It was a long and occassionally tedious journey, but I finally hit level 80 in Age of Conan. Having seen the entire game from level 1 through 80 there were definitely a lot of things done wrong but there were some things they got right as well. Overall, my single player experience with the game was pretty “blah” and I would strongly suggest anyone who picks up this game to try and find a good guild. The end game is woefully lacking in content and without a guild to run instances with you’ll find yourself grinding Villa’s over and over and over and over again because you simply have no other quests to do and that’s the best source of XP. Without my guild, which now has it’s own website, I’m not sure I would have had the patience to even make it to level 80.

Sadly, I will be leaving the guild behind once my subscription runs out in a few more days. They are a great bunch and if anyone wants to pick this game up, join the Thog server and look them up. They’re well on their way to having a tier 2 city and they run instances pretty regularly. I want to thank them for all the fun and experiences I never would have had without them. Who knows, maybe I’ll see some of them around once Wrath of the Lich King comes out.

I’m tempted to write a long review detailing all the things I liked and disliked, but to truly cover 80 levels would take hours to write and, the fact is, anyone who wanted to play this game already has. Not to mention the dozens of other reviews that would point out the exact same things. I would have liked things to have turned out differently for this game. I was excited by a lot of the features when it first came out but most of them never made it into the game. I’m still hopefully that Funcom will be able to turn things around and the last patch they put out was a step in the right direction. Unfortunately for them, I think the only thing they can hope to do at this point is to try and keep more people from leaving. With other MMOs on the horizon, the recent release of Warhammer and the behemoth that is World of Warcraft, there’s simply no way you can have a substandard game at launch and have any hope of competing.

To keep me busy until Wrath of the Lich King comes out, I’ve acquired Gears of War 2. I’ve been playing it co-op with a friend and, it’s just as good as the first one. How can any game where your character says “Look Ma, no face!” after turning some locust’s head into paste not be awesome! We’re almost done with Act 3 and my only beef with the game so far as that my friend hasn’t bought a stupid communicator yet!

Before I leave Age of Conan behind forever, I leave you with one last thing… because I can:

Not only have I returned to Age of Conan, I seem to have returned with a vengeance. The title of this post is actually the name of my new guild. The picture to the left is us just inside the entrance to the Onyx Chambers.

I didn’t set out to join it a guild, I just sort of fell into it. I was running quests in Aztel’s Approach when a group of players ran up. They saw me killing some mobs and I got an invite. I figure they were probably here for the same reason so I joined. A few hours later, after completing several quests that would have been much harder to complete alone, and after having quite a bit of fun, one of the group members asked me why I hadn’t joined a guild.

The fact is, the reason I hadn’t joined a guild before is because this was actually the first group that I can remember actually joining. Not only that, but the guys in the group seemed pretty cool and seemed to know how to play their characters. Both of which seem pretty hard to come by these days. I’m not one to join a guild on a random invite, nor do I care enough to do my research and seek one out. I prefer to just play the game and if I meet some cool people and they want me to join, then absolutely, I’m in. Needless to say there’s a reason why most of my characters, in just about every game, have remained unguilded. So, when I got the invite, I figured this group was worth giving a chance.

I’m glad I did! I’ve already seen two instances that I would never have even had the chance to see, if not for these guys. Sunday evening we ran through the Thunder River Prison. Sure we died a few times, but lots of fun was had by all. Then, last night, they let me tag along of the Onyx Chambers. Keep in mind, when I joined back up I was only level 62. As of last night, I was level 66, but they still let me tag along for the run through Onyx Chambers, apprenticed, of course! Despite all the issues that still exist in the game, I’m having a lot of fun thanks to the Defender’s of Grayskull. Plus, I like the name… I was a huge fan of He-Man when I was a kid.

I should also point out that the one thing I have noticed that’s really improved about the game is it’s stability. After all of the hours playing since Friday night, the game has only “sort of” crashed once. I say sort of because the game was still running but the graphics were cutting in and out forcing me to reboot. This is a HUGE improvement from a couple of months ago when the game would regularly hard lock my computer forcing a hard reset; or the crazy graphic corruptions I would get soon before it happened (as evidenced by the screenshot on the right). I have no doubt that those problems have been exacerbated by the fact that I’m running Vista 64 Ultimate. I despise Vista and I fully plan to go back to XP once I stop playing Age of Conan in favor of Wrath of the Lich King. I may not be there on day one, but I know myself well enough that I’ll be unable to resist the call of Wow.

It was bound to happen, last night I reactivated my subscription to Age of Conan. I’ve been having the undeniable urge to MMO lately, however it was actually WoW that was calling me back, not AoC. I just can’t bring myself to play another MMO while I still have one where I have yet to reach max level. Of course, that didn’t stop me from quitting Dungeons and Dragons Online, but I Digress.

