Heya Blackwell, Is there an MMO that your are currently playing and enjoy ? I am trying to put your opinionated hatred of AoC in context with what you feel is a good MMO worth playing.
You know what--I'll even accommodate you....maybe AoC fans should try something good.
Because if you like AoC, you'll probably love" Demon's Souls"
Hey look .. it got a 9.4 by IGN (90% on Game Rankings which is pretty good, considering thats the average of 40 reviews))---you might even call it a real "A"....imagine that...a game earning a respectable review?
Since PC gaming, as a whole, is pretty much at it's End-Of-Days. This game, along with Borderlands, are the games that will pave the way for MMO's on consoles (in NA and UK)--because that's where MMO's are going (but we aren't there yet). The WoW killer everyone seeks will not be happening on a PC platform-but console. Funcom may have even knew this, and it probably explains their aspirations to become an Xbox game (although that ship has sailed for AoC)
.Even though this game isn't a full blown MMO-let me tell you they got the combat right on the money (as real-time). I feel sorry for the AoC fan who doesn't get to play this game (especially melee lovers). Although this game really does take skill ...no E-Z mode.
Now that that is out of the way, how long do you see yourself subbing to AOC? At least until the expansion hits shelves? I have been giving thought to going back but I think I will wait for the new areas.
Which area in the game draws you the most? The stygian areas are what seem the most immersive to me.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
I like how peoples honest reviews of a game turn into a flame war and people calling them propaganda sent by Funcom. I never understood why people rage so much when someone else likes a game they dont like.
For the people who dont like AoC, why do you even bother to read the AoC boards and try to smear every little aspect of what you dont like? Let people make their own decision, if people want to try it then they can go get a free trial, a week is more than enough to see if you like a game or not.
Currently I resubbed to AoC and I am having a blast, but I'm sure you will think Im some secret operative from Funcom here to steal away players of other games.
If you give this game an "-A" What do you give games that really do deserve this mark? Like: Aion FE? WoW? LOTRO or EvE Hard to take this review seriously.
Now that that is out of the way, how long do you see yourself subbing to AOC? At least until the expansion hits shelves? I have been giving thought to going back but I think I will wait for the new areas.
Which area in the game draws you the most? The stygian areas are what seem the most immerssive to me.
I dont really plan things for too far in the future. One thing I know for certain, I will try the expansion at the release.
Yes I agree that stygian lands are fantastic. Fields of the dead and connal's valley are brilliant as well.
I have played most of the mmo's out there and I just have to say I thought AoC was just awful. I bought it when it first came out and couldnt wait to play it. It was so bad it depressed me. I have tried it two times since (the last time recently) and while there were some improvements it is still a crappy game with some bad bugs that were there on release. Funcom should be ashamed of themselves. Hopefully someday someone will make a good Conan game.
Now that that is out of the way, how long do you see yourself subbing to AOC? At least until the expansion hits shelves? I have been giving thought to going back but I think I will wait for the new areas.
Which area in the game draws you the most? The stygian areas are what seem the most immerssive to me.
I dont really plan things for too far in the future. One thing I know for certain, I will try the expansion at the release.
Yes I agree that stygian lands are fantastic. Fields of the dead and connal's valley are brilliant as well.
The only complaint I have about FOTD is the rain lacking sound, other than that the dark atmosphere adds a decent feeling of dread IMO.
That I think is what sets AOC apart in a big way from other MMOs. The atmosphere, is second to none IMO. We all know there are other downfalls to the game, but that one aspect really is well done. It is a shame that in order to get that, a world has to be broken into chunks. Hopefully TSW or other future games break that boundary.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
Game reviews are just like movie reviews and should be taken as the view point of one individual person. No one should rely on a single review or reviewer but also if you do find someone with similar tastes as yours then you can come to feel that if a particular reviewer liked it then you will also.
The fact that somone doesn't like a movie or a game does not automatically make it horrible no matter how much they may hate it. What one person considers a broken game another might only consider flawed and others might find it to be a perfectly enjoyable game.
I found the OPs comments to be informative, reasoned and perfectly rational. He stated what he liked and why he liked it which would allow someone else to consider those points in deciding if they would also enjoy the game. The subsequent attacks by some people about how can you defend a game that sucks are non-informative and not very helpful.
I played AoC when it was released and I have to say that I very much enjoyed the game and I enjoyed the lore and the graphics and the overall game play. But, I did have some performance issues and I also sort of lost interest when I hit the mid 20 levels. This may or may not have been the fault of the game but never the less i moved on. I have resubscribed to the game but haven't really played it enough to give any sort of honest opinion to how it is now. This isn't AoC's fault but more the fact that I have been busy levelling up my characters in Aion where I have a lot more people around to chat with and group with not to mention to hunt down and kill.
Thanks for the AoC review and update as it reminds me to go and spend some more time there.
Heya Blackwell, Is there an MMO that your are currently playing and enjoy ? I am trying to put your opinionated hatred of AoC in context with what you feel is a good MMO worth playing.
You know what--I'll even accommodate you....maybe AoC fans should try something good.
Because if you like AoC, you'll probably love" Demon's Souls"
Hey look .. it got a 9.4 by IGN (90% on Game Rankings which is pretty good, considering thats the average of 40 reviews))---you might even call it a real "A"....imagine that...a game earning a respectable review?
Since PC gaming, as a whole, is pretty much at it's End-Of-Days. This game, along with Borderlands, are the games that will pave the way for MMO's on consoles (in NA and UK)--because that's where MMO's are going (but we aren't there yet). The WoW killer everyone seeks will not be happening on a PC platform-but console. Funcom may have even knew this, and it probably explains their aspirations to become an Xbox game (although that ship has sailed for AoC)
.Even though this game isn't a full blown MMO-let me tell you they got the combat right on the money (as real-time). I feel sorry for the AoC fan who doesn't get to play this game (especially melee lovers). Although this game really does take skill ...no E-Z mode.
Borderlands is a great game and you should check out Dragon Age, it is amazing as well but neither are MMOs. The melee combat systems may be great but it doesn't matter since you are talking about a CoOP FPS.
Maybe your hatred of AoC stems from your dislike of MMOs and the limitiations they have compared to Co-Op FPS Games ?
Every type of game has draw backs, the console games you like do not offer any of the social aspects of an MMO, the scale of the game is much smaller, the character options are very limited, there is no sense of ownership like guild keeps, no Guilds, no economies, etc...
In the End posting about games that you play and thus have current experience with is better than stalking the forums for games you don't even play.
Now that that is out of the way, how long do you see yourself subbing to AOC? At least until the expansion hits shelves? I have been giving thought to going back but I think I will wait for the new areas.
Which area in the game draws you the most? The stygian areas are what seem the most immerssive to me.
I dont really plan things for too far in the future. One thing I know for certain, I will try the expansion at the release.
Yes I agree that stygian lands are fantastic. Fields of the dead and connal's valley are brilliant as well.
The only complaint I have about FOTD is the rain lacking sound, other than that the dark atmosphere adds a decent feeling of dread IMO.
