PAX08: Day two impressions
Massively — ... is kicking @r$e at PAX!" This panel was all about the many games published and developed by NCsoft, including the much-anticipated Aion, new exclusive info for the ...

AION takes a class tour through its territories
Big Download Blog — ... AION, showed off its stuff at PAX 2008, and Big Download has the two videos shown there ready for download. The Classes trailer demonstrates the different classes and their abilities, while the Territories video takes viewers on tour of the lands following a winged, flying, character. Both videos are beautiful and show off what AION has to offer.Download the AION Territories HD Video (402 MB)Download the AION Classes HD Video (205 MB)%Gallery-29797%%Gallery-30874%   Read | Permalink | Email this |  ...

Aion Beta Test a Big Hit in Korea
WarCry Network : Latest News — Aion has reached open beta in Korea as the launch in that country nears. North America, Europe, China, Europe and Japan are scheduled to see Aion in 2009. Find out what all the hype is about below: Commercial launch for NCsoft game only weeks away in Korea; North American and European launches set for 2009 SEOUL, Korea -One of the most highly anticipated massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, Aion®: The Tower of Eternity™ from NCsoft®, is already showing signs of reaching hit status in only a matter of days since open beta testing kicked off earlier this week. Aion is ...

Aion video tours Altgard
Big Download Blog — ... Aion video tours Altgard originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Aion video tours through Ishalgen
Big Download Blog — ... Aion video tours through Ishalgen originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: Does a game need PvP to be successful?
Massively — ... , and Aion: The Tower of Eternity, making it one of their core focuses. So this leads to today's question: Do you think a game needs to include some form of PvP to be successful? Or can a game go with a purely player vs. environment or cooperative approach and still succeed? ...

Aion: Boatload o'Screens
WarCry Network : Latest News — ... The good people at NCSoft have sent over a boatload of new Aion screenshots and concept art for your Thursday viewing. Feast your eyes! ...

Aion video tours through Morheim
Big Download Blog — ... Aion video tours through Morheim originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

An introduction to the Daeva
Massively — ... , NCSoft's new MMO which is due to make it to the west later this year. Aion launched in Korea last year and has already ...

Aion Collector's Edition Items Revealed
WarCry Network : Latest News — ... combat, quests, and exploration. In addition to unprecedented character customization and unmatched visuals, Aion invites players to soak up its breath-taking world through exploration of more than 1,500 quests, intense visceral combat, and a deep crafting system. For the first time in an MMO, Aion introduces a new game system that pits players against each other and their environment simultaneously in an otherworld zone called the Abyss. For more information about Aion please visit http://www.aiononline.com

The Daily Grind: Do you know of any player-created MMO mini-games?
Massively — Given all the recent excitement surrounding Aion, we've been paying a lot closer attention to NCsoft's new title lately. Today, we stumbled across an interesting developer blog post highlighting an in-game mini-game called Aion Spirit Soccer. This would probably be unremarkable if the developers had created it, but they didn't; the players did. The rules for Spirit Soccer are pretty simple. Each team consists of four forwards and a goalie. The ball is actually a neutral player who completely gives up control of his avatar. Both teams try to score on each other by using ...

Deferred Anticipation
Of Teeth and Claws — ... and Champions Online. Smaller releases are also in the works, but this year is very quiet compared to 2008. As a player who is between MMOs who is not particularly tempted by anything currently on the market, the pickings are slim indeed. Still, despite the less-than-rosy upcoming release schedule there are a fair number of games that I am watching with an eye towards trying them out when they finally do go live. Aion (Q4 2009, official site) Fresh off an amazing start in Korea, NCSoft will be releasing ...

WRUP: Aion beta weekend edition
Massively — ... Last week (and to be honest, a lot of weeks) WRUP was all about Team Fortress 2, but thanks to the Aion beta that's on over the weekend, we've found another game that can take up most of our answers this week. If one of us ...

The Daily Grind: Is an MMO's origin important to you?
Massively — Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Age of Conan, Aion, EVE Online, Perfect World, Culture, MMO industry, The Daily Grind, Final Fantasy XIV ...

Hands on with the Aion beta: Becoming a Daeva
Massively — In the last two days, we've walked you through character creation in Aion: Tower of Eternity and introduced you to the starter zone of Poeta. Now it's time to get to the interesting bit, the Ascension quest where you finally transcend your frail Elyos form and ...

Aion, Not feeling it
Werit — Recently, Aion buzz has taken hold of many blogs and gaming sites. I did not play during their preview weekend but was curious about the game so I did some research. It was not an easy task, as it seems different Aion patch versions are run in different countries. ...

Aion summer beta schedule revealed
Massively — Renewed speculation about Aion's North American release date began swirling when a couple online retailers listed it at September 1, 2009. We have now come across some interesting information in the July issue of Beckett Massive Online Gamer that suggests NCsoft may ...

Aion NDA drop and first database revealed
Massively — We just received the official word from NC West and can confirm that the North American NDA has dropped for Aion. This is great news for the 5% of testers who exhibited enough self-control to uphold the NDA, while the other 95% spoke freely as if it didn't exist at all. Some ...

