Aion: month hand-on review!

Below is a review of aion by Robert Ahrens.

About a month ago, Ncsoft's massively multiplayer online (MMO) game Aion went live in North America and Europe, following a successful launch in the Asian market. So far, the game continues to soar as Ncsoft nears its one millionth unit sold.

Based on my experience in Aion, there were enough interesting twists and turns from the standard play associated with your usual MMO fare. The world was challenging to progress through, and an immersive storyline and gorgeous graphics have enhanced the experience.

The world of Atreia has been split in two. The Elyseans of Elyos have lived rich full lives basking in the sunlight, while the Asmodians reside in the harsh and dark environment of Asmodae. Between the two lies the Abyss, a region filled with monsters and ghosts. It is also full of valuable resources that pit the two groups against each other as well as a third group of dragonlike creatures called the Balaur.

Overall, Aion's launch was smooth. Servers have been fairly stable since last month's launch.
 
For the first time in my MMO experience, I felt as if my character was meant for something other than "leveling up" and getting better gear. There is a vast storyline being played out with your character as you move through the game. The campaign quest lines bring this about with rich cinematics and narratives through non-playable characters (NPCs).
 
Gameplay itself follows the same process of most role-playing games (RPG). You perform your series of quests to collect items, kill creatures and talk to key characters. Questing here is made easier by using the channel system on your server, depending on what area you are playing in.
 
Each zone has a number of channels that allow players to leave an area that's overpopulated or if a quest suffers from bugs. Players change the channel by simply using the support interface in-game and switching over. The game will start new players in less crowded channels, so if you are joining friends in the game, be sure everyone is on the same channel.
 
Aion is a rich world full of sights and sounds that stand out over most MMOs. From the vast options offered at the character creation screen, Aion sets a new standard for visuals. It was amazing to watch my Chanter character interact with elements of her world. Standing in a light snow, she would hold up her arms up toward the sky. If she was near a body of water, she would lean over and swirl her hands around in the water.
 
The gameplay is focused on reaching the Abyss, where players will encounter enemies and the third non-playable faction, the Balaur. To get there, your character progresses from the starter area as you learn about your destiny. Your first major goal is to get your wings, a key feature separating Aion from other MMOs.
Sure, you can fly in World of Warcraft's Burning Crusade or Wrath of the Lich King expansions, but you can't fight or quest when flying. Aion lets you do just that in the Abyss where your faction will fight to gain control of resources, fortresses and artifacts.
 
You earn your wings  - and choose your character sub-class - after reaching Level 10 in experience, which does not require players to grind out long quests to reach that magic milestone.  However, it will be almost 15 levels later when you finally take flight in the Abyss. Once you enter, a series of tutorial quests will help explain the nature of play in this area.
 
Aion is an amazing game with few negatives that I found for my own playing style. I wasn't fond of having to fight other players for respawning items, especially boss spawns on crowded channels. I still like the World of Warcraft system of whoever strikes first gets the kill. Nothing is more frustrating than waiting on a boss and not receiving credit for the kill because your group failed to tally the most damage.
 
The level grind in Aion does sometimes feel very long. With a level cap of 50, reaching it will be an accomplishment. Seeing the more than 2 million experience points needed to reach level 25 seemed daunting, but by the time you level you can feel some satisfaction, at least until the experience bar clears itself for the next level grind. 
 
Aion's popularity and success in the Asian market is no fluke. This is a rich, immense new world of MMO gaming that should continue its success in North American and European markets. It will be very friendly to those players looking to crossover from console RPGs to a PC MMO.