Conan

"Crom !! Let me hear da lamentation of da weemen :) This game is Conan on a GOOD day - well worth playing :)"

FOREWORD

My brother phoned me to let me know that a new Conan game had just been released - I had no idea one was even in production !! However, as I had always enjoyed the movies as a young lad, I thought "what's the worst that can happen ?", and so off I went to buy myself a copy.

Is it the best thing since sliced bread ? Or is it a pile of old pish-tosh ?? Read on ...

OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME

You are Conan. For those of you that are familiar with Conan, you know full well what that means. You are a barbarian - a wanderer who travels the world in search of glory, conquest, wealth, power, you name it. You are a follower of Crom - a deity whom you worship, and your objectives throughout the game are given to you as you progress, so there is very little you need to be aware of before you begin playing.

GRAPHICS - 9/10

Visually-speaking, Conan is a VERY impressive title. The lands through which you travel, and the areas in which you fight are all beautifully detailed, with environmental effects and interactive elements that vary from the simple to the stunning. The sprites used in the game are all very nicely drawn and animated, and whilst there is a certain level of repetition of the enemy sprites that you will face, they do change numerous times during the levels, so you are quite unlikely to get too much of that "oh my, oh my, ANOTHER bunch of the SAAAAAAAME old enemies" feeling that is quite common in these type of games, which is a welcome scenario.

A HUGE amount of time and effort has been put into the variety of visual effects that take place during combat, with Conan pulling off some literally breathtaking fighting techniques (particularly his finishing moves, all of which are very violent and very bloody, hence the game's 18 rating) with pleasantly surprising levels of ease, making the combat experience visually VERY pleasing.

In-game, there is very little to complain about graphically. The major point upon which the game lets itself down is clipping, which is noticeably poor in certain areas. This is NOT a major failing of the title, don't get me wrong - it's just the only really notable area where the graphics are not up to par (watch the waves when a boat sails through them, or the effects on Conan's belt for example, to see what I mean).

The cutscenes are all nice, but I have to say that they are no way NEAR as impressive as the in-game graphics, which is a rather unusual state of affairs, but a pretty cool one ... I just wish they had been a bit better personally - particularly (this is going to sound really anal but) the eye- and hand-work in the cutscenes - the characters look like computer-generated models rather than lifelike individuals if that makes sense.

All told, the graphics in Conan are VERY good, with just a few minor points that could have been improved upon ...

... and yes, it is very, VERY bloody (in fact it's dismemberment central) ... and yes, the blood-effects are SPECTACULAR.

SOUND - 8/10

Sound-wise the game is very good, but there are a few points during play where it lets itself down a little bit.

Focusing on the good things first, every single swing of Conan's weapon (whatever he's wielding at the time), every block, every parry, every splatter of blood sounds PERFECT. The voice-acting (which has been the subject of much ado on the internet it seems) is all perfectly reasonable, although those of you that fondly remember Arnold Schwarzenegger himself as Conan WILL find a slight disappointment in some of Ron Pearlman's rendition of the character. It's not that he doesn't do it well - it's definitely Conan ... it's just not THE Conan that you might have grown up with.

One thing that I believe even the critics of Ron Pearlman's rendition of Conan will have to admit is that the voices in the game are all VERY, very clear and easily understood - there is no mumbling at all, and so you should find that side of things quite easy on the ear.

There was one cutscene where the sound did glitch during play, and that irritated me somewhat, not just because of the scantily-clad lady on the bed whom I did VERY much want to talk to as she looked rather lonely, but because it was quite far-on in the game, and so I had to skip the cutscene, and then couldn't get back to it later. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

The music through the whole of the game is VERY Conan, as in it is very swords-and-sorcery, good (or technically anarchist) against evil kinda music, which is both fitting and enjoyable, adding to the drama and the tempo where needed.

However, later on in the game the music does seem to sometimes cut-out (at least on my copy), taking the sound-effects with it. Whilst it is quite possible that this is just on my copy, it did detract from my enjoyment of the title a little bit, and so is the reason for my giving the sound 8/10 rather than 9/10.

CONTROLS - 9/10

Conan features an in-depth and varied combat system which the game teaches you as you progress. The basic controls are movement with the two analogue sticks, and striking, parrying, interacting with objects etc., with the buttons, so it's a tried-and-tested and easy-to-get-to-grips-with way of playing, which is great.

Conan is very responsive in combat, and will intuitively twist and attack enemies that are close to him so that you don't have to worry TOO much about the intricacies of combat if you're a bit of a thumb-malcord - just keep pressing those buttons ;)

For those of you that do like to learn and master combat methods, however, there is a GREAT deal of satisfaction to be had by learning how to use Conan to the max. He has four main styles of combat :- Grappling, Sword-and-Shield, Twin-Swords, and Twin-Handed Sword (although you should note that when I say "Sword" I really mean "Weapon", as you have the ability to pick up and use axes, staves and other weapons during the game), and a vast array of finishing moves which vary depending on the fighting style you are currently using, which is great and keeps things interesting.

