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You’ll be hard pressed to find a Massively Multiplayer Online game more visually stunning than Aion: The Tower of Eternity, a game built around the original Crytek engine. NCsoft pulled no punches in making this one of the most artistic, immersive and awe-inspiring role-playing experiences of all time.
Judging the game based on the screenshots would do a major disservice to the atmosphere that the Aion team went great lengths to create. Outside of the game you’ll see neither the gentle swaying of the trees nor the glimmer of the ocean as light reflects off of its surface. You won’t be able to see the subtle movements in the sky as Elyos or Asmodians flutter about like birds with their wings spread wide.
You also don’t get to hear the sweet bristling of leaves, the cresting of ocean waves or the heated sounds of battle. In fact, every battle is heightened by an emotionally charged theme, while every moment spent sightseeing the vast quantities of beautiful landscape is met with a soothing melody fit for an epic fantasy movie. Aion is almost serene in how everything meshes together.
Character Creation in Aion is one of the most advanced slider-based systems ever to grace a video game. At first, you’ll be greeted with a character made up of random slider values and skins, but you are given full creative control. You could quite literally make anything your imagination desires. Then again, if you’re like me, it also gives you a chance to poke a little fun by creating a celebrity likeness, such as my use of my aptly named “RustleCrow”, or another player’s amusing use of Obama.
Gameplay is not quite as imaginative or original as the character creator, and there seems to be a lot of reusing textures for mobs in the game. Still, Aion takes a page out of the book of many other games including Final Fantasy XI for style and Dark Age of Camelot for functionality. Much like World of Warcraft, you will find a large palette of skills for each and every character archetype offered to you, all of which serve a major purpose to the health and well being of your character as he or she adventures throughout the world of Atreia. Imitating Dark Age of Camelot, there are also important skill chains, based around simple timing mechanisms. Pull these skill chains off correctly, and you’ll be rewarded with a very powerful attack. Of course, this is just icing on the cake. What makes Aion really special is the balance. Aion is one of those rare few games that managed to get it right with PvE balance. You won’t find any spectacularly over-powered classes, nor could you any who are unfairly weak. Even primary healers are capable of soloing. From what I’ve seen of the Abyss, PvP is also intense and group oriented, giving everybody a chance to excel on the battlefield. Perhaps this is because Aion is well into a year since its release in Korea, or perhaps this is because the game was specifically designed for accessible character archetypes and balance. Each character is afforded a unique set of tools to give everybody the ability to dominate on the PvP battlefield known as the Abyss or throughout the environments of the many island locations accessible to those who don’t wish to PvP at all times.
For people intent on taking on the Environment, rather than other players, both races are given the choice to explore a number of “Islands” and “Zones.” Instances also make an appearance later in the game. However, it is important to note that not every zone is free from Player versus Player. Because both of the splintered worlds in Aion are interconnected, NCSoft has given players the ability to visit special non-instanced Player versus Environment islands through what they call a “Rift.” – Rifting is described as a simple gating sequence to a Player versus Environment zone designated as rift accessible. Anybody caught off guard in these zones is potentially a target of people who are rifting between the two splintered worlds. One should expect a great deal of danger whenever entering into these areas. Of course, NCSoft also made it so the reward of venturing into such dangerous territory is also very high in comparison to the islands that are not Rift Accessible. Even still, many deterrents were put into place to prevent players from unfairly griefing or ganking lower leveled players through an intuitive, “Cursing” system, that weakens a griefer for every time he kills a lower leveled player. If a player griefs too much, he’ll supposedly be easy to kill by even people of a lower level.
With all the beauty and wonderment that Aion offers, it is quite surprising that it has remained under the mainstream radar for so long. It almost seems like an injustice; this game is to be compared to many other games with far less lore sewn into the fabric of their gameplay, as Aion repeatedly goes out of the way to emphasize its story. Aion is a promising game with a bright future ahead of it. I for one am looking forward to the next preview, if only to discover more of the wonderful world of Atreia.
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You can literally see the other half of the splintered world revolving around your own.</center>
You can literally see the other half of the splintered world revolving around your own.</center>
Judging the game based on the screenshots would do a major disservice to the atmosphere that the Aion team went great lengths to create. Outside of the game you’ll see neither the gentle swaying of the trees nor the glimmer of the ocean as light reflects off of its surface. You won’t be able to see the subtle movements in the sky as Elyos or Asmodians flutter about like birds with their wings spread wide.