The Daily Grind: Champions vs. Aion edition
Massively — ... Two action-based MMOs. Both will enter, but only one will gain the laurels of the fans of Massively. This fall isn't big enough for the both of them. Angels and demons or superheroes and supervillains? Wings of flight or jetpacks of speed? Shattered worlds or celshaded panels? Foxbat or Deltras? Aion or Champions? It is the question to end all questions, Massively readers. Which one do you put your support behind? Will you be journeying to the Tower of Eternity, or ...

Aion European PreOrder Details Revealed
WarCry Network : Latest News — ... at launch and special game benefits including character and server preselection privileges. Featured in-game digital items for Aion preorders, include an exclusive Black Cloud Hat and Lodas' Amulet, as well as one of five different Ancient Rings of Power dependent on retail purchase location. To take advantage of the special preorder promotion and secure their copy of Aion, players may visit one of several participating retailers. For complete Aion preorder program details, visit http://www.aiononline.com/preorder. For more information about Aion please visit ...

NCsoft revealed European Aion preorder plans
Massively — Heads up European Aion fans because NCsoft have just announced their pre-order plans for the game. From today you'll be able to pre-order the either the standard steelbook or special collector's edition (limited to 15,000 copies in Europe and Australia) of the game via ...

Mythic wages WAR in the East
Massively — While NCsoft prepares to invade the West with Aion this September, Mythic has their own preemptive RvR strike planned for the East. Both Mythic and Gigamedia are bringing Warhammer Online to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on June 25th. ...

Aion's first video podcast is packing lore and stunning visuals
Massively — Just a couple months ago a friend told me that Aion was the biggest and baddest upcoming MMORPG that no-one in North America knew about. It broke records and won awards when it launched in Korea last year, yet hardly anyone over here was talking about it. Well, things can ...

The Daily Grind: Asmodian or Elyos?
Massively — When I first heard about Aion: Tower of Eternity, my first thought aside from "wow" was "I'm so going to play Elyos". It was the wings, you see, and I always seem to play on the 'good side'. However, having now played both sides, I'm torn. I love the look of the Elyos and their ...

Western launch dates for Aion revealed
Massively — ... The hype surrounding Aion has certainly increased in the last month or two, particularly due to the hands-on time the public has had with recent ...

NCsoft Reveals Official Launch Date for Aion
The MMO Gamer — ... date for Aion, the highly anticipated game where players take on a key role in a war between divine beings that will determine the fate of the world. Aion launches in North America on September 22, 2009 and makes its official debut in Europe starting September 25, 2009. Last week,  Steven Crews had a chance to interview Aion Producer Brian Knox from NCWest, an NCsoft studio. You can find the interview here. For more information about Aion go to http://www.aiononline.com. ...

The Daily Grind: Why do people love to play the good guys?
Massively — When you look at MMOs like World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online, and Aion*, you'll find that the "good guys" are usually the most popular. The primary conflicts in these games are between Alliance vs. Horde, Order vs. Destruction, and Elyos vs. Asmodian and it seems that more people choose to play on the side of good than evil. That "evil" is actually more of a "misunderstood" in two out of the three games I mentioned, yet the perception seems to stick. Is it because we were all raised on fairy tales that hammered strong values and good morals into our heads? ...

NCsoft's open letter to the Aion community targets all players of NCsoft games
Massively — ... It's not everyday that we find a letter addressed to an entire company's audience when it's posted on a specific game site, but that's what NCsoft West's executive producer, Lance Stites has done with his recent ...

Global Agenda closed beta to begin in July
Massively — Hi-Rez Studios just updated their Answer Center with new Global Agenda beta information. The game is expected to move to a Closed Beta phase this July. Global Agenda has been in Alpha testing for a number of months now. It looks like they're sub-phasing their ...

Delving into the archetypes and specialty classes of Aion
Massively — Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Classes, News items The folks over at Ten Ton Hammer have been cranking out a number of features that examine the various class archetypes and specialty classes of Aion. So far, they've produced two game guides ...

The Daily Grind: What are your summer plans?
Massively — The summer solstice occurred just over a week ago and it seems like Mother Nature finally stopped slacking and caught up with the season. This has led to a number of us talking about sweltering heatwaves and chaotic storms around the Massively office lately. They seem to be having a positive effect, which rings especially true for this northerner who is usually forced to wear a toque for over half the year. It also got us wondering: What are your summer plans? Do they involve beaches, books, or barbecues? What about baseball, birdwatching, and beer? (PS. Never mix those last two - ...

Aion: Picking your class by personality, not numbers
Massively — MMO players come in all shapes and sizes and boast a variety of personality traits. Picking a race, class, and faction combination in your favorite MMO can sometimes give an insightful look at the player behind the keyboard. At least, Paul Barnett thinks so: "Most of the people I've met who ...

Get your keys for the third Aion beta weekend, before they're gone
Massively — ... It's going to be another weekend of angels flying around the world, except this weekend you're going to get to choose which side you want to support! Yes, that's right, it's the third weekend for the ...

Aion: Warrior & Scout Screens
WarCry Network : Latest News — Home [image] News [image] Profiles [image] Forums [image] Game Codex [image] Archives [image] Newsletter [image] Store Screenshots Aion: Warrior & Scout Screens Suzie Ford posted on 8 Jul 2009 20:26 Filed under: suzie ford , aion , images , kalia , mmorpg , ncsoft , screens , screenshots , video game The Aion development team has released new screenshots featuring the Warrior and Scout classes. Treat your eyes below: image ...

