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Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

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7.2 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 44 critic reviews
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Based on 695 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Funcom / Eidos Interactive

Developer: Funcom

Genre(s): Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game

Players: Thousands

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: May 20, 2008

Summary

In 'Conan' the players encounter a dark, lush, violent and sinful universe, presented in fantastic graphics and stunning 7.1 surround audio. In a world filled with cruel gods, mythical creatures, lost civilizations and a struggling human race, the mighty barbarian has finally seized the throne as king of Aquilonia. But Conan's rule is on the brink of chaos, spiraling towards the doom of ancient evils. In this twisted fantasy world, dark magic and brutal combat lurks around every corner, and each man and woman must carve their own unique destiny under Conan's reign. In the true vision of Robert E. Howard's dark universe, it's now time for you to become a messenger of death. In addition to incredible graphics and sound, the game will be filled with unique features like the "Real Combat" engine; a revolutionary new multi-point melee system which allows the players to swing their weapons where they direct it, in real-time! This easy to learn and fun melee system lets the players truly feel they are on the battlefield, and goes head-on against the formulaic nature of online RPG combat. In 'Conan' you can also, for the first time in an online RPG, create player-made battle formations where you can command NPC's and other players in combat, making for epic multiplayer battles. The multiplayer game also allow the players to form guilds and lay siege to enemy castles, letting their catapults sing their merry song of death as the enemy is crushed to a pulp. [Funcom]

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What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

GameFocus

This game is massively superior to "World of Warcraft" and "Lord of the Rings Online" and other current high rated MMORPG’s in many ways and should be a game to pull players of all types to it if they are willing to give it a chance.

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GameZone

This game marks the next generation of MMOs in many ways. It looks good, is very entertaining and plays very well. This is a journey well worth taking.

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AtomicGamer

It won't put WoW out of business, but then again, nothing will for a long time, and that doesn't mean this isn't a great game with tons of appeal and a hopefully more mature audience

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Gamer 2.0

It will be interesting to see how things develop after six months or so, but as it stands, Age of Conan is off to a great start and it can only get better from here.

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Boomtown

This is loooooong term fun. This is rich in character and beauty. This is an ode to an author who started something huge.

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PC PowerPlay

The question you’re asking is: “Yes, but is it better than World of Warcraft?” Well, is it? Undoubtedly. Easy to get into, awesome combat, great story, and massively detailed world, gorgeous to look at. [Aug 2008, p.57]

Cynamite

The landscape is unbelievably beautiful, the battles are full of action. But why doesn’t the PvP ranking work? Where are quests for high-level character? Somewhere in Age of Conan rests the great World-of-Warcraft-killer. It’s time to wake up!

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Computer Games Online RO

The best thing about Age of Conan is its potential.

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Gamers.at

Age of Conan might not (yet) be free of bugs but it brings fresh air into the genre. What remains is the question whether you want to try out a game with a new fighting system, a lot of violence and steep hardware requirements or rather stick to more classic MMORPGs. [Issue#14]

Games Master UK

Quests are staple MMO territory - but the unique, gory combat adds spice. [Aug 2008, p.72]

Gamers' Temple

Conan fans and MMORPG players looking for a change of scenery are well-advised to give it a try, but MMORPG haters will go on hating.

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Pelit (Finland)

Still clearly work in progress, but at least during the first 40 levels a very entertaining MMORPG. Hopefully Funcom can make their promises true. [June 2009]

PTGamers

In the end, Age of Conan is a game filled with potential, but still requires quite some work.

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GameSpot

Technical issues notwithstanding, the violently rewarding Age of Conan is one of the finest online RPGs available.

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GameTrailers

With style, substance, and attitude under its +4 strength leather belt, Age of Conan may have a ways to go before entering an age of refinement, but when that time comes it’ll no doubt find its place as an online world power.

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Gameplayer

At this point in time, we’re confident in recommending Age of Conan if you love MMOs and are looking for something completely different to what’s out there. It admirably manages to present a massively multiplayer experience while at the same time forging its own path with an added emphasis on single player story and real time combat.

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Play.tm

It is great fun despite its quirks and flaws, just don't try rushing your way through the levels too quickly. Take your time, getting there is half the journey as they say, and don't expect a polished final product like World of Warcraft, it's still a work in progress but will hopefully develop into a great alternative to Blizzard's opus.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

It’s bold, brash, visceral in nature and for the first 20 levels it’s highly compelling. It’s also unfinished, somewhat unpolished and requires a fairly hefty PC to run.