Yeh definetly, a rain without a raindrop sounds is a like a no rain at all.
REALITY CHECK
ThorgrimmAge of Conan CorrespondentMemberPosts: 274
Originally posted by Blackwell99
You know what--I'll even accommodate you....maybe AoC fans should try something good. Because if you like AoC, you'll probably love" Demon's Souls" This is the game AoC wishes it was ps3.ign.com/articles/103/1033437p1.html (just clicky on Video Review) Hey look .. it got a 9.4 by IGN (90% on Game Rankings which is pretty good, considering thats the average of 40 reviews))---you might even call it a real "A"....imagine that...a game earning a respectable review? Since PC gaming, as a whole, is pretty much at it's End-Of-Days. This game, along with Borderlands, are the games that will pave the way for MMO's on consoles (in NA and UK)--because that's where MMO's are going (but we aren't there yet). The WoW killer everyone seeks will not be happening on a PC platform-but console. Funcom may have even knew this, and it probably explains their aspirations to become an Xbox game (although that ship has sailed for AoC) .Even though this game isn't a full blown MMO-let me tell you they got the combat right on the money (as real-time). I feel sorry for the AoC fan who doesn't get to play this game (especially melee lovers). Although this game really does take skill ...no E-Z mode.
Now I understand. You have a PS3. Do you have the XBOX 360? Are you completely frustrated because Age of Conan did not release to the Console community, as it was intended? It will happen eventually... Recoding an MMORPG to act on a console is a bit of a challenge for any company. I guess under these criteria Blizzard and WoW sux too, since they were never released on the PS3 or NCSoft/Aion for that matter... Many PCs could not handle the high-end requirements of Age of Conan, so I am doubtful that a PS3 or XBOX360 would be able to power this game. I suspect that Funcom is waiting for the nextgen game console which I suspect is coming in the next year, since there have been major price reductions on many platforms.
Despite that, a 9.4 or 90% sounds like a great score for "Demon's Souls". I am glad to hear it, and kudos to their publishers and developers.
Upon release (before all the patches, upgrades, additional voice content, and new content), Age of Conan had the following ratings by unbiased media:
Gamezone.com - "Editor's Choice" - 'A benchmark MMO.' 9.4/10
PCWorld - "GREAT" - 'I can honestly say that I believe Funcom has made a winner here, and is on to something big'
Gamezone - "GREAT" - 'Age of Conan is one of the finest online RPGs available.' 8.5/10
Sci-fi.com = "A" - 'If Robert E. Howard had been a game designer instead of a pulp writer, this is the Conan he would have invented' A/A
Vandal.com = "95%" - 'An essential title that nobody should miss. This is one of the most spectacular games nowadays'
Warcry = "94%" - 'Age of Conan is set to be a mammoth MMORPG. '
Gamer 2.0 = "90%" - 'Age of Conan does all the major things right'
GameSpy.com = "GREAT" - 'We'd like to think Conan himself would have approved.' 4/5
DreamStation = "85%" - 'Funcom did well'
Play.TM = "84%" - 'Bloody Engrossing'
Ten Ton Hammer = "4/5" - 'For those of you that haven’t taken the plunge into the world yet, I strongly urge you to check out the game'
G4 TV = "80%" - 'Fun and active combat'
USA Today = "80%" - 'Those interested in an epic, open-ended online fantasy adventure will find Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures worth the price of admission.'
Of course, I am sure none of these PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS knew as much about games and game success as some of the Funcom Haters on these boards...
Now I understand. You have a PS3. Do you have the XBOX 360? Are you completely frustrated because Age of Conan did not release to the Console community, as it was intended? It will happen eventually... Recoding an MMORPG to act on a console is a bit of a challenge for any company. I guess under these criteria Blizzard and WoW sux too, since they were never released on the PS3 or NCSoft/Aion for that matter... Many PCs could not handle the high-end requirements of Age of Conan, so I am doubtful that a PS3 or XBOX360 would be able to power this game. I suspect that Funcom is waiting for the nextgen game console which I suspect is coming in the next year, since there have been major price reductions on many platforms.
Despite that, a 9.4 or 90% sounds like a great score for "Demon's Souls". I am glad to hear it, and kudos to their publishers and developers.
Upon release (before all the patches, upgrades, additional voice content, and new content), Age of Conan had the following ratings by unbiased media:
PCWorld - "GREAT" - 'I can honestly say that I believe Funcom has made a winner here, and is on to something big'
Gamezone - "GREAT" - 'Age of Conan is one of the finest online RPGs available.' 8.5/10
Sci-fi.com = "A" - 'If Robert E. Howard had been a game designer instead of a pulp writer, this is the Conan he would have invented' A/A
Vandal.com = "95%" - 'An essential title that nobody should miss. This is one of the most spectacular games nowadays'
Warcry = "94%" - 'Age of Conan is set to be a mammoth MMORPG. '
Gamer 2.0 = "90%" - 'Age of Conan does all the major things right'
GameSpy.com = "GREAT" - 'We'd like to think Conan himself would have approved.' 4/5
DreamStation = "85%" - 'Funcom did well'
Play.TM = "84%" - 'Bloody Engrossing'
Ten Ton Hammer = "4/5" - 'For those of you that haven’t taken the plunge into the world yet, I strongly urge you to check out the game'
G4 TV = "80%" - 'Fun and active combat'
USA Today = "80%" - 'Those interested in an epic, open-ended online fantasy adventure will find Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures worth the price of admission.'
Of course, I am sure none of these PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS knew as much about games and game success as some of the Funcom Haters on these boards...
Then you started to see the PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS release articles like this, from Eurogamer:
Eurogamer gives Age of Conan a second look. A year ago they gave the game a score of 8/10, now the same reviewer goes back to the drawing board. The reviewer admits to foolishly scoring the game the first time based on potential. Nine months ago they re-scored AoC a 6/10...
Age of Conan is living up to much of the promise which led to my initial, over-optimistic 8/10 score. Even now, it's a flawed gem. It doesn t have the breadth, scope, polish or charm of WOW, Warhammer Online or Lord of the Rings Online, and it's hard not to see it as a second-string MMO - but unlike last time I returned to Age of Conan, it now feels like a game with direction, and a team that's capable of delivering on its promises. I was wrong 12 months ago - too forgiving of faults that ran deeper than I imagined.
it's a flawed gem. It doesn t have the breadth, scope, polish or charm of Warhammer Online
WOW and LOTRO sure, both are highly polished and deep, but WAR? This reference makes that whole quote seem rather confusing. Considering WAR is the game I am playing now, which is hurting badly for players and still prone to disconnects and game breaking lag a year after launch. I find it really hard to see any reason this review should be trusted more than say the O.P..
It is all subjective in the end this does nothing but reinforce that fact.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
could hardly play last evening because of so much lag.
I was rubber banding all over the place, mobs killing me without me being able to move... me running 50 meters only to be teleported back to where I was.
The game crashed about 5 times so I went offline in the end.
