Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures doesn't really float the old boat here i'm afraid, seems to be the same stuff we have now grown acustomed to other MMOs and frankly I cannot see the long term interest in it at the moment.

I'll happily take Singstar and WiiFit over it any day unless you can convince me otherwise!

In typically biased Elysium fashion, Garfield: Lasagna World Tour goes completely ignored.

But seriously, the early access program of AoC has blown away my expectations of what an mmorpg can be. Combine cutting edge technology with the gifted designers at Funcom and you've got near-photo realistic landscapes, engaging combat, and interesting & mature quests. For example, a formerly wealthy socialite wants to enlist your character to help get her "escaped" slaves back. Would you help her for a reward, or tell her to shove off?

I haven't had much of a chance to pvp yet, but the die-hards seem satisfied with it. Please check the mmorpg section of this site for some nice screenshots too.

Is there a free trial for AoC? I've been burned by MMOs too many times to buy without trying.

No, not yet. It all depends on how the real launch will go tomorrow. If it's anything like the Early Access launch, I think the game will be a huge success and I wouldn't see a reason for them to open trial accounts anytime soon.

The early access was ~13 gb and for me and most other folks we turned it on before bed and the download was finished the next morning or after work. People did have problems with download speeds, but it seemed like there were ways around it. You don't have to download anything but patches after the 20th.

AoC has blown me away so far. Granted I was hooked after paying open beta even though it was filled with bugs and technical problems for me at the time. The release version is a huge improvement over the glimpse I was given via Fileplanet open beta (aka the public paid stress test).

Ouch!

I think the $5 is pretty reasonable, given that it grants you 10 days of play as well. Cmon Rob, you know you want to try it...

We're getting Wii Fit, but because I want the balance board for Wii Ski. My daughter wants to use it for it's intended purpose over the summer, too, but mostly we're going to be falling with style.

He was referring to the Open Beta which cost $8ish and was, in fact, a kick in the nuts.

The Early Access we are currently experiencing is more of a nice massage of the nuts.

Sorry but I think you are absolutely wrong. I am sure there were lots of people who subscribed to the service just so that they could get in. It's the whole point! Fileplanet is trying to attract new customers and one of the ways they do that is to offer these exclusives. So if you were one of the unlucky few who signed up, got in the beta, and than were not even able to start the game because the open beta was monumentally mishandled you have every right to be upset! In fact I would say those people have every right to ask for their money back! Although I doubt that will ever happen.

People should not be forced to pay any sort of fee, or buy a different game, just so they can play a beta. Too much can go wrong and a lot did this time around. Not everyone who gets suckered into these deals are fully aware just how much can go wrong when they enter these agreements. It really makes me angry.

I'm sorry, I'm with Rob. By the time a company is offering an OPEN beta, they should be able to guarantee that your in, especially if that beta is paid for. If they called it beta access with a fileplanet account, then that's what the user should get, access. We're not talking about some just off alpha, glitchy POS, we're talking about a near release beta. The fact that this was called an open beta, yet required a membership to some service is another matter which I feel requires rethinking. Call it a closed beta to fileplanet members, not an open beta.

A girlfriend of mine went to reserve Wii Fit last week. The guy at the counter laughed at her optimism, saying they'd been sold out of pre-orders for over a month and a half.

I think it'll be interesting to see how much of a phenomenon this title actually becomes. Will it be the new Guitar Hero, in terms of mainstream popularity? Or will everyone forget about it in two months?

Hopefully the AoC GWJ guilds stay as active as the GWJ guild in LotRO so I can join in when the game's been out long enough to prove to be stable & solid enough to be worth a go.

Oh, wait a minute...

Ok, seriously though, looks awesome and when I eventually give it a whirl (it's a when, not an if ) I hope to join in on a goodjer-founded and goodjer-run guild city!

I completely agree with Certis on this one. I subscribed to Fileplanet just for the AoC open beta. I can't complain too much. I would spend the $8.00 that the account cost me on lunch and not feel bad about it. I got a good 5 hours of fun out of the beta, which is far more than most lunches get me. Would I have liked a more stable environment? Of course, but that doesn't mean I need to demand my money back.

Also, if you're really, really upset about it, just google Fileplanet and click on their sponsored link, that'll put 'em back a couple bucks.

You at least got 5 hours. Some people got Zero because the game NEVER worked.

O really? Awesome. In my mind I kind of equate buddy pass with free trial so assumed that neither were around. Please, hook me up with a buddy pass.