Age of Conan: Unchained vs Banished
Age of Conan: Unchained
Age of Conan: Unchained is an MMORPG that's based on the timeless classic comic and TV series, Conan the Barbarian. Featuring one of the best fantasy-themed lore, the game also has a very unique action-based combat system that, despite its steep learning curve, is comparable to that of TERA... though, we'd say that combat in this game is much more varied. You can weave spells, attempt to capture battlekeeps with massive siege machines and even enjoy some good ol' mounted combat that is surprisingly not at all too clunky. However, you should bear in mind that this MMO has been around for quite some time, so the graphics in this game might be a tad bit old fashioned.What we love the most about Age of Conan is that the game actually rewards players who go off the beaten track and explore the secret corners of the world that questlines will never bring you to. The shift from being a subscription-based MMO to becoming a free-to-play MMO has been very well-received too, mainly because it injects a certain amount of much-needed players into its population and well, it allows newcomers to try the game out at no cost.
All in all, Age of Conan is a solid MMORPG that is very well-suited for players who like to explore and a challenge. Hardcore fans of Conan may want to try this game out as well, even if it's only to experience the different storylines in the game.
Banished
Banished is a medieval-themed city-building simulation that can be pretty difficult to get into at first mainly due to its many nuances and lack of a comprehensive tutorial. But once you get the general idea of how things work (we'd recommend starting with easy mode), you'll start to truly appreciate the game as the challenge that it is. In some way, this game is quite similar to SimCity in many ways with the obvious difference being the themes and the lack of piping, waste management or electricity. Different maps will pose a different challenge and of course, the bigger your village is, the more stuff you'll need to manage. Although it does have some strategy elements to it - mainly in the form of village management, the game is not a war game. There is no fighting involved but your villagers will die from natural causes or disasters like illnesses or famine.However, once you've gotten the hang of the game, Banished becomes less of a punishing game and a bit more boring due to the same-y looking buildings and the soundtrack. When it comes to replayability, we'd say that the game has maybe tens of hours in it before you'll get bored and move on to the next game... and this play duration may be drastically reduced if you happen to be a pro SimCity player.
So, in short, Banished will appear to be a somewhat frustrating game at first, but once you've gotten the hang of it, the game might gradually becomes boring mainly because there is nothing else to do except to expand, expand and expand! However, we can't say that we didn't enjoy playing the game, and even for the shorter play duration it has to offer, as opposed to triple A city-building titles, the game is worth the money it costs.