‘Twas the night before Wii launch, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring — well, except for the 360, because it was launched a year earlier. The gamers were anxious, tossing in bed, while visions of pinpoint-perfect control for first-person shooters danced in their heads.

When the Wii was demonstrated before a live audience, shock and awe overwhelmed the gaming community. Among other dreams, the realization of control as accurate as keyboard and mouse was very much at the front of many players’ minds. Alas, this is not the reality we know today.

Although the Wii has had its share of first-person shooters, they have been mediocre for the most part, with loose and uncomfortable control.

Enter “The Conduit” from developer High Voltage and publisher SEGA.

This new first-person shooter involves aliens, government conspiracies and guns. A lot of guns. And hey, that’s fine with me, because — gasp! — the controls actually work great, feeling tight and responsive.

One can even change the size of the “dead zone,” which is the area in which the player aims before the screen begins to follow the aiming reticle.

As you’re blasting your way through Washington D.C., trying to uncover the sinister — and horribly put-together — plot, you’ll notice a few things about the look of the game.

First, that the enemies, gunfire and rubble scattered at about eye level all look fantastic, really pushing the console. Secondly, that buildings, skylines and fine details are sorely lacking, often looking blurry, flat or choppy, like cardboard.

You’ll also wonder how the enemy forces you’ll be facing down could do so much damage, considering how incredibly stupid they are. The AI will fire straight into cover, get stuck behind crates and more. It takes some of the challenge away, zapping the gratification of taking them down.

Multiplayer is another stand-out feature for the title, and since it’s on the Wii, this is another welcome surprise. It’s fast and furious, and PC gamers of old will notice the feeling of the multiplayer mode hearkens back to the days of “Unreal Tournament.” There are only three basic modes, but each can be tweaked to allow for diverse customization.

In the end, my main praise for  the game still comes back to control.

The Wii, like its earlier brother, the Gamecube, is plagued with lackluster ports and second-rate control schemes. It’s still nice to see somebody finally got an original title into the market with some good gameplay. Still, the game is far from perfect, and it’s not going to appeal to everyone. It’s good, just not great.