NCsoft reveal Aion's Scout sub-classes, the Assassin and the Ranger
Massively — NCsoft has just revealed another batch of class-centric screenshots for must-play MMO Aion: The Tower of Eternity. This time they're focusing on the agile Scout, specifically the sub-classes of the Assassin and the Ranger. Perhaps the nicest thing is the fact that the ...

Blogger compares Aion to WoW and WAR
Massively — Keen has two blog posts up discussing the similarities and differences between Aion and World of Warcraft and Warhammer Online. The first thing you should bear in mind is that he has not played Aion all the way through to the end game, even though he has "finished" both other MMOs. The second thing of note is that these points of comparison were requested by his readers. Even if one has not played Aion's end game, one can still make a valid comparison of certain aspects of it -- one just can't compare everything. ...

NCsoft's Lani Blazier reveals Aion's Spiritmaster class
Massively — NCsoft's US Community Manager Lani 'Liv' Blazier has revealed more detailed information on Aion's Mage subclass, the Spiritmaster, in an interview with Ten Ton Hammer. Spiritmasters are, as their name suggests, able to summon spirits who will help them ...

The Daily Grind: What part of MMOs do you not like?
Massively — Filed under: World of Warcraft, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Age of Conan, Aion, EVE Online, Game mechanics, The Daily Grind MMOs are well known for variety, in fact they're famous for it. The world (whichever you might choose) is quite literally your ...

NCsoft reveal Aion's Mage sub-class, the Spiritmaster
Massively — NCsoft have released a new batch of screenshots from Aion: The Tower of Eternity, this time showcasing the Mage subclass, the Spiritmaster. Now the Spiritmaster, as I'm sure you'll remember from the Ten Ton Hammer interview we mentioned last week with ...

The Daily Grind: Do you play the same class in every MMO?
Massively — Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Classes, Game mechanics, The Daily Grind They might sometimes have different names, but most MMOs share traits recognised as specific classes. Warriors, for example, are hardcore tanks able to take and deal a lot of ...

LG uses Aion to advertise new gaming monitor
Massively — We've given Aion: The Tower of Eternity a lot of coverage over the last couple of months but you know a game is going to be big when it appears on TV. After all, just look at the star-studded World of Warcraft adverts which have been doing the rounds around ...

SDCC 09: Aion demo and interview
Massively — Our very own Editor in Chief, Elizabeth Harper attended San Diego Comic Con this week and had a number of interesting interviews. One in particular was with the NC West Aion community team. Many things were covered, some of which you probably already know. Here's the ...

Aion Collector's Edition pre-orders top Steam weekly sales
Massively — ... It's been a stellar week of digital pre-order sales for Aion, with the upcoming title taking top honors on Steam's weekly sales chart. Specifically, it was the Collector's Edition of the game that did so well. Keep in mind that this is not the same as the Limited Collector's Edition, which contains physical items like the Asmodian Daeva figurine that might be too difficult to distribute digitally with our current technology. It does however still contain a handful of in-game items that the regular edition doesn't. The pre-sale of both versions comes with ...

Aion finds its voice for CBT5 weekend
Massively — This weekend sees the fifth iteration of Aion's Closed Beta Test and NCsoft has released a nice set of notes to go along with it. The big news is this CBT will see the introduction of the first sound files for English audio, including NPC greetings, farewells and ...

NCsoft reveals the second Mage subclass: the Sorcerer
Massively — Aion: The Tower of Eternity is attracting quite a lot of attention and, hot on the heels of the next phase in the beta, NCsoft has released a new and exciting batch of screenshots. This time focusing on the second Mage subclass -- the Sorcerer -- the fourteen screenies show ...

Aion origins video now in the wild
Massively — With less than twenty four hours until the next Aion beta weekend begins, everyone is getting rather excited about the introduction of English language files. In advance of CBT5, the internet is being flooded with leaked videos showing ascension cut scenes and other aspects ...

NCsoft release Korean trailer for Aion patch 1.5
Massively — For us here in the west, the launch of Aion might still be on the horizon. However, having had the game for the better part of a year, gamers in Korea have already turned their attention to patch 1.5. Indeed this is something we should also be excited about as the ...

The Daily Grind: Is a fall release really such a good idea?
Massively — ... releases get pushed back to September and October, we can't help but wonder if this is such a good idea. MMO players are already notoriously picky when it comes to grabbing their attention in the long-term, but for school-age players, September and October are a time to concentrate on the new school year and new studies. Theoretically. This is one of the main points in a recent blog post by Inktomi over at MMOCrunch. In addition to explaining dissatisfaction with both Aion and Champions Online for grinding or business decisions, Inktomi ...

Aion videos capture the endless war between light and dark
Big Download Blog — ... Continue reading Aion videos capture the endless war between light and dark Aion videos capture the endless war between light and dark originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Second Aion vidcast now available
Massively — As we inch closer to the Aion launch on 22nd and 25th September (NA and EU, respectively), the excitement about NCsoft's latest MMO is reaching fever pitch. Yesterday, G4TV released the second Aion vidcast (the first one was hosted by IGN). ...

