MHFU Done... The Conduit not looking good

I didn't treat it too kindly in the review after all, which is a little bit of a disappointment because I was enjoying parts of it. The obvious answer is that Monster Hunter fans really have no reason to not buy Monster Hunter Freedom Unite. But then, said fans would probably have already pre-ordered the game and bought it regardless of any Metacritic score, so the review would be useless to them except to find someone else to hate (me). I know that reviews such as the ones on 1up.com and IGN-PSP serve as evidence of players who can definitely look past the control, camera and combat issues and enjoy the awesome stuff inside (seriously, the satisfaction of downing a formidable monster and then carving out a bone to show off to your fellow hunters is pretty sweet)  That's why different publications exist, and that's why it's great that we can get a scope of opinions. I was able to play the game just fine, but both the mental frustration and anger at the principle of Capcom not exploring ways to fix its issues can be exasperating. There are those, again, who can look past issues. There are those that cannot. My review serves as warning to those who cannot look past them.

I don't know--I guess I felt the need to point this out because @5parrowhawk was kind enough to give me all those tips on enjoying the game more (a big shout out and thanks for that). And, if anything, I'm definitely interested in seeing what future iterations have to offer. I'm already curious about Monster Hunter Tri for Wii, though now much less so that I've heard that the old lock-less control scheme still exists. I almost tremble to think how bad the camera control is since we're talking about a system without a second analog stick, unless Capcom makes full use of the Classic Controller's right stick (it looks like there's a special boxed edition that comes with a MH-themed dual-analog stick, or at least, the box promotes it). We'll have to see. Point is, I've always found that it's better to be safe than sorry. That Other Site's M.O. for review writing is such that I know I made the right call when reviewing the game. Had I reviewed the game for another outlet, the result may have been difference. Gerstmann always said to realize who your audience is when you write. That's about all I can say about that.

Finally, when I heard Ryan on the Bombcast talk gully about Monster Hunter games as (to paraphrase) stubbornly clinging to archaic conventions because "that's how it is", I think I uttered a "Hallelujah." It's EXACTLY how I feel. Again, if you can look past that, you should have already purchased the game. There are those who can't. I'm one of them.

Meanwhile, as I play further and further into The Conduit, its design flaws are becoming apparent. You know how it was a little lame in CoD2, 3 and 4 when the developers would throw an infinite spawn point in front of you as a mechanism for "keeping things moving?" ...yeah. That's basically what Conduits in The Conduit (har har) do. They serve as interdimensional portals through which countless drones come at you. Forever. (Well, to be honest, I didn't wait forever--but I saw them coming out for a pretty long time when I decided to see how long they would keep coming in.) These Conduits are The Conduit's (har har again) version of infinite spawn points, but at least you can destroy them. (In fact you have to destroy them... so there's that.) Still, I think what would be ideal is for High Voltage Software to license its engine off, Epic style, to other development houses who actually know how to design a good game. Someone like, say, EA Canada - Team Fusion, the team responsible for Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 on Wii. (Only this time they could lay off the World War II and do something else.)

Here's the thing that bothers me most about The Conduit. Matt's review on IGN said that it was a fun shooter, if generic. When I hear generic, I think that it's maybe not unlike other decent shooters, that it's not entirely unique, but it's not a regrettable experience. At the very least, I should be able to have fun shooting things in the face, and that's what I thought I was getting through the first hour of the game or so. Now another hour in, High Voltage's level decisions are really making me wince. The aforementioned "let's just throw a bunch of shit at you and call it 'challenging'" was one of them. The utterly boring hallway-to-killroom structure is another. The ridiculously barbaric AI is yet another. The bland objectives--"Destroy all these steam valves!"--are another example of things that are uninspired about the game's design. The simple act of shooting continues to be very fun. But shouldn't a game be fun for the times OTHER THAN when you're pulling the B-button?

This is no Red Steel, of course. At least it plays very competently (customization options are always good to have). It still doesn't make it any less disappointing.