Gotta love a media blitz! Today via press release, Funcom's let out a whole big batch (and by big, I mean "a huge number of" and "hugely insane resolutions of") screenshots, screenshots, and more screenshots for Age of Conan. We get to see the expansion teaser art too, as well as comparisons of Age of Conan on DirectX10 vs DirectX9. Plus a sneak peak at the free content that's coming within the next few months! It's thumbnail enlargement time!

Undoubtedly you've heard of Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (PC, with an Xbox 360 version to follow) yes? Well, if you're thinking of venturing into the Hyborian wastes then you might as well prepare yourself for the long journey ahead of you. No, we won't cast a spell of knowledge for it may upset the Cimmerians in our readership. Instead we deliver an article which discusses everything you need to know to get started. Click on the link below to see for yourself.

 

By Crom! While the last Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Friday update discussed servers, languages and the possibility of an open beta, this week's topic is one that should please most barbarians out there: the women of Hyboria.

The developers from Funcom decided to take a more updated view Hyboria's female residents. They designed the female character to be every bit as deadly (and more pleasing to the eye) as their male counterparts, just like in Robert E. Howard's original works

The people from Funcom put in a lot of work in designing Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures' female members. According to Funcom, they created 2,500 female exclusive animations, new emotes, and specific clothing and armor for these deadly ladies. It was also mentioned that they've created various character customization options which includes over thirty different base female head templates players can use and modify during the character creation process.

If you can't wait till March to see what the women in Age of Conan: The Hyborian Adventures (Xbox 360 and PC) will look like, here are a few screenshots of the different female-specific armor on a Stygian female model. Enjoy!

  

  

You can easily imagine Funcom's resident lore guy shout "By Crom!" after asking you to put your feet up as he relates the latest story in the rich history of Hyboria.

In an interview with Quest Designer and Lore Master Elliot Kingdon (the said lore guy), he explained his role in the development of their lore-rich fantasy MMORPG Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (also on Xbox 360) and the biggest issues he tackles while handling his job.

A long-time fan of the Conan universe, Kingdon related how his interest in the world itself was what drew him into his current job. Coupled with his love for computer games, his role as the go-to guy about the Conan universe is what makes his job so enjoyable for him.

He mentioned that he and his team take a lot of their ideas mainly from the lore of the game, written from actual stories by the original Conan author Robert E. Howard. He went on to explain the importance of this saying:

Lore is an invaluable framework. Staying true to it and producing a fun game need not be mutually exclusive. And nothing we do in the MMO will violate the original stories, they'll still be right there on the shelf.

All the aspects of the game were closely incorporated from the actual lore of the Conan storyline. Gamers won't be surprised to see long-dead villains rise from their graves or the fact that the world itself, while in placed in a purely fantasy setting, has magic as a rare but powerful commodity.

It goes without saying that Elliot definitely loves the job he has. And when asked who his favorite NPC was in the Age of Conan MMORPG was, his answer was quite simple: "Conan has to be my favorite".

More info about everyone's favorite barbarian in a loincloth in this video update about Nihilistic Studios' Conan the Barbarian (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii) and it's about the inspiration behind the game, as well as the combat mechanics. We get you knee-deep into the bloody and brutal lore of the sword-swinging, skull-breaking Cimmerian.

In this video interview, we find out that the guys behind the game really took Robert E. Howard's vision of how Conan fights seriously - and as we can see from this video and the many others we've covered, things are looking not only to be reassuringly bloody, but also visceral. We see enemies having their heads stomped off, their torsos ripped in half, their bodies broken and battered beyond recognition - in short, Conan's doing what he does best.

Tons more info in the video embed below - you know what to do! Enjoy!

Today we have a new trailer from Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, the upcoming MMORPG titles based on the world created by Robert E. Howard for the Conan novels. This particular trailer introduces players to the snow-covered forests of Atzels and the hardy barbarian warriors that call it home. Check it out below.

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is being published for the PC platform by Funcom. Eidos Interactive will be handling publishing duties for the Xbox 360 version of the game. The game is currently scheduled for release this October.

