Yea yea, theres a slew of these reviews out there already, but whatever, ive got nothing to do until the 20th when my headstart account goes live, and I dont really wanna burn myself out on the gameplay just yet, so here we go.

DISCLAIMER: Ive only played the 1-20 level range on both sides thus far, so this review is mainly on that.

1) Stability - 8.5/10

Now, ive played and participated in more than a few betas (Lineage 2, EQ2, WoW, and others), and have spent the past eleven odd years playing every major MMO on the market since UO was big. The first thing that impressed me about Aion was the cleanliness of it all. As far as betas go, im used to seeing sluggish bug-ridden messes (which gradually improve over time after going live (see: EQ2/WoW/AoC/CoH etc). The fact that there are very slight lag hitches and rubberbands now and again keep it from being a perfect ten in the stability dept. but otherwise, the game seems very clean and playable, and im fairly confident that at launch, it will perform admirably on most, if not all, mid-high range systems/connections.

2) Graphics/Sounds - 9.5/10

Simply put, Aion is stunning. There are a couple minor clipping issues here and there with regards to hair and whatnot (Asmodean manes for instance) but otherwise, this game is perhaps one of the most beautiful ive ever seen. The art design is very appealing to me (I was a huge fan of Lineage's art style and always have been) and the detail put into the characters, weapons, and armor is phenominal. Also, the fact that it can look as good as it does, while remaining as playable as it is (IE: not bogging down a decent system on higher settings) means it was well coded.

As for the sounds and music, they fit the game like a glove. When you enter combat mode, the background music transitions cleanly to combat music, and then returns again when you sheathe your weapon. Some people have complained about the voices and whatnot, but theres an option to turn them off if they bother you that much.

3) Fun Factor - 8/10

One of the biggest gripes about Aion is that it dosent really bring anything new to the table at launch that isnt already out there. Alot of the quests are the same old "Kill this, deliver this, talk to this guy" format, but theres a reason why that sort of pattern has been implemented in almost every single MMO to date to some extent; it works. If you dont find questing in MMOs fun, well, Aion might not be the game for you until it gets to the higher level PvP content. However, that being said, for those that do enjoy the random questing that is a staple of the MMO genre, you will find that Aion delivers quite well.

Note: For those who gripe about the quests all being the same; try actually READING the quests instead of just clicking accept. Sometimes you get pieces of lore/story that make the gameworld a little deeper and help pull you further in.

4) Combat - 9/10

Allright, again, this game dosent bring anything super-innovative to the table where combat is concerned. However, it does have an interesting combo system that keeps you at least semi-active while playing (You dont get far by just buttonmashing/rolling your face on the keyboard). The point where combat shines for me however are the animations. The first time my templar started swinging his greatsword, I knew I was in love. The cleanliness of the animations and the way that the characters move in combat are a definite selling point for me on a personal level, and in that respect, Aion delivers in spades. Also, something that I enjoyed was the fact that downtime is minimal (everyone gets at least a bandaging skill and sitting lets you recover faster than not).

5) Content - 8/10

As I only really got to start playing when the OB fileplanet keys were released, I havent been able to experience content past 20, but I have found few, if any, content gaps in the 1-20 areas of both factions. This is good considering some games have big glaring holes where content is concerned, but I wont be giving Aion any more than an 8 considering the fact that I havent seen the mid-highlevel game pan out. I am looking forward to experiencing the PvP content later on though.

6) PvP - 8/10

The limited experience ive had with PvP has been the few duels ive fought in the 1-20 level range. I know the classes get more powerful and really come into their own later on, but from what ive seen, there are a few large discrepancies with regards to balance. If youre a melee character and youre being chain snare/rooted, good luck closing distance/winning the fight. Maybe this changes later on, but I cant comment on what ive not experienced as yet. That being said however, I REALLY want to see what the highlevel PvP sieges are like.

7) Replayability - 7/10

I dont see Aion being one of those games thats fun over and over again considering there are only two factions with the same 8 classes on either side stemming from the same 4 templates. This seems to me like one of those games that urges you to find your niche in the endgame and participate in the big PvP stuff later on. Ive tried a few of the different classes, but it seems to me that once youve played through the 1-20 levels, you wont really want to repeat them.

8) Crafting - 8/10

From what ive seen of it, the crafting system, while far from mindblowing, is solid, and offers an interesting parallel to the combat/adventure game. I am very curious to see if crafted gear is worthwhile later on in the game when compared to raid rewards and whatnot. I definitely like the fact that you can start raising your skill for free by doing crafting quests for your trainer, and receive crafting components for doing so, good concept in my books.

9) Community - 8/10

Honestly, the OB community has been... difficult to remain patient with at times. Constant chatting about WoW in Region chat, about how Aion is better or isnt better than WoW, about how it will or wont kill WoW... Frankly, I personally couldnt give two shakes of an Asmodean's mane about WoW. Ive played that game to death, it isnt bad for what it is, but whatever, its not Aion, and Aion is not it. Yes, they share similarities, but its an MMO FFS, all MMOs share similarities, jeez... /rant off.

Im sure that once the game releases the community will level off a bit, but for the most part ive just turned off my region chat. What I do like though, is the fact that this game allows people to open private stores instead of just tossing stuff on the auction broker (which is still an option mind you). Its nice to see people sitting around selling their wares in public areas, gives the game a sense of fullness in my opinion.

10) Originality - 8/10

Allright, the truth of the matter is that Aion is a mashup of a bunch of different games into one glorious detailed whole. I gave this game an 8 in this department, not because it brings a whole lot to the table besides aerial combat (which is pretty cool from what ive seen of it vid-wise and hell, I like the flying part of the game on its own), but because its so solid. This game has taken bits and pieces of cool stuff from tons of sources, and made them all its own. When im playing, I dont feel like im playing WoW, or Lineage, or EQ2, or any other MMO. It feels like im playing Aion, and the fact that the game has its own feel, gives it a good score in my books where originality is concerned.

