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Aion - Beta Impressions.
Overall: Mediocre.
Yes, I know, before you fanbois jump into post how what I've said is blasphemy at least 'try' to listen to the points.
1. Graphics 3/5 - Aion is a great looking game, don't get me wrong. However, I don't think it's as revolutionary as I had thought it was going to be, despite running the game on max resolution, full graphics, and trying all three different types of bloom I couldn't seem to find that greatness that I saw in the Aion videos. I'm not sure what the issue is, but hopefully, it's because it was beta? Maybe all the shaders and textures aren't in yet, if that's the case well then I can't wait until I can see the final product.
2. Gameplay 3/5 - Aion plays like almost every other MMO that I've played, you click on enemy... You run towards enemy, you start to hit enemy, you press hot-keys to use fancy looking skills that deal more damage to add the finishing touches. It's simple, it looks fairly pretty, but it's nothing ground breaking. Flight combat is great, but the fact that you're flying doesn't truly change up the combat a whole lot. It's still that "generic" concept of using all your hot-keys, and following through with combinations.
3. Character Customization 4/5 - Character customization in graphical options alone give it a 4/5, however, when it comes to being able to customzing your character through other options other then gear, it's some what lacking. I'd like to see something like talent trees, or even stat distriubition for our characters. Until then, we'll have to deal with only upgrading our characters through gear, and the orb things.
4. PvP ?/? - I can't comment on PvP, beta didn't allow the testing of PvP. I did duel a few times, it was fun? I can't say it was better then any other game I've ever dueled on however.
Over all the game is decent, other then flight combat, and a few minor graphic enhancments over other games, I'm not sure that I could give many reasons as to why somebody should play Aion over WoW, that is... Unless you've played for FOUR. FREAKING. YEARS.
/Wrist - I'm done.
Comments
It's a fun game and a bit grindy.
Nothing special about this game however it is the best of this generation, nothing next-gen please understand.
Hmmm Im not gonna Fanbois this, wait yes I am. Just gonna touch on some of your comments.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
I think a lot of the screenshots, and videos I've seen come from cutscenes in the game. The reason this is worth noting is because I noticed in cutscene mode the engine increased the detail considerably - the fabric on my mage's gear sparkled for instance. I showed a screenshot (in the regular world) to a developer friend of mine, and he said they aren't using all the features of crytek engine (I really don't know, but I did run into - why doesn't it look as good as all the videos I've seen problem you did). I'm using a GTX-280 as well (with everything to max) - which was state of the art only a few months ago.
My main concerns though weren't graphic related - I thought they were fine, even if its only incrementally better than WoW. It's mostly that the quests were pretty generic and boring. Most fanboy's say that this is expected - its an mmo, and I'm thinking no - I can think of several mmo's where starting quests were really cool and fun - AoC for instance (yes it fell apart later, but it started out cool), the Death Knight starting zone in WoW for another. They had a chance to do something really unreal, but didn't - and its not something they can change for a NA launch - the game is late to market, and its already been designed.
The biggest feature of this MMO and something that really would have made it the anti-WoW - flight - is the most crippled and useless gimmick in the game at least in the open world. I was excited to get wings for my character, but disapointed in the timer. I really don't know the design decision for this - other than to make you buy potions or better wings to fly longer. The other thing - I often found visblocks randomly in the world - something WoW doesn't even have (in areas you can fly at least). In WoW if you want to fly off into oblivion it will let you (until you get exhaustion).
So its a good game, and I'm be happy playing it, but it doesn't seem so special anymore sadly
.
Actually, I'm pretty sure my system should be able to destroy what ever requirements that this game could throw at it.
Graphics Card: SLI 9800 GT x2 512mb.
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 6000+ 3Ghz
Ram: 2 Gigs.
Still wasn't very impressive.
As for playing World of Warcraft, or being a 'fanboi', if you weren't able to tell, I was kind of refering to playing the game for over four years now. As for 'talent tree' being a WoW only word, I'm pretty sure anybody could understand that meaning, skills, specs, something other then the generic stuff that Aion is currently offering. It's great that nobody LOOKS alike, but how about they take it up a notch and allow it so nobody PLAYS alike.
