It has been a while since Conan made an impact, ripping anyone and everyone to pieces while trying to eradicate the land from evil. However, THQ started work on a new project that should paint Robert E. Howard's medieval creation in a whole new light -- blood red, of course. Conan the video game, from the development team at Nihilistic, will arrive this October for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

In the game, enemies lay siege upon Conan's Hyborian world, wreaking havoc on all that get in their way. Of course, they haven't met Conan, a muscle-bound swordsman who has his own subtle form of negotiation -- kill first and ask questions later. Players guide Conan through a series of stages, cutting enemies down to size while freeing captives and occasionally running across a larger enemy that requires more effort -- and cunning -- to defeat. This includes giant squids, muscle-bound freaks and other beings.

The game resembles Sony's God of War series, but only to an extent. As Conan comes upon each group of enemies, he can dispatch them in a number of ways. He can throw them like a human discus, bend them with devastating grappling moves or let his sword do the talking. The weapons-based combat works rather differently, depending on what Conan wields at the time. If he carries two swords, for instance, he can come down on a foe with a heavy two-handed lunge. If he prefers the power of one mighty blade, he can slice someone to bits in a quicker fashion, without the weight of the second weapon holding him back. Some puzzle solving also comes into play, requiring him to rescue imprisoned weaklings or activate a certain item (bridge, switch, etc.) in order to proceed. However, the emphasis remains focused on the in-game combat, which results in the spilling of buckets of blood and removal of limbs. Expect lots of chopped-off arms and legs, along with a few decapitations and other finishers.

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