Aion Releases Asmodian and Elyos Prologue Videos
Curse — ... Aion has recently supplied us with two new Prologues for the game; one for the Elyos and one for the Asmodians. Aion will be releasing in September and has currently been running beta tests during the weekends. To find out more about scheduled beta tests, beta key giveaways, and other information for Aion visit our fansite ...

Aion prologue videos to serve as character intro sequences?
Massively — As you might have gathered from our past Aion closed beta coverage, your first steps into the world of Atreia are a bit confusing. Currently, new characters are unceremoniously dumped into the world with a nasty bout of amnesia, with no idea of who they are or why they are ...

The Daily Grind: Is beta testing just free labour?
Massively — Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Sci-fi, Aion, The Daily Grind, Champions Online, Cities XL It seems 2009 is the Summer of Betas. There certainly are a lot going on at the moment: Aion, Cities XL and Champions ...

Hands on with the Aion beta: The lore of Atreia
Massively — Now we've had a good look at Aion and tried out both factions it's time to look deeper into what makes the game tick. You might have got your wings and may even have done a little PvP but you've probably starting to pay more attention to the reasons behind the enmity between Elyos ...

Massively's Aion closed beta key giveaway
Massively — ... We're back with another closed beta key giveaway for NCsoft's Aion, and this time it's for more than just one weekend. We have 500 keys to give away for this sixth closed beta test weekend, plus the open beta testing throughout September. ...

Aion New Cinematic Introduction Video Posted!
Curse — Aion Online has released a new cinematic intro and AionSource.com has picked it up from youtube and supplied it for us to take a peak at! Here's the video and announcement from AionSource.com: Few things make your heart beat with anticipation and excitement than a good CGI trailer for a game. Aion is certainly holding true with theirs. This video is amazing. Thanks to strayfe for posting this and Killer 842 for the heads up   ...

Aion intro cinematic beautiful but slightly vague?
Massively — With Aion set to launch in just over a month, it seems like we're getting goodies on a daily basis that help keep the hype train in (loco)motion. The most recent release is the game's intro cinematic that gives a brief overview of Atreia's history and tries to set the tone ...

NCSoft Profits Increase 450 Percent In Q2!
Curse — NCSoft's second quarter profits have increased over 450% after the successful launch of Aion and the continued strength of Lineage II. The release of Aion last November in Korea and July in Japan and Taiwan brought in nearly 40 Billion Korean Won (About $37 Million). The company has had such strong performances the first few quarters they've raised their outlook for the year to around $470 million in sales and around $150 million in operating profits. Aion is due to release late September in North America and is expected one of the best MMORPG releases ...

Final Aion CBT promises a sneak peak at launch day content
Massively — Is it nearly September? Apparently so as the sixth and final Aion Closed Beta Test (CBT) kicks off this weekend. Over the last five CBTs we've had the chance to play both Elyos and Asmodians, to see the starter zones and the Abyss, to taste the PvPvE content, find ...

The Daily Grind: Your thoughts on Jeff Strain's NCsoft departure?
Massively — ... as well, even if they both left for unrelated reasons. With Aion coming closer and closer to a launch in the United States, and ...

Aion Elyos and Asmodian origin videos revealed
Massively — With the sixth and final Closed Beta Test for NCsoft's newest title, Aion, beginning later today. Things are starting to get really interesting. YouTube is a haven for all things video, especially when it comes to gaming and a look at those which aren't ...

Beta week
Tobold's MMORPG Blog — This weekend was the last Aion beta event. I would have had a last look, but in spite of updating my password and client, the game wouldn't let me in. Not really a problem, because I already decided not to play it on release. ...

Recent Aion Press Release and New Wallpapers!
Curse — ... has picked up new wallpapers for Aion and a recent press release detailing the number of hours logged for NA and EU players so far, information about Aion at GamesCom and PAX, and the limited availability as Aion continues to sell extremely well! ...

NCsoft announces Aion has gone gold, now being manufactured
Massively — Aion, NCsoft's latest MMO that is due to launch in the US and Europe next month, has just gone gold, the company has announced. For those not in the know, this means the game has been completed and is now being manufactured for release. Yes, that's it, the game is done. This ...

Aion Goes Gold
WarCry Network : Latest News — ... through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets. For more information about Aion go to http://www.aiononline.com This is huge news for a lot of fans! Celebrate!

The Daily Grind: How many MMOs do you play at one time?
Massively — MMOs tend to have dedicated fan bases and everyone has their favourite: Aion, City of Heroes, WoW, Guild Wars, Lord of the Rings Online ... the list goes on and on. Everyone has their own personal favourite or the hip ...

NCsoft reveals Aion's Priest subclass: the Cleric
Massively — It seems with rumblings of an open beta reverberating through the interweb, Aion is never far from the thoughts of the avid MMO player or Team Massively. NCsoft just sent through a new (and shiny) batch of lovely Cleric-centric screenshots for your perusal. Focusing on ...

The Daily Grind: Do you play the MMO stock market?
Massively — Ahhh, the stock market: The yo-yo that makes people jump for joy or jump off twenty-story buildings. Playing it can be just as exhilarating, frightening, and expensive as a high-octane weekend bender in Free Realms. Well, almost... With the quote-unquote Global Economic ...

