Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

"Good looking from a distance, but shallow and problematic up close."

Age of Conan is a breathtakingly beautiful game when you look at the box. You tremble with excitement as you pop in the first disc and begin the installation, waiting for those bloody, visceral battles you've always wanted.

... fast forward two hours, you're still looking at that box - or maybe you even read the manual. Whatever the case, it's time to play! Or... patch. Alright, you expected this coming in - you can hold on for just a little while longer.

Finally, time to play! You log in, create that sexy Cimmerian barbarian you've always wanted to, and arrive in the beautiful, vibrant, and yet dark world of AoC... and you are officially hooked.

At least this is how it was for me when I first started. How did something so exciting earn a 4 rating? Read on, friend, and you shall see.

But before I begin, I must admit that I have not read the works of Robert E. Howard, and therefore will not rate the story quality of this game (since I have no idea if it sticks to traditional lore or not).


Graphics (9/10)
Wow. Just... wow. The steamy jungle, my Stygian's rippling muscles, the water crashing against the rocks - I was nothing short of impressed. There are some minor graphical glitches, such as long hair clipping through clothing or falling through the floor (they must have put a ground texture over that pit... clever!), but these are easily forgiven when you look at the whole of AoC's graphical prowess.

Sound and Music (5/10)
The sound effects in AoC are fitting. Swords sound like metal cleaving against flesh, and maces sound like they're bludgeoning people. Not much else to be said here.

The music of Age of Conan is nothing short of astounding. Again, not much to be said here, you just have to hear it for yourself.

So far, it sounds like everything is good, right? So why a 5/10? Voice overs, that's why. For the first twenty levels, NPCs will have voice overs for their scripted parts. The voice acting, while not superb, does a good job of immersing the player in the world around them. What happens after those first twenty levels, you ask? Nothing. That is, all the voice overs will disappear completely from the game, leaving with you an empty husk of a world to play in.


Combat (9/10)
AoC's unique combat system is what made it stand out from any other MMO before it, and that's a good thing. Positioning and facing are important in AoC's combat, and can mean the difference between life and death. This may not appeal to those who have grown accustomed to right-click and auto-attack, then go make a sandwich. No offense to those who are, of course... I like my sandwiches, too.

Classes (6/10)
AoC has twelve classes, falling into four archetypes: Soldier (Warrior types), Mage (self-explanatory), Priest (healer hybrids), and Rogue (stealth classes). There are certain race and class restrictions, but I won't waste your time by listing them all here. Each of the classes is amusing in their own right, although caster classes do not benefit from the new combat system. This, combined with severe class imbalances in PvP combat, earned the 6 rating.

Player versus Environment (3/10)
This is the bread and butter of any MMO game, and AoC does not deliver a worthy experience on the whole. Starting out, there will be a wealth of quests - so many that you don't know where to start! It remains like this until about the mid 30s, where quests slow to a trickle, and then cease entirely.

Another serious problem is the way instances are set up. Unlike other, certain, popular MMOs the instances here are public. This becomes a major downer when trying to kill monsters for a quest; or clear a dungeon with a group of friends, only to find another group happily camping on the corpse of the boss you were so eagerly waiting to slaughter.

Couple this with playing on a PvP server and you've stumbled across a recipe for disaster.

Overall (4/10)
I think the real culprit here is premature release. There is a lot of untapped potential here, and I sincerely hope that it will come out soon. Great MMO it is not, but with a bit of time to grow, it may become just that. I would suggest nagging a friend for their trial key before paying up for this.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 07/07/08

Game Release: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (US, 05/20/08)