Age of Conan: Unchained

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 831 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 536 out of 831
  2. Mixed: 103 out of 831
  3. Negative: 192 out of 831
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  1. NickS
    May 23, 2008
    7
    Good, but not great. This MMO could go either way; it could end up being mind-blowing, or die out quickly.
  2. Greg
    Oct 20, 2008
    7
    This game will have you loving it one day and absolutely hating it the next. It is NOT a game where you can sit down with a half hour and have a good time.... There is bloody gore and excitement to be had..at a price... and sometimes a very costly one at that. The graphics are amazing.. sometimes..and incredibly boring at others.. The views are breathtaking.. occasionally.. if it is the This game will have you loving it one day and absolutely hating it the next. It is NOT a game where you can sit down with a half hour and have a good time.... There is bloody gore and excitement to be had..at a price... and sometimes a very costly one at that. The graphics are amazing.. sometimes..and incredibly boring at others.. The views are breathtaking.. occasionally.. if it is the right time of the day.. the rest of the time you will struggle to see in the gloominess not unlike you would have to if you were living in that era. Adjust your monitor and be blinded by a blindingly white sky. See the sky in the splendor of its natural hues and struggle to make out the path in front of you. Get lucky and find out where your supposed to go... the rest of the time could be spend in endless travel. Travel 50 miles to deliver this.. then walk back. Get rewarded at lvl 40 w/ the almighty mount.. if you can scavenge 1000's of pieces of loot and sell it to vendors for pennies on the dollar. On to the good: Happen across another traveler in the vast world of Hyboria and have bashing time cutting through enemy after enemy. Combat is quite satisfying.. IF you can figure out a satisfactory control set up. Final Recommendation: Not for beginners. Good times to be had... also expect some frustrations.… Expand
  3. BriboB.
    Jun 15, 2008
    7
    The graphics are really the only revolutionary thing in the game. The combat system is something that belongs on a playstation not a PC MMO. Quests are decent, but there's not enough of them. Overall it's nothing new, it's just a new game that will pass pretty quickly. The world is painfully small for an MMO and all instanced.
  4. Karhu
    Jul 5, 2008
    7
    This could have been "the WoW killer" and a great MMO. Too bad it fails, as previous reviews say there are tons of bugs, big performance issues and PvP is surprisingly pretty f'd up at the moment. This is fun game to some point but then the frustrations sets in. Crash, server crash, lag spikes, bugged quests, FPS drops, priest class' overpower... There's a lot of work done This could have been "the WoW killer" and a great MMO. Too bad it fails, as previous reviews say there are tons of bugs, big performance issues and PvP is surprisingly pretty f'd up at the moment. This is fun game to some point but then the frustrations sets in. Crash, server crash, lag spikes, bugged quests, FPS drops, priest class' overpower... There's a lot of work done in Funcom but I'm not renewing my sub soon. But I hope they get their stuff fixed and maybe we get to enjoy excellent MMO in future.… Expand
  5. JJ
    May 27, 2008
    7
    Theres a whole lot to like about AoC, and some things to not like. Pros: immersive world, very nice graphics, combat is fun and has great nuances, good voice acting, great animations of players and creatures, cool magic, lots of levels to advance through, PVE and PVP, a myriad of quests, lots and lots of variety in the world including towns and different themes, great artwork, fantastic Theres a whole lot to like about AoC, and some things to not like. Pros: immersive world, very nice graphics, combat is fun and has great nuances, good voice acting, great animations of players and creatures, cool magic, lots of levels to advance through, PVE and PVP, a myriad of quests, lots and lots of variety in the world including towns and different themes, great artwork, fantastic architecture. What I more want to talk about are the cons: the game is a MMO, yet a big part of playing the game is doing quests with NPCs so its a hybrid single player / multiplayer game. Yes others can join you in your quests but only if they have the prerequisite quests completed. Most other players are on different quests, too, so they don't want to join you usually. For PVE gameplay, this is a single player game with other people running around in it. In my opinion, it's not a truely focused multiplayer game for PVE (player vs environment). The game user interface needs improving. Also my character targets group members and not the hostiles, which is stubborn to get him to target back onto the foes. Also you'll see really great looking equipment being worn by NPCs that you can't get or use. Maybe that will change with new patches and updates by Funcom. Right now the servers are experiencing hacks that affect everyone connected. I think this is their top priority. Another con to this game is that the quests send you back and forth in the same area so much that seeing the same scenery over and over gets old. There are no dynamically or randomly created areas like dungeons so the scenery in this game gets stale. If you like MMORPGs then you certainly need to check out AoC, yes! But it