Gotta love a media blitz! Today via press release, Funcom's let out a whole big batch (and by big, I mean "a huge number of" and "hugely insane resolutions of") screenshots, screenshots, and more screenshots for Age of Conan. We get to see the expansion teaser art too, as well as comparisons of Age of Conan on DirectX10 vs DirectX9. Plus a sneak peak at the free content that's coming within the next few months! It's thumbnail enlargement time!

Funcom has revealed a new teaser image forAge of Conan's first ever expansion pack that's set to be released next year. The concept art itself won't be released until tomorrow, but Eurogamer did give a description of what the concept art shows. Check it out in the full article.

Undoubtedly you've heard of Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (PC, with an Xbox 360 version to follow) yes? Well, if you're thinking of venturing into the Hyborian wastes then you might as well prepare yourself for the long journey ahead of you. No, we won't cast a spell of knowledge for it may upset the Cimmerians in our readership. Instead we deliver an article which discusses everything you need to know to get started. Click on the link below to see for yourself.

By Crom! The Cimmerian's bloody god of war (disclaimer: not to be confused with the other God of War) was benevolent to bless us with more gory screenshots from Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. Fans of Robert E. Howard's testosterone filled world of swords and sorcery will definitely get an eyeful from the fantastic visuals we've compiled.

Check out the bloody screenshots after the jump!

 

By Crom! While the last Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Friday update discussed servers, languages and the possibility of an open beta, this week's topic is one that should please most barbarians out there: the women of Hyboria.

The developers from Funcom decided to take a more updated view Hyboria's female residents. They designed the female character to be every bit as deadly (and more pleasing to the eye) as their male counterparts, just like in Robert E. Howard's original works

The people from Funcom put in a lot of work in designing Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures' female members. According to Funcom, they created 2,500 female exclusive animations, new emotes, and specific clothing and armor for these deadly ladies. It was also mentioned that they've created various character customization options which includes over thirty different base female head templates players can use and modify during the character creation process.

If you can't wait till March to see what the women in Age of Conan: The Hyborian Adventures (Xbox 360 and PC) will look like, here are a few screenshots of the different female-specific armor on a Stygian female model. Enjoy!

  

  

You can easily imagine Funcom's resident lore guy shout "By Crom!" after asking you to put your feet up as he relates the latest story in the rich history of Hyboria.

In an interview with Quest Designer and Lore Master Elliot Kingdon (the said lore guy), he explained his role in the development of their lore-rich fantasy MMORPG Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (also on Xbox 360) and the biggest issues he tackles while handling his job.

A long-time fan of the Conan universe, Kingdon related how his interest in the world itself was what drew him into his current job. Coupled with his love for computer games, his role as the go-to guy about the Conan universe is what makes his job so enjoyable for him.

He mentioned that he and his team take a lot of their ideas mainly from the lore of the game, written from actual stories by the original Conan author Robert E. Howard. He went on to explain the importance of this saying:

Lore is an invaluable framework. Staying true to it and producing a fun game need not be mutually exclusive. And nothing we do in the MMO will violate the original stories, they'll still be right there on the shelf.

All the aspects of the game were closely incorporated from the actual lore of the Conan storyline. Gamers won't be surprised to see long-dead villains rise from their graves or the fact that the world itself, while in placed in a purely fantasy setting, has magic as a rare but powerful commodity.

It goes without saying that Elliot definitely loves the job he has. And when asked who his favorite NPC was in the Age of Conan MMORPG was, his answer was quite simple: "Conan has to be my favorite".

Today we have a new trailer from Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, the upcoming MMORPG titles based on the world created by Robert E. Howard for the Conan novels. This particular trailer introduces players to the snow-covered forests of Atzels and the hardy barbarian warriors that call it home. Check it out below.

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is being published for the PC platform by Funcom. Eidos Interactive will be handling publishing duties for the Xbox 360 version of the game. The game is currently scheduled for release this October.

By Crom! New Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (PC, Xbox 360) screenshots from Funcom! These screenshots from the MMORPG curently feature The Wild Lands of Zelata, a land named after the witch Zelata whom King Conan had once asked for council.

The said territory is found within a valley and is known to be a place of refuge for those who wish to get away from bustling cities. Multiple settlements have popped up in this land, and these settlements are protected by hunters, as well as the odd patrol of soldiers who defend  the dwellings from wild beasts and Bandits. The land is temperate due to its location, and well-sheltered from the harsh winters and climate changes that plague other lands, so it's not unknown to find a lot of new settlers coming in.

Recently, Dark Beasts have been discovered wondering just beyond the edges of the settlements and have been killing off some of the villagers and travelers who encounter them. The creatures have been getting bolder of late, taking down entire villages in their bestial wrath. Survivors of these attacks have sought refuge in the hamlet of Tesso but it's only a matter of time until the creatures find and destroy the said hamlet.

The screenshots themselves look very pretty and they really showcase the impressive graphics of the game. From what we've seen, they've really captured the essence of the untamed and forested lands that Robert E. Howard envisioned. So far the closed beta of the game is still in progress, with the technical beta just kicking off recently. Stay tuned for more updates on Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventure here on QJ.

    

  

By Crom! Age of Conan: The Hyborian Adventures is looking good. They have released new screenshots and even a trailer video. The graphics are decent for an MMORPG although it seems a bit rough at times. The game play we hope will be awesome as the backstory of Conan is just awesome. The land ruled by Conan is slowly creeping into decline in the game. This is the perfect backdrop for your character to make a name for himself.

The full details on the game will be released in this May's E3. Here are the some of the screens. I really advise downloading the video as it does more justice to the game then the screenshots ever will.

Click on the "Full Article" link to see all the screenshots.

Download: [Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Trailer Video]

The latest MMORPG from Funcom is built on Robert E. Howard's many short stories revolving around a certain age when Conan has gained the throne and is slowly losing his grasp over the kingdom. Threats loom far and wide across the land, while vengeful gods and goddesses hold a strong grip on people's lives.

One of those deities in Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is Derketo. Representing her powers of fertility and life, this goddess' symbol is the fish. Originally worshipped in Shem, she's a goddess of fertility and lust, and can now be found in many pantheons across the southern kingdoms.

In the grand temples built to worship her, young girls are initiated into the said deity's erotic ways. The initiates serve as courtesans to noblemen and priests, while the other priestesses of the temple practice the art of pleasure.

Worshippers of Derketo celebrate the equinox and take part in life-giving feasts - all devoted to the goddess. Wanton and decadent as the "services" may be, arch-priests who wish to rid this religion from the lands know full well that the nobles wouldn't allow it.

So, whether you wish to have some dealings with this sort of licentious crowd in your travels, then by all means. Although she might be known and worshipped as a goddess of life and fertility in most lands, in Kush, however, she's known as the Queen of Death. Surely, there must be a reason for this. The question is, would you dare find out?