Aion trailer 1.5 released into the wild
Massively — ... Aion's launch is coming up this September, and a brand new trailer has been released to make sure that everyone remembers exactly how pretty this game is. For the record, ...

NCsoft dev discusses the genesis of Aion at GDC Europe
Massively — Aion dev Yongchan Jee spilled the beans on the game's origins as part of a GDC Europe Q and A session. Gamasutra were on hand to find out what exactly makes the game stand out in Korea. This included addressing a gap in the market for 'AAA' titles after the release of ...

NCsoft posts epic video interview with Aion Lead Designer Yongchan Jee
Massively — Filed under: Fantasy, Video, Aion, Interviews, New titles, News items GamesCom is in full swing with NCsoft taking full advantage of social networking, from twittering about their activities to streaming video on ...

NCsoft Announces an Exclusive Cross-Game Promotion between the Aion and Guild Wars
Curse — ... In anticipation of the launch of this year’s biggest MMORPG release, Aion, NCsoft announced an exclusive cross promotion today giving players the ability to call upon the Aion wings emote within the Guild Wars family of games. Players can use a special emote in Guild Wars that will display their Aion wings! ...

Your Wings Await!
Guild Wars - News — ... Q: How do I get the Aion wings emote on my Guild Wars account? Is there any other way to get the Aion wings? A: Players who purchase an Aion Limited Collector's Edition or a first run SteelBook Edition at retail will be rewarded with an Aion wings emote code. This is the only way to receive the Aion wings emote for Guild Wars , as the emote is not available via digital download. Click here for a list of locations that carry Aion . Q: Does every copy of Aion include a serial code for this exclusive emote? How do I know if I bought the right version? A: ...

NCsoft launch Aion and Guild Wars emote cross promotion
Massively — Everyone loves wings right? That's one of the reasons Aion appeals so much. Well NCsoft has launched a little cross promotion based on that fact. Essentially it boils down to this: if you buy a first edition of Aion (either the steelbook or the shiny Collector's Edition) you'll get a special emote which will be tied to your account. This will then allow you to summon a pair of wings in Guild Wars! Unfortunately the wings are purely cosmetic, your Guild Wars avatar won't be able to take to the air but the wings will move and look awfully authentic (as ...

Five things content writers learned while westernizing Aion
Massively — In a developer journal over at MMORPG.com, NCsoft Content Writer David Noonan waxes on five things he and the "Aion Westernization Army" learned while stripping Aion down to its narrative essence and building it back up again. It was no easy task taking what was basically a fully-fledged successful Korean MMO and repackaging it for a totally different audience. It seems as though the writing team took the task seriously. In a game populated by over 2,500 quests, there's bound to be some repetitiion and uncreative storytelling going on but ...

NCsoft announces its PAX plans
Massively — Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Aion, City of Heroes, Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items, Guild Wars 2, Hands-onIt's nearly September which means the Penny Arcade Expo is swiftly approaching. Taking place between September 4th-6th in Seattle, PAX is fast becoming the new must-attend convention for all sections of the industry, from developers to publishers and gamers. NCsoft has just announced their plans for this year's convention and this focuses on their three big IPs: Aion, Guild Wars ...

Aion Open Beta Dates and Pre-Select Headstart Program Details!
Curse — ... of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets. For more information about Aion go to http://www.aiononline.com. ...

NCsoft announces Aion NA and EU open beta details
Massively — There have been rumblings for weeks about an open beta for Aion, NCsoft's latest MMO and the company has finally confirmed details about what we can expect. North American and European gamers who may not have gotten access to the Closed Beta Tests will get an ...

Aion open beta dates confirmed
Oklahoma City MMORPG Examiner — ... through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets. For more information about Aion go to http://www.aiononline.com . ...

Aion open beta client now available for download
Massively — Aion's open beta is officially on the way so everybody will be able to sample the delights of Atreia between September 6th and 13th. Ahead of this, NCsoft has announced the availability of the Aion beta client. The client can now be downloaded from ...

File Planet Hosts Aion V1.5 Client!
Curse — ... Aion's Open Beta Test featuring version 1.5 will take place September 6 - 13 and will include numerous Western enhancements, including improvements to Aion's innovative character customization with a host of Western styles, as well as new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing and improvements. Aion's coming out Sept 22nd, and if you want to get a Collectors Edition you should orders soon! They're sold out at several retailers! Learn more about Aion with our: Guides and Analysis forums Aion Q&A Forums ...

September is a crazy month for MMOs!
Massively — September 2009 really is quite a month for new MMO releases, as Syp points out. Players will be able to dive into the worlds of Aion, Champions Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited (barring any unfortunate legal wrangling), and Fallen Earth. While we're at it, we might as well include CrimeCraft, which launched a couple days ago too. Remember the days when you might see 1-2 new MMOs per year, staggered six months apart from each other? As the genre grows, it seems unlikely that we'll see those ...