has problems and I'm currently questioning its longevity. The first few days I played this I was in awe but that is now wearing off because I don't like seeing the same place over and over and over again. Just to advance out of the starting town (Tortage), you must complete one specific quest (Destiny) but there are many quests to do. Its not clear which quest you must do to escape Tortage. I think you must do the Destiny Quest in single player but I'm not sure. After 35 hours of gameplay in Tortage just trying to escape it, the town felt like a prison. I used a hidden quick-escape quest to get out of Tortage and I don't want to go back. Potentially AoC is a legendary game, but I don't think its there yet. Time will tell. Its a rather linear game for being a MMO. Is this linear and quest based gemplay a decision by funcom so that they can bring it to the masses on the x360? I don't know for sure.… Expand
  6. SiR
    Jun 3, 2008
    7
    I'm not a a PvE fan, I much prefere PvP MMOs with risk involved. AoC PvP is a joke while RvR Siege has potential you have to be at the end game first and getting there is too much of an xp "grind fest." PvE "Raiders" may like this game but if like me you prefere PvP orientated MMOs then you'll be very disappointed.
  7. [Anonymous]
    May 22, 2008
    7
    Meh, not sure why some of these so called "veterans" of MMOs would rate this so high. How do you figure all of this hasn't been seen before. The game is basically a mix of every MMO out there. Sure, it's not just the same individual MMO done before. It's all of the MMOs lumped into one. They just threw everything together, added a little porn and gore, and called it novel. Meh, not sure why some of these so called "veterans" of MMOs would rate this so high. How do you figure all of this hasn't been seen before. The game is basically a mix of every MMO out there. Sure, it's not just the same individual MMO done before. It's all of the MMOs lumped into one. They just threw everything together, added a little porn and gore, and called it novel. It really isn't. Oh, and removal of auto-attacks is nothing great. Now EVERY single action requires a mouse click. I'm not sure how that is an improvement.… Expand
  8. CharlesD.
    May 23, 2008
    7
    New, breath of fresh. But somehow missing the "massively multiplayer" element. Not polished enough. Too early of a release to be considered in the long run
  9. LevT.
    May 25, 2008
    7
    Extremely bug laden, in need of serious balancing. This will probably be the best game to ever grace a PC. However, in its current form its a long, long way from being playable. For those who give it a 10, I guarantee they have not played past 50th level. The game runs great at 20 and below. Beyond that, much of the game is bugged, missing, or damaged. I'm going to revisit this in a Extremely bug laden, in need of serious balancing. This will probably be the best game to ever grace a PC. However, in its current form its a long, long way from being playable. For those who give it a 10, I guarantee they have not played past 50th level. The game runs great at 20 and below. Beyond that, much of the game is bugged, missing, or damaged. I'm going to revisit this in a few months. This title will probably warrant a 10 rating from me some day.… Expand
  10. TedE.
    Jul 21, 2008
    7
    Don't listen to the haters or the fanboys. The game is neither groundbreaking nor abysmal. I applaud the mature content, active combat, and beautiful graphics (provided you have the hardware). But points have to be taken away for pretty much everything else. Right now, the only thing to do in the game is grind out quests because almost nothing else works as it should. There are no Don't listen to the haters or the fanboys. The game is neither groundbreaking nor abysmal. I applaud the mature content, active combat, and beautiful graphics (provided you have the hardware). But points have to be taken away for pretty much everything else. Right now, the only thing to do in the game is grind out quests because almost nothing else works as it should. There are no social activities to speak of - no real reason to interact with other people unless you're sharing a quest. I started on a PvE server but switched to PvP due to the boredom. And now, I'm getting bored of that as well, as PvP essentially means "ganking" in this game. And as much as they claim to be focusing on PvP rewards and punishments, nothing exists as of yet. I would suggest buying the game and using the first 30 days free to play through the rather enjoyable Tortage Island (levels 1-20) with a few characters. Then cancel your account, because after that, the bad outweighs the good (for now).… Expand
  11. Nils
    Jun 20, 2008
    6
    AoC is - An advanced graphics engine combined with a - very basic questing system featuring a - BAD, but refreshingly different, melee combat for 50% of the classes. There is not much to do at max level and you it is very easy to get to max level. This MMO will basically be replayed by the next one. The only hope there is are the millions FunCom made because of the advertising (that AoC is - An advanced graphics engine combined with a - very basic questing system featuring a - BAD, but refreshingly different, melee combat for 50% of the classes. There is not much to do at max level and you it is very easy to get to max level. This MMO will basically be replayed by the next one. The only hope there is are the millions FunCom made because of the advertising (that spread lies!).… Expand
