Eurogamer: Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures Preview

Eurogamer writes: We've covered this terrain before, but in case you weren't paying attention: Age Of Conan is the MMO based on the original Robert E Howard fantasy novels, rather than the Arnie remix of later years. That means the Funcom fantasy expedition is neck-deep in the mire of Howards' ancient cultures and composted evil. As Game director Gaute Godager puts it: "Hyboria is a vicious cake, covered in layers of dark culture."

What was most evident in Godager's GDC '08 showing of Age Of Conan was just how far the game has come in the past six months. The last time we saw it Hyboria was looking beautiful, but rough and a little unwelcoming. We worried about the finish of the game, the unseen character classes, and the unusual combat system. As much as it was hard to deny the grim splendour with which Funcom's artists had recreated the fantasy world, it was also a worrying prospect: a game reminiscent of those underdeveloped experiences that have dogged the PC across the years - bugged and unrefined. This time around, however, there is plenty of reason to hope that this might be one of the best online experiences of 2008. Not only does it seethe with detail and design, it's also looking like it works.