Aion - New MMO

Made by NCSoft (best known for Guild Wars (IMO)). This game has been out in Korea for ages and has generated a very large fanbase. Finally it's over here, and by that I mean EU and US. It's a standard MMO affair with a large world, two rival factions and XP. I got the game yesterday and booted it up this morning.

The character creation is insane. It caters for fans of JRPGs and WRPGs. You can fully cistomise the face, body, hair. Even lip colour if thats what matters. I only played for a few minutes to get up to level 2. The game is full of new players so the starting area is a bit crowded.

I decided to play a warrior for the first time. By level 10 you choose to specialise. Not sure what my options will be but I'll give more details when I get there.

The graphics run on the original Cry Engine. Used in FarCry (1). It looks really great for an MMO.

What sets this MMO apart from others is that you can fly without a mount. It's only for a short period to begin with but as you progress you get more time. However it's only in designated areas. May seem crazy but it's so the open PVP doesnt become to imbalanced.

For EU it's £8.99 a month and I chose to make a one off payment with Pay Pal to start off. Wish other MMOs had that option. There's also a free month with the game.

I'll give a better update once I get into the game.

Been playing a bit more of the game and it's very polished. It's actually a good MMO. Not like Conan's "its got great combat but the actual game is average at best" or Warhammer's "If this is how long it takes to get to Lvl 10 then I'm out". It's actually very solid, smooth and involving. I can see this being an MMO that lasts well. It's not just a game to play until the next WoW patch or expansioin. I can see myself sticking with this one if it continues to hold up. I've only just started, once I hit lvl 10 I'll write some more.

a friend of mine plays this as well, and i've heard good things. i'm not really into subscription MMO's though

I like the one off payment feature, more MMOs or sub based services like XBL should have it. Either that or time cards.

How much is the one off payment feature?

Same as all the other subs so £8.99 for one month. you get charged instantly though whereas a normal debit one would be after the free month. But I can see myself playing this game so I dont mind. First MMO since WoW that I'd keep up properly. If you liked GW then you should try this, it's on Steam £35 for standard edition, £5 cheaper than store prices.Theres a collectors edition with a few character perks but nothing special for the extra £10.

Might pick it up. It does actually look neat.