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Level 12 - My review..that turned out longer than I had hoped.
Gameplay - The game plays like WoW and what I mean by this is the feel of the movement, fluidness and response time the game has (it's a good thing). I know alot of people when WAR came out were bitching about response time. It sometimes feel like there is a rough delay but this could also be due to the fact I'm playin in freakin' China here (suprisingly the lag is hardly noticeable though) even though I know it's likely there.
Art/Graphics - They obviously have some interesting minds on this side of the earth. I would say the art is fantastic from the armor to the weapons and nearly everything. I currently at level 12 have a helmet/sword combo that honestly you likely would see more around mid-range on other games. The shit is just cool looking. I was a "bit" underwhelmed by the graphics. I run on everything Max at 1650x1050. They aren't bad, far from it. I would just personally say they are slightly under WAR's. It's likely a matter of taste (maybe the overall game is just a little bright for me?).
Skills/Combat - I can't comment too much on skills. Let's be honest though it seems for the most part they're pretty standard. I guess it's hard to really get creative with skills on an MMO (although some kind of brawling skill/class would rock). The combat moves/chainskills are pretty cool. I like the way the characters fight and the speed of the combat and from what I've seen of some higher level videos they only get more gnarly.
Character Customization - I'm sure you've all seen the videos. It's pretty interesting actually. I mean you can really do some interesting looking characters if you take the time. The one minor gripe though I have is the friggin height meter. Ok..I like tall Gladiators..but 11 feet tall? And what the hell is with the 1 1/2 foot Rangers? Overall kind of funny buy I can see how some people would find it a little..odd..because it sometimes can look strange but I guess it adds depth to the game from an visual stand point. Accompany that with a dye system and it makes out for a quite unique looking character which is nice. I never played WoW but my roommate did and I noticed EVERYONE LOOKED THE SAME which is just flat out ridiculous. Even in UO people looked different.
Quests - Standard. Maybe they get more interesting later on. Doesn't matter to me either way being I'm here for the PvP.
Conclusion - I think the game is VERY solid from what I've seen so far from being quite stable, personally haven't noticed any bugs except it seems sometimes I have to reclick my target after certain abilities. Obviously the game is popular in China/Korea, will it do the same in NA/EU? I think so. Why? As I said earlier in my post it "plays" like WoW and that's what ALOT of people are comfortable with today. This doesn't mean it's the same, looks the same, it just feels the same with a different environment, characters, etc and so on. I think as long as people give it a shot they'll be pleasantly suprised on how popular this game could be. I'll say it right now though if the PvP turns out to be shitty or just not very enganging I won't play for too long likely. The reason I'm here is for the PvP and from what I've seen the way they have it layed out I'm not too concerned. I think where WAR went wrong was they spread people out too much. The Abyss (PvP) is like one giant fuckin' melting pot of destruction.
Thanks for reading. Obviously it wasn't as short and sweet as I would of liked it 
. I also appreciate the help from everyone who helped me with acct creation and all that other jazz.
Comments
I just got done playing my free 5 hours on china server as an Asmodian scout, and I agree with pretty much everything you said here.
the game does feel very solid compared to recent mmo launches like terrible conan and warhammer. What I like about aion is that it takes the best of both sides of the world in mmo cultures, in my opinion. I think of it as a mixture of Lineage 2 and World of Warcraft. The graphic design and animations are very lineage 2 like, and the movement, quest system, controls, experience rates (so far as I can tell) are more like a western mmo like WoW. This mixture of gamestyles plays out really well, and I think that it will succeed.
I played wow off and on since first fileplanet beta, recently quit for good. If Aion NA/EU is as good as my measly 5 hours on Aion CN, I plan on playing retail.
heres a little video i made running around killing stuff at 1680x1050 max settings, in case you are wondering what it looks like
www.megaupload.com/?d=3VAU4KI3
i think where war went wrong is lack of deep PVE, too much PVP, repetative keep formula, bugs, tiers and lnear zones.
i think where war went wrong is lack of deep PVE, too much PVP, repetative keep formula, bugs, tiers and lnear zones.
Come to think of it, you're right. Levelling up is a breeze until you reach the cap and that's where the hard part of levelling Renown Rank comes in.
My main concern with this game is it sounds like gear is pretty important and that you will have to do fairly large and stupid PvE raids to get that equipoment. Otherwise it seems pretty solid.
The Abyss PvP sounds interesting but if I have to raid to not get destroyed in the Abyss PvP part then I may just pass on the game. I feel that the Abyss PvP is enough of an endgame for me and either way I hate PvE boss raids, PvP raid sized stuff is fine.
You can PvE raid and take the loot to the Abyss or you can kill in the Abyss and cash in your Abyss Points for PvP gear and take that into PvE! Hell, you can craft ALL DAY LONG (provided you have the cash to buy mats off the AH or a legion/guild that'll give you everything you need) and make crafted armor that is better than both PvE and PvP armor. Your toon will probably be kinda low-level though, in that case. That's what alts are for, am I right?
So, in summary, three ways to play, or mix and match for optimum pleasure!
ArcheAgeSource.com
Golden instance drops: Good attack speed bonuses, not so good for mages, probably the best for: Rangers, Chanters, Assassins and Gladiators.
Golden crafted items: The best basic stats possible, decent flight bonuses. Pretty good for abyss gankers such as sorcerer.
Golden abyss items: Those have 2 extra sockets, PvPvE bonuses that work on Balaurs and the enemy faction only, pretty good for mages (up to 510 HP extra or 150 magic damage thanks to the ammount of manastone sockets). The best looking ones imo. Also the best for defensive templars or high ranked people.
Golden quest items: Decent set bonuses, easier to get.
Golden Raid boss drops (like the stone giant on the abyss core): Similar to the crafted items, but with lower basic stats.
I am dumb, I still cannot find the web link for downloading and applicant for trial accounts. I must be tired after all these travelling and work.
Any kind person got a link to Aion boards relevant? Thanks
i think where war went wrong is lack of deep PVE, too much PVP, repetative keep formula, bugs, tiers and lnear zones.
..and bad combat, terrible class balance, poor optimisation, bad graphics.....
i think where war went wrong is lack of deep PVE, too much PVP, repetative keep formula, bugs, tiers and lnear zones.
..and bad combat, terrible class balance, poor optimisation, bad graphics.....
I thought the graphics were good in war ? so I hear. ( I never played it )
Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...
I stopped reading when he said the graphics were slightly worse than WAR's...
God I hope not. WAR was horrendous, the landscape looked like a brown mush.
O_o o_O
i am stunned with graphics are wonderful he must be blind
Obviously Art style is a bit relative so when you read this people you don't have to be horrified and thinking the game looks worse than WAR's... in my opinion it sure doesn't, WAR's art is like a mix of reality with cartoonish style which i personally find utterly depressing, as for Aion's the whole environment feels so good, even on the darker side it looks great, you have lovely landscapes, and if you have any doubts go no further check some of the videos and screenshots I'm sure they will make it clearer for you.
Quest wise I don't know if you got that far into them to experience some funny quest lines, my character is level 22 and I've gotta say yes there's not much you can do with quests but they still made something I hadn't seen in any other MMO, there are a few quests where you have a choice on whom to deliver the quest to... the rewards will be different but obviously you do not know which rewards you are gonna get out of the different NPCs you kind of have to read the quest and find out by yourself what would be the most logical ending for it at least that's what I gathered from the few quests I've completed having that option, I was playing with a few friends so I had the opportunity to check the different rewards.
Also I would like to add that they've added something funny to the mailing system, the express delivery... it's actually express and you have a "squirel" like NPC with a backpack delivering it to you instantly.