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PC Format

Every bit as ambitious as it is visually stunning. A little more polish, and WoW could finally have serious competition on its hands. [Aug 2008, p.92]

Worth Playing

It is difficult to pass a final judgment on Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, given that some areas, such as the combat and story, are exceptional while others, such as the non-combat gameplay and questing, fall somewhat flat. With that being said, the pros outweigh the cons, and though the game is mostly combat-driven, the combat system is one of the most enjoyable aspects.

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GamingXP

Too much has been promised, too few has been realised. But presenting a lot of work Funcom is able to forge the strong potential of the game into a very satisfying MMORPG.

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GameStar

The most beautiful landscapes, the most captivating sword fights and the most believable online world to date. Age of Conan is still a work in progress, but already fascinating and managed to captivate eight of our editors over the last few weeks. There are some technical problems, but if Funcom keeps on improving the game it could be the other big MMO next to World of Warcraft.

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Game Positive

Its well-crafted story, great graphics, and challenging gameplay make Age of Conan a great choice for those who have become jaded by the massive juggernaut that is World of Warcraft.

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Play (Poland)

With axe and bloody sweat this game stakes its territory on the MMOG map. Not to mention meaty thuds and fountains of gore after certain critical hits. Hopefully the new quests keep coming, especially for the high level characters, as the gameplay becomes progressively simple the farther you get into the game. [Sept 2008]

Game Informer

Conan delivers the best action in the genre, presents an amazingly immersive world, and has a lot of room for emergent PvP gameplay at the level cap in the Borderlands. However, its heavily instanced design and lackluster PvE content offer little of note to more socially inclined players and PvP haters.

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Eurogamer

Right now, though, the game as it stands is a rough diamond - very good, bordering on great thanks to a regular stream of comprehensive patches from Funcom.

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Cheat Code Central

Its low-fantasy setting, tweaked combat system, attention to visual detail, excellent soundtrack, mature content, and promises of large-scale PvP are what set it apart from what is becoming a largely overcrowded genre.

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games(TM)

Bloody, brutal, sexy, and immersive - eventually. [July 2008, p.106]

GameSpy

Age of Conan going forward should become a delightfully savage second home for plenty of howling on-line barbarians.

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G4 TV

You'll find everyone from inspired role-players to hardcore number crunchers, transplants from both WoW and LOTRO, in this game. How long they'll stay is anyone's guess, but it seems like Age of Conan has plenty of room to grow.

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Gamer.nl

Funcom has managed to put a good game on the market with Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. The game has many new aspects and therefore differs itself from other MMO games. The graphics are beautiful, as long as you have a good system to cope with it. The bad interface and some minor bugs are the reasons Age of Conan didn't get a higher result.

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BigPond GameArena

There’s some promising and concerning things about Age of Conan. For starters, there’s no shortage of punters running around whinging that higher level content is very thin on the ground. It’s a common complaint that by the time you get past level 40 you better be prepared to get your grinding shoes on, as the quests get scattered and slaughtering loads of beasts for experience is the main form of progression.

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IGN

There's plenty of content at lower levels, but things thin out once you get higher up. Crafting system leaves a lot to be desired and we'll have to wait and see how PvP siege gameplay turns out.

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PC Gamer

It's not quite there yet, but since it did launch with a substantial load of content, it will keep 95 percent of players busy for at least a few months. [Sept 2008, p.64]

PC Gamer UK

Age of Conan is beautiful, but it's not bold enough. [Aug 2008, p.80]

YouGamers

Age of Conan might turn out to be a fair game at some future date, but we can't score a game based on future promises. As it stands now, it's incomplete, rushed and buggy, with major game systems utterly broken. Recommended only for exploit hunters and MMO fanatics that enjoy waiting for that next patch - the one that will "fix everything" - even when it never does.

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PC Zone UK

However, once you pass the infant stages of the game, play becomes all too familiar, all too repetitive and all too unpolished. I'm not saying avoid Age of Conan - feel free to give it a go and enjoy the early stages with your free 30 days of play.

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Wired

In essence, if you're willing to suffer through some early balance issues, have a good guild to join and desire an MMO experience where you can kill other people to your heart's content, Age of Conan is the game for you.

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GamePro

The further you get from the starting levels, the more you'll have to deal with smudged content. The voice acting will mysteriously disappear, along with the quests, the single-player story, and the engaging instances.

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Edge Magazine

Lacks the genuine desire for change that the genre so desperately needs. [Aug 2008, p.95]

AceGamez

Funcom has done something quite dangerous by consciously releasing a less than feature complete offering into the market. Unfortunately, it's this incompleteness and the sheer number of deep-rooted problems that ultimately defines your Hyborian Adventure.