Do you know what was causing all this lag? There was a siege going on :XD
Now, not only are the sieges unplayble and laggy, but it also is affecting the whole server lol
Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
Yes, it was pretty pathetic how those "professional" reviewers wrote those reviews at launch. They were blinded by the hype like the rest of us but they shouldn't have been because it's their job not to be. I'm guessing none of them were in beta and only played for about 2 hours before writing those reviews. 6/10 is a fair score imo. Maybe even 6.5/10 if you don't mind instances and linear quests.
There are no impressions, no reasons, nothing in your post which would indicate why would you rate it like you did. Your post is absolutely useless. You and your friend from the same street should finally realize, that without giving out real reasons and opinions what exactly you did not like about AoC, noone's gonna care if you give it 6/10. 10/10 or 0/10.
The OP Must have been AFK 499 hours because this MMO is linear and has little content, any player wouldrun out of content in 200 hours...if you relaxed and took it casual and were slow it would be around 200 hours, still.
AoC has the worst end game ever so after spending 24 hours to hit lvl 80....which is not hard you are spoon fed on this straight line there.
People do not play this game 500 hours...the head developer stated most players are not at lvl cap...just 5 months ago, why??? because at lvl 80 they leave. Broken PvP and lame PvE and not much to do are the reasons.
EDIT: The lack of stuff at 80 is probably why the populations are down so far now......half of what they were at pre trials is sad if you want to do anything social, but with sieges broken and so few worthwhile instances dunno if there is anything worthy to do.
Are you really trying to lure people into AoC? It's not going to work. The game and the lore is for the niche only. How else you can explain the fact that Conan isn't popular anywhere? Sure, there's movies made and comics drawn. It's still not popular. It's the combination of piss poor dev/publisher, weak lore and crappy software that turns people away. So, I guess I'm trying to say your review (it was well written, you can have that) is in the line with the Funcom continuance. True enough to tie the lies together.
What are you smokin'? Some niche, around the world, the Conan IP (Intellectual Property) is stronger than Lord of the Rings. Some would argue as strong as (or stronger than) Star Wars and Star Trek. This is in part due to the fact that the IP owners do not have the promotional finesse of Roddenbury or Lucas. If not for the current limitations imposed by the IP owners, there would be even more available media for Conan fans than I am about to share below.
I will admit the Age of Conan MMORPG had some problems at launch. They did not deliver on what everyone expected. Look at every other MMORPG, including WoW, and you will see the same thing. Everyone dropped the ball on a much anticipated feature. Many take over a year to get their feet on the ground. This is the norm; we as players are difficult to please and we expect results yesterday. Developers of any game have a very difficult job, and I give ALL of them the credit for getting as far as they have with the many games on the market. Well Done, Ladies and Gentlemen!!! Age of Conan is an awesome game RIGHT NOW, on par with any other game on the market. I have not yet reached the end of the content; there are three nation-states to explore with a fourth on the way soon. Many new dungeons have been added in the last year and a half. Problems in the release have be corrected with repairs and enhancements to all the critical MMORPG systems that we had expected at launch. The music is GREAT, and the new music for Khitai is already grabbing serious positive reviews.
This is not the first Conan-related game either. Seven games have been built off of this IP over the years, including a recent popular version on XBOX 360. A version of a Conan game has been available on nearly every major gaming platform since Commodore 64.
Conan is the most popular IP in history. It is not popular to you, perhaps? There are hundreds of books, most of which have been reprinted many times in many languages. It has been around since the 1930s, a lot longer than Warcraft, and people still collect original stories and Pastiches (Conan stories by other authors). Folks hold on to their copies, and do not sell them back to used-book stores very often; I know, because I collect them. Some printings are so rare that they are over hundreds of dollars. Every couple of years, some publishing house releases a new Omnibus of Howard stories for the current reader population. In addition, there are twelve novels written directly about the Age of Conan game universe. These are also very difficult to acquire, since they sell out immediately on every printing.
There have been four movies that evolved off this franchise (though not canon by lore): Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonya, and Kull the Conqueror. A King Conan movie was tabled when Arnold became the Govenator. Another Conan movie from a new production house is due out in 2010 that is supposed to be more in-line with the original REH Stories. In late Dec, we have another character from Robert E. Howard gracing the franchise: Soloman Kane. Everytime a Howard character hits the screen, there is a resurgent interest in Conan, who remains the most popular of all Howards characters. We have three TV series: two animated and one live action (Conan the Adventure[animated], Conan and the Young Warriors[animated], and Conan: The Adventure [live-action]); albeit a little cheesy in some cases, I have not seen a Warcraft movie or TV series, yet. An animated feature film, called "Conan: Red Nails", is also in production and due out soon.
Conan has been in print in Comic Book form nearly non-stop, since 1970. There are bound collections of Conan the Barbarian and The Savage Sword of Conan on the shelves at nearly every major bookseller. There are Dark Horse Comics adaptations of the original Howard stories in graphic novel format on the same shelves. I have many original copies of these comics from when I was a child.
For those of us who are old-school pen and paper gamers, TSR published a game and modules for both D&D and AD&D in 1984 and 1985. GURPS produced a Conan RPG. and Mongoose has the latest release (Conan the Roleplaying Game) in 2004 with many supplements. There is a Conan boardgame (2009) and a Collectable Card Game (2006). A play-by-mail game called Hyborian Wars has been around for years, if not decades.
For those staunch Democrats among us, President Barrack Obama collects Conan the Barbarian comic books and is a big fan of the character.
ALL CONAN-Haters are hereby DISMISSED. Know what you are talking about before spewing your venom.
I have to get this on a tshirt or something. Epic win. kudos
AoC is a great all around game. A little light on the population, but I like to play solo anyhow. Great graphics, great music, great character customization. Tons of unique features.
I have two complaints - one, PvP on non-PvP servers is horrible. I like battleground breaks once I get tired of questing or grinding. I think a gladiator/1on1 type pvp event would work great given the relatively low population in the game.
Two - mounted combat. They really sold this on launch and it has not been supported as promised (IMO). I was really excited about charging into combat on my draft warhorse and whipp'n tail. Infantry has never been able to stand up to mounted cavalry. No other MMO on the market even tried this. I think this could still be a really dynamic and exciting part of the game, but they need to put more effort into it. Mount customization would be a great idea as well - armor, spikes, gear loads, etc. War dogs would be a great feature as well - trackers, pit fighters, maulers, guards, etc...
I would say keep it up AoC, you have my business and will keep it if you continue moving in your current direction.
ThorgrimmAge of Conan CorrespondentMemberPosts: 274
Originally posted by Iplaytoomuch
Originally posted by Blackwell99
Then you started to see the PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS release articles like this, from Eurogamer: Eurogamer gives Age of Conan a second look. A year ago they gave the game a score of 8/10, now the same reviewer goes back to the drawing board. The reviewer admits to foolishly scoring the game the first time based on potential. Nine months ago they re-scored AoC a 6/10...
Yes, it was pretty pathetic how those "professional" reviewers wrote those reviews at launch. They were blinded by the hype like the rest of us but they shouldn't have been because it's their job not to be.
I'm guessing none of them were in beta and only played for about 2 hours before writing those reviews.
