Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Preview

PCZone offers a hands-on preview of FunCom's upcoming MMO, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, and while they have some concerns, they appear impressed overall.
When I played the game I was thrown in at the deep end and while it felt like a system that's instantly satisfying in single-player, it required slightly more co-ordination than a room full of curious journalists possess to figure out effective group play. Most of my longer combos were hindered by the fact that everyone else wouldn't get out of the way while I pulled off a groovy stab.

The ethos behind the combat is to make it feel more real. So, contrary to the genre standard, collision detection prevents you from all standing in the same place, priests are required to face their target and you don't have to get off your mount to slice open a peasant. This all feels genuinely idealistic - which can't be a bad thing - but also seems more suited to solo or small-group play: a 40-man raid would quickly degrade into the Tube exit of Oxford Circus on a rainy Saturday.