Age of Conan

by Nic Evans
10.08 V1.3

Age of Conan (PC, Xbox 360)
Score: 8.5

Based on Robert E. Howard's fictional world of Hyboria, Age of Conan's "low fantasy" setting makes for a gritty and immersive experience. If your expecting elves and fairies in this fantasy role-player you will be sadly disappointed.

The combat system is the defining feature of the game, offering real-time control through directional attacks. When performed in sequence these create devastating combos. If your opponent is close to death a "fatality" will be triggered. This results in a good amount of blood and in some cases decapitation.

The graphics are top-notch, the art direction is in keeping with the source material and the animations are fluid and life-like. The questing aspect is familiar and sticks to the tried and true formula of most MMORPGS.

So, what's the downside? First, the content is very polished in the early levels and then gets sparse about half way through. There is not much to do at higher levels so if you find yourself on a PVP server you can expect to be ganked on a regular basis. The game has very high system requirements which place it out of reach for those with older computers. Most glaringly, a large number of players have problems with a memory leak that causes the game to crash periodically. The developer is aware of the problem and insists that it will be fixed eventually. There is an expansion planned that promises to add more content as well.

Being the only mature-rated MMORPG gives AOC a distinct advantage for attracting older gamers while limiting it's mass appeal at the same time. It won't be replacing World of Warcraft anytime soon. The game does stand to retain a healthy population given enough time and improvement. The Xbox 360 version will arrive in 2009.

Update: August 2009, The Xbox port never did arrive but the game has improved and expanded drastically, the major bugs seem to be squashed as well. I would now consider it the best MMO on the market.

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