6/10 is a fair score imo. Maybe even 6.5/10 if you don't mind instances and linear quests.
I was really intrigued by what you (or both of you) wrote in answer to my earlier post, so I decided to go back to the horse's mouth, per se, and read the two posts you referred to (and both had confessed to have read in their entirety to quote so openly). Technically, there were FOUR reviews by EUROGAMER who is practically in Funcom's backyard; a Team's Local Fans are often the most critical and hard to please. I really don't want to get into a "he said-she said" type of discussion, but I really wonder what you read since your summary does not jive with the LINKS that I included below. Here in the good ole USofA, you should have flunked the SAT and ACT because your Reading Comprehension was WAY OFF. It appears like you only remember what you chose to remember. They clearly admit in the first review the extent of their TEAM's involvement (and their problems-corrected I might add) in the BETA. I was half-tempted to repost the review in its entirety, and, as I continued to read, I realized that reading the source material directly, making your own assessments and judgments, and absorbing the context directly makes a lot more sense. They are VERY LONG articles, but they show many hours of dedicated depth of playing, not the two hours cited above. I encourage ALL readers, fans and foes alike, to go to these links and read for yourself. Yes, there is negative commentary, and I DO ENCOURAGE everyone to read that as well. A lowered score was offered based upon what they "expected the improvement to be" after four months in the Second Review, but they also listed it as much better than the original version and the context of the Review clearly stated that.
"Single-minded, shallow, slick and highly entertaining in the short term, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is definitely a solid proposition - as an RPG. As an MMO, it's unproven - probably compromised, possibly somewhat limited. That doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. This is a game with broad appeal that does what it set out to do with verve and polish, and will please a great many of its players. Those looking for complex social systems behind their slaughter have Warhammer Online to look forward to. Those who just want to mash monsters into a bloody, particle-shaded pulp with friends need look no further." ..... "The next couple of months are still make-or-break for Age of Conan, but by pulling such a professional launch out of the bag, Funcom has given its baby the best chance of success."
EUROGAMER Review #2: Rating = 6/10, 14 October 2008
"Age of Conan remains one of the most innovative and interesting additions to the MMORPG family in recent years - but for now, it's a tough game to recommend. In absolute terms, the game you'd play now is a better game than the one we played at launch."
EUROGAMER Review #3: Rating = ?/10, 2 April 2009 (8/10, Finally living up to early promise - Timing is Everything)
"Between Ymir's Pass, a little more work on my Destiny Quests (a character-specific quest chain which runs from the start of the game the whole way to level 80) and a handful of trips into group dungeons, I made 70 in no time: clean across the former content gap. Moreover, the whole journey was incredibly good fun - the best fun I've had in an MMORPG since I first got to rampage through the Death Knight's starting zone in WOW. But in Conan's case, the enjoyment lasted for a couple of weeks rather than a couple of hours."
"It's clear that Funcom is toying with ideas for evolving its endgame PVE encounters; several of Xibaluku's bosses came with mechanisms that had to be puzzled out, rather than being straightforward tank-and-spank fights. It's a step in the right direction, as are the technical fixes to the endgame PVP sieges, which are pretty much in working order now. The game is moving towards having enough to entertain its level 80 population."
"My cursor hovered uncertainly over the Tempest's character panel for a moment - but really, there was little doubt in my mind. Age of Conan isn't perfect yet, by any means, but the game is finally living up to its early promise. It's intense, entertaining and rewarding to play - and bringing a third character up to the level cap is looking like a pleasure rather than a chore. If it can sustain this rate of improvement - and that is a big "if" - it won't be long before Funcom has one of the best MMOs in the world on its hands."
EUROGAMER Review #4: Rating = 7/10 (8/10 if this were offered a year ago), 10 July 2009
"Age of Conan, at the end of its first year, is a game which has progressed in massive leaps and bounds. It has a solid, gorgeous-looking engine, a visceral, connected combat system (although a reduction in the number of spells and abilities for each class would be very welcome - most have far too many confusingly named, peculiarly similar abilities in their arsenal) and enough content to pull you through the experience. PVP is too chaotic for my blood, but I'm not much of a PVP player to be fair - those of a more combative nature seem to revel in Conan's offering. The ever-expanding endgame has plenty to keep hardcore players occupied, even though they'll never be satisfied - which is just how things should be.
In other words, Age of Conan is living up to much of the promise which led to my initial, over-optimistic 8/10 score. Even now, it's a flawed gem. It doesn't have the breadth, scope, polish or charm of WOW, Warhammer Online or Lord of the Rings Online, and it's hard not to see it as a second-string MMO - but unlike last time I returned to Age of Conan, it now feels like a game with direction, and a team that's capable of delivering on its promises. I was wrong 12 months ago - too forgiving of faults that ran deeper than I imagined. Today, Age of Conan is growing into the game I'd hoped it would back then. If only it hadn't taken so long to do so."
So, the reviewer is VERY HARSH on Age of Conan. But he also states that for others it may be exactly what they are looking for. I felt the reviews were SPOT ON, but I would have been more generous in my rating than the reviewer. He is a Professional, and he is entitled to his Criteria for Scoring; it seems a bit biased to me in that he is evaluating based upon what HE THOUGHT it should be, not as the evaluation of what it really was. His dialogue and description of what he (and his team) discovered would make I and many others run out to buy the game. In truth, we would be hard pressed for anything to live up to a PEDESTAL that we place a person or SERVICE upon. The Reviewer consistently compares a one-year old game to what World of Warcraft became after five+ years. Comparisons have also been drawn to LoTR and WAR, which many existing players have already stated are weaker that Age of Conan. The over-riding issue is that AoC requires a high-end machine to really shine; these other MMORPGs are designed to run on lower-end systems. If you try to run high-end settings on lower-end boxes, you are asking for lockups and freezes. AoC will scan a box and create a "recommended best setting"; if you tary to far away from the recommended setting, you are responsible for your own performance, and you cannot really blame the game.
In closing, PLEASE read these reviews. I feel the reviews really speak for themselves. I would not look at the numbers in the summaries, so much as I would look at the initial complaints from players. Take the list of complaints that you or others revealed in the beginning when they dropped their subscriptions, and go down the list on what these articles have revealed as COMPLETED and TESTED. This should answer all our questions in a very clear fashion. I have recently spent hours meandering amongst the zones, and I have done many missions with guildmates. I did the Holiday/Seasonal Quests, and I was challenged often needing the teamwork of my guildmates or group-partners. I am very pleased with where AoC is now, and I intend to continue playing for a while.
FC-FamineFuncom Community ManagerMemberUncommonPosts: 278
Thanks for taking time to review the game.
Glen ''Famine'' Swan Senior Assistant Community Manager - Funcom
ThorgrimmAge of Conan CorrespondentMemberPosts: 274
Originally posted by FC-Famine
Thanks for taking time to review the game.
It was my pleasure. Your Team made a believer out of me. Your passion for the genre and attention to the REH stories, and attempts to evolve the world as such, has been a distinct pleasure. I look forward to discovering many other Easter Eggs throughout the game that have been left for those familiar with the lore. Well Done!!!
