Conan for the PlayStation 3 is one of those games I found myself enjoying and looking forward to playing again even though at first blush I wasn't overly impressed. The game opens with you choosing your difficulty level, then starts moving with a brief cutscene of an old woman telling the tale of Conan; and before you know it, you're back in time demonstrating what she's going on about. This basically amounts to slicing, dicing and bludgeoning just about anything in your path that looks at you crosswise. This does not include unarmed peasants and fair maidens.
The beginning levels of the game don't amount to much more than a simple button-masher while learning simple combinations and how to pick stuff up and throw it, but as Conan progresses, he earns optional new attack combinations and powers. These come in handy as the game will throw various levels of difficulty at you as you move along. There are the standard hordes of really easy sword fodder mixed with more difficult opponents that will show up in numbers ranging from one to, well, a lot.
Enemies aren't limited to the human variety, as Conan is pitted against animals, spawn of magical origin and overgrown lizards with really bad breath. And of course, you can't call yourself a true barbarian worthy of scantily clad maidens if you can't beat those arrogant bosses.
A real plus for this game is that in addition to its built-in save points, automatic checkpoints are many and close between, so "dying" isn't as frustrating as it is in many hack-and-slash games.
Fighting controls include quick and strong attacks, blocking and parrying, with more complicated moves available as you go along. Killing opponents is no sterile thing, with plenty of blood and severed limbs. I recall cutting people in two on a couple of occasions. This, plus the fact that Conan rescues plenty of bare-breasted damsels in distress, means the game carries a "Mature" rating. It's not for the faint of heart, this game, but it's great after a frustrating day at the office.
Coordinating attacks, blocks and parries definitely takes skill and finger dexterity, especially against tougher opponents who like nothing better than to counterattack before you can protect yourself. There's certainly a pleasant and hypnotic sort of rhythm inherent in the fighting that's interrupted if you aren't quick enough to get your guard up and find yourself getting pummeled mercilessly while opponents drop little bomblets to inflict even more damage.
There are simple puzzles to solve and weapons you can use that go beyond the trusty sword as you go along - which adds some variety to the game - but Conan's single-minded bloodthirstiness is the bread and butter of this hacker.
The soundtrack's battle march theme is fitting, and the lines uttered by characters are somewhat humorous for about a minute. As you play through, you'll hear those lines often.
Our hero finds himself fighting in various locals and environments, but I have to say that the graphics are uneven and generally aren't anything I would show my friends as an example of what the PS3 can do. The 720p visuals really don't look much better than what I've seen on the PS2, which is disappointing for a gaming system competing with Xbox360 and Nintendo Wii and struggling to convince people to plop down big dollars for their next-gen console.
I have to say, though, that after getting past the graphics issues and initial button-mashing game play, I found Conan to be entertaining. It's a fun and enjoyable game, even if it doesn't bring anything new to the genre.
Conan's brutish confidence (yes, he speaks, but like in the movie, he's not exactly Cary Grant) is infectious. He even made me believe I could beat those tougher opponents without having to respawn a bazillion times until giving up and getting my ninja roommate to kill the baddies for me. C'est la vie. I've never claimed to be a barbarian; it's just fun to play as one sometimes.