Overall - 82/100

This is a solid game. I find it to be quite up my proverbial alley. I will be playing upon launch. If you dont enjoy the traditional MMO format of questing/combat/crafting/PvP you might not find this game fun. I personally, cant wait.

Cheers.

Good , honest Review , a good read , nice one.

Frankly, your numerical ratings are at odds with the following descriptions.

7/10 for replayability? The description would suggest something like 4/10 to me. At most.

Nice straight foward review. 

Just quickly skimmed through, and it appears you're not willing to really score things how you feel.  Scores seem strangely high, when a lot of negatives are listed.  8/10 for community, when you say you had to finally turn off region chat?  What would a 5/10 be?  A constant stream of obscenities and chuck norris jokes?

I'd hardly call a game stable when hundreds of users can't even log into it, and if they can they crash constantly with no error reports other than "The GameGuard has closed."

Also, I agree with the poster who says your numbers are way off from your descriptions.

Yeah your numbers definitely don't match your text.

Originally posted by Eben

Just quickly skimmed through, and it appears you're not willing to really score things how you feel.  Scores seem strangely high, when a lot of negatives are listed.  8/10 for community, when you say you had to finally turn off region chat?  What would a 5/10 be?  A constant stream of obscenities and chuck norris jokes?

Beta rarely reflects the final result of a MMO comunity upon release. Greatest example is probably Vanguard, tons of people crying about the gfx, comparing it to WoW. Bitching at eachother and calling eachother names, and now? Vanguard although small in playerbase, has a very good community, if you are able to get into one of the guilds that is.

I think he just used 8/10 on the ones that where bad because he doesn't want to give aion a bad review because he really likes it, but at the same time he is honest with what he says about the negatives, and frankly, the likes in which he states the community cannot really have a "True score" as it is just a beta at this time. Rating a community should always happen after the MMO has gone past the initial honeymoon effect, which is a couple months after release.

OP if you think the art direction is the most beautiful you have ever seen then you are not a vet of MMO's.  The sound is probably the worst thing about this whole game.  Repetitive sound effects and annoiny guitar rifts you hear 500 times a night.  Every time my priest cast's smite I get ,  "CERRABBO" or something like it over and over.

Originally posted by MMO_Doubter

Frankly, your numerical ratings are at odds with the following descriptions.

7/10 for replayability? The description would suggest something like 4/10 to me. At most.

This.

For an "MMO vet" you seem to know very little. Aion has only 2 races and they are identical in cities and quests. Replayability 0/10.

I think you can get a general feeling for a community early on.

It's WoW next-gen in region chat. I really doubt that is going to change in release. It's the type of player this game attracts.

Game Score 0/10. Gameguard has swallowed your soul.

Nice review. Your numbers seem more optimistic. But that is probably because for most people 10/10 is usually impossible to ever achieve in any game, it means it cannot be made any better...

Originally posted by neoterrar

really doubt that is going to change in release. It's the type of player this game attracts.

Nah, an open beta primarily attracts the type of player who wants to play for free - once grouping becomes more important these people drop out due to no one wanting to group with them

Originally posted by Jonsus

 

 

7) Replayability - 7/10

I dont see Aion being one of those games thats fun over and over again considering there are only two factions with the same 8 classes on either side stemming from the same 4 templates. This seems to me like one of those games that urges you to find your niche in the endgame and participate in the big PvP stuff later on. Ive tried a few of the different classes, but it seems to me that once youve played through the 1-20 levels, you wont really want to repeat them.

 

 

This is the one I cant agree with and your text in no way matches your score. The game has zero replayability fun factor. There is no branching of lands that you could use not to see the exact same things over and over. 2 boxing will run rampant in this game I think due to this very problem. As they add more lands this score will change for the better but how it can be a 7 is beyond me. Gameguard is a problem you failed to address fully either. A program I use for work kept me locked out a good amount of time until I found a workaround but still its a issue. I do like your review though and agree with several of the points.

Originally posted by Letsinod

Every time my priest cast's smite I get ,  "CERRABBO" or something like it over and over.

This!

I didn't believe the complaints about the new Westernized voices until I logged in and played and heard it for myself.  I appreciate the effort but not the best choice.

Originally posted by bastii

Originally posted by MMO_Doubter

Frankly, your numerical ratings are at odds with the following descriptions.

7/10 for replayability? The description would suggest something like 4/10 to me. At most.

This.

For an "MMO vet" you seem to know very little. Aion has only 2 races and they are identical in cities and quests. Replayability 0/10.

Having played both races I can tell you for a fact that the cities and quest lines are not the same. Next time please try not to post false info.

On-topic:  I would rate replayability 6/10

Reason being is on the up side each class is fun to play but the down side doing the same content over again would get old.  Besides if you are more into PvP and staying in the top 10% in the pvp ranking then alt's are a no-go.

Originally posted by Letsinod

OP if you think the art direction is the most beautiful you have ever seen then you are not a vet of MMO's.  The sound is probably the worst thing about this whole game.  Repetitive sound effects and annoiny guitar rifts you hear 500 times a night.  Every time my priest cast's smite I get ,  "CERRABBO" or something like it over and over.

let me explain something to you kid.

His opinion.

Your opinion.

Think about it -- cuz I dont feel like holding your hand and explaining in detail.

good review

While I agree that replayability in Aion is bad, I dont think replayability deserves 10 points out of 100, to me, replayability is like 1/100 or less, a minor factor in my overal enjoyment, thus why I agree with your score.