That whiff of blood in the air comes from the upcoming massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game Age of Conan: The Hyborian Adventures, based on the Conan comic book series. Not only does the MMO support DirectX 10 technology, but it also features brutal real-time combat. Wimps need not apply.

Conan, now a king, finds himself surrounded by encroaching enemies, both magical and otherwise. Never one to back down from a fight, no matter what the odds, Conan declares a free-for all. Men and women from all across the land aid in this war, and if they have the strength and guts to take contested lands from opposing kingdoms, they will keep it for however long they manage to hold on to power.

Those answering the call to battle can select from fourteen different character classes, with a pet class recently shown. The summoner is a necromancer that can summon up to eight pets to fight for him. Each pet has a point cost (players have a maximum of eight pet points); small creatures will cost one point, while more powerful ones require more. Creatures range from scorpions to demons, not to mention giant serpents. A group of players cut enemies to shreds while walking across a jungle path, showing off Age of Conan's combat system, which allows players to chain combos together and dodge in real-time. Non-player characters call for reinforcements whenever a band of brawlers approach, and the game features a system where enemy villages automatically scale in difficulty as groups of different sizes appear.

It's uncommon to find this much blood spewing in a typical MMO. Blood actually splatters onto the screen's "camera," which emphasizes Conan's intended Mature rating.

No Conan adventure would be complete without some forgotten ruins to explore. Age of Conan doesn't disappoint, as we were shown a dungeon meant for a 24-player raid, but shown by a single hero with plenty of developer-only super-buffs thrown on (unfortunately, they won't make it into the final game). The torch-lit ruins feature high walls lined with statues, which gave way to gargantuan caverns that lead to a throne room where the boss presides. Starting off as an unassuming evil wizard that summoned demonic reinforcements, the player quickly strikes the boss down, causing a fountain of blood to spray upward (actual time could vary, since the character was given an extremely high damage output). But then a huge stone creature spawned from the bloody remains of the fallen wizard. As though that wasn't enough to get muscle-hardened Conanites into a frenzy, there was an even bigger demon waiting down the hall.

Between combating all the wizards, monsters and demons, one obvious question came to surface: What about player vs. player (PvP)? Just like every other aspect of this game, the developers pumped PvP battle to a massive scale. Ambitious players who go out and conquer lands can build their own castles on them, but then they also must defend their claim. Guilds can siege castles in a massive grab for power. A great deal will be at stake, since guilds build their palaces from scratch, so guilds could possibly lose everything. But to maintain balance among the brutality, guilds must agree on a set time for when a siege battle occurs. Those looking for some non-committal PvP action can hit the pubs, throw back a few (dozen) and engage in some drunken brawling until someone goes down.

Age of Conan features easy gameplay that is difficult to master, catering toward ambitious players tired of cutesy graphics. Nothing in the Conan is done in a small way - not levels, monsters or deaths. Players looking to get into some big action need only wait until the game's October 30th release.