Red Sonja: Gail Simone is Making a Video Game!

     Today it has been revealed that Red Sonja comic book writer Gail Simone, Dynamite Entertainment, and F84 Games will be teaming up to bring us an actual Red Sonja video game.  The Hyrkanian She-Devil with a Sword herself will be taking the lead in an "action-packed and narrative-driven" game with Simone guiding it all.

     “There are two things I love in this world without question, and those things are video games and Red Sonja.  Gaming is such a huge part of my life, it’s what I do for relaxation, socialization, and inspiration, and my game and console collection is a terrifying sight to behold. 

     Mixing my favorite character, the She-Devil With A Sword, with my life-long love of games is a dream come true. We plan on making this a bloody, sexy, funny good time, full of brutal swordplay, cackling villains, and horrendous monsters, all seen through Sonja’s trademark wit. I cannot wait.” -Gail Simone

     Originally created by Robert E. Howard (of Conan the Barbarian fame) back in 1934 for the short story "The Shadow of the Vulture," Red Sonja has gone through many variations, but it was Gail Simone that gave her new life with the Dynamite comic series.  So this project could be absolutely amazing if handled well.  I really, really, REALLY hope it's a combination of Skyrim, Tomb Raider, and The Witcher.

     I've been a life-long Conan fan, but the upcoming Conan Exiles is looking less like the Skyim-in-the-Hyborean Age I was hoping for, and much more like the survival game Rust- my interest has been waning.  The last really good Conan games have been the Conan for PS3, and the free to play Age of Conan: Unchained on Steam, and now that Red Sonja is getting a game, my hopes for the franchises have been renewed.

     They are shooting for a winter 2016 to early 2017 release window.

     Sources [ Gail Simone Twitter ] [ Bleeding Cool ]

Conan Exiles: More Rust and Less Skyrim Means Huge Disappointment

     I had been pretty excited for a new brutal and violent Conan game when it was announced in December, but this new trailer has given me great pause.  A couple days ago when Conan Exiled put up their first in game trailer, I saw that the survival/building gameplay is highly reminiscent of Rust or Ark: Survival Evolved and those are games I just don't enjoy.

THE BAD

     What gets me is the fact that the world building aspects of this game look to be a necessity.  Having to build a shelter instead of exploring the land isn't something that interests me at all- and I definitely don't want to be forced to do it.  I was really hoping to be getting a Conan game that was a lot more like Skyrim.  The Hyborean Age era from the Robert E. Howard books is more than large enough to create a game of the same scale as any of the Elder Scrolls games, so who made the decision to go the Rust route?  Not everyone wants another damn crafting game.

THE GOOD

     I do think Funcom got the combat relatively right.  The trailer is from pre-Alpha footage so I can't be 100% sure yet.  Some of the spear thrusting and movements are still clunky, and the characters in general look fairly bland, but there's still time to get better.  Th beasts are decent, such as the bat monster.  And of course we might surmise that the giant serpent is a Set creature at a temple.

BY CROM!  

     Conan should be about killing, not crafting!  I mean the Playstation 3's Conan in 2007 was actually pretty damn good, and Age of Conan on Steam is still fun as well.  So why go with crafting as a major gameplay element?  This really baffles me.

     Overall the game has a nice polish and I'll still give it a go when it hits PC's via Steam on September 13th.

Conan the Barbarian: Funcom Announces "Conan Exiles" & Trailer

     In late December there was a nice little message from Age of Conan developer Funcom, saying they'd be announcing a new Conan game announcement coming in January.  Lo' and it hath arrived!

     Here's the official site's description:

SURVIVE. BUILD. DOMINATE.

Play alone in single-player mode, or forge alliances and make enemies online on both public and private servers.

Will you dominate the exiled lands or will your enemies sacrifice you on the altar of their god?
You are an exile, one of thousands cast out to fend for themselves in a barbaric wasteland swept by terrible sandstorms and besieged on every side by enemies. Here you must fight to survive, build and dominate.

Hungry, thirsty and alone, your very first battle is that against the harsh environment. Grow crops or hunt animals for food. Harvest resources to build weapons and tools. Build a shelter to survive. Ride across a vast world and explore alone, or band together with other players to build entire settlements and strongholds to withstand fierce invasions.

