we need an M-rated game for it to be good, but something that appeals to core gamers instead of the cutesy and gimmicky games that are making up the majority of the Wii’s release schedule is sorely needed.

At Comic Con, I got to spend a good deal of time with The Conduit. Right off the bat, I can say it’s one of, if not the best looking game I’ve seen on the Wii. The amount of textures, destructible environments, normal mapping, and shaders that High Voltage pushed through the platform is intense. I can’t speak too much for the sound, since we were on the show floor.

The controls felt extremely fluid on the build we played. I played both an early level in the game as well as a boss battle later on, both of which controlled unbelievably. I was more accurate with the Wii Remote than I am with the Xbox 360 or PS3 controller, which says a lot. I still prefer the mouse and keyboard for FPS games, but this comes in a close second. What really astounded me about the controls was the level of customization. High Voltage made every bit of the control scheme, from the button mappings to the sensitivity of everything, full customizable on the fly. You can pause the game and pull up the control option and change whatever you desire and then test those controls out in the background without even exiting the menus. To further the level of customization, you can move the HUD and health bar wherever you’d like on the screen. High Voltage developed the game so it could be fully tailored to every user’s experience.

With a single player campaign targeted at around 10-12 hours, there is plenty there for you to play through. Tack on the game’s online 16 person multiplayer and The Conduit is sure to be in your Wii for a long time.

This was at the top of my list for most anticipated Wii titles of 2009 before Comic Con. After playing it, The Conduit is creeping up towards the top of my overall most anticipated titles of 2009. Check it out on the Wii this summer.