  12. ScottA.
    May 22, 2008
    6
    Great graphics, great concept from storyline to fighting. Wicked terrible lag ... and I more than meet specs for this game. They fix these issues and I will gladly up my vote ... until then mediocre at best.
  13. JoeD
    May 24, 2008
    6
    Great graphics, sound and gameplay. Downside is if you order the Collectors Edition you may have problems getting into the game in the first place as they shipped with bad codes. Service support was good on launch day (Friday) but non-existant on Saturday, which is pretty poor for a new title being released on Friday.
  14. MrKanga
    Jun 2, 2008
    6
    You will need a decent PC to run this Dual or Quad, with a good amount of RAM and a fairly recent graphs card, unless you want it to look naff and run slow. The game starts off mainly solo for the first 20 levels and doesn't do a bad job, I have played upto level 44 so far ( cap is 80 ) and found it enjoyable but also very annoying at times. The game is still in its infancy, even You will need a decent PC to run this Dual or Quad, with a good amount of RAM and a fairly recent graphs card, unless you want it to look naff and run slow. The game starts off mainly solo for the first 20 levels and doesn't do a bad job, I have played upto level 44 so far ( cap is 80 ) and found it enjoyable but also very annoying at times. The game is still in its infancy, even after 5 years of production we are seeing memory leaks, broken quests amongst other things. The combat as a melee character is fun, it can turn the tide of a fight should you get the combo wrong, quests are fun but the grouping lets itself down as you cannot see party members until they are very close to your position ( if you can't see them at all make sure you are in the same instance )., though is fun when it works. The developers have thus far ignored a lot of players complaints never replying to them despite threads going on for over 40 pages. If you are entering this and favour the caster expect nothing different from lotro or wow, its still target and click, bar the healers who tend to cast an AoE heal. The game has real potential not only in PvE but PvP with player built cities and insane combat it could rule the roust, but as it stands its a buggy mess and no end of nice graphics, heads flying off and boobs will change that, give it 6 months and this could be a winner.… Expand
  15. RyanM.
    Aug 11, 2008
    6
    A beautiful looking game, with combat as bloody and vicious as Mr. Howard would have wanted it, beyond that? Bugs, crashes, stats that don't do anything, and a character that looked the same for 30 levels make me say Eh. I feel like I bought a car that was still being built.
  16. collapsedknee
    Aug 7, 2008
    6
    This game showed so much promise but later levels prove to be to much of a grind to stick with it. There is little to no end game (60+) PvE content. 2 months after release there is still no PvP system and no DX10 (even though pre-release this was plugged heavily). Its quite clear the game was rushed to market before it was finished. Its such a shame. The underlying mechanics (combat) were This game showed so much promise but later levels prove to be to much of a grind to stick with it. There is little to no end game (60+) PvE content. 2 months after release there is still no PvP system and no DX10 (even though pre-release this was plugged heavily). Its quite clear the game was rushed to market before it was finished. Its such a shame. The underlying mechanics (combat) were exciting and refreshing but that cant be expected to carry the whole game and it doesn't.… Expand
  17. CoreyG.
    May 22, 2008
    6
    It's feels like the open beta of Burning Sea. That's not a compliment in case your wondering. This game feels unfinished, unpolished and lacks a real difference from other failed mmos. It's a good game, but not a great game. It reminds me of Guild Wars. And you don't have to pay a subscription fee for that sub par game, this one.. you do. Pass on it for at least six months.