Breaking: North American Aion servers to be located on east coast
Massively — One of our keen-eyed readers tipped us off as to a forum post by Ayase, aka Sebastian Streiffert, Aion's community manager, which confirmed an original email stating that North American servers will be located on the east coast. Forum-goers whipped themselves up into a frenzy quite quickly over this news, especially those residing in the Oceanic region. Gamers from Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore are often faced with crippling latency issues when playing on servers located stateside. This is usually mitigated by having some west coast servers or actual ...

NCsoft and DC Comics announce Aion comic book
Massively — ... which focuses on the Asmodian Daeva Aiva. She might look familiar as her image is used to advertise the game and a statue of her will also be found in the Collector's Edition when ...

The Daily Grind: Staycation edition
Massively — ... ) or enter their own open beta (Aion -- on Sunday). So what are your big plans? Do you plan on hooking up a Red Bull IV and getting as much leveling done as possible, or is your vacation one from games as well? Let us know! ...

The Daily Grind: Will you be playing Aion open beta this weekend?
Massively — ... Want to know more about Aion? NCsoft invites you into the world of Atreia where the Elyos and the Asmodians fight each other and the evil Balaur for control of the shattered planet. Check out out all our coverage of this ...

Gurl IRL: The WoW Rivals
Rawrbitchrawr — Disclaimer: This isn't an article of game reviews and previews. So don't expect elaborate information on the MMOs I will be discussing. Alot of it is the opinions of myself and others. Everyone likes to talk about the "WoW killer", and what MMO could bring WoW to its ...

Aion Abyss rankings show assassins like it on top (Korean)
Massively — ... Want to know more about Aion? NCsoft invites you into the world of Atreia where the Elyos and the Asmodians fight each other and the evil Balaur for control of the shattered planet. Check out out all our coverage of this ...

Everything Aion: Five things you need to know about surviving in Atreia
Massively — ... Want to know more about Aion? NCsoft invites you into the world of Atreia where the Elyos and the Asmodians fight each other and the evil Balaur for control of the shattered planet. Check out out all our coverage of this ...

Everything Aion: Flight 101
Massively — Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Aion, Events, in-game, Lore Flight is probably the thing which has drawn most people to Aion. The idea of soaring high above the cloud on a pair of white/black-feathered wings is a universally appealing one. The ...

Everything Aion: Transportation 101
Massively — Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Aion Transportation is important to any MMO, especially one like Aion which doesn't include the option of a mount. Yes, there are no cats, no horses or flying creatures to ride. It's just you, your feet, your wings and a ...

Karos Online proves that mining and fishing don't have to be crafting tradeskills
Massively — ... player stats and some player buffs. These gems can also be used to buy special resources or enchant items for the character, making them a one stop shop for all your upgrade needs. Of course, this leads to these items being coveted for their use, and Karos is also implementing a guild control system on the mining areas -- turning what's normally a crafting ground into a high-stakes PvP area. Karos is currently in closed beta, running in weekend beta tests similar to Aion. If you're looking to jump in, sign up for an account on the Karos ...

Aion open beta hits some hiccups, but patches are on the way
Massively — ... , and now Aion. It seems that no game can find that smooth stride regarding their beta testing these days, but thankfully that's what beta testing is for -- squashing bugs. (No matter how much marketing we seem to lump atop these tests these days.) ...

One Shots: Volatilis solus
Massively — ... Aion seems to be dividing players - some love it, some absolutely hate it. The one thing that very few people seem to disagree on is how the game looks when it's on a rig that can run it cranked up. The details of the game on the highest settings are polished to a mirror shine. Today's ...

Crytek's CryEngine in UK classrooms
Massively — Students of video game design in the United Kingdom should be doing back flips after hearing that Crytek is donating their CryEngine free of charge to all universities in the country. CryEngine is most famously known as the graphics engine behind visually stunning titles such as ...

Aion open beta patched and extended... by six hours?
Massively — We wrote about some of the issues players were experiencing in Aion open beta a couple days ago. We also mentioned an upcoming patch that aimed to fix it all. Well, it looks like that patch arrived last night. The patch isn't just performance related though -- it also addresses issues with classes, combat, quests, instanced dungeons, and much more. As a reward to all beta testers for being so helpful and patient, NCsoft has decided to extend Aion's open beta... by six hours. This means open beta will now end Monday 9/14/2009 at 8 a.m. BST (5 a.m. ...

Aion video podcast addresses the East/West divide
Big Download Blog — ... Aion video podcast addresses the East/West divide originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Aion's third podcast takes on the east vs. west gaming approaches
Massively — ... The next video in the Aion podcast series is up, and this time the staff speaks on the differences in how the Western and Eastern markets perceive gameplay, and how ...

NCSoft sells over 300,000 Aion pre-orders
Massively — There's an interesting interview with Véronique Lallier -- NCSoft's managing director of publishing -- over at GamesIndustry.biz that reveals Aion has sold over 300,000 pre-orders so far. Not too shabby if you ask us. The interview also covers a lot of what's been going on over the past year with NC West, NCSoft's 'umbrella' for their western subsidiaries. The main goal of NC West is to give the company a stronger foothold in European and North American markets. Now based out of Seattle, employees can be closer to their players and be more ...

Aion preselection and head start programs detailed
Massively — Aion is right around the corner and there are two big things you should be aware of leading up to its North American launch on September 22 (September 25 in Europe): preselection and head start. These items are only of concern if you are a preorder ...