When strong enough, march forth into battle and wage war against your enemies as you fight to dominate the exiled lands. Sacrifice enemy players on the altars of the gods and shift the balance of power your way. Unleash your fury in savage, fast-paced combat and execute bloody and bone-crushing attacks that will see heads rolling and limbs flying.

     We aren't given much in the way of information on actual gameplay, but the survival tease and hints leave me anxious to re-enter the Hyborean age to join in tales of adventure undreamed of.  To me it sounds like a combination of action, survival, and maybe a bit of world building.  I'm curious as to how much of each we'll be forced to do.  I really don't want to be hunting down berries for hours just to have enough energy to ward off the dark armies of the evil wizard Xaltotun.
     No matter what it is, I am very intrigued, and my excitement is growing even more because rumor has it the new Schwarzenegger The Legend of Conan film's script has recently been completed.

     Early access to Conan Exiles is set to begin summer 2016 and PC launch slightly later, with consoles to follow.

     For more check their official site [ Conan Exiles ]

A New Conan the Barbarian WITH Schwarzenegger!

     Just read these articles:
http://io9.com/5955068/q-what-is-best-in-life-a-arnold-schwarzenegger-playing-conan-the-barbarian-again

http://www.themarysue.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-conan/

     With the announcement of the film The Legend of Conan, I am filled with hope and fear.  Hope that they make a movie that lasts, and fear that they may create another travesty to tarnish Robert E. Howard's legacy.
     I pray that they'll draw heavily on the original Robert E. Howard material.  Robert E. Howard's Conan story "Hour of the Dragon" in particular, as that has an aged Conan at an appropriate time in his life for Schwarzenegger to play.
     Considering the first Conan film was quite amazing for the time, and still holds up well, this could be good.  It COULD be.  I do have some doubts.  Please, please, PLEASE use the original Robert E. Howard material.  It is the reason why Conan has endured all these years.  They are good.  Do not deviate, use them.
     They should even stick with Mako's intro monologue from the Destroyer movie:

"Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis, and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And onto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!"

     Although I am looking forward to this, first things first- Conan wasn't a viking, he was Cimmerian, and his god was Crom.  There are times he runs into AEsir and Vanir, he was NOT one of them.  I would plead to the studios to not make the mistake of screwing with the Robert E. Howard stories.  His negligent Cimmerian god Crom shaped his growth.  It's how he became a doer, learned to rely solely on himself.

     If they want to make an unbelievable Conan movie- simply make Tower of the Elephant with Momoa. An adaptation as close as possible- the stories resonate because they are GOOD, stick to them and people will love it. 
     I would even settle for Momoa playing flashback encouters telling the tale of the Tower of the Elephant.
     I am serious, Tower of the Elephant contains wonderful elements of fantasy and science fiction.  Conan is pretty new in to city life and is looking to gain notoriety and gold.  In the process he meets with the alien creature Yag-Kosha and defeats the dark sorcerer Yara.  Tower of the Elephant is an exceptional story in itself.  Don't mess with it and you'll reap massive rewards.         Here's a page of the encounter with Yag-Kosha.  It is very moving and could be a phenomenal scene if filmed properly.  (From the Busiek and Nord series- I would highly recommend picking up these trades at a local comic store.  They are very good.  So is the newer Brian wood Conan series- both from Dark Horse Comics)

     Why Jason Momoa?  He can act just fine, as seen in Game of Thrones, he just needs a better director.  A much better script would've been highly beneficial in the last Conan movie as well.  It suffered from the disease plaguing most movies as of late- TERRIBLE WRITING.  Studios rush the filmmaking process through to make money.

     Come on people- take the time to edit and clean things up before rushing to get a movie out and turn a profit.  It's so simple, why aren't the heads of film companies learning this?  Give the creators(writers and directors, etc.) freedom and TIME to hone the craft.  Do you want to make the next Dark Knight Rises?  Time + talent + creative freedom = BLOCKBUSTER.
     Without those things you end up with abominations like Prometheus.  It was a beautiful mess.  It is very sad that it took TWO writers to make that mess.  They should've taken another year to edit and made something far better.

     Back to Conan.  Take the necessary time to edit and perfect the story.  Make this worth watching and you'll gain all the fans you want, and reap the subsequent tide of monetary goodness.