Publishers wanted: The Conduit Looks Pretty

It’s time to admit something to ourselves: the Wii isn’t the “it” system for graphics. So what? We have good gameplay and a familiar interface that never fails to bring a new experience to gamers. But the graphic-geek-bullying will end now.

IGN posted a preview of High Voltage Software’s in-progress FPS, The Conduit. Build from scratch entirely for the Wii, this beautiful could-be uses a 3D engine that rivals Metroid Prime 3 for best Wii graphics to date (yeah, I’m sure there are other games up for contention, but MP3 always trumps).

If made correctly, this very well could be the FPS game that some core gamers are asking for on Nintendo’s system. As of right now, however, no publisher is backing it. And with a storyline that they have setup, I wouldn’t either. Who wants to play a pretty game with no decent plot? That’s for the other systems. We have these gems instead.

Okami Watermark Fiasco - Is IGN Involved?

For many hardcore gamers on the Wii, this past Tuesday marked the starting of a grand adventure in Okami, one of the most anticipated games to hit the Wii so far this year. With an updated control screen, minor graphical improvements, and new widescreen support, the Wii looked to have the definitive version of the adventure game.

Yet suddenly something is up. No, not the slightly problematic control scheme, or the questionable graphics which have both been receiving minor flack from a handful of critics. No, the big fiasco has to do with the picture right on the cover of the box - plain and clear as night and day (you may need to adjust your monitor screen to see it more clearly).

(Click to enlarge)

See that little watermark right there? That’s the watermark used to mark images as exclusive to IGN, one of the largest hubs for gamers across the Internet. How could such a blatant and obviously problematic thing have taken place? It’s not sure right now, but according to sleuths on NeoGAF, the image actually wasn’t watermarked in pictures prior to release. Here is the original art that was featured on the Capcom website and other media outlets before the game hit stores. Notice how it’s flipped, and how you can’t really make out any watermarks in the same area.

Either someone intentionally stuck the IGN watermark there in hopes of subliminal advertising, or there was a major snafu at the publishing plant. Either way, the problems are obvious:

(Courtesy of Double_A on the IGN Boards)

That’s not supposed to be there. And it’s even more obvious on the actual boxart you’ll see in stores. For shame, Capcom. What’s the real story here? Could it be a disgruntled employee? A lazy one? The same one behind Mr. Gay? Only time, and Capcom, will tell.

Stay tuned at My Wii News as we figure out if there is something special going on with this cover, and what future steps may be taken by Capcom.