Aion Gameplay
Screenshot © 2009 NCSoft

One thing that truly sets Aion apart from its' competition is the graphics. Aion is a beautiful game, with so much attention paid to the scenery, behaviour, and general aesthetics of the game, as well as the gameplay itself (which I will come to in a minute). From the little things you may not notice, such as your character changing from sheltering under a giant leaf during the rain to fanning themselves when you enter the rather warm Tursin Outpost region, to the live backdrops of immensely large creatures drinking in the lakes, and the strange planets and moons that surround you as you wander through the vast expanses of the world of Atreia - it's a treat to walk the distance, as opposed to a boring, repetitive feat.

Flying is also something quite unique. While it is not as "central" to the gameplay as the game's authors may have you believe - until you reach Level 25 and enter the Abyss, that is - it gives you that extra third dimension that can make or break a fight! Can't get past a particularly nasty bunch of enemy NPCs? Fly over them - perhaps rain down some attacks from above! Losing health against an underestimated opponent? Take to the skies and fly to safety! Of course - many NPCs and players have either flight capabilities or flight disruption capabilities - so it's not all plain sailing, but it certainly adds an extra dimension to the game (pun entirely intended).

I have found that the game is entirely enjoyable whilst playing solo, but it comes into it's own, especially around my level, when you join a Group or Legion who will run quests with you. Levelling (and the time!) flies past when you are grouping with some great people. And joining a good Legion is just as important - Aion is an MMORPG - Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game - and I think in Aion the multiplayer part is especially important. The game is billed as PvEvP - whereby elements of PvE and PvP come into play in all servers. So having a good group around you is always going to be important. A lot of the storyline quests are also insurmountable without a group - again, this is just coming into play around level 17 and 18.

All in all, I'm impressed so far. It'll be interesting to see how things fare when the Abyss opens to me at Level 25, and "endgame" content around Level 50 - but that's a long way off yet!