Blood, Blades and Naked Women define the adventures of Conan, needless to say pre-governor Arnie would be pleased.
In this first ever edition of ‘Buried Treasure’, let’s take a look at the mostly ignored, but above average action title “Conan”, currently available for both the Xbox 360 and PS3.
How is this segment different than ‘Retro Flashback’? Well in this review piece, I’ll be talking about good games that have mostly been ignored, as opposed to shedding light on older games and trash titles that shouldn’t even exist.
Now, let me begin by saying that I know you have seen ‘Conan’ everywhere, mostly in bargain bins. Its lackluster cover (there’s nothing wrong with it, but its missing that wow factor) and the absence of advertising/word of mouth have never given you the inclination to rent or spend money on the Barbarian’s videogame outing.
But don’t let these things stop you from taking picking up one of the best God of War inspired action games to come out in years. Don’t misunderstand me, the story of Conan in fact inspired the blood-soaked quest of Kratos. However, God of War set the standard for the genre in gaming.
That being said, GameSpot gave the title a 7.5/10 when it was released in 2007.
Here’s the highlights of what they had to say about the game’s plot and structure:
“The game opens up with Conan, voiced here by a decidedly unbarbaric-sounding Ron Perlman, out on an adventure, battling marauding specters on a remote island while in search of a valuable gem. What he finds instead is the tomb of a dark sorcerer named Graven, which Conan accidentally opens. In his exodus from his magical prison, Graven strips Conan of his armor and leaves the Cimmerian warrior for dead. When Conan washes up on the shore of another island, he meets up with a smart and steely warrior queen with a vested interest in finding Graven and recovering Conan’s armor. And so the two team up, fighting their way through legions of pirates, the Stygian army, an elephant demon cult, vicious beasts both real and mythical, and more supernatural forces in their hunt for Graven. The story, which is told as though it were an ancient campfire legend, isn’t terribly weighty, even though at one point you’re essentially tasked with saving the world. Still, it does a good job of establishing the primal and lawless feel of the land of Hyboria.”
“Conan, both the character and the game, is all about a good fight. You’ll spend most of the game taking on small groups of enemies as you work your way through island jungles, devastated cities, dank caves, snowy mountain fortresses, and more. Conan has a light and a strong attack, and he can string these attacks together into a number of different combos, many of which culminate in a beheading, dismemberment, or a disemboweling.”
Speaking of which, using two swords I cut both the arms off of a pirate that attacked me. To my surprise I received an award (I was playing the Xbox 360 version) titled “Shish-kabob” and it was worth 10 GP. hilarious!
Moving on, here’s the highlight of GameSpot’s review:
“Derivative as it is, Conan is still a viscerally satisfying adventure.”
The Good
-Captures the Conan feel.
-Combat is fantastically brutal.
-Incredibly fitting orchestral soundtrack.
The Bad
Lots of chunky-looking textures.
Ron Perlman not a great fit as Conan.
Jumping sequences are clunky.
“Perhaps the biggest mark against Conan is its length. At around six hours, it’s a pretty brief adventure. But a good deal of craft went into making all of the game’s over-the-top violence look so great, and it’s the kind of guilty pleasure you’ll want to savor.”
So basically, if you find ‘Conan’ on sale, don’t hesitate to pick it up… especially if you don’t have access to a PS3 and would like to experience a good story with God of War type gameplay. I jut hope that they make a sequel and include 2-player co-op in the future, Conan totally deserves it.
You can read the full review HERE
Check out the epic trailer, and go download the demo on either Xbox Live or the PSN:
And here’s gameplay footage with a delightful cutscene:
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