Age Of Conan

Any game developer that would make a new fantasy MMORPG that has to compete with World of Warcraft and its 8 million subscriber base must be crazy, right? If that's the case, then send Funcom to the funny farm. The Norwegian game developer, known for its critically acclaimed titles like Anarchy Online and The Longest Journey, is currently putting the finishing touches on a new MMORPG called Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. The game is based on the Hyborian universe of Conan, a character created by Robert Howard in 1932 and who has since appeared in numerous comic book series and pulp science fiction magazines, as well as movies, television shows and video games.

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Sadly, you don't actually play Conan in Funcom's Age of Conan (AoC). Being an MMORPG, players customize their own characters, choosing between three human races and more than 20 different character classes. Age of Conan's graphics are powered by Funcom's Dreamwold engine for MMOs, and the game's visuals did indeed look better and more detailed than, say, World of Warcraft. Funcom product director Jorgen Tharaldsen also pointed out that the game's Hyboria realm consisted of a 185-mile map. That should give MMO fans plenty to explore.

The unique element about Age of Conan that will likely set it apart from other fantasy MMORPGs is the emphasis on combat. Instead of simple commands a limited attack options, Funcom's title employs a more sophisticated gameplay approach that offers players a variety of combinations and fatal moves, such as beheading. The combo attacks have an interesting design; players can click on a small wheel of buttons at the bottom of the screen and coordinate their attacks. The more buttons you click on, the better chance you have of slicing off your enemy's head. "The game's essence is combat, no doubt about it," Tharaldsen said.

And unlike other MMORPGs, Age of Conan has a single player mode that players can play in up to level 80. In fact, Funcon said players must begin the game in single player mode for about the first hour before engaging in full multiplayer action. Tharaldsen said Funcom expected to have a longer mandatory single player phase but several beta testers complained that it was too much.

In addition to MMO fans, Funcom is also hoping to please Conan fans by incorporating a lot of the mythology and characters from the Hyboria universe in the game. "Everyone knows Conan, but nobody know Conan," Tharaldsen said. "Very few people actually know about the depth of the Conan lore. They know the Arnold Schwarzenegger movies but they don't know about the nearly 75 years of comics and books."

Speaking of history, Funcom plans to release the PC version of the game on Oct. 31 this year to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Conan. The Xbox 360 version will be released later, though Funcom didn't announce a specific date. Tharaldsen said that Funcom is hoping to bridge the gap between console and PC players with Age of Conan. "We're hoping that there will be hybrid servers where players from both the Xbox 360 and the PC can play against one another," he said.

Whether Funcom has hybrid servers or not, Age of Conan is shaping up to be a very attractive MMORPG.

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