Beauty can be Shallow (Aion: The Tower of Eternity (PC))

Member Name: Atlante

Product:	Aion: The Tower of Eternity (PC)
Date:	05/09/09 (38 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic graphics, great storylike quests

Disadvantages: Would not want to level more than one character

Aion has a lot to live up to.

Billed as a the "next big thing" in MMPORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) and set up as a challenge to the mighty World of Warcraft which has millions of players worldwide, the creators of the game NCSoft have taken a gamble with the hype they have fed the PC gaming public. If this game bombs, they will be a laughing stock and not trusted again.

The risk was worth it. Having beta tested this game, I can truly say I was impressed. Set in a mythical land you choose to become one of two competing races - at a certain point in the game you fight against other players of the other race (similar to WoW factions), at present this feature was not open to beta testers. What has been open is the beginning of the game. The first thing that hits you as you log in is the level of customising that is possible when creating your character; as well as the usual hair style and colour, you can choose to have a fat, skinny, tiny or giant character. There is less of the perfection of Lineage 2 female characters, which may be better for the body image of young teenage girls playing this game.

After creating your character, which may take some time, you jump into the world of Aion. In a word: beautiful. The graphics on this game are outstanding, every area is uniquely crafted, this is not a hastily put together world. Levelling is a mix of grind (killing monsters) and questing. It is a mix of WoW and Lineage 2. I think Lineage 2 players may find the amount of questing unnatural at first, but it would be up to the individual player whether it is a good or bad thing, the rewards are certainly better than in L2.

At times the world seems almost too big, it takes five minutes to run from one end of a city to another. Although this is great at first when discovering a place, it becomes tiresome when you simply want to buy something or chat to someone (proabably about some Princess that went missing..).

The game leads you through the first 20 levels through quests, that you feel compelled to do due to the high rewards for them (in experience and in items). This story based aspect is unusual and gripping. The first time. Levelling multiple characters on this game would be monotonous, and I fear this may be a game which provides a great three months, but little after.

Player versus player (PvP) action starts in the later levels, this was not available to beta test yet. My only comment on PvP is that it is strange no PvP was available in the lower levels, and that is would take some time before you would get to the point where you were able to take part in this.

The game sells for £50 on the NCSoft site, or £25 on Amazon. There will be a monthly subscription.

I think Aion is a beautiful game which is worth having a go on. I cannot see it overtaking the popularity of WoW or the longevity of L2 due to the story like quality to the progression ingame.

Due for release: 25th September 2009.

System spec available from: http://www.amazon.co.uk/NCsoft-Aion-Tower-Eternity -PC/dp/B000WGU9M6

Summary: Not the new WoW or L2, but a different breed of online game. A spring, not a marathon.