I had high hopes for this MMORPG, based on the enthusiastic reception that welcomed its release. It sounded like basically a solid single-player RPG for the initial part of the game - a definite plus for a dedicated World of Warcraft soloer like myself. Unfortunately, like the other MMORPGs I've tried, it can't come close to competing with the 800-pound gorilla that is WoW.
One prime problem is the graphics. While the character models and structures look good, stiff animations and terrible ground textures really detract from the realism the developers were clearly striving for. The color palate is strongly concentrated in bland browns and grays, making it difficult to differentiate one icon from the next. Fonts are woefully generic and show up directly against the main window, sometimes making them completely illegible.
There are other issues. Enemies literally appear out of nowhere, and sometimes vanish just as quickly. Quests (at least the ones that I played) are the standard "go here and get this/kill them" variety endemic to the genre. It scans its files for illegal modifications each time you open the game, meaning a multi-minute delay. Menus can take 30 seconds or more to pop up (why?!), and 5+ minutes from choosing to exit the game until the computer is usable again.
The biggest problem, though, is one specific to older/casual gamers: The combat is just too fast-paced. I know they're trying to make combat more visceral and exciting, but I feel like I have no time to choose the best attacks/defense/combo. Instead, I have to rely on just executing attacks as quickly as possible. This is not an improvement over WoW's slower-paced, but more thoughtful combat, at least in this gamer's opinion.
Age of Conan isn't a bad game, and I'm sure it has a legion of happy subscribers, but it's just not for me.
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