Help NCsoft help you: Aion server poll arrives
Massively — Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, New titles, News itemsNCsoft has put up an official server select poll up on SurveyMonkey for Aion. Anyone can participate by choosing which region they're from, whether or not they're a role-player, and then which server they plan to play on. The results will be released on September 18 to help preselect players decide which servers they should make characters on. There is currently a bit of a competition going between Lumiel and Zikel as the official Eastern role-playing server. Before the ...

Aion Wings FAQ Updated!
Guild Wars - News — ... Q: How do I get the Aion wings emote on my Guild Wars account? Is there any other way to get the Aion wings? A: Players who purchase an Aion Limited Collector's Edition or a first run SteelBook Edition at retail will be rewarded with an Aion wings emote code. This is the only way to receive the Aion wings emote for Guild Wars , as the emote is not available via digital download. Click here for a list of locations that carry Aion . Q: Does every copy of Aion include a serial code for this exclusive emote? How do I know if I bought the right version? A: ...

Aion preorder numbers break records
Oklahoma City MMORPG Examiner — ... their copy of Aion, they will be treated to server Pre-Selection (beginning tomorrow 18th September) and a five-day Headstart period (beginning 20th September) allowing them to get a jump start on their exploration and progression prior to the official launch on 25th September. Players can still participate in Aion s Pre-Selection and Headstart programs by preordering the game through several participating online and brick-and-mortar retailers. For a complete list please go to www.aiononline.com/uk/retail/ . Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online ...

Aion server update: Nezekan named official Oceanic server
Massively — They begged. They pleaded. They sacrificed loads of marsupials all in the name of Aion. And NCsoft listened. Aion will officially launch with an Oceanic server set to GMT+10 and it will be called Nezekan. Neze-can-you-dig-it? Okay, maybe not. This announcement comes after months of beta testing results and community feedback. You won't see the server labeled as 'Oceanic' until a week or two after launch (coming in a patch), so we wanted to make sure you all knew about this before preselect and launch. We also have a status update regarding ...

Aion is the single most pre-ordered MMO this year
Massively — ... In a piece of news that we're betting surprises precisely nobody at all, Aion has just broken the 400,000 pre-order mark. What's notable about this number is that it's enough to make ...

Aion: 400K Preorders - Year's Biggest MMO Launch
WarCry Network : Latest News — ... thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customization systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets. For more information about Aion check the official website . ...

Aion: Say goodbye to GameGuard (for now...)
Massively — Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Game mechanics, Patches, News items"Hark! The Herald Daeva Sing. NCsoft casts GameGuard out from under its wing." Many an Aion player are rejoicing at the latest news out of NCsoft. The game will not be launching with infamous anti-cheating software GameGuard (GG). If you're unfamiliar with this software, it comes packaged with many Asian MMOs. Think of it as Warden from World of Warcraft or Punkbuster from your favorite FPS... on steroids. GG has probably ...

Join us in-game Tuesday for the launch of Aion and Fallen Earth
Massively — ... and Aion. In-game launch day events have been quite a hit so far, and we really look forward to a double-header coming this Tuesday, September 22nd. ...

NCsoft's strict server balance policy for Aion
Massively — As a result of some vague server messages and a confused player base trying to reserve their characters in Aion's preselect period, NCsoft tossed up an informative preselect server status page. This page lists all European and North American servers and labels them as either 'Temporarily Locked,' 'Elyos/Asmodian Only,' or blank. Some of the servers are jam-packed, while others have plenty of room to grow (no labels). NCsoft has temporarily locked new character creation on the higher population servers until the lower population servers catch up. To maintain ...

Five reasons to play Aion
Massively — We hope this article will shed some light on Aion and help you decide whether or not it pleases your taste buds. Aion is undoubtedly a unique game but it also offers enough familiarity to make things feel homey. It all comes down to player preference really, but based on the ...

WRUP: Game like a pirate edition
Massively — ... you might enjoy. If you'd prefer to stick with MMOs, though, there are lots of pirate options from Pirates of the Burning Sea and Pirates of the Caribbean Online, to one of our personal favorites for casual fun - Puzzle Pirates! As far as the motley crew here aboard the SS Massively, it looks like we've got a hearty mix of gaming going on this week. From old-school gaming to new titles like Champions Online, Aion, and Fallen Earth, we're all over the place. For all the rum-soaked ...

The Daily Grind: What game has the best /dances?
Massively — ... There are tons of MMOs out there with /dance moves in them. Don't believe us? Search "mmo dance" on YouTube and you'll get an idea of all the various different ones out there. Sometimes they're easy to source, like all of the ones in World of Warcraft. Other times, they seem to have gone off and done their own thing, as perhaps with the video above from Aion. With that said, some games do /dancing better than others - at least according to players. This morning we thought we'd ask you - which game do you think has the absolute best /dance emotes? ...

The Aion server queue survival guide
Massively — ... So you pre-ordered Aion and you're super excited to jump into the game during the headstart release that's going on right now. You've set aside a whole block of time for your game play, you have your snacks at your side and your DVR ready to play some great entertainment while you grind your night away. You type in your username and password, accept the EULA, select the server that you made your character on during the pre-selection annnndd..... ...

