Nice article as I recently hunted down a CE to upgrade from digital. I enjoyed the beta and wanted the extras, I have all the wow tomes from CE..they look really cool next to each other on my book shelf. I do feel for $150 we should get more free play time then standard editions.. 60, or 90 days instead of basic 30.

Very bad impression on pvp.

My warrior leads the boards in kills and damage in every scenario.

l2play vs cry

Originally posted by Mysk

 This was kind of funny.   Perhaps someone can remind me, when did dragons become gods?  It's like a 10 year old came up with the plot. 

Oh well.  Guess we'll see if the actual game is any good.

Funny how close in line it is with the Dragon Aspects in Warcraft lore.

 Racials are so sexy.

 http://www.guildwars2.com/en/#hd-video

 Very L3ish

 Well put together.

I think you nailed it when you said the future of the game will rely on quick meaningful content updates. The game has enough to draw a fan base and entertain them for 2-ish months, but beyond that there will need to be major content added and a ton of balancing between classes.

I find what makes it such an exciting title is the numerous class combinations, but that ends up being one of the larger let downs. There seems to be a hand full of "must have" powers/builds that tear away from the allure of making your own unique class. It's so sad that no MMO is able to tackle the all mighty "balance" issue to allow people to play their class of choice. I get that certain classes will trump other classes, but in CO and many other games "XxxxX Class" always trumps every other class and no class trumps XxxxX.

 There will be more of this I'm sure. So many people like the first version of a game they can't see past it when the evolution of the game is created.

 meh, it's fail-2-pay

 Aion = grind like wow with a lot less content, better graphics, worse sound

Champions = the customization here is very robust, but the zoned maps may turn hc mmo fans off . . . depends

Both great games. When I played Aion I thought pft Champions doesn't have a chance until I played it. The one really good thing about zoned maps is the ability quickly and easily add content.

I think players looking for a fun change from WoW should look into Champions over Aion because it's a different experience. Don't get me wrong I like Aion, but Lineage II + WoW = Aion . . . if that is a formula you like jump in. If you played CoH and hated it don't play Champions, but if you kinda liked it then you'll enjoy Champions.

 Not so much, but it's a good change up for those tired of the 4yr old 800lb gorilla.

 Well spoken response imo.

 Nothing in life is free.

Did you expect any less from a company that shipped a product with listed features not actually in the game?

 Let me guess.

White male - Rapping - Nough said!

People look for anything these days to get offended about; when in reality it's the reverse and they are being the one discrimenating.

Originally posted by tryklon

Well, in that case i'm sorry about my response, i just entered to the beta and i thought the toons were deleted after each one. He doesnt specify he was using the same toon.

But either way, frm what i understand this beta is not using the release version of the game, and 1.5 will bring alot of new aditions

No. You can read the patch notes online for the Korean versions. New patch doesn't = "it's very fun now."

I'm 100% with the OP here. I really really want to like the game and be entertained, but I'm feeling the same thing here. It's hard to explain, but in many other games I felt the progression. In Aion my toon still looks close to the same 20 levels later. The game has great character creation, but that is were it stops. Your face, height, hair, and features might be different . . . but once you're all armored up it looksl ike attack of the clone wars. This first 20 levels you will kill maybe 5 different types of mobs, so this doesn't give a lot of variety. I'll be the first to say that the skills you get in the later levels have some AMAZING animations and effects, but what initially seems like a cool combo system with the skills turns out to be a forced measure to ensure you're characters isn't over-powered by using the moves to often.

I really like the game, but there is something in the back of my mind telling me no. Maybe it's because I played Lineage II and I was really fired up about that game. Turns out it was a good looking game with limited class options and a major grind.

Originally posted by LordDmaster

Instead of 2 weeks for free! ($ 7.50)

Give 11 months for free and see if that works! ($ 164.89)

Failcom is already considering micro transactions as a future possibility.

 I agree for the most part. Once you get past the amazing character detail & unique enviroment setting there isn't that OMG blow you away feeling. Doesn't make it a bad game because I'm still most likely going to pick it up. I'm more anxiously waiting on The Old Republic.

Most people rave about a game during the lvl 1-20 experience because they have that new feeling. I enjoyed WAR and AoC 1 to 20, but it's after the newness wears off that you get a true taste for the game.

 I'm enjoying the game and may still purchase it, but it is a good bit of hype. Hype doesn't make it a bad game. Aion is everything it claims to be, but the hype is derived from the starving MMO players seeking to sink their teeth into the "next big thing."

For the time Aion is the next big thing. It's more polished then WAR & AoC were. It's down fall is the fact that it feels like you've changed landscape, textures, and voices . . . but it's a game you've played before.

 I upgraded many months ago. Not for Aion, but because I upgrade every 1-2 years.

Quad core extreme, Geforece 275, 6G ram, and max setting on 24" Samsung.

To be honest the deeper I get into beta the less inclined I am to play the game. Not because I don't like it, or it looks bad, but because it feels so close to the last game that I left. I'm looking for a different and fun experience if I'm going to invest the money and more importantly time to my next MMO.

 Yeah his thoughts on the game sum up my thoughts on what I'd expect to get out of the game from everything I've watched and read online. If the game was free with a monthly fee i'd be down, or if the game was purchase and no monthly. Oddly I've really wanted to try the game because I like the concept, but far to many extreme reviews to dedicate 50+ bucks.