Our help was needed—again. Such is the fate of a hero. In the world of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures all manner of fishermen, pirates, merchants, guards, beer wenches, and assorted ne’er-do wells require assistance. This motley cast of characters imbues the game with a vibrant sense of life; we just wish that they showed even a bit of initiative and took care of some of their own problems. We were tasked with passing along loads of messages in order to drive the story forward, but in truth, we quickly lost interest in the game’s narrative, as it simply took away from the game’s finest achievement: its fighting system.

During your adventures, you'll kill enough wolves, bears, crocodiles, tigers, and scorpions to make Martin Perkins weep from his grave.

Eschewing a turn-based format, Conan uses a real-time combat system that allows you to take on multiple foes; icons show how strongly each part of an enemy’s body is defended, and you choose attacks and combos that focus on a foe’s weaknesses. Particularly effective attacks reward users with a splatter of blood across the computer screen.

While Conan’s melee combat system is innovative, the rest of the game follows typical MMO conventions. You choose a race and class that falls into one of three basic categories: (tank, damage dealer, or healer) and complete a variety of missions to level up and gain ever more powerful items. While castle sieges and some quests require you to be part of a guild, it’s quite possible to complete much of the game solo. This pick-up-and-play attribute adds to the game’s appeal, allowing you to jump in whenever the mood strikes without having to compare schedules with a half dozen compatriots.

Conan launched with a variety of minor bugs and irritations, but the development team has implemented fixes in a timely manner, assuring we’ll stick with the game—at least until we reach the level cap.

Age of Conan

Pepper Martin

Rich character-creation system; engaging combat.

Pepper Spray

Too many FedEx missions; bugs at launch.

www.ageofconan.com