2GB of RAM...that's it? Hmm...you're lucky you have a powerful GPU system. Aion is using a game engine created 5 years ago. Of course it's outdated, but it looks beautiful and stunning.
but what games really manage to do this? the game that comes to mind when you think diverse play styles is Guild wars (or should) because of the thousands of builds that work.
however, when it comes down to it, everyone ends up with the same few builds. in GW there are only 3-4 monk builds that people use when they are competetive. in WoW there is a basic cookie cutter build for ever role a class can preform. sure these builds change when big patches come out. but in the end all warriors are fury till a patch when they all go MS. just like in GW when all warriors were IWAY till that got patched (or at least countered by the metagame)
some games make it seem like you can play differently than others, but in the end we are all given the same tools, and everyone who wants to do well uses those tools in the most efficent way they can. I dislike the lack of "flavor" in Aion's classes. in Lineage2 they had 3 pure nukers, and 90% of their skills were the same, but they had some nice flavor that set them apart. Aion decided to simply give us 8 classes, better for balance, worse for flavor.
I think the complain of lack of classes in Aion is overblown. yes, there are a smaller number of classes than many MMOs which to people who like variaty is a valid complaint. however its not gamebreaking by any means. guild wars launched with 5 classes but to this day (4 classes later) you are hard pressed to find a game with more diversity in how to play your chosen class.
Everything creates huge amounts of negativity on the internet, that's what the internet is for: Negativity, porn and lolcats.
I'm not looking to overkill anything, 2Gb of ram is all I need to play most of my games on max settings, with a good frame rate. So, I'd say that's good enough for what it's used for. However, with all that said and done - I think the poster a few spots above us makes a good point. I'm guessing the movies they showed us, were in fact the cinmeatics. When I got the wings, I did notice that the graphics looked sharper during the scene, so it's just marketing, it's crappy marketing for us customers, but it works and draws us in.
hmmm, but I didn't notice a difference between the cut scenes and the actual gameplay?
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
did u think how will they balance it??
Wait, you needed to look at the chains tab just to figure out chains? No wonder you're giving combat a 4/5. I was insulted by the mindless simplicity of the chains.
I just want to give my opinion when it comes to "looks". As I see it there are two different aspects of how well a game can look. You have the technical aspect, like in AoC, which can make a game look great and you have the artistic aspect, like WAR, and ofcourse the combination of the two which is the most preferable. But if I have to pick I will pick artistic over technical great.
From the videos/screenshots I have seen Aion does not seem to be technically great however artistically it seems quite well done. But that all depends on if you like the anima style with overly femenine characters. I personally do not and I much prefer the artistic feel of WAR where males look like men and not boys (High Elves being the exception).
My gaming blog
Wait, you needed to look at the chains tab just to figure out chains? No wonder you're giving combat a 4/5. I was insulted by the mindless simplicity of the chains.
Well you get a golf clap because your just smarter than the rest of us!!! I guess everyone is expected to know everything you know! no need to read anymore because its all mindless simplicity..If your gonna reply to a post come with something better than that!!
Since people are going off topic with the initial post of aion beta impressions let's redirect back to what the topic is. This MY OPINION on aion and i have the right to express what my opinions are and hope everyone understands that each person has their own personal view of what a game may want and what they are looking for. Currently i'm a WAR player so most of my references and comparisons will be based off of war.
Graphically it is a bit of the manga style, but it's quite beautiful, a man does look like a man, and a woman does look like a woman in my opinion. It does have more of that asian feel for it, but that can either be a good thing or a bad thing to someone.
Gameplay of course is of like any standard mmo, but how else are you going to make this better? Target, kill using your chain attacks that do more damage, or even standard spells until your chain spells are ready to go again. Flight combat is quite nice, that's the most unique feature yet over any other mmo's that are out there. But one thing i do hate is anyone who can out dps you can steal your mob and get the kill credit, being a cleric it will get aggrevating. The quests are a bit dry, but exploring the world is fun.
character Customisations - Very nice in terms of height you can choose, i mean being a healer i can make myself tiny enough to hide some where where no one can see me. I enjoy that i can make myself look as realistic to my real self as possible, afterall when playing an mmo you either create a character that is like your real self or a character of fantasy. I also would like to see 'talent trees' where you have specific abilities that you can customise to have, but most builds do end up being similar in the end anyhow.
