The Conan hype thread

[Salazar]

Well, it's out in the UK (and Europe) on Fri 28th - the day after tomorrow (!!!). Not entirely sure about Australia, though being PAL, it's probably the same time.

Dude - you are Mr THQ and you're not sure ?

[MisterTHQ]

Holy shit. That might sold me the game. I like the gerne and was watching Conan with caution but most of these games I finish in 2 sessions. This seems to finally have enough 'meat' to valid the full price purchase. Online ranking seems interesting too. I have a question: Is the game censored in any way for Europe? (I don't mean Germany , it'll be banned there most likely)

Well, not sure about Germany...

But otherwise, no censorship. Full-on blood and guts spurting all over the place, decapitations, limbs... the lot.

Ewww!

There are screens here that go some way in depicting what you can expect...

And the Games Radar 'Goresplosion' videos were pretty sweet too.

[f@luS]

i want to know if its good.
Its not good looking but well...ill wait for DMC4 to give me my next action game graphic dose.
Still ,action games are my fav games , God of warHeavenly sword , Ninja gaiden , Devil may cry. Love them all. If this one is fun, ill pick it up

[MisterTHQ]

Dude - you are Mr THQ and you're not sure ?

I know, sorry Salazar! I'm a UK man really, but I appreciate I'm now in International territory.

So, checked with colleagues and... yes, it's out in Asia Pacific (and AUS) on 28th - Xbox 360 only though. The PS3 version follows on 11th October.

Though Conan 360 and PS3 will both be out in the UK on the 28th.

[Hammer24]

Well, not sure about Germany...

The usual suspect online retailers sell the AT (austrian, uncut) version in Germany - which means that the german version is either unrated (basically no retailer is going to stock it then) and/or heavily cut.

[Salazar]

Hot. EB girl today said it wouldn't be out for about a month. Where's their clue ?

Conan saves me from buying Fifa.

[Deacan]

Anyone know when the reviews are going to pop up, if its anygood I will swap Stranglehold for Conan.

Am a bit of a Conan fan, so even if the game is average am still interested.

[Phoenix Fang]

MisterTHQ, when is the release date for Darksiders? I'm more interested in that game even thou I will be picking up Conan.

[Mesijs]

i want to know if its good. Its not good looking but well...ill wait for DMC4 to give me my next action game graphic dose. Still ,action games are my fav games , God of warHeavenly sword , Ninja gaiden , Devil may cry. Love them all. If this one is fun, ill pick it up

Pick it up, period. It's better than Heavenly Sword an deeper than God of War. Not as frustrating as Ninja Gaiden. To me it's the perfect mix.


The combat system works extremely well. Just read my OP for the details.

I'm 3rd on the world now on PS3. PSN is lonely at the top, but if I hurry I can snap the no 1 position.

[deejay8595]

Kratos is that you?

[durden]

This game came out of nowhere...I thought it was due out early next year.
I love this type of game, and this looks pretty good, any reviews yet?

[PhatSaqs]

Sounds good. Thanks for the impressions.

[Apharmd Battler]

Thans for the info...I too am looking forward to this title. It's on my list next to Jericho and all the mandatory stuff (i.e. Mass Effect, PGR4, Super Smash Bros, etc.).

[Mesijs]

I think I'm almost at the final boss. I'm dual-wielding all the way, although stealing weapons from your opponents with sword/shield is also great. For one boss and very big enemies I use two-handed weapons, as they give more damage per hit if you can pop those hits.

Think the game is around 10 hours, it's definitely not 25 hours on normal difficulty.

Combo system is still great. You can really do some insane stuff if you'll master it. There's also an accomplishment that wants you to reach 325 on the hit counter. I reached a bit over 40 at highest, button bashing against some giant bats. :P

[Salazar]

Cool. It would be good to read some reviews of this - wonder how long it will be before they appear. Are there many different weapons to use / choose / acquire ?

[Salazar]

I want to believe about the 360 game coming out in Australia tomorrow, and I realise that things would be a bit messy what with it being brought forward, but it's a goddamn unprecedentedly stealthy release. Anything looks tiny next to Halo, naturally, but is the degree of confusion with the MMO screwing people / stores up ?

[MisterTHQ]

Cool. It would be good to read some reviews of this - wonder how long it will be before they appear. Are there many different weapons to use / choose / acquire ?

Reviews will be coming early next week onwards - simply because we didn't have enough time to send code out after the release date shifted. The game's 100% ready though, even if our marketing plans aren't!