Whilst the game does also involve a platform-element, and whilst I believe many people have made the reasonably obvious comparison between this title and the God of War games, I believe the platform side of Conan is more akin to games like Soul Reaver for the Playstation than it is to God of War (which has a much more specific feel to it than the somewhat floatier Conan character).

PLOT - 7/10

The plot in games like this is important, as it keeps you focused as to what you should be achieving and why - however it is often of secondary importance when compared to your enjoyment of the action in the game. The plot to Conan is reasonable, insofar as it is very much in keeping with the swords-and-sorcery stylee, however it is neither unique nor amazing.

Basically it just does its job well :)

Without going into too much detail for obvious reasons, you (Conan) inadvertently make a BIT of a boo boo whilst on your never-ending quest for glory, conquest and so on and, whilst you are not immediately concerned by this, it DOES come back to bite you in the @rse so-to-speak, and thus forms a substantial part of the game's plot.

GAMEPLAY - 9/10

Conan is a very enjoyable and fluid title to play. It has elements of games like Prince of Persia, Tombraider, God of War, Onimusha Warlords and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, and yet still manages to forge its own little niche within those big boys, which is no mean feat !

The combat system is enjoyable to get used to, and the finishing moves are both brutal and VERY satisfying to watch (and even MORE satisfying to pull off !!), with mastery of each one in turn beefing up its visual impressiveness, and in turn the grin-factor of playing the game - it's all very harmonious.

There are a number of very minor things that make the game very enjoyable, such as the strategic use of slow-motion footage on some of your coolest moves, the little gold coins that spill-out when you destroy treasure chests, and other odds and sods.

The MAJOR elements of the game that supply you with satisfaction are the ability to purchase additional combos and special moves throughout the game, thus beefing Conan up (as if he NEEDED any more beef !?!?!), and personalising the experience of playing the game to you as a player, which is a cool thing; the fact that you have FOUR different fighting styles to get to grips with; and the fact that you're playing a living legend - Conan himself !!

The action is fluid and fast-paced, intermixing brutal hand-to-hand combat with platform and puzzle sections, magic-use and a fair old amount of gazing open-mouthed at topless girls (it's the stuff a barbarian's DREAMS are made of, believe me), and the boss fights are all very impressive. Not quite as massive as those of God of War, but on a very similar scale definitely.

Unfortunately there are a few issues which mar this from being a perfect experience. Things I experienced during play included a low-level enemy that quite simply could not be slain - every time I tried, he blocked without even VISUALLY blocking, so that was obviously a glitch and REALLY annoyed me; that cutscene I mentioned earlier in my review where the sound glitched (specifically A'Kanna kept repeating the first word of her dialogue); and the issues with the music dropping out later on in the game, not to mention a large number of clipping "experiences" I had such as dropping into things I tried to stand on. I am sure there are others, but you get the idea. It doesn't RUIN the game, but it demonstrates a lack of polish which ought to have been corrected pre-release.

REPLAY VALUE - 7/10

Whilst the game has a very high initial appeal, and you will want to play it through to the end (I've just finished it hence my writing this review), but once you have played through it once or twice, odds are you will keep it on the shelf along with those classic games I have mentioned previously (Onimusha Warlords et al).

VALUE FOR MONEY - 9/10

For the enjoyment it gives, and the absolutely BRUTAL action sequences, I think the game is worth every penny. It took me a little over five hours to complete the game on its easiest difficulty setting, so even on its cheap and cheerful setting there are a few hours of thrills and spills to be had, and how often can you honestly say that you don't have any regrets about buying a game in this day and age ? Exactly ;)

OVERALL - 9/10 (This is NOT an average)

Conan is a very enjoyable game that THOROUGHLY earns both its 18-rating, a place in my shelves for a very long time, AND the price tag I paid for it. There ARE issues which detract from the overall sense of perfection the game SHOULD enjoy - however they do not overly mar what is ultimately a very enjoyable game to play.

MAIN GOOD POINTS

* Four main types of combat to learn and master
* Special moves and combos can be purchased with points gained through play
* Beautiful in-game graphics
* Clear and decent voice-acting throughout
* IT'S CONAN !!!!! =)

MAIN BAD POINTS

* A small number of noticeable errors occur during play.
* These errors detract from what is otherwise a game of legend.

SO SHOULD YOU GET IT ?

If you're a fan of Conan you'll have it already; if you're a fan of games LIKE Onimusha Warlords, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, God of War et al, then I am confident that you will find plenty of things in this game that you will love. If you are a pacifist ? FORGET IT. This game makes you want to kill small animals and smear your face with ... well ... you get the picture ;)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/01/07, Updated 10/15/07

Game Release: Conan (EU, 09/28/07)