PvP - can't comment on that either, i did do duels, which i enjoyed this time i can actually duel a guildy or someone of the same race. All i ask is i hope it doesn't end up like WAR a game that is dependent on a zerg, a zerg where no one listens and skills are non existent.
Crafting - this is what does it for me int erms of why i enjoy this game and will probably continue to play it for many years to come. most games don't offer crafters choices or even have an enjoyable crafting experience. I am glad that this game adds in crafted items to be more valuable than some quested items or even world drops. They make crafting hard and gathering those crafting mats difficult, so not everyone will be getting the 'best' gear unless your guild is organized enough to farm mats for those crafters. I played vanguard and the missing component for me was the crafting, in vaguard i was able to craft boats, homes, and even guild halls, hopefull they will implement them in aion.
Problems with beta that i found annoying:
- The fact that everyone starts in the same place poses a lot of issues with quest mobs. Everyone on release will be fighting for the same mobs, people waiting patiently, and people who will just jump on the mob you are waiting for even attacking. I hope aion implements multiple starting points.
- Not enough classes to choose from. I hope aion also implements more classes other than the ones they currently have. i know they will probably add more later on, but thus far slim pickings.
- trainers only in the city. I hope trainers will be located in each outpost rather than being in a major city, the walk is a bit long, paying 300 kinah a trip to be transported to one can be pricey.
- Out dps = killing your mobs. i've already stated that above but yes most annoying feature is out dps means you lose your kill credit, it should always be who tagst he mobs first, it's only fair that that kill credit goes to the first person who attacks it.
Anyway those are my thoughts and previews about the FIRST closed beta and overall i plan on moving to aion. I enjoyed my experience, but it is still the first english released beta, so hopefully as more come, ncsoft will incorporate the many ideas people have.
Slixie GM of Order of Judgment
www.judgment-gaming.com
Vanguard 2+ years | Age of Conan 2 months |LOTR 2 months |Currently playing WAR
Aion is good as i expected it will be so ill give it 5/5.
but since forums are full of trolls and other games fanbois its useless to talk here with them about anything,let them rip with their games.
Why do 90% of these so called reviewers think Aion was supposed to be a "next gen" game, a revolutionary game, a game that changes the way we look at mmos? Aion never claimed to do any of this, they specifically said they were going to improve on exisiting mmo functionalities. Does Aion have a sleeker and better usability in the UI? Yes. Does it have a better questing system? Yes. Does it combine the best of PvP in games out there (I'm not a fan of instanced pvp ala WoW)? Yes.
If you look at the mechanics of the game, Aion borrows game mechanics from AoC (combat combo moves), WAR (there RvR is represented in the Abyss), WoW (there questing system, but Aion has improved quest/map functionality) and there crafting seems to be a combination of a few games.
So IMO Aion does what many mmos do now but better in most cases. I'm not claiming it's the mmo handed down from Jesus himself. I'm just saying Aion never claimed to be a next gen game so please dont attempt to percieve it as such.
Maby when 38 studios and Starwars TOR comes out we will see next gen but even then how many times can you reinvent the mmo wheel.
Wow, its amazing how much people can complain, its even more amazing how people tend to "find" some thing wrong with the game. The only thing i have to say is, if you dont like the game, dont buy it. In most cases people only waste there time bashing and complaining about a game thats probably better than what they are currently playing. Since these games are there Gods, when another game thats released thats better than there God. The alternative is to belittle the superior product. In all my years of MMO gaming it sad that gamers cant leave out the bias that they have towards a perticular developer.
I dont like Kobe Bryant, he's an aragant player who i wish would lose every game he plays in. In fact i'd take Lebron James over KB. BUT Kobe is good, the man is darn good, and i cant knock him for that. All im trying to say is, dont be a hater give credit where credit is do.