By Crom! New Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (PC, Xbox 360) screenshots from Funcom! These screenshots from the MMORPG curently feature The Wild Lands of Zelata, a land named after the witch Zelata whom King Conan had once asked for council.

The said territory is found within a valley and is known to be a place of refuge for those who wish to get away from bustling cities. Multiple settlements have popped up in this land, and these settlements are protected by hunters, as well as the odd patrol of soldiers who defend  the dwellings from wild beasts and Bandits. The land is temperate due to its location, and well-sheltered from the harsh winters and climate changes that plague other lands, so it's not unknown to find a lot of new settlers coming in.

Recently, Dark Beasts have been discovered wondering just beyond the edges of the settlements and have been killing off some of the villagers and travelers who encounter them. The creatures have been getting bolder of late, taking down entire villages in their bestial wrath. Survivors of these attacks have sought refuge in the hamlet of Tesso but it's only a matter of time until the creatures find and destroy the said hamlet.

The screenshots themselves look very pretty and they really showcase the impressive graphics of the game. From what we've seen, they've really captured the essence of the untamed and forested lands that Robert E. Howard envisioned. So far the closed beta of the game is still in progress, with the technical beta just kicking off recently. Stay tuned for more updates on Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventure here on QJ.

    

 

BY CROM! The video game Conan from THQ, being developed for Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360, is shaping up to be quite a game. Players will be taking control of Conan the Cimmerian, the baddest barbarian in modern fiction. Conan, the brain child of Robert E. Howard, has spawned three movies, three television shows, and two comic books. He was depicted as a headstrong and stubborn, yet honorable barbarian.

In true Conan fashion, you will not be arguing with words; you will be showing all those who oppose you the business end of your sword. This action-adventure game has Conan pitted against a variety of enemies and an elusive power that threatens to consume the world. This battle will be spread across the entire Hyborian world, letting Conan cut a wide swathe of destruction through each realm. Check out the game features directly below to see what's in store for you:

Conan game features

• Conan features intense action combat: Playing as Conan, players will utilize a deep combat system that offers a variety of fighting styles to battle enemies. Through multiple movement trees, players can string together combos and fight foes using grappling moves, hand-to-hand combat, sword fights and dual-wielded attacks.
• Play Conan in interactive environments: Interactive combat locations and real-time physics will allow players to pick up any weapons in sight, such as swords, axes, spears and torches, and use surrounding environmental elements to inflict damage on enemies.

Because several of us are avid Conan fan, we will be looking out for this game when it's released, although we advise the rest to wait for more details before laying judgement on the game though.

The character of Conan the Barbarian was originally created by Robert E. Howard back in 1932. Since then, Conan has emerged and metamorphosed in various media like comics, television, movies, and even games. In fact, Nihilistic Software and THQ are bringing Conan to the PS3 and 360 early next year.

Nihilistic President Robert Huebner commented that the staying power of the character lies in wish fulfillment. Everybody who knows this warrior knows that Conan is the ultimate alpha male, not to mention that he always gets the girls. Violence is also a staple in Conan universe but Huebner explained that our guy isn't the cause of violence.

It's all the pesky people who keep trying to tell him what to do, throw him in jail, or infringe on his Crom-given freedoms that caused the violence by putting themselves on a collision course with his sword. We want the game to convey that Conan worldview. Conan isn't a deep, brooding hero, but he's always in the moment.

Huebner then went on and talked about their upcoming title. He said that Nihilistic plans to tell an original story, while remaining inside the universe Howard created. in the end, Huebner remarked that it's a marriage of the two.

Howard drew some really compelling and interesting locations in Hyboria, so we can't resist visiting those places. We tried to find a place in the official timeline where we can tell an original story that feels like it was the sort of story Howard would have told. We also have some surprising new locations as well, so players won't always get what they expect.

Huebner remarked that the game's combat system is influenced by Ninja Gaiden and the series Devil May Cry. In terms of visuals and style, the official explained that God of War has been very influential. If you want to know how the new game looks like, here's the game's first official movie (PS3).

Download: Conan Official Movie 1 (PS3)