It was my pleasure. Your Team made a believer out of me. Your passion for the genre and attention to the REH stories, and attempts to evolve the world as such, has been a distinct pleasure. I look forward to discovering many other Easter Eggs throughout the game that have been left for those familiar with the lore. Well Done!!!
Dear God.
ThorgrimmAge of Conan CorrespondentMemberPosts: 274
Originally posted by Blackwell99
Originally posted by Thorgrimm
Originally posted by FC-Famine
Thanks for taking time to review the game.
It was my pleasure. Your Team made a believer out of me. Your passion for the genre and attention to the REH stories, and attempts to evolve the world as such, has been a distinct pleasure. I look forward to discovering many other Easter Eggs throughout the game that have been left for those familiar with the lore. Well Done!!!
Dear God.
I am not accepting worshippers at this time. You can prostrate yourself in front of my altar if you like. I may be magnanimous and offer you a penance, but you must prove yourself by restraining from your evil ways... ;-)
Comments
You know what--I'll even accommodate you....maybe AoC fans should try something good.
Because if you like AoC, you'll probably love" Demon's Souls"
This is the game AoC wishes it was ps3.ign.com/articles/103/1033437p1.html (just clicky on Video Review)
Hey look .. it got a 9.4 by IGN (90% on Game Rankings which is pretty good, considering thats the average of 40 reviews))---you might even call it a real "A"....imagine that...a game earning a respectable review?
Since PC gaming, as a whole, is pretty much at it's End-Of-Days. This game, along with Borderlands, are the games that will pave the way for MMO's on consoles (in NA and UK)--because that's where MMO's are going (but we aren't there yet). The WoW killer everyone seeks will not be happening on a PC platform-but console. Funcom may have even knew this, and it probably explains their aspirations to become an Xbox game (although that ship has sailed for AoC)
.Even though this game isn't a full blown MMO-let me tell you they got the combat right on the money (as real-time). I feel sorry for the AoC fan who doesn't get to play this game (especially melee lovers). Although this game really does take skill ...no E-Z mode.
Dear god.
REALITY CHECK
I agree, anyway...
Now that that is out of the way, how long do you see yourself subbing to AOC? At least until the expansion hits shelves? I have been giving thought to going back but I think I will wait for the new areas.
Which area in the game draws you the most? The stygian areas are what seem the most immersive to me.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
I like how peoples honest reviews of a game turn into a flame war and people calling them propaganda sent by Funcom. I never understood why people rage so much when someone else likes a game they dont like.
For the people who dont like AoC, why do you even bother to read the AoC boards and try to smear every little aspect of what you dont like? Let people make their own decision, if people want to try it then they can go get a free trial, a week is more than enough to see if you like a game or not.
Currently I resubbed to AoC and I am having a blast, but I'm sure you will think Im some secret operative from Funcom here to steal away players of other games.
My Guild Wars 2 Vids
THIS!
I agree, anyway...
Now that that is out of the way, how long do you see yourself subbing to AOC? At least until the expansion hits shelves? I have been giving thought to going back but I think I will wait for the new areas.
Which area in the game draws you the most? The stygian areas are what seem the most immerssive to me.
I dont really plan things for too far in the future. One thing I know for certain, I will try the expansion at the release.
Yes I agree that stygian lands are fantastic. Fields of the dead and connal's valley are brilliant as well.
REALITY CHECK
I have played most of the mmo's out there and I just have to say I thought AoC was just awful. I bought it when it first came out and couldnt wait to play it. It was so bad it depressed me. I have tried it two times since (the last time recently) and while there were some improvements it is still a crappy game with some bad bugs that were there on release. Funcom should be ashamed of themselves. Hopefully someday someone will make a good Conan game.
I agree, anyway...
Now that that is out of the way, how long do you see yourself subbing to AOC? At least until the expansion hits shelves? I have been giving thought to going back but I think I will wait for the new areas.
Which area in the game draws you the most? The stygian areas are what seem the most immerssive to me.
I dont really plan things for too far in the future. One thing I know for certain, I will try the expansion at the release.
Yes I agree that stygian lands are fantastic. Fields of the dead and connal's valley are brilliant as well.
The only complaint I have about FOTD is the rain lacking sound, other than that the dark atmosphere adds a decent feeling of dread IMO.
That I think is what sets AOC apart in a big way from other MMOs. The atmosphere, is second to none IMO. We all know there are other downfalls to the game, but that one aspect really is well done. It is a shame that in order to get that, a world has to be broken into chunks. Hopefully TSW or other future games break that boundary.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
nice review, even though I only played the AoC trial just last week, I can see where your opinion came from.
@blackwell
please just gtfo.
Game reviews are just like movie reviews and should be taken as the view point of one individual person. No one should rely on a single review or reviewer but also if you do find someone with similar tastes as yours then you can come to feel that if a particular reviewer liked it then you will also.
The fact that somone doesn't like a movie or a game does not automatically make it horrible no matter how much they may hate it. What one person considers a broken game another might only consider flawed and others might find it to be a perfectly enjoyable game.
I found the OPs comments to be informative, reasoned and perfectly rational. He stated what he liked and why he liked it which would allow someone else to consider those points in deciding if they would also enjoy the game. The subsequent attacks by some people about how can you defend a game that sucks are non-informative and not very helpful.
I played AoC when it was released and I have to say that I very much enjoyed the game and I enjoyed the lore and the graphics and the overall game play. But, I did have some performance issues and I also sort of lost interest when I hit the mid 20 levels. This may or may not have been the fault of the game but never the less i moved on. I have resubscribed to the game but haven't really played it enough to give any sort of honest opinion to how it is now. This isn't AoC's fault but more the fact that I have been busy levelling up my characters in Aion where I have a lot more people around to chat with and group with not to mention to hunt down and kill.
Thanks for the AoC review and update as it reminds me to go and spend some more time there.
You know what--I'll even accommodate you....maybe AoC fans should try something good.
Because if you like AoC, you'll probably love" Demon's Souls"
This is the game AoC wishes it was ps3.ign.com/articles/103/1033437p1.html (just clicky on Video Review)
Hey look .. it got a 9.4 by IGN (90% on Game Rankings which is pretty good, considering thats the average of 40 reviews))---you might even call it a real "A"....imagine that...a game earning a respectable review?
Since PC gaming, as a whole, is pretty much at it's End-Of-Days. This game, along with Borderlands, are the games that will pave the way for MMO's on consoles (in NA and UK)--because that's where MMO's are going (but we aren't there yet). The WoW killer everyone seeks will not be happening on a PC platform-but console. Funcom may have even knew this, and it probably explains their aspirations to become an Xbox game (although that ship has sailed for AoC)
.Even though this game isn't a full blown MMO-let me tell you they got the combat right on the money (as real-time). I feel sorry for the AoC fan who doesn't get to play this game (especially melee lovers). Although this game really does take skill ...no E-Z mode.
Borderlands is a great game and you should check out Dragon Age, it is amazing as well but neither are MMOs. The melee combat systems may be great but it doesn't matter since you are talking about a CoOP FPS.