  18. CGL
    May 30, 2008
    6
    If it wasn't very buggy and unfinished I might have given this game a higher score but AoC does nothing to live up to it's primary competition. Bugs fixed and issues aside the game is very instanced and plays like a console port, NOT a MMORPG. None of the official reviews go past lvl 25 which is the only finished/polished part of the game. Leveling in AoC is alot like real life. If it wasn't very buggy and unfinished I might have given this game a higher score but AoC does nothing to live up to it's primary competition. Bugs fixed and issues aside the game is very instanced and plays like a console port, NOT a MMORPG. None of the official reviews go past lvl 25 which is the only finished/polished part of the game. Leveling in AoC is alot like real life. 1-20 you have fun. 25-40 you prepare for the future. 40-70 is just a borring grind, and by 80 you want to put yourself out of your misery.… Expand
  19. BryanFamily
    Jun 23, 2008
    6
    I really want to like this game as I enjoyed reading the Conan books during my teens. However, forgetting about gameplay for the moment, I have found that it is very buggy. I really don't see why, as consumers we should put up with a faulty product. OK, maybe Funcom will iron out all the problems eventually, and I understand the argument about how MMO's are very complex and I really want to like this game as I enjoyed reading the Conan books during my teens. However, forgetting about gameplay for the moment, I have found that it is very buggy. I really don't see why, as consumers we should put up with a faulty product. OK, maybe Funcom will iron out all the problems eventually, and I understand the argument about how MMO's are very complex and difficult to bring out without a few bugs. But using this argument condones a situation that we shouldn't accept. So, in conclusion, what should have been a great MMO franchise has been spoiled by technical issues. I will not give any more of my money to Funcom.… Expand
  20. CP.
    Jul 29, 2008
    6
    Great for the beginning... just not done all the way yet. New combat system is superb, they just need to spend some time making all the cities as good at the starting city. Probably an excellent game in about six months.
  21. JayL
    Sep 7, 2008
    6
    If your looking to expand your character by combining different builds and talents - this game isn't for you. The talent trees and class balances are absolutely terrible. The skills are a real blast to use and the combos are fun but its seriously watered down by the fact you have a class specific tree then a general tree. I wouldn't really waste your time with this one.
  22. JamesF.
    May 22, 2008
    6
    How is this honestly getting 9 and 10s? I was really anticipating this games release and hoped for a mix of an FPS and RPG. Thought this game would have a great fighting system, amazing visuals, a physics engine, and just great gameplay. Well on release date I went out and got it and it has so far been the biggest dissapointment i've ever had. The graphics, while better than most How is this honestly getting 9 and 10s? I was really anticipating this games release and hoped for a mix of an FPS and RPG. Thought this game would have a great fighting system, amazing visuals, a physics engine, and just great gameplay. Well on release date I went out and got it and it has so far been the biggest dissapointment i've ever had. The graphics, while better than most RPGs in its class, are still lacking from what I expected. They are as un-interactive as every other RPG and they feel unfinished. Dont expect something like Assassin's creed or Crysis here even maxed out the environment seems to have the bare minimum to look good at a distance but up close in personal theyre ugly, bland, and blurry. The UI is obnoxiously large taking up about 1/5 of the screen on a 1680x1050 resolution and very innefficient. Though i will admit the character models and voice acting were superbly done while theyre not perfect they are the best looking thing in the game. The combat system is annoying. I was hoping for something like oblivion or hellgate london instead they decided to replace the more common spell cast keys (1,2,3) with directional swings which was ok at first until you tried moving while in combat. Overall it was boring though, everyone died the same way, no ragdolls, no physics, some AI even keep talking like from cutscenes even after theyre dead and the controls are clunkier than two worlds (and if you havent played two worlds, DONT.) They have some bugs to work out (which is to be expected) and Eidos is notorious for taking a great concept and ruining it somehow. It could've been so much more than was and while the graphics will improve over time the gameplay and inability to customize your UI wont.… Expand
  23. KenL
    May 23, 2008
    6
    The game feels flat, unpolished and rushed. If you're lucky enough to avoid the bugs and not get bothered by the crude interface flaws, then I'm sure this can be a good singleplayer experience at least. As to holding up as a long-lasting mmorpg, I can not see it happening, and I think people will get bored pretty quick.
  24. JasonD.
    Jul 31, 2008
    6
    Game looks fantastic. But gameplay, lack of content and ever emerging bugs lead to a tiresome game experience after the 1st month of play.
  25. Jaz
    Feb 23, 2013
    6
    This game had the best starting area and great graphics at its time (2008). Also a nice combat. But that's it. Lots of bugs and not much of an endgame brought it low. Many things were fixed but there are better games out there now.
    PS This game has far too many 10s from accounts who voted only AOC and its successor. Too suspicious.