Not sure of the total no. of weapons, probably about 25? But there are lots of different versions of what are effectively the same weapons - depending on which enemy you've taken it from. So... multiple swords, axes etc

And then you can use a sheild as a weapon too, as well as random objects around the environment - boulders, barrels etc

[Uncle]

If it really is that good, a demo could do wonders for this.

[MisterTHQ]

If it really is that good, a demo could do wonders for this.

never a truer word...

There will be a demo, it's just timed with the US release date... some time in October. We couldn't bring it forward for the UK unfortunately.

[Lonesome_Raod]

Game is good but I'd have to call it on that 25 hour mark. I'm most of the way through now and i'm on about 10 hours. Solid enough game and the combat is excellent. Have to question the batshit insane decision to release it Halo 3 week though, seriously.

[TomO]

I'm liking this. In my opinion it's certainly more fun to play than Heavenly Sword but it looks and feels slightly unpolished when compared to that and God of War. It's far from ugly, but I think Heavenly Sword set a new benchmark in terms of polish and presentation.

[hiryu]

Does the game have any of the weird cthulhu-esque stuff in it? How is the music? Does the game make Conan a typical dumb barbarian or is he the smart roguish character he is in the books?

[Uncle]

There will be a demo, it's just timed with the US release date... some time in October. We couldn't bring it forward for the UK unfortunately.

Good to hear. My gaming budget for the rest of the year is strained as is, so I'm a bit hesitant about adding more games to the list.

[Salazar]

Reviews will be coming early next week onwards - simply because we didn't have enough time to send code out after the release date shifted. The game's 100% ready though, even if our marketing plans aren't!

You're not kidding - drug mules in Singapore customs arrive with more fanfare and attention-seeking.

Anybody who's played the game have anything to say on difficulty levels ? I do want this game to have a ridiculously challenging setting - it looks and sounds like the kind of thing that's more enjoyable when it's a struggle. I like a bit of cruising hack & slash, but it is nice to be the one getting walloped every so often.

[Salazar]

First few games stores I've looked in today (Australia) haven't had it. Anyone else ?

[Salazar]

The fact that I'm making a third consecutive post in this thread suggests that Conan's hype is not quite existent, but I bought the game this afternoon and - although I have only played about half an hour of it - it's a stack of fun. I haven't been pissed off by the camera at all yet (I know that will come, but it has rocked so far). Combat reminds me of the Return of the King game I played on PC - God of War goes without saying, but I never played an awful lot of GOW I and haven't touched II, so my comparisons would be naive. Looking forward to some of the more complicated and brutal moves, although what I can do so far has me satisfied. Graphics are more than adequate so far - music is good - voice acting is meant to be preposterous and succeeds wonderfully.

At the very, very least, people should check out the reviews. I don't think there are grounds to beat down on this game as hard as reviewers are (I assume) expected to.

[Raist]

I think I'm almost at the final boss. I'm dual-wielding all the way, although stealing weapons from your opponents with sword/shield is also great. For one boss and very big enemies I use two-handed weapons, as they give more damage per hit if you can pop those hits. Think the game is around 10 hours, it's definitely not 25 hours on normal difficulty. Combo system is still great. You can really do some insane stuff if you'll master it. There's also an accomplishment that wants you to reach 325 on the hit counter. I reached a bit over 40 at highest, button bashing against some giant bats. :P

So if reviews are bad, you'll change your mind and say that it's a crappy game ?

:p

[Lonesome_Raod]

It's actually a really good game. Just barmy they thought they'd release it with no fanfare on the same week as halo 3. I feel it will sell really badly.

[Nathan Barley]

yeah, this isn't gonna be a commercial success...

But goddam it's hella funny. The most ludicrously violent game I've played in a while. Was expecting a poor-man's Ninja Gaiden, but it totally holds its own. Can't see why it would get bad reviews, maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but it's solid.

[macksplack]

Game is good and all i just wish the controls were a little more fluid especially at teh 2nd bossfight. I'm at the 3rd level now i guess and i like the artstyle of the game.

[edbrat]

Length of 25 hours and the positive impressions in this thread has turned this from a "hadn't noticed" to a "must consider" for me, interesting stuff, thanks guys.

[MisterTHQ]

How is the music?

Funny you should ask, hiryu...

As it goes, just for you, we've published a full interview with Mike Reagan - Conan's lead audio/music director

You can read it in full here

[PhatSaqs]

It's out already?

[MisterTHQ]

In the UK, its out on Xbox 360 and PS3 today.

In other PAL territories (Europe and Australia) it's out on Xbox 360 today, with PS3 following in October.