In celebration of my return I bring you 5 clips from the show The Big Bang Theory. I’ve never watched this show but they apparently had an episode featuring Age of Conan. Some of the clips are pretty funny but I think they take the whole “geek” thing a little too far. Anyways, without further ado:

• Sheldor the Conqueror
• Dragon Fodder
• Queen Penelope
• Chosen by Science

As for my initial impressions of the game having returned after 2 1/2 months… If possible it seems even more buggy than when I left. Treasure chests don’t open any more, performance seems a little worse, and the lag spikes have increased dramatically. Death by lag is never fun. I was hoping Funcom would have gotten their shit together by now, at least somewhat… I plan to stay this time until I hit level 80, but if things haven’t improved by then, which I highly doubt at this point, I’m gone for good. But with Warhammer Online already out and Wrath of the Lich King and Gears of War 2 coming soon, not to mention several cool games I’m probably forgetting, there’ll be plenty of places to go.

I came across this video today. Not only do I approve of the message but I loved the way they went about it. I always like when celebrities don’t take themselves too seriously.

I know I haven’t updated in forever but not only have I started a new job but I was also going through the process of buying my first home. It’s just a condo but still! I never thought I’d be able to afford to buy a place. Hell, just three years ago I was making $13.75/hour. Amazing what can happen in such a short amount of time. Anyways, I hope to be able to update more and find some more time to get back into gaming.

I did manage to check out Warhammer Online for a few days during the open beta. Knowing that it’s beta it’s really hard to judge the game accurately so please, let me know if anything I say has changed in the full release! My initial impression is that the graphics were sub-par. Of course, coming off of Age of Conan it’s a drastic step down. Even taking that into consideration the textures were low res, there was not many graphic options and I can’t even tell you how ugly a game looks without anti-aliasing! This video card has spoiled me I’ll admit, but not even having the option to turn it on, even in beta? I don’t know for sure, but I’m fairly confident that the full version not only includes higher res textures but more graphic options, including AA.

More important than graphics of course, is gameplay. Unfortunately I didn’t see much that really grabbed my attention. Running quests is no different from any other game. I love the idea of having Public Quests… raids that everyone can join even if you don’t have some huge guild. That’s one of the things I hate about World of Warcraft, the fact that you have to schedule your life around a video game if you want to experience all of the really cool content. I can’t/won’t do that so I’ve never seen Onyxia, Molten Core, or the Black Temple. With Public Quests I’ll be able to.

I didn’t do any RvR, but I did manage to get into a battleground during my brief time with the beta. I really didn’t know what the objectives were and I’ve never been big on PvP so I died a lot. Nevertheless it seemed like something that could be fun once I got in some practice. Ok, a LOT of practice! I definitely like the fact that you can queue up for a battleground anywhere and where you enter the battleground is exactly where you are returned once it’s over. Not having to trounce all the way back to town to queue up then all the way to where you were questing once it’s over is a major step in the right direction.

The coolest thing about the game though is the Tome of Knowledge. I’m definitely obsessive compulsive about certain things and this just feeds right into that in an oh-so-sweet way. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to get the game but this is a MAJOR factor in the games favor. The fact that everything is track and rewarded is something I think every game needs because, if I kill 1000 kobolds, then dammit, I want to know! If I can get some cool title like Kobold Annihilator, then I might just grind them to have it.

As I said, I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to get this game. Sadly, what happened with Age of Conan has a lot to do with that. Plus, with Wrath of the Lich King coming out in less than 2 months, Warhammer might just have to wait awhile. Assuming it’s still worth playing by then.

So, I’m putting this here primarily for my own use. I’m seriously thinking about picking up this game this weekend and getting my fight on and I want to make sure I have all the necessary information to unlock all the characters and items.

Unlockable Characters

• The Apprentice (Starkiller): Complete arcade mode with Yoda. The Apprentice appears before Algol, the final boss.
• Angol Fear: Defeat her in Story Mode with Algol, The Apprentice, Kilik, or Zasalamel.
• Ashlotte: Defeat her in Story Mode with Astaroth, Lizardman, Maxi, Rock, Sophitia, or Talim.
• Kamikirimusi: Defeat her in Story Mode with Amy, Cassandra, Misturugi, Yun-Seong, Tira, or Xianghua.
• Scheherazade: Defeat her in Story Mode with Ashlotte, Hilde, Nightmare, Siegfried, Voldo, Yoda, or Yoshimitsu.
• Shura: Defeat her in Story Mode with Cervantes, Ivy, Kamikirimusi, Raphael, Seong Mi-Na, Setsuka, or Taki.
• Algol: Defeat Algol in Story Mode

Unlockable Items

Tower or Lost Souls – Ascending (by floor)