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Travel in Aion consists of what I like to call, "Winged Taxis" and "Teleporation."</center>
Travel in Aion consists of what I like to call, "Winged Taxis" and "Teleporation."</center>
You also don’t get to hear the sweet bristling of leaves, the cresting of ocean waves or the heated sounds of battle. In fact, every battle is heightened by an emotionally charged theme, while every moment spent sightseeing the vast quantities of beautiful landscape is met with a soothing melody fit for an epic fantasy movie. Aion is almost serene in how everything meshes together.
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Looks like somebody is breaking out the big guns.</center>
Looks like somebody is breaking out the big guns.</center>
Character Creation in Aion is one of the most advanced slider-based systems ever to grace a video game. At first, you’ll be greeted with a character made up of random slider values and skins, but you are given full creative control. You could quite literally make anything your imagination desires. Then again, if you’re like me, it also gives you a chance to poke a little fun by creating a celebrity likeness, such as my use of my aptly named “RustleCrow”, or another player’s amusing use of Obama.
<center>
This might not be an exact replica of Russell Crowe, but it was still fun to make it.</center>
This might not be an exact replica of Russell Crowe, but it was still fun to make it.</center>
Gameplay is not quite as imaginative or original as the character creator, and there seems to be a lot of reusing textures for mobs in the game. Still, Aion takes a page out of the book of many other games including Final Fantasy XI for style and Dark Age of Camelot for functionality. Much like World of Warcraft, you will find a large palette of skills for each and every character archetype offered to you, all of which serve a major purpose to the health and well being of your character as he or she adventures throughout the world of Atreia. Imitating Dark Age of Camelot, there are also important skill chains, based around simple timing mechanisms. Pull these skill chains off correctly, and you’ll be rewarded with a very powerful attack. Of course, this is just icing on the cake. What makes Aion really special is the balance. Aion is one of those rare few games that managed to get it right with PvE balance. You won’t find any spectacularly over-powered classes, nor could you any who are unfairly weak. Even primary healers are capable of soloing. From what I’ve seen of the Abyss, PvP is also intense and group oriented, giving everybody a chance to excel on the battlefield. Perhaps this is because Aion is well into a year since its release in Korea, or perhaps this is because the game was specifically designed for accessible character archetypes and balance. Each character is afforded a unique set of tools to give everybody the ability to dominate on the PvP battlefield known as the Abyss or throughout the environments of the many island locations accessible to those who don’t wish to PvP at all times.
<center>
The cut-scenes are spectacular. Although I wish they were narrated by voice actors.</center>
The cut-scenes are spectacular. Although I wish they were narrated by voice actors.</center>
For people intent on taking on the Environment, rather than other players, both races are given the choice to explore a number of “Islands” and “Zones.” Instances also make an appearance later in the game. However, it is important to note that not every zone is free from Player versus Player. Because both of the splintered worlds in Aion are interconnected, NCSoft has given players the ability to visit special non-instanced Player versus Environment islands through what they call a “Rift.” – Rifting is described as a simple gating sequence to a Player versus Environment zone designated as rift accessible. Anybody caught off guard in these zones is potentially a target of people who are rifting between the two splintered worlds. One should expect a great deal of danger whenever entering into these areas. Of course, NCSoft also made it so the reward of venturing into such dangerous territory is also very high in comparison to the islands that are not Rift Accessible. Even still, many deterrents were put into place to prevent players from unfairly griefing or ganking lower leveled players through an intuitive, “Cursing” system, that weakens a griefer for every time he kills a lower leveled player. If a player griefs too much, he’ll supposedly be easy to kill by even people of a lower level.
<center>
To succeed in PvP, you must form strategies to make use of your ability to fly.</center>
To succeed in PvP, you must form strategies to make use of your ability to fly.</center>
With all the beauty and wonderment that Aion offers, it is quite surprising that it has remained under the mainstream radar for so long. It almost seems like an injustice; this game is to be compared to many other games with far less lore sewn into the fabric of their gameplay, as Aion repeatedly goes out of the way to emphasize its story. Aion is a promising game with a bright future ahead of it. I for one am looking forward to the next preview, if only to discover more of the wonderful world of Atreia.
<center>In case you haven't had enough Aion for one night, here are some more screenshots for you to enjoy:
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