Both PS3 and Xbox 360 will wait until October 23rd.

[Jtyettis]

Is there going to be a Demo on this? I see GS has this coming out the 23rd of October in the US, is this correct?

[MisterTHQ]

Is there going to be a Demo on this? I see GS has this coming out the 23rd of October in the US, is this correct?

Yes to both. Not sure of the demo date exactly, but will likely be before the 23rd.

[Treo360]

Did I hear Claudia Black? If not she sure sounds like her to me.

[GrayFoxPL]

Length of 25 hours and the positive impressions in this thread has turned this from a "hadn't noticed" to a "must consider" for me, interesting stuff, thanks guys.

Actually the guys who played it and posted above say the game is around 10 h long so the 25 h mark is a BIG FAT LIE! ;) Semi joking, but my interest in the game fell down 150% percent.

[Crom]

Crom is pleased

[Mesijs]

You're not kidding - drug mules in Singapore customs arrive with more fanfare and attention-seeking. Anybody who's played the game have anything to say on difficulty levels ? I do want this game to have a ridiculously challenging setting - it looks and sounds like the kind of thing that's more enjoyable when it's a struggle. I like a bit of cruising hack & slash, but it is nice to be the one getting walloped every so often.

I play on normal and it's OK. Not too hard but sometimes you die and have to go again. There's also hard and an unlockable King difficulty. I think King difficulty gives you a Ninja Gaiden-like experience, I think it will be really hard. As this game is built around combo's and quick reaction, I think you'll really like it.

[Salazar]

Played a lot more, and it's getting a whole lot better. Humans much more satisfying to fight than the demon spirits you start the game fighting.

The first decapitation.
The first double-arm removing swipe. Flopping, gushing limbs ftw.
The first time I impaled an enemy on the scenery.
The first body-slam. It looks so right.
The awesome kill animations - throat slash and some crazy torso sever move.

So much gore, and so much fun. I'm dying for a saved-films feature - freaking dying for it. At the very least a highlights reel of some gnarly kills for the end of each level / section. This is more fun than Crackdown for me at the moment. Consider me stunned.

[Mesijs]

Played a lot more, and it's getting a whole lot better. Humans much more satisfying to fight than the demon spirits you start the game fighting. The first decapitation. The first double-arm removing swipe. Flopping, gushing limbs ftw. The first time I impaled an enemy on the scenery. The first body-slam. It looks so right. The awesome kill animations - throat slash and some crazy torso sever move. So much gore, and so much fun. I'm dying for a saved-films feature - freaking dying for it. At the very least a highlights reel of some gnarly kills for the end of each level / section. This is more fun than Crackdown for me at the moment. Consider me stunned.

Hehe, nice. The same feeling I got when playing Conan. The later combo's get more and more powerful and satisfying. I esepcially like the parry kills.

I'm not at the FINAL boss battle, so don't read it if you don't want to know.

OMG OMG OMG I'm getting mad. It's now the third time that the guy is sweeping with his black things that you have to evade and it frustrates me. I can get the first handle immediately when the fight starts.

What I'm TRYING to do is evade the enemies and the tentacles and getting to the other handle. Do you guys first kill the zombies and then proceed, or not?

From beginning to the end (I ALMOST ended it ;)) I loved the game. There is quite some variety in the enemies and especially when they are using shields the combat system really shines. The gore is done so greatly, I think better than any other game.

Definitely an 8/10 for me.

[painey]

i will buy this if the demo is good

[Spike]

Where is the PC version?!?!

[Mesijs]

Where is the PC version?!?!

Not existent of course, this type of games never is on PC.

[Mesijs]

I just finished the game. I LOVED it.

Now on my second playthrough on hard difficulty. After completing on normal, you can use cheats on your second playthrough: master all moves and song of death mode. There are also cheats for all armor and invincibility, but I guess you only get them when completing the game on Hard/King.

I would rate this 8/10, if not higher.

[Lettuce]

Bit worrying that its out in the UK, and there has been no reviews yet or demos at that matter?

[BeeDog]

How's the performance of the PS3 version?

[Decado]

Not existent of course, this type of games never is on PC.

Yeah, including DMC4 ;)

Anyway, glad to hear it is turning out well. This was one of those "would be nice if it is good" games. The likes of GoW, DMC, NG etc. is what made last generation for me. Hope to see more and more! Now if Beowulf, DMC4 etc. turn out well it would convince me to get a next gen console this Winter.

[Pharmacy]

How's the performance of the PS3 version?

.