1. Soldiers Hat – Clear stage while taking no damage.
2. Warrior Trousers – Clear stage with no ring outs from either side.
3. Pauldron – Switch with ally more than 2 times.
4. Warlord’s Belt – Perform 3 attack throws.
5. Clergy Clothes – Defeat an enemy with a ring out.
6. Wonder Jacket – Throw an opponent.
7. Warrior Trousers – Clear the stage without missing any attacks.
8. Armor Ring and Ice Mirror – Switch characters twice.
9. Scarlett Blossoms – Block the opponent’s attack 3 times in a row.
10. Silver Boots – Block the opponent’s attack 10 times in a row.
11. Grim Horn – Defeat all enemies with a critical finish.
12. Magus Cloth – Defeat all enemies with ring out.
13. Pagasus Sallet – Destroy all the walls.
14. Stages: Phantom Pavilion and Seesaw – Perform guard impact more than 3 times.
15. Submissions Belt – Clear the stage using only the A and G buttons.
16. Warlord’s Belt – Clear the stage with zero time remaining.
17. Arm Bandages – Execute a 5+ combo.
18. Koucho Kabuto – Stand on all corners of the stage.
19. Longhua qippo – Switch with ally more than 5 times.
20. Life Gem: Sun – Clear the stage with a critical finish.
21. Longhua Qippo – Voluntarily perform a ring out.
22. Honor Bootss – Perform more than 4 counter hits.
23. Frilled Skirt – Block more than 3 times in a row.
24. Protect Gem and Cardinal Directions – Perform a combo with more than 240 damage.
25. Zhuque Changpao – Throw more than 5 times.
26. Warthog Cuirass – Execute a 10+ combo.
27. Iron Gauntlets – Clear the stage with no damage taken.
28. Aculeus Suit – Opponent blocks a guard break 2 or more times.
29. Menghu Boots – Switch with ally 5 or more times.
30. Spirit Gem and Noniple heads – Clear stage without blocking.
31. Longming Qippo – Perform 5 or more Just Inputs.
32. Vane Mask – Perform a low throw.
33. Battle Dress – Perform 3 attack throws.
34. Power Gem and Warrior Princess – Perform 3 or more guard impacts.
35. Warthog Pauldrons – Clear without switching.
36. Parlor Blouse – Clear the stage with zero time remaining.
37. Siren’s Helm – Defeat all enemies with critical finishes.
38. Gorgon Fauld – Defeat all enemies with ring outs.
39. Kingfisher Greaves – Clear the stage without changing position.
40. Deer Head – Execute a 5+ combo.
41. Minotaur – perform 5+ Just Inputs.
42. Demonic Gloves – Clear the stage without letting opponents invoke a skill.
43. Repel Gem and Iron Shell – Perform an over the back throw.
44. War Cloak – No ring outs on either side.
45. Tiger Lily Kabuto – Defeat enemies without using any skills.
46. Butterfly Salet – Defeat enemies without using any skills.
47. Succubus Boots – Throw 5 times.
48. Life Gem and Jade – Clear the stage with a character equipped with the Invisible skill.
49. Horns of Calamity – Clear the stage without missing any attacks.
50. Tiger Lily Breastplates – Execute a 10+ combo.
51. Tiger Lily Fauld – Perform more than 4 counterhits.
52. Feathered Wings – Clear the stage with a critical finish.
53. Blade Ring and Demon Lord – Defeat all enemies with a ring out.
54. Leviathan Pauldrons – Destroy all the walls.
55. Priestess Kimono – Perform 3 attack throws.
56. Leviathan Burgonet – Perform a combo with more than 250 damage.
57. Voodoo Armlets – Voluntarily perform a ring out.
58. Tiger Pauldrons – Defeat all enemies without any skills equipped.
59. Voodoo Greaves – Block an enemies attack 10 times in a row.
60. Voodoo Breastplate – Clear the stage without switching characters.

Tower of Lost Souls – Descending (Clear the stage)

• B5 – Dark Knight’s Cloak
• B10 – Blade Ring and Raging Thunder
• B15 – Lapin Chapeau
• B20 – Repel Gem and Fox Demon
• B25 – Succubus Gauntlets
• B30 – Demonic Armor
• B35 – Demonic Pauldrons
• B40 – Voodoo Crown

It’s about time my 360 saw some more use. The last game I played was Mass Effect. AWESOME game by the way, if you haven’t played it! It’s got a really great story so, even if you’re not a fan of RPG’s it’s worth playing if you’re a fan of Science Fiction. Anyways that was at least 6 months ago, if not longer and I’m sure the console is hungry for something other than watching movies.

As far as EvE Online goes I haven’t really had time to play it much. It still seems like the same old game
it’s always been. I’ve heard it said that it’s the most fun game you never play and that’s pretty much true. The majority of logins are simply to start training a new skill then log off. Obviously I haven’t had much time to get bored with it but I have a feeling if I continued to play I eventually would. After all, that’s what happened the last few times I’ve tried playing the game and there haven’t been enough changes to the game that would make me think it wouldn’t happen again. I’m actually going to have time to play tonight but my 14 days run out on Monday.

As for Age of Conan I still plan to pick the game back up at some point but I really don’t have a huge desire to play it right now. As I stated previously I’m more psyched up about Soul Calibur IV than anything else. Oddly enough, the urge to play World of Warcraft has hit me a couple of times, but I’m definitely not going there before I’ve hit level 80 in Age of Conan. I should check out the patch notes for the last couple of weeks… maybe they’ve added/changed/fixed enough that I’ll want to go back.