Neoseeker's Gabriel Vega is somewhat of a forum celebrity. Either way, he grabbed an interview with High Voltage Software producer Josh Olson, during which they talked about The Conduit for Nintendo Wii.

Pretty informative stuff, worth a read if you're interested at all in the Wii's ongoing "hardcore" campaign.

Gabriel Vega (Neo): The Wii is a console that caters itself to new and old gamers, how will The Conduit attack these demographics or will the hardcore be given the luxury of having a title geared directly toward them?

Josh Olson: There are over 50 million Wii consoles out there – and we’re confident that a market exists for a title like The Conduit. I think that there’s been some nervousness about the viability of “hardcore” games on the Wii – especially in light of some recent titles that haven’t fared too well – and while we do fall squarely into the core gamer demographic with The Conduit, we were also very cognizant that the title is on the Wii and made very deliberate decisions to avoid making a niche title and instead went for the summer blockbuster feel. It still has all of the elements that we think core gamers want, but a lot our decisions in regards to story, genre, gameplay, and art direction were aimed at accessibility. When people look at The Conduit, they immediately understand it. While we may get dinged for some of these decisions, we feel it was ultimately the right direction for the console.

Another thing to point out is that one of the coolest things that we’ve discovered during development from giving folks hands-on time with the game is that they immediately get it – there’s a direct connection between firing a weapon and pointing the Wii remote that you don’t get with dual thumbsticks or the mouse and keyboard. It feels natural and it’s intuitive – in that sense I think there’s an accessibility there you don’t find with shooters on the PC, 360 and PS3. It’s a new experience that you won’t find anywhere else.

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RabidChinaGirl via neoseeker.com »