Maybe your hatred of AoC stems from your dislike of MMOs and the limitiations they have compared to Co-Op FPS Games ?
Every type of game has draw backs, the console games you like do not offer any of the social aspects of an MMO, the scale of the game is much smaller, the character options are very limited, there is no sense of ownership like guild keeps, no Guilds, no economies, etc...
In the End posting about games that you play and thus have current experience with is better than stalking the forums for games you don't even play.
I agree, anyway...
Now that that is out of the way, how long do you see yourself subbing to AOC? At least until the expansion hits shelves? I have been giving thought to going back but I think I will wait for the new areas.
Which area in the game draws you the most? The stygian areas are what seem the most immerssive to me.
I dont really plan things for too far in the future. One thing I know for certain, I will try the expansion at the release.
Yes I agree that stygian lands are fantastic. Fields of the dead and connal's valley are brilliant as well.
The only complaint I have about FOTD is the rain lacking sound, other than that the dark atmosphere adds a decent feeling of dread IMO.
Yeh definetly, a rain without a raindrop sounds is a like a no rain at all.
REALITY CHECK
Now I understand. You have a PS3. Do you have the XBOX 360? Are you completely frustrated because Age of Conan did not release to the Console community, as it was intended? It will happen eventually... Recoding an MMORPG to act on a console is a bit of a challenge for any company. I guess under these criteria Blizzard and WoW sux too, since they were never released on the PS3 or NCSoft/Aion for that matter... Many PCs could not handle the high-end requirements of Age of Conan, so I am doubtful that a PS3 or XBOX360 would be able to power this game. I suspect that Funcom is waiting for the nextgen game console which I suspect is coming in the next year, since there have been major price reductions on many platforms.
Despite that, a 9.4 or 90% sounds like a great score for "Demon's Souls". I am glad to hear it, and kudos to their publishers and developers.
Upon release (before all the patches, upgrades, additional voice content, and new content), Age of Conan had the following ratings by unbiased media:
Gamezone.com - "Editor's Choice" - 'A benchmark MMO.' 9.4/10
PCWorld - "GREAT" - 'I can honestly say that I believe Funcom has made a winner here, and is on to something big'
Gamezone - "GREAT" - 'Age of Conan is one of the finest online RPGs available.' 8.5/10
Sci-fi.com = "A" - 'If Robert E. Howard had been a game designer instead of a pulp writer, this is the Conan he would have invented' A/A
Vandal.com = "95%" - 'An essential title that nobody should miss. This is one of the most spectacular games nowadays'
Warcry = "94%" - 'Age of Conan is set to be a mammoth MMORPG. '
Gamer 2.0 = "90%" - 'Age of Conan does all the major things right'
GameSpy.com = "GREAT" - 'We'd like to think Conan himself would have approved.' 4/5
DreamStation = "85%" - 'Funcom did well'
Play.TM = "84%" - 'Bloody Engrossing'
Ten Ton Hammer = "4/5" - 'For those of you that haven’t taken the plunge into the world yet, I strongly urge you to check out the game'
G4 TV = "80%" - 'Fun and active combat'
USA Today = "80%" - 'Those interested in an epic, open-ended online fantasy adventure will find Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures worth the price of admission.'
Of course, I am sure none of these PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS knew as much about games and game success as some of the Funcom Haters on these boards...
Now I understand. You have a PS3. Do you have the XBOX 360? Are you completely frustrated because Age of Conan did not release to the Console community, as it was intended? It will happen eventually... Recoding an MMORPG to act on a console is a bit of a challenge for any company. I guess under these criteria Blizzard and WoW sux too, since they were never released on the PS3 or NCSoft/Aion for that matter... Many PCs could not handle the high-end requirements of Age of Conan, so I am doubtful that a PS3 or XBOX360 would be able to power this game. I suspect that Funcom is waiting for the nextgen game console which I suspect is coming in the next year, since there have been major price reductions on many platforms.
Despite that, a 9.4 or 90% sounds like a great score for "Demon's Souls". I am glad to hear it, and kudos to their publishers and developers.
Upon release (before all the patches, upgrades, additional voice content, and new content), Age of Conan had the following ratings by unbiased media:
Gamezone.com - "Editor's Choice" - 'A benchmark MMO.' 9.4/10
PCWorld - "GREAT" - 'I can honestly say that I believe Funcom has made a winner here, and is on to something big'
Gamezone - "GREAT" - 'Age of Conan is one of the finest online RPGs available.' 8.5/10
Sci-fi.com = "A" - 'If Robert E. Howard had been a game designer instead of a pulp writer, this is the Conan he would have invented' A/A
Vandal.com = "95%" - 'An essential title that nobody should miss. This is one of the most spectacular games nowadays'
Warcry = "94%" - 'Age of Conan is set to be a mammoth MMORPG. '
Gamer 2.0 = "90%" - 'Age of Conan does all the major things right'
GameSpy.com = "GREAT" - 'We'd like to think Conan himself would have approved.' 4/5
DreamStation = "85%" - 'Funcom did well'
Play.TM = "84%" - 'Bloody Engrossing'
Ten Ton Hammer = "4/5" - 'For those of you that haven’t taken the plunge into the world yet, I strongly urge you to check out the game'
G4 TV = "80%" - 'Fun and active combat'
USA Today = "80%" - 'Those interested in an epic, open-ended online fantasy adventure will find Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures worth the price of admission.'
Of course, I am sure none of these PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS knew as much about games and game success as some of the Funcom Haters on these boards...
Then you started to see the PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS release articles like this, from Eurogamer:
Eurogamer gives Age of Conan a second look. A year ago they gave the game a score of 8/10, now the same reviewer goes back to the drawing board. The reviewer admits to foolishly scoring the game the first time based on potential. Nine months ago they re-scored AoC a 6/10...
Age of Conan is living up to much of the promise which led to my initial, over-optimistic 8/10 score. Even now, it's a flawed gem. It doesn t have the breadth, scope, polish or charm of WOW, Warhammer Online or Lord of the Rings Online, and it's hard not to see it as a second-string MMO - but unlike last time I returned to Age of Conan, it now feels like a game with direction, and a team that's capable of delivering on its promises. I was wrong 12 months ago - too forgiving of faults that ran deeper than I imagined.
WOW and LOTRO sure, both are highly polished and deep, but WAR? This reference makes that whole quote seem rather confusing. Considering WAR is the game I am playing now, which is hurting badly for players and still prone to disconnects and game breaking lag a year after launch. I find it really hard to see any reason this review should be trusted more than say the O.P..
It is all subjective in the end this does nothing but reinforce that fact.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
could hardly play last evening because of so much lag.
I was rubber banding all over the place, mobs killing me without me being able to move... me running 50 meters only to be teleported back to where I was.
The game crashed about 5 times so I went offline in the end.
Do you know what was causing all this lag? There was a siege going on :XD
Now, not only are the sieges unplayble and laggy, but it also is affecting the whole server lol
Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
There are no impressions, no reasons, nothing in your post which would indicate why would you rate it like you did. Your post is absolutely useless. You and your friend from the same street should finally realize, that without giving out real reasons and opinions what exactly you did not like about AoC, noone's gonna care if you give it 6/10. 10/10 or 0/10.
