The Conduit 2: More details from Nintendo Power surface

Thanks to the recent issue of Nintendo Power, more information on The Conduit 2 has been spilled onto the Internet.

Revealed this morning, The Conduit 2 once again being published by SEGA, and takes place in Atlantis with new toys on hand for all your Conduit needs.

The Vortex Cannon is back, online play has new character classes, it will once again include 12-person multiplayer - which is hopefully fixed this time around - and you'll also be able to unlock suit upgrades with special skills like robotic legs allowing you to "sprint greater distances."

"Right now, the plan is to have one primary suit slot and two secondary slots where you can equip upgrades, but that may change in the final game," revealed Nintendo Power (via GoNintendo). "From a purely cosmetic standpoint, you'll have tons of options to change your character's appearance using the same modular system the team uses to diversify enemies.

"For those who prefer to keep their gun fights local, Conduit 2 will feature a two-to four-player splitscreen option for all of the game's competitive modes. And when you want to take a break from blasting your friends and loved ones, you can team up with them in the new co-op Invasion mode.

"Up to four players can join forces (either via splitscreen or online), and the challenges they'll face are unique to this mode. Further details remain under wraps, but we always welcome the chance to eradicate some alien scum with our fellow humans."

Here's just a few bits of yummies from the article, courtesy of GoNintendo:

• Bounty Hunter mode is back
• More level design, gameplay design
• Sci-fi element was embraced
• Game starts off with thunder, torrential downpour, you’re in a huge oil derrick in the middle of an ocean
• Picks up immediately after the original when you enter the portal
• You're not sure where you are when you enter the portal and land in the ocean
• Derrick’s occupants begin to shoot at you
• Game will have some “big vistas and multi-tiered areas”
• Multiple paths, team wants the game “to feel bigger and give players the sense that there’s more going on”
• Sea serpent attacks the facility
• “Having those types of ‘wow’ moments is really important”
• Quantum 3 engine still being refined
• Ford continues to go through the oil derrick, fights with the leviathan one-on-one
• Have to use one of the derrick’s mounted defense targets since normal weapons won’t work
• Serpent targets you and generator that powers the turrets
• Need to find the serpent’s weak points, stun him, then impale him with a harpoon from a turret
• Game has an airborne chase scene, take control of a ship’s rear gun emplacement, shoot pursuers (one enemy type is jet pack-equipped soldiers)
• More NPCs, Ford can interact with them
• There are other aliens besides Adams around the world who control territories
• Adams has been particularly successful, wants to take over the world
• Ford needs to get the help of the other aliens
• Atlantis is the hub, portals to other areas are there
• Some freedom in terms of which stage you’ll take on next
• One mission has you going to Washington DC, need to recover important artifact from the Smithsonian
• More alien growth in the city than in the first game, Drudge and Trust still fighting there
• “AI vs. AI vs. player now”
• Will happen upon fights already taking place
• “The AI in particular has been a big focus for us. We really want the enemies to come across as intelligent. In the first game, they just sit there waiting for you to show up. This time, we want it to feel like a living environment, like everyone was doing something before you got there.”
• Interactive elements in the environment (stuff moves, objects break, enemy knocks over soda machine for cover)
• Wider variety of hostiles, some specific to a location
• Atlantis: 30-foot-tall Guardians
• Siberia: Robotic wolves
• Differences between human soldiers, can carry any weapon (affects AI)
• SEGA/High Voltage will be holding a contest: Can get your name/face on a Missing Person flier or a Wanted poster
• 18 firearms from the original
• Have to tune the Phase Rifle by twisting Wiimote
• Deployable Turret: Set it down, control it with handheld display, can pull the trigger and have it autoaim or target manually
• Regarding the AsE: “…more puzzles and hacking minigames. It’s also a bit more of a detective tool now, we’re trying to put a lot more conspiracy objects and secrets in the environments to give you more reasons to use the ASE. Once you’ve scanned an object, you’ll be able to learn more about it in the game’s new data log. So it really plays into us trying to tell a deeper story.”
• ASE tied to Atlantis
• - Using the ASE, can have a bit of control over the Guardians
• - 12 players online

No date on this yet, but we'll keep you posted.