Aion Preview

Aion: The Tower of Eternity has the promise of a triple-A title, then backs it up with a visually compelling world that throws a few new gameplay elements into the mix.

NCsoft, the publisher behind the title, hosted an event in San Francisco recently that allowed a little hands-on time with the game. Not all the elements were in play – like the ability to create a character from the ground up and then play it – but missions were run in a group setting to get a feel for that particular dynamic. At the end of the session, one thing was certain – this game was a lot of fun to play.

Aion is the story of a land divided. What was once one race was split and evolved differently when the unifying tower was shattered. On one side of the world is the Elyos, dwelling in light; on the other side of the world are the Asmodians, dwelling in the darker realm. In between is the Abyss, home to a non-playable race, and a place where the two sides will collide in open player-versus-player gaming. A third race, the Balaur, will poke its ugly draconian head into the battle, but this race is controlled by an advanced AI that may have the Balaur fighting with you one moment and against you the next.

One of the most notable elements of the game starts even before you launch yourself into the world. The character creation features a host of sliders, more than 25, that will allow players to tweak virtually every element and bone structure to create the likeness that suits them the best. There are other elements that can be added, like tattoos and such, but some of these items were not in the game at the time of the experience.

There are four overall professions, broken down into two subclasses each. For example, under warrior, you get templar and gladiator.

Once you dive into the game, it pans out much like other titles. You pick up quests that lead you on runs through exotic locations.

While each of the classes can work well together, there is a sense of individual power that makes the game entertaining. Many of the conventions of MMO gameplay were evident, like the way you trigger skills and the mana costs associated with each. The demonstration team from NCsoft made certain that the playable characters had a fair amount of mana potions ready to consume to be able to cast spells throughout the battles.

Graphically the game is stunning, even without bump-mapping. So much has been accomplished with dynamic lighting and textures. And the sound is impressive as well, with the London Symphony adding tracks.

The game session was not very long, especially when you take into consideration that this is an MMO that requires vast amounts of time to play with just to get a cursory feel. Still, it appears that Aion is on track.

Ok, now about the wings … Yes, you do get them but they are on a timer and that means you cannot fly about all the time. Wings can fail and thus enters the strategic element of flight within the game. Some areas will only be accessible through flight, but because of the timer, you will have to start investing in items that downgrade defense in order to gain bonus flying time. It all felt well thought-out.

Look for Aion to release in 2009.