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Eurogamer Portugal

In time, it might evolve into a noteworthy contender to WOW, but as it stands now it simply doesn't offer the content it should. Despite being clearly oriented towards PvP, most of the functions in that regard aren't even active.

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Game Revolution

The problem is that potential is not the same as value, and it's hard to recommend Age of Conan as it stands right now. In six months, however, it should be spectacular.

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1UP

The genre isn't in its infancy anymore, and developer Funcom doesn't have the trailblazer status that would grant easy deflection of criticism about unimplemented features and crippling bugs... Right now, Age of Conan is fun game to play -- this summer, it might be ready for the MMO pantheon.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 695 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

ET M gave it a9:
Didn't start out this way, but its certainly a rock-solid MMORPG, thanks to Funcom's continued work on patches/etc. Minor issues aside, the game is enjoyable, thoroughly engaging and highly recommended for anyone who has read any Conan. yes, read - forget the movies. This is Hyboria as Robert E. Howard envisioned it.

Zach B gave it a10:
This game is great all the updates have fix 99.9% of all bugs the memory leaks are no more. great new content, new zones, new instances just great and the new update that buffs up states is just wonderfully implemented and works great and gives you a reason to get new gear and weapons. Theres amazing graphics amazing gameplay that has never been seen in a MMO before. Really fun PvP geat minis for PvP and the lvl system for PvP the gear you get is really sweet this game as came a long way since it was first release and if you haven't played get it and try it out there is a Free trial up and there website right now and if you have stopped playing because of the buggy release try it again trust me you wont be let down this games great.

Fred Bob gave it a9:
Sorry for the length, but I feel like doing a full review on this game because i feel that AoC deserves far more recognition than it already has because of the massive amount of bugs upon release, 99% of which are now fixed and the game is far superior to any other MMO i have played so far (Incl WoW) This game, after playing WoW for 2 years (and 2 years on private servers prior to that), offers a far better experience than WoW. There is far more blood and gore and the fatalities are just an incredible aspect of the game, even when someone lands a fatality on me i sit there and go WHOA and both my arms get lopped off, followed by my head, while my friends have a good laugh at my scenic and brutal death ^^ The game is hugely PvP oriented (if you dont like ganking, go on a PvE server, it can get very annoying for some people), however i am in love with the whole PvP idea and huge battles can spring up in the space of a few minutes, 20-a-side wars that are only too fun :) The classes are rather balanced, however Rangers and Necromancers especially can deal massive damage at a long range, making them very OP in ganking situations :( The PvP takes A LOT of skill (coming from someone with a WoW rogue with 27k HKs of experience) and is certainly not for anyone not up to learning game mechanics and persisting through a lot of failed pvp battles, hence the fact that 90% of AoC players are very mature and adult, offering a far friendlier and happier community than WoW's large community of helpless 12 year olds because you just simply have to be mature to play it, else fail :D (I'm not saying that there arent some great people in WoW and plenty of skill required, but after playing AoC, you'll see what i mean ;) ) The graphics are uncomparable to any other MMO, especially now that DX10 is released, my 8800 handles everything cranked to the MAX and the graphics are just stunning, the water is interactable with people and objects, and so does the grass, plus ambient occlusion/godrays/water caustics just make this game very very satisfying to look at, on par with crysis in certain locations. Raids are very easy and bosses are tank and spank for a lot of the time, which kinda annoyed me a bit :/ however gear is no where near as important as in say, WoW, because PvE/P is based largely on skill. Raids, however, are quite atmospheric and awesome simply because of the enhanced graphics and lighting as well as certain very cool ideas by the devs... i did a solo instance once where the floor had traps and spikes came out of the ground etc when u ran over them, was very fun :) However, i will say that raiding is better in WoW because there are far more tactics and cool effects used. Cities and landscapes are perfectly formed in AoC, looks like they took something out of a photograph and remade it, whereas in WoW they used rounded brushes to create topography (mountains, hills etc) which has a very unrealistic effect, as well as the same buildings being cloned into every settlement >.<, and the lighting, well sucks. In AoC, the sun moves across the sky in dynamic day/night cycles and if you watch long enough, your shadow, the trees' shadows, buildings' shadows etc move across the ground with the sun, which, IMO, looks awesome and Hide (Stealth) takes advantage of these shadows in real-time, which can be used to a rogue's advantage (there are 3 rogue sub-classes), for example they are far more effective at night because Hide takes into account light levels (including the advanced shadows), awesome! :D Leveling is very immersive compared to other games, quests have audio talking connected to them and you can select what to say to the characters, rather that one-click quest accepting where nobody reads the quests at all like in WoW, and the only objective is "kill x of y" or "collect x of y" or "talk to y". In AoC (especially in the first 20 levels) each class has its own destiny quests where you find out your identity etc, which is continued throughout the next 30 or so levels, for example the barbarian (rogue subclass) one has a very 'Splinter-cell' type effect involving missions to eavesdrop and assassinate at night, with a far more immersive effect than "talk to marshall mcbride... kill 10 kobold vermin" (WoW human start quests) as a start quest, followed by more of the same. The overall leveling in the game is just more fun and you have to actually think about the combat as you attack in 3 different directions (5 at level 40) which are chained together into combos, much the same in spellcasting/ranged classes, because the opponent has 3 shields that he can assign to any of 3 different directions (default is one per side, you can change to any number on any side upto 3 total) to reduce or block incoming damage from that direction, requiring a lot of knowledge of combos from different classes, AI and players alike. The game has certain flaws, such as the fact that you cant fight back if someone ganks you while interacting with an NPC until you hit Esc and by then you're probably fighting a losing battle, and the fatalities sometimes bug if you are moving while they execute, and that the ganking is enough to make ANYONE rage at some points/areas *cough* Noble district *cough*, but all of the original graphics bugs (playing on low with 20 fps for example on release) have been fixed entirely, i have already said that i play with everything ticked and all sliders maxed very happily and playably on an 8800, and athlon x2 6000+, nowadays a standard gaming rig, fps anywhere from 15 in the laggiest loading areas to 50+. Classes have been well balanced for the most part, and more balances to come, but most deaths are simply lack of skill and experience. DO NOT buy this game if: You hate getting ganked You have no skill/do not wish to spent a lot of time getting it (because you will) You only ever raid You are 12. DO buy this game if you: Love PvP (world pvp and capture the skull = win) Love ganking (even being ganked is fun, its hard to explain but the graphics + random fatalities just make me laugh every time i die :D) You have skill/are willing to try your best to get good You are mature You love hacking limbs off You have a similar/higher spec pc than mine (you will not be dissapointed) You have 32GB of free hard drive space :D Most of my guild have quit WoW for this game and, although both have their pros and cons, all of them agree that the PvP and leveling gameplay is just far superior and are much happier here, this game deserves recognition :D If you have the maturity and patience to learn the game mechanics, this game is just awesome. Buy it.

