Gameplayer writes:
It's extremely tough reviewing MMORPGs. We're aware that no review this soon into the game's cycle is going to be able to objectively encompass the sheer volume of Age of Conan – both at the higher end of the levelling spectrum and with respect to future content that will presumably smooth out the experience for everyone involved.
We don't mind admitting that we've only reached Level 25 with our main character, and are currently scrounging around the beginning area with a few alts, but we think we've experienced enough of the game to be able to fill you in on most of the ins and outs of this WoW alternative.
A large part of Age of Conan's appeal is its mature rating (Australia received the US version of the game, so the rating is 17+). Indeed, directly after your character is thrown into the game, having just survived a shipwreck, the first female NPC you meet is a victim of abuse – tied up for the pleasure of the rapscallion pirates occupying the nearby jungle. No, you can't engage in 'sexy time' with her, but there's a real undercurrent of debauchery and violence in the game, which is a refreshing change for the MMO genre.
This mature approach is maintained throughout most of the game's quests, with violence being the best way to solve a lot of problems. But beware the authorities; the starting city of Tortage offers a kind reminder to those who break the law: the bodies of traitors, thieves and rebels hang in front of the main gate, a warning that you'd better watch yourself. Quite frankly, it's awesome having these little touches in the game, as they act to immediately distance Age of Conan from other high-fantasy themed titles such as WoW and Lord of the Rings Online.
It's another Birthday for a successful MMO, this time Age of Conan.
Funcom has released an update for free-to-play Hyborean RPG Age of Conan. This update adds Facebook integration to the game, allowing users to post certain achievements and screenshots directly to their Facebook accounts.
MyGaming rounds up the best of the best reviewed MMORPGs release to date
the best mmorpg in this list,guild wars,wow,rift
missing everquest
least favorite game bought it like 2 days ago and i find it to be a wow clone star wars old republic.
got a level 6 and a level 4 one sith other bounty hunter.
"We don’t mind admitting that we’ve only reached Level 25 with our main character, and are currently scrounging around the beginning area with a few alts, but we think we’ve experienced enough of the game to be able to fill you in on most of the ins and outs of this WoW alternative."
Actually no, they haven't learned jack and they are falling in to the same trap as most other review sites out there. Funcom was very clever about this... The first 20 or so levels when you are in the starting area are very story driven and you feel like part of the world. Every npc has quality voice acting...
Then you leave that area and get dumped in a world where the voices are now gone and everything you do is the same old "Run out, kill this, come back, run out, kill this, come back, run out, kill this, come back" type of quest over and over again. If reviewers were scoring what the game was like after 20 when the game becomes a samey, run of the mill/nothing new type of MMO and not just getting suckered in by the pretty opening area they'd be scoring this game lower.
This is not the WoW killer. People who left WoW to play this will be back for the Lich King expansion.
That the game world is devided into rather small zones that have to load. Not only that, it is also devided into instances, which means that for every zone you enter, there is a max number of people in that zone. When that max is reached, another zone of that type is created by the server. People in either of the 2 versions cannot see each other, but can change instance if they want to.
Other than that, most of what he wrote was true, but the quests do get A LOT more triviel when you get past level 30ish. Without the voice acting you just accept them and follow the map marker, you never have to read them since the map tells you where to go.
Something i experienced, and hated:
I was exploring the aquilonian capitol city, and spotted a small villiage just down the river from where i entered, and decided to check if there were anything there. I jump in the water and swim toward the village, and then hit the great invisible wall of DOOM cutting the river in two, and preventing me from leaving the city without taking a boat or caravan.
Basically, i couldn't go explore the world since the game is devided into zones that all have a purpose...
This was the main reason i quit the game at level 42. You don't feel like AoC is an open world like WoW. You cannot take you mount and just ride from the one city to the other. You have to use some kind of instant travel all the time (boat, caravan etc.)
THIS IS NOT A WOWKILLER FOR SURE...
Firstly, I dislike WoW. I played it for a few months, and got bored of it. It's not an awful game; it's just way overhyped.
BUT this game is in no way a WoWkiller. You should see the AoC forums. People are going to be unsubscribing (including myself) in MASSES when our free month is up.
More bugs than in the rain forest.
Loading screens all the time.
Equipment is broken and does practically nothing.
ALMOST NO CONTENT after level 45.
Classes are incredibly uneven.
Socializing is broken.
Class skills and spells are broken.
I could go on for hours...
I for one, am sorely dissapointed with AoC. Upon it's release, I went out and built a $1300 machine just so I could play this game. Let's get this straight, the game looks amazing but that only goes so far. The combat system is good too but the game is one big empty jar. Exploring points of interest like in LOTR and WoW is simply out of the question. Adventuring to a major city by-way of back roads or through deserted towns is gone.
The more people I see that are displeased with this game, the more it makes me want to unsubscribe as well (which is getting close). I will give it some slack, yes it did just release. Even WoW was nothing amazing upon release. So I will have to withold judgement on AoC and go back to WoW. One good thing about AoC, I forced myself to build a new system for it, which I really love!