REALITY CHECK
The OP Must have been AFK 499 hours because this MMO is linear and has little content, any player wouldrun out of content in 200 hours...if you relaxed and took it casual and were slow it would be around 200 hours, still.
AoC has the worst end game ever so after spending 24 hours to hit lvl 80....which is not hard you are spoon fed on this straight line there.
People do not play this game 500 hours...the head developer stated most players are not at lvl cap...just 5 months ago, why??? because at lvl 80 they leave. Broken PvP and lame PvE and not much to do are the reasons.
EDIT: The lack of stuff at 80 is probably why the populations are down so far now......half of what they were at pre trials is sad if you want to do anything social, but with sieges broken and so few worthwhile instances dunno if there is anything worthy to do.
Funcom has reviewed all of its assets relevant for
impairment testing. This process has led to
recognition of an impairment loss of around
3,1 MUSD for Age of Conan due to a decrease in
numbers of subscribers for the game. Funcom Q4 10 report.
http://forums.ageofconan.com/showpost.php?p=2926123&postcount=7 500 mains/alts on Tyranny in past 30 days - instead of merge servers let's open a new PvP server, again! http://forums-eu.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=106427
What are you smokin'? Some niche, around the world, the Conan IP (Intellectual Property) is stronger than Lord of the Rings. Some would argue as strong as (or stronger than) Star Wars and Star Trek. This is in part due to the fact that the IP owners do not have the promotional finesse of Roddenbury or Lucas. If not for the current limitations imposed by the IP owners, there would be even more available media for Conan fans than I am about to share below.
I will admit the Age of Conan MMORPG had some problems at launch. They did not deliver on what everyone expected. Look at every other MMORPG, including WoW, and you will see the same thing. Everyone dropped the ball on a much anticipated feature. Many take over a year to get their feet on the ground. This is the norm; we as players are difficult to please and we expect results yesterday. Developers of any game have a very difficult job, and I give ALL of them the credit for getting as far as they have with the many games on the market. Well Done, Ladies and Gentlemen!!! Age of Conan is an awesome game RIGHT NOW, on par with any other game on the market. I have not yet reached the end of the content; there are three nation-states to explore with a fourth on the way soon. Many new dungeons have been added in the last year and a half. Problems in the release have be corrected with repairs and enhancements to all the critical MMORPG systems that we had expected at launch. The music is GREAT, and the new music for Khitai is already grabbing serious positive reviews.
This is not the first Conan-related game either. Seven games have been built off of this IP over the years, including a recent popular version on XBOX 360. A version of a Conan game has been available on nearly every major gaming platform since Commodore 64.
Conan is the most popular IP in history. It is not popular to you, perhaps? There are hundreds of books, most of which have been reprinted many times in many languages. It has been around since the 1930s, a lot longer than Warcraft, and people still collect original stories and Pastiches (Conan stories by other authors). Folks hold on to their copies, and do not sell them back to used-book stores very often; I know, because I collect them. Some printings are so rare that they are over hundreds of dollars. Every couple of years, some publishing house releases a new Omnibus of Howard stories for the current reader population. In addition, there are twelve novels written directly about the Age of Conan game universe. These are also very difficult to acquire, since they sell out immediately on every printing.
There have been four movies that evolved off this franchise (though not canon by lore): Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonya, and Kull the Conqueror. A King Conan movie was tabled when Arnold became the Govenator. Another Conan movie from a new production house is due out in 2010 that is supposed to be more in-line with the original REH Stories. In late Dec, we have another character from Robert E. Howard gracing the franchise: Soloman Kane. Everytime a Howard character hits the screen, there is a resurgent interest in Conan, who remains the most popular of all Howards characters. We have three TV series: two animated and one live action (Conan the Adventure[animated], Conan and the Young Warriors[animated], and Conan: The Adventure [live-action]); albeit a little cheesy in some cases, I have not seen a Warcraft movie or TV series, yet. An animated feature film, called "Conan: Red Nails", is also in production and due out soon.
Conan has been in print in Comic Book form nearly non-stop, since 1970. There are bound collections of Conan the Barbarian and The Savage Sword of Conan on the shelves at nearly every major bookseller. There are Dark Horse Comics adaptations of the original Howard stories in graphic novel format on the same shelves. I have many original copies of these comics from when I was a child.
For those of us who are old-school pen and paper gamers, TSR published a game and modules for both D&D and AD&D in 1984 and 1985. GURPS produced a Conan RPG. and Mongoose has the latest release (Conan the Roleplaying Game) in 2004 with many supplements. There is a Conan boardgame (2009) and a Collectable Card Game (2006). A play-by-mail game called Hyborian Wars has been around for years, if not decades.
For those staunch Democrats among us, President Barrack Obama collects Conan the Barbarian comic books and is a big fan of the character.
ALL CONAN-Haters are hereby DISMISSED. Know what you are talking about before spewing your venom.
I have to get this on a tshirt or something. Epic win. kudos
I need more vespene gas.
AoC is a great all around game. A little light on the population, but I like to play solo anyhow. Great graphics, great music, great character customization. Tons of unique features.
I have two complaints - one, PvP on non-PvP servers is horrible. I like battleground breaks once I get tired of questing or grinding. I think a gladiator/1on1 type pvp event would work great given the relatively low population in the game.
Two - mounted combat. They really sold this on launch and it has not been supported as promised (IMO). I was really excited about charging into combat on my draft warhorse and whipp'n tail. Infantry has never been able to stand up to mounted cavalry. No other MMO on the market even tried this. I think this could still be a really dynamic and exciting part of the game, but they need to put more effort into it. Mount customization would be a great idea as well - armor, spikes, gear loads, etc. War dogs would be a great feature as well - trackers, pit fighters, maulers, guards, etc...
I would say keep it up AoC, you have my business and will keep it if you continue moving in your current direction.
Yes, it was pretty pathetic how those "professional" reviewers wrote those reviews at launch. They were blinded by the hype like the rest of us but they shouldn't have been because it's their job not to be.
I'm guessing none of them were in beta and only played for about 2 hours before writing those reviews.
6/10 is a fair score imo. Maybe even 6.5/10 if you don't mind instances and linear quests.
I was really intrigued by what you (or both of you) wrote in answer to my earlier post, so I decided to go back to the horse's mouth, per se, and read the two posts you referred to (and both had confessed to have read in their entirety to quote so openly). Technically, there were FOUR reviews by EUROGAMER who is practically in Funcom's backyard; a Team's Local Fans are often the most critical and hard to please. I really don't want to get into a "he said-she said" type of discussion, but I really wonder what you read since your summary does not jive with the LINKS that I included below. Here in the good ole USofA, you should have flunked the SAT and ACT because your Reading Comprehension was WAY OFF. It appears like you only remember what you chose to remember. They clearly admit in the first review the extent of their TEAM's involvement (and their problems-corrected I might add) in the BETA. I was half-tempted to repost the review in its entirety, and, as I continued to read, I realized that reading the source material directly, making your own assessments and judgments, and absorbing the context directly makes a lot more sense. They are VERY LONG articles, but they show many hours of dedicated depth of playing, not the two hours cited above. I encourage ALL readers, fans and foes alike, to go to these links and read for yourself. Yes, there is negative commentary, and I DO ENCOURAGE everyone to read that as well. A lowered score was offered based upon what they "expected the improvement to be" after four months in the Second Review, but they also listed it as much better than the original version and the context of the Review clearly stated that.