John S gave it a10:
By far the best MMO I've played - and I've tried all of them from the early day MUDs to the most current. Dense background to draw from, amazing story, incredible immersion, Innovative ideas around every corner. Combat is new and exciting. Adventures cater to soloist as well as groups. No reason to ever stop playing. (other than to eat).

Per gave it a4:
I started playing this game in juli.I raided all content availebole and bin part of sieges,minigames all kind of pvp and pve.All i can say is the game lack content and the fun factor goes away fast.Classbalances is very bad in pvp and overall except the usual tank and spank in pve.Game is age of casters in that sense where casterdps and theyr amount off roots/stuns/crowdcontrols hits the roof.Same comes to raidcontent where the meleedpsclasses(ranger,barb,assasin) is a complete joke compare to the casters interms of dmg/usefulness they bring to the raid.Another but similar problem goes to the tankclasses who hardly can dps at all(guardian,dark templar,conqueror) they are totally gimped in pvp compare to the casters.Not to mention how easy it is to play a caster vs the other classes.Fex the healerdps class Tempest of set who dmg like the highest dpsclass(demonologist) and still heals not to mention tempest of set is the most easiest class to play.One of the major sellingpoints in this game was pvp with battlekeeps who where promised to have massive sieges 150 vs 150.In reality its 48 vs 48 not to mention on some servers it laggs as hell when you siege.The raidcontent is very easy and the lootdrops are just to random not to mention all those drops that goes to waste.Crafting is borked and meaningless.All in all i cant advise you to try this game bc you will be bored fast(lack of content/things to do and the balances beetween classes is a joke atm. Secondly i never believe funcom will fix this game at all. cheers.

Joe gave it a10:
I have never seen such a huge improvement in any game ever. I picked this up the day it was available only to find my hardware could only run it on low settings at 15 FPS...But now let me tell you...without changing a single piece of hardware i can max everything out and still have it run at 50-60fps! i don't have a super rig (Geforce 8800GT / Pentium D 3.2GHZ/ 4G Ram) and it still looks and plays amazingly well! they have added tons of content, and now DX10...Godrays...need i say more? Awesome and refreshing if you're like me and sick of the same old Orcs vs Human vs Elves garbage. Game rocks now plan and simple! pick it up its only $20!

GH gave it a0:
Garbage. No content, annoyingly imbalanced pvp, terrible social system.

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Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

Game Info

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