Aion Preview: Onward Towards Ascension

Tags : aion preview, Aion Beta, aion beta review,     

After taking part in several weekend beta test events, we're finally ready to turn a slight more critical eye on NCsoft's latest massively-multiplayer offering, Aion.

East Meets West: Too many times have I seen a gorgeous online game with that signature Korean art style, only to log in and find the game mechanics are a bloody, unpolished mess. Aion manages to keep the polished look of a Korean MMO and marry it with a Western presentation in a way I've dreamt of but never seen come to fruition. The grind that normally plagues these types of games is so far absent, and the emphasis on story so far verges on that of games like World of Warcraft and Everquest II. These have been some very impressive first steps.

Cinematic Quests: Aion often takes the focus away from the player to deliver quest objectives, presenting them as cinematic cut scenes rather than simple lines of text. As big as a full-fledged induction ceremony to celebrate the player's ascension to daeva-hood or as small as a simple pan over the area where your quest takes place, the feature adds a sense of grandeur to the proceedings.

Familiar Yet Distinctive Graphics: While the characters in Aion are rendered with the signature Korean flair, the world itself is quite unique. The creatures that I encountered were, for the most part, unlike anything I've experienced before, and even the more traditional Asian monster mainstays, like mushrooms, carried their own distinct style. The world itself is gorgeous and quite varied, especially considering the small slice of the game world I was able to experience during the beta events.

Mad Skills: While the first few levels of any class in Aion are what you'd expect from any MMO, once the combination skills kick in, things really start to liven up. Similar to Age of Conan, some skills are linked directly to others, meaning that you must fire off one, and then the next becomes available. Eventually you have multiple choices of how you'll string your powers together, adding a lovely bit of strategy to the combat. The game also features certain skills that can only be fired off after a gauge is filled by delivering and taking damage, similar to the way Limit Breaks worked in Final Fantasy VII, which I felt was a very nice touch.

Flying For Fun: After spending 10 levels hoofing it, taking to the air in your very own set of wings is an exhilarating experience. The flight mechanic works very well, with a duration that can been enhanced as you progress in level opening up new places to explore as well as new ways to combat your enemies. As an added plus, if you're sitting around bored, waiting for your group mates to return from the bathroom, you can find a nice spot and see how close you can get to the ground before hitting the wings button. Try not to miss.

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