______________________________
Currently Playing: Tabula Rasa
Waiting to play: Aion
Games played: Lineage, Lineage 2, WoW, Guild Wars, City of Heroes, Archlord, Espa Grenada
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System Specs: Windows Vista Home Premium (x64)
AMD X2 5200 (OC-2.8ghz)
4gb Corsair XMS2 ddr2-800 mem.
Crossfire 2 x (ATI 2600xt HD)
1. Don't forget the positional combat with stats changing in real-time.
I.ex: Depending on the distance, if you are farther away you get more defense, if you are close you get more attack power, if you spread your wings out you get less defense, etc...
2. If something works great, why change it? A car is still a car, 4 wheels work best...
You see, people are always complaining that all the games play the same, but as soon as the developers try to innovate they complain again that it doesn't play like the game they are used to. Just look at AoC, Darkfall, etc...
In the end, the people who are happy with something different are really a minority.
Yep, but the difficulty of having to be aware of 6 directions instead of 4 requires more attention and skills. Its a nice change.
As for the rest, see my point 2 above.
Screenshot from a cutscene:
http://api.photoshop.com/home_fa19506991584954a507a039d82c7be9/adobe-px-assets/636c8ae7ac4b4b9cbcf21ea977aea7ce
http://api.photoshop.com/home_fa19506991584954a507a039d82c7be9/adobe-px-assets/e375ba4f0ab3497c8158aa2a26a153aa
wow - thats the most epic piece of starter gear I've ever seen - it really did sparkle.
These message boards are a joke these days. It seems I can't come here to find any positive information about ANY game without a thousand angry geeks who feel they have to state their opinion over and over again in every positive thread. There is no doubt that some people don't like Aion and some people do, but come on, don't post here just because you feel threatened by a different game that you waste your life on and you post here just to prevent other people from trying something other than your beloved game. You know exactly who you are - yes - you - the guy who spends his whole life playing World of Warcrack and has no life or has lost any semblance of the life you once had.
Go play more Wow, or better yet, GET A LIFE!
P.S. I make it a habit not to post negative reviews based on a single weekend of play. At least level to like 25-30 before you come spout off how this is just like WoW. Nevermind the fact that being just like WoW must not be a bad thing. Last time I checked it IS the most popular game on the market. If you want "The Next Generation MMO" go make it yourself and quit the damn whining and complaining like little bitches!
ColdSun
Decent review to the OP. I found the game refreshing although I just came from Darkfall and that game got incredibly dull and lifeless. It was really nice to actually have CLASSES and LEVELS back in an MMO. LOL.
Overall from only playing 1 class (Assassin) and leveling it to 20, I would give the game an 8.5 out of 10.
Good points: Grahpics, Class and leveling system, Teleport system, Combat is decent
Bad points: Questing system and Flight PVP (gives advantages to some classes)
Otherwise I enjoyed it and probably will buy it considering there is nothing else good out.
You do know that you get bonuses for movement right? It actually encourages you to not stand still.
I must agree with the original post. This game is mediocre. It takes things that worked from other games and just blends them together. However, there are no talent trees, instead you have slots via stones and upgradable items with mana essence as well as the stigma system that appears later. The combos are cool but you will discover some very cheap chains that classes can do thus making the game imbalanced later in the game. For example, assassin stun locks which every assassin who plays their class right will do later game. Graphics are nice but nothing ground breaking. After lvl 25 the game feels a bit less grindy because of the pvp but the constant grind to upgrade your weapons with the enormous amount of money sinks in this game is a big turn off. Instead of a bag system there is an expandable cube which only gets so big and starts to cost quite a bit in later levels. Crafting usually shouldn't be taken up seriously until early to late 20s because of the large cost.
The one thing I must say I liked about this game is that it ran very smoothly. The animations of the chain skills in later game, especially those for the gladiator and assassin were very visually appeasing. Otherwise there isn't much that they did differently with this game. The character customization in City of Heroes/Villains was still better (in my opinion) that what Aion offers.
The graphics seem the same to me, cutscenes or not. Aion gives more detail to models than the enviroment, a good armor will look good in normal enviroment. That is not saying the game is being used at max, but the way they are using it lets you make chars/amors to look as detailed as the cutscenes, I found no difference.