I must admit it, Im a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game addict (MMORGP). I practically buy them all, regardless of how bad they are. And I always get the collectors edition if its available. The only exception to this rule was Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO), cause I could not see the value in it, I feel it was a half assed effort in capitalizing on the LOTR identity with a half assed shoddy game.

I would not recommend AOC as the solution to WOWs mundane play style. But its certainly worth it if based purely on the brilliant scenery you can explore in the world Hybornia. If you got a fetish for hot pixel chicks/guys, AOC wont let you down. But if your expecting a meaningful and rewarding game play experience I would hold on till Warhammer Online gets launched. If you love game art, then I can certainly recommend the collectors edition, the soundtrack is very sweet too. Amazing celtic type music on it, some tracks are just plain horrible, but the rest is just sublime.

AOC is not your typical MMO, to advance your class skills you have to complete in an instanced single player world of Tortuga. So basically a lot of your time between level one and level twenty is spent playing alone. With no help from groups. In my opinion that just blows. If I wanted a single player RPG I would have played Oblivion.

If your a hardcore MMO gamer, you will play this game only to excel with the goal of being the best of your class. And probably loose interest within 2 to 3 months. But *shrugs* its hard to please the hardcore gamers. If your a casual player I dont think you will be dissapointed with AOC. In general I think it caters to the mass market.

My favorite tracks so far:

The Dreaming - Ere the World Crumbles
The Lure of Atali

Anyways back to the topic at hand, AOC::CE arrived today, curtsey of Aramex & Amazon. If I never play the game the Art book alone is worth the USD 120 (plus shipping and handling) that I paid for it.

The collectors edition contains:

• Hand-finished, metal-embossed oversized collector’s box with inlay page and individually numbered holographic sticker
• Leather map of Hyboria (faux) 14″ x 20″
• The Ring of Acheronia (exclusive in-game item)
• Unique Bonus DVD featuring trailers, behind the scenes, developer diaries, and rich artwork
• Official Age of Conan soundtrack CD
• Art Book (128 pages)
• Five free guest passes giving friends online access to the game for a limited time
• The Drinking Cape (bonus in-game item)
• Age of Conan :: Comic Book

To truly enjoy this game I would certainly recommend a powerful Gaming Rig. Dual PCI-E Nvidia Cards, 4gb of Ram, and a dual core or quad core processor.

Some things of note (In case you did not know):

1.) AOC have implemented a Combo based combat system, this means playing one handed will be difficult, and you are more involved with the keyboard.

2.) Healers do not get love in AOC =) Trust me …. WOW healers will not enjoy AOC healing classes. In fact the primary healing class in AOC is the Priest of Mithra, lets just say its more efficient to burn your mana on Nukes than it is to heal and engage in melee.

3.) There is nudity or *ahem… cough cough* animated nipples. So conservative people should take note of this.
For the pervs among us “Yeeeehaaaaa” for the rest…. Nipples dont make this game any better than it is. But thats just my opinion.

Age of Conan is brought to you by the same team that made Anarchy Online, Funcom.

Bottom Line:
Sound 4.5
Graphics 4
Gameplay 3 (too many bugs at this time, game gets old pretty quick, skill progression is mundane)
Overal: Just barely makes the cut

External Links:

Funcom - The creator of AOC
Official Website of Age Of Conan
Gamespot Review of AOC

Eve-Online will be released today for Mac & Linux.

EVE is a massive multiplayer online game (MMOG) set in a science-fiction based, persistent world. Players take the role of spaceship pilots seeking fame, fortune, and adventure in a huge, complex, exciting, and sometimes hostile galaxy. Click here for more info….

For more information about the Mac & Linux release click here.

This is a really great game, you should check it out. Plus they have a 14day free trial, no purchase required.