EUROGAMER Review #1: Rating = 7/10, 23 May 2008
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/age-of-conan-week-the-verdict-hands-on
"Single-minded, shallow, slick and highly entertaining in the short term, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is definitely a solid proposition - as an RPG. As an MMO, it's unproven - probably compromised, possibly somewhat limited. That doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. This is a game with broad appeal that does what it set out to do with verve and polish, and will please a great many of its players. Those looking for complex social systems behind their slaughter have Warhammer Online to look forward to. Those who just want to mash monsters into a bloody, particle-shaded pulp with friends need look no further." ..... "The next couple of months are still make-or-break for Age of Conan, but by pulling such a professional launch out of the bag, Funcom has given its baby the best chance of success."
EUROGAMER Review #2: Rating = 6/10, 14 October 2008
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/age-of-conan-hyborian-adventures-re-review
"Age of Conan remains one of the most innovative and interesting additions to the MMORPG family in recent years - but for now, it's a tough game to recommend. In absolute terms, the game you'd play now is a better game than the one we played at launch."
EUROGAMER Review #3: Rating = ?/10, 2 April 2009 (8/10, Finally living up to early promise - Timing is Everything)
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/conans-second-coming-article
"Between Ymir's Pass, a little more work on my Destiny Quests (a character-specific quest chain which runs from the start of the game the whole way to level 80) and a handful of trips into group dungeons, I made 70 in no time: clean across the former content gap. Moreover, the whole journey was incredibly good fun - the best fun I've had in an MMORPG since I first got to rampage through the Death Knight's starting zone in WOW. But in Conan's case, the enjoyment lasted for a couple of weeks rather than a couple of hours."
"It's clear that Funcom is toying with ideas for evolving its endgame PVE encounters; several of Xibaluku's bosses came with mechanisms that had to be puzzled out, rather than being straightforward tank-and-spank fights. It's a step in the right direction, as are the technical fixes to the endgame PVP sieges, which are pretty much in working order now. The game is moving towards having enough to entertain its level 80 population."
"My cursor hovered uncertainly over the Tempest's character panel for a moment - but really, there was little doubt in my mind. Age of Conan isn't perfect yet, by any means, but the game is finally living up to its early promise. It's intense, entertaining and rewarding to play - and bringing a third character up to the level cap is looking like a pleasure rather than a chore. If it can sustain this rate of improvement - and that is a big "if" - it won't be long before Funcom has one of the best MMOs in the world on its hands."
EUROGAMER Review #4: Rating = 7/10 (8/10 if this were offered a year ago), 10 July 2009
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/age-of-conan-re-review
"Age of Conan, at the end of its first year, is a game which has progressed in massive leaps and bounds. It has a solid, gorgeous-looking engine, a visceral, connected combat system (although a reduction in the number of spells and abilities for each class would be very welcome - most have far too many confusingly named, peculiarly similar abilities in their arsenal) and enough content to pull you through the experience. PVP is too chaotic for my blood, but I'm not much of a PVP player to be fair - those of a more combative nature seem to revel in Conan's offering. The ever-expanding endgame has plenty to keep hardcore players occupied, even though they'll never be satisfied - which is just how things should be.
In other words, Age of Conan is living up to much of the promise which led to my initial, over-optimistic 8/10 score. Even now, it's a flawed gem. It doesn't have the breadth, scope, polish or charm of WOW, Warhammer Online or Lord of the Rings Online, and it's hard not to see it as a second-string MMO - but unlike last time I returned to Age of Conan, it now feels like a game with direction, and a team that's capable of delivering on its promises. I was wrong 12 months ago - too forgiving of faults that ran deeper than I imagined. Today, Age of Conan is growing into the game I'd hoped it would back then. If only it hadn't taken so long to do so."
So, the reviewer is VERY HARSH on Age of Conan. But he also states that for others it may be exactly what they are looking for. I felt the reviews were SPOT ON, but I would have been more generous in my rating than the reviewer. He is a Professional, and he is entitled to his Criteria for Scoring; it seems a bit biased to me in that he is evaluating based upon what HE THOUGHT it should be, not as the evaluation of what it really was. His dialogue and description of what he (and his team) discovered would make I and many others run out to buy the game. In truth, we would be hard pressed for anything to live up to a PEDESTAL that we place a person or SERVICE upon. The Reviewer consistently compares a one-year old game to what World of Warcraft became after five+ years. Comparisons have also been drawn to LoTR and WAR, which many existing players have already stated are weaker that Age of Conan. The over-riding issue is that AoC requires a high-end machine to really shine; these other MMORPGs are designed to run on lower-end systems. If you try to run high-end settings on lower-end boxes, you are asking for lockups and freezes. AoC will scan a box and create a "recommended best setting"; if you tary to far away from the recommended setting, you are responsible for your own performance, and you cannot really blame the game.
In closing, PLEASE read these reviews. I feel the reviews really speak for themselves. I would not look at the numbers in the summaries, so much as I would look at the initial complaints from players. Take the list of complaints that you or others revealed in the beginning when they dropped their subscriptions, and go down the list on what these articles have revealed as COMPLETED and TESTED. This should answer all our questions in a very clear fashion. I have recently spent hours meandering amongst the zones, and I have done many missions with guildmates. I did the Holiday/Seasonal Quests, and I was challenged often needing the teamwork of my guildmates or group-partners. I am very pleased with where AoC is now, and I intend to continue playing for a while.
Thanks for taking time to review the game.
Glen ''Famine'' Swan
Senior Assistant Community Manager - Funcom
It was my pleasure. Your Team made a believer out of me. Your passion for the genre and attention to the REH stories, and attempts to evolve the world as such, has been a distinct pleasure. I look forward to discovering many other Easter Eggs throughout the game that have been left for those familiar with the lore. Well Done!!!
It was my pleasure. Your Team made a believer out of me. Your passion for the genre and attention to the REH stories, and attempts to evolve the world as such, has been a distinct pleasure. I look forward to discovering many other Easter Eggs throughout the game that have been left for those familiar with the lore. Well Done!!!
Dear God.
It was my pleasure. Your Team made a believer out of me. Your passion for the genre and attention to the REH stories, and attempts to evolve the world as such, has been a distinct pleasure. I look forward to discovering many other Easter Eggs throughout the game that have been left for those familiar with the lore. Well Done!!!
Dear God.
I am not accepting worshippers at this time. You can prostrate yourself in front of my altar if you like. I may be magnanimous and offer you a penance, but you must prove yourself by restraining from your evil ways... ;-)