  26. DarrellJ.
    Jun 4, 2008
    5
    First off, i was really hoping this game would be in a state i could handle to hold me for a while. Unfortunately i was pretty let down upon release. I do not like the combat system at all. Although it is different and i give them credit for trying something new, jousting and seeing who can put out more white damage(coming from a melee perspective) is just not my idea of fun in pvp. First off, i was really hoping this game would be in a state i could handle to hold me for a while. Unfortunately i was pretty let down upon release. I do not like the combat system at all. Although it is different and i give them credit for trying something new, jousting and seeing who can put out more white damage(coming from a melee perspective) is just not my idea of fun in pvp. Travel is HORRID. Quests. I'm not a big quest fan. If you don't like questing this game will probably do you in. If you do like questing, then the first 40 levels should be easy sailing. Ease of use/playability - I think this game is fairly demanding on resources and somewhere in the middle as far as compatibility with all rigs. Many users have configurations it just doesn't like or work well with. It most likely will require tweaking and adjustments on the part of the user to run good fps. Graphics - I give it pretty good marks on graphics. I'm more a fan of these type of graphics than WoW style graphics. I think they did a good job on the looks. Stats don't work, class abilities are bugged, class imbalance is pretty bad(somewhat expected), and hiding/perception seem broken. You can't be attacked by melee in the water. Just a huge list of odd problems that i don't have room to go into. In closing i would say the game is unpolished, unfinished, and just didn't grab me. I'll be setting my hopes on warhammer and giving that a try when it comes online. I hope my 50 bucks helps pay for some coding and fixes so that the die-hards that stick with AoC get some enjoyment out of it. Unfortunately the cash didn't buy me much in the way of fun. -Typhoid… Expand
  27. LukasC.
    May 23, 2008
    5
    Amazing graphics, but thats not what is important about in MMO. World is looking great, but for me PvP is the real thing. And PvP at this stage is so unbalanced and bugged that it is PATHETIC. Spawn kills, unballanced classes... siedges that they are so proud of where not even tested ONCE during beta and i can see those chokepoints in cities and catapult abuse. To sum up if you dig pve Amazing graphics, but thats not what is important about in MMO. World is looking great, but for me PvP is the real thing. And PvP at this stage is so unbalanced and bugged that it is PATHETIC. Spawn kills, unballanced classes... siedges that they are so proud of where not even tested ONCE during beta and i can see those chokepoints in cities and catapult abuse. To sum up if you dig pve and only pve its for you and its great, but if you are at least a BIT interested in pvp then that game is going to be a big dissapointment for you.… Expand
  28. HoustonM.
    May 30, 2008
    5
    Great graphics, about it. About a tenth of the content advertised is missing (DirectX 10, PvP ranking), half is broken (quests, instances), and the other half is sub-par to the hype (PvP, sieges, guild cities, crafting). Yet another MMORPG that bit off more than they could chew.
  29. MarissaD.
    Jul 6, 2008
    5
    The graphics are great, the music is great, the combat is OK. They have no customer support, in game or out. Missing content, and bugs over shadow the things that are good about this game. AOC had great potential, and so far it has not shown me any of it. Funcom should be embarrassed it took them 5 years to come out with this game in it's current state. The release should have been The graphics are great, the music is great, the combat is OK. They have no customer support, in game or out. Missing content, and bugs over shadow the things that are good about this game. AOC had great potential, and so far it has not shown me any of it. Funcom should be embarrassed it took them 5 years to come out with this game in it's current state. The release should have been put off a while longer. It does have potential, when will it happen, is the burning question.… Expand
  30. KreeB.
    Jul 7, 2008
    5
    Great potential and an amazing first 20 levels on the Island of Tortage are not enough to overcome the lack of interesting, engaging, and challenging content past level 50. This game is broken and should be avoided. If it survives for a year it might be worth another look.
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Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best PC Game of 2008
9
#9 Most Discussed PC Game of 2008
45
#45 Most Shared PC Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 44
  3. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. GameZone
    94
    This game marks the next generation of MMOs in many ways. It looks good, is very entertaining and plays very well. This is a journey well worth taking.
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  2. AtomicGamer
    92
    It won't put WoW out of business, but then again, nothing will for a long time, and that doesn't mean this isn't a great game with tons of appeal and a hopefully more mature audience
    Read full review
  3. GameSpy
    80
    Age of Conan going forward should become a delightfully savage second home for plenty of howling on-line barbarians.
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