Age of Conan certainly has some big shoes to fill in the MMORPG market, seeing how just about every fantasy-based MMOG that has released since World of Warcraft has been a flop. The problem is that WoW was so genre-defining that it leaves other titles scrambling to differentiate themselves enough to pull players away from Azeroth, but be similar enough to feel accessible to the legions of MMORPG players whose first experience was in WoW. Funcom's Age of Conan is one of the most anticipated titles of 2008 because at first glance it looks like it walks that tightrope quite skillfully, but the real question is if that impression holds up once players get down to the nitty-gritty of the game.
A brief word to those who think that all there is to Conan is Arnold, excuse me, Governor Schwarzenegger speaking barely-discernible English, swinging a big sword around, and fighting James Earl Jones. Age of Conan is set in the world of Hyboria, which is a far richer world than the movies do credit to. Hyboria was created by Robert E. Howard and is a world full of depth and lore, and it is in this world that the Governator had his first big-screen adventures. The world is a fictional version of Earth, with a very similar geography, and the Hyborian Age is set at roughly 10,000 BC (give or take a millennium). It is in this world that Age of Conan is set.
One of the first differences to note between Hyboria and other fantasy worlds is that Age of Conan is set several thousand years before most other worlds, which are generally something vaguely in the Medieval Era. Age of Conan is a more primal and darker world, with far fewer trappings of civilization. Weaponry, for example, comes in bronze and iron; armor is made of the same metals, boiled leather, or heavy furs. No crossbows or suits of full steel plate are to be found.
This primitive world is the backdrop for one of the most ambitious MMORPG projects to come in the post-WoW era. Age of Conan is one of the most anticipated titles of 2008 (it's slated to release in March) and won multiple awards at the 2007 game shows. Funcom promises us a rich world, a tactically advanced combat system, deep endgame content, and amazing PvP. The question is, does it deliver?
