Aion: A Polished, Yet Unremarkable MMORPG

I had a really long post written up with all sorts of examples, but it was lost in a random IE crash.  So here is the short version.

Aion is exactly what you'd expect from a traditional, play-it-safe MMORPG, and nothing more.

• The combat system is a boring, regurgitated version of the same one we've seen for years.
• The graphics are surprisingly bland despite being built on the CryENGINE.  Yeah, it's stylized to hell and back, but that isn't my problem.  I suppose single-textured cliff sides are a style now?
• The lore is unoriginal and involves a fight between good and evil, of which the sides seem soley determined on the color of your wings and whether you get a pair of Jesus sandals at the beginning.
• Character creation is detailed, but a lack of restrictions allows for some immersion-breaking characters, like small, hobbit-like characters to bobble-head looking ones.  Fun at first, but after a while it's just plain strange.
• The in-game cutscenes ineffective at drawing players into the story.  Bad voice acting brings them full circle.
• PvPvE is a stupid system based around the idea of accommodating players who like PvP and players who like PvE.  Personally, allowing players to pick among 3 factions would be ideal, especially with dealing with population imbalances.
• The ability to fly is restricted to a small portion of the actual game world, making it not nearly as much fun as it could or should be.  Sure you can "glide," but come on, you don't need wings for that.
• Each server is broken into "channels" that results in a disjointed experience with players being separated into different versions of the same places.  Can't find your friend despite the fact that you're in the same building?  Try another channel.  Sure, maybe this is a minor grievance, but anything that breaks immersion is a big deal for me.
• Aerial combat is nothing more than standard MMORPG combat above ground.  Thinking of performing aerial moves to dodge attacks?  Think again.

I'm not sure why someone who has spent countless hours playing a game like LOTRO or WoW would want to suddenly abandon that invested time and money for something like Aion.  Hell, if I played WoW or LOTRO up until this point, I certainly wouldn't be throwing that away for more of the same.

However, I can also see the merit in a fresh start.  I mean, we all have to move on to newer games eventually, right?  I suppose Aion provides that sense of comfort for the gamers who'd rather keep the status quo.  The only problem I have with that is how it influences the choices of the MMORPG developers.  They realize that a large bulk of gamers are perfectly fine with the flawed design concepts of the traditional MMORPG and have no problem recreating them over and over as long as it brings the money.

Thank goodness for those indie MMORPGs and the risky developers who create them.  Check out Garrett Fuller's feature article at MMORPG.com, The Rise of the Indy MMO.

I've decided the world of Aion just isn't for me.  And, even if it is a good way to pass the time until this Fall's better titles are on the market (Borderlands, Modern Warfare 2), video games shouldn't be about killing time.  They are supposed to be fun.