It’s no secret the hardcore Wii crowd has been itching for more serious third-party games. Ever since it was announced, Wii gamers have been holding their collective breaths, hoping that exclusive sci fi FPS The Conduit would be the system’s first real third-party hit that doesn’t have “Guitar” or “Hero” in the title, and show publishers that hardcore games really can sell on Wii. For many of those fans, the secret hope was that the game would usher in a new era of respect for their system of choice, proving once and for all that the Wii remote is the ideal console FPS control set-up.

That’s a lot of pressure, and it might be more than The Conduit can handle. The game hits most retail shelves today, a release preceded by a firestorm of angry messageboard posts by Nintendo fanboys expressing their outrage over a certain outlet’s less-than-glowing review. But do their complaints have merit? Is this the most important thing happening in the world today, or simply a tempest in an e-kettle?

Here are the facts: On Monday, IGN posted their review of The Conduit, giving it an 8.6 out of 10—a respectable score, and one that Nintendo fans should be happy with. Yesterday, GamePro released their review. Shortly thereafter, the Internet exploded.

In his review, Tae Kim dumps on the graphics and the story, but what seems to have caused the biggest stink are his comments about The Conduit‘s controls. He calls them “terrible” and “faulty,” and argues that the use of motion control actually detracts from being able to do things like accurately throw grenades and engage in melee combat. These charges drew a flurry of angry comments from Nintendo fans who pointed out that developer High Voltage went out of its way to let players customize the controls. How—their argument goes—can you possibly complain about bad controls if you have the option to make them whatever you want them to be?

The problem with the customizable controls argument is that Kim played the game using the default controls—exactly as he should have. As a reviewer, it’s important to play a game the way most people will play it. Just because hardcore gamers will go in and tweak the controls doesn’t mean most players will. It’s same reason reviewers play games on their default difficulty settings. It’s the biggest help to the most people.

Harsh comments on critical reviews are nothing new (just ask our own Steve Power), but the controversy surrounding GamePro’s Conduit review goes deeper. First off, GamePro’s score was actually pretty high, even compared to IGN. Considering most review sites treat a 10-point scale as a 5-point scale (with 5 matching the American public school system’s “failing” grade), IGN’s 8.6 is the exact same score as Kim’s 3.5. Nintendo fans should be as happy with GamePro’s score as IGN’s. Why aren’t they?

I think the roots of this Internet tizzy lies in the expectations and ego wrapped up in The Conduit‘s release. Wii fans really want this to be the game that gets PS3 and Xbox 360 fanboys to stop hating on the Wii and admit that Nintendo’s little white box is a legitimate next-gen system for hardcore gamers, not just grandmas and soccer moms. They want The Conduit to level the playing field, to show that controls can trump hi-def graphics, and to inspire public retractions from anyone who’s ever mocked the Waggle. Basically, Nintendo fans want respect—and they don’t think Tae Kim gave them any.

To be fair, Kim’s review has the same tired complaints about graphics that get the Nintendo fan in me rolling my eyes, and his tone doesn’t quite seem to match his score, but does it really matter what one guy thinks of a game you’re excited about? If you play it and have fun, who cares about review scores? Maybe you’re worried that negative reviews will hurt Conduit sales, ultimately hurting the chances of getting more hardcore Wii games. Don’t be. Third parties finally seem to be getting a handle on mature Wii titles, as evidenced by the Dead Space and Silent Hill games hitting the system later this year. Plus, early numbers suggest The Conduit is selling well. Take heart, fretting fanboys. Say your Serenity Prayers, take a deep breath, and remind yourselves: video games are supposed to be about having fun. It’s a lesson we should all remember.