One Shots: Facing the uncertain future
Massively — ... With the launch of both Aion and Fallen Earth tomorrow, it's an exciting time around here at Massively. We love the shiny fun of new games - especially when it comes to niches we've been waiting for someone to publish in. Today's Fallen Earth One Shots actually comes to us from Jonathan M., Shawn Schuster's co-host on the "Through the Aftermath" podcast. He writes in: I caught this scenic picture after climbing a satellite tower near Embry Crossroads. Looking out at the wastelands of the southwestern US, ...

A WoW player's guide to Aion
Massively — So, you're a big fan of World of Warcraft (or at least you were at one time) and you've heard about this new MMO called Aion. "Hmmm, I wonder what that's all about?" you ponder. "Anything similar?" you posit. "What's so different?" Well, we've written a ...

Aion videos kickoff the game's official launch
Big Download Blog — ... Continue reading Aion videos kickoff the game's official launch Aion videos kickoff the game's official launch originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Massively's Aion and Fallen Earth launch day schedule
Massively — ... As we mentioned on Friday, we are excited to join you in-game for the launches of both Aion and Fallen Earth tomorrow. We'll have staff in both games, ready to group up and play with any readers who want to experience the beginning areas with other readers. In addition to this, we'll have contests, giveaways and prizes to those who attend or meet-up with us. Follow along after the break for complete details on where we'll be, who will be there and what we'll be doing. Continue reading Massively's Aion and Fallen Earth launch day ...

Aion's launch day trailer revealed
Massively — ... Tomorrow (this Tuesday) is the highly anticipated launch of NCsoft's newest contender in the MMO ring, Aion. Of course, many of you Aion fans are already playing in the pre-order head start that began yesterday, but tomorrow is the official launch for the game. With tomorrow's opening in mind, NCsoft has released the final promotional trailer for Aion, splicing bits of in-game footage and pre-rendered movies together to form a kaleidoscope of pretty. There's pretty daevas, pretty battles, pretty environments, pretty monsters, and even pretty ...

The Daily Grind: Should MMOs launch on the same day?
Massively — ... You know where I'm going with this already, don't you? Today is the launch of both Aion and Fallen Earth, and while many MMO fans believe that this will spell disaster for the least-popular one, others recognize the fact that they appeal to completely opposite groups of gamers. But today's launch demographics aside, is releasing an MMO on the same day as another MMO generally a good idea? There's always a possibility of crossover between any two games -- even in the case of Aion and Fallen Earth -- but competition ...

One Shots: Set to take wing
Massively — ... The day that so many Aion players have been looking forward to - launch day! Currently, our very own Colin Seraphina Brennan is logged in on "Seraphina" and is hanging out in Aldelle Village - although she is bouncing back and forth between being on Lumiel (Asmodian) and Zikel (Elyos). Why? She's just waiting for players to pop by and pick up free stuff! In honor of the launch, we bring you this great Aion One Shots from Mike F. who captured this image in beta and sent it in to us. Here's what he had to say: Here is Solaa ...

Official Aion website gets a make-over (redux)
Massively — Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, New titles, News itemsWe bring you this breaking news from the cluttered desks at Massively headquarters: Aion has launched! Oh wait, you already knew that? Darn. Well, maybe you haven't noticed Aion's official website make-over featuring all kinds of never-before-seen goodies like official forums, character and legion (guild) search, server status/statistics, Abyss control, and player rankings. The new look is clean, bright, and lightweight. NCsoft have updated their Powerwiki to ...

Anti-Aionsed: This time, I put the joke of the title before the colon
Massively — ... The people who follow my personal blog or follow me on Twitter or listen to the Massively Speaking podcast probably saw this column coming from a mile away. Aion and I... we have some business to take care of. This week is Aion's launch week and I do believe that I need to put my thoughts down on the game, like so many other journalists are doing this week. Now, please, even before we start, I need to make it clear that this isn't a review. This is my collected thoughts about the game as I've played it through closed beta, open beta, the head ...

Five quick tips for Aion
Massively — For those lucky enough to get past Aion's login queue, we're happy to announce five quick tips that will enhance your gaming experience. You can expect more of these kinds of posts in the weeks and months ahead. Let's get right into it, shall we? 1. Change the channel The initial rush of new players coming in to Aion can really bung up certain areas of the game. While we're all for being social (see #5), this can lead to some long and frustrating waits for shared PvE content. Or maybe you're on a lower end rig and the massive amounts of players ...

NCsoft responds to Aion's server queues
Massively — ... The long Aion server queues are a sticking point for many players who have been looking forward to playing these past few days. We ...

A post from the aether
Snaffy's Space — Wow, things have been pretty quiet around here lately haven't they? What is a personal blog? To me it's a nice soapbox where I can say things I want to say and people can comment on them. Lately, I just haven't had the time. Well, I've had the time, but I've been prioritizing that time a bit differently. There are four main things that are keeping me from posting: Massively.com -- This is where I get most of my creative juices flowing. I usually post here first if I have a brainwave on something. AionLevelingGuide.com -- This new project has been taking up a ...

What do a treadmill, bike tire, and Wiimote have in common?
Massively — ManaEnergyPotions.com has combined three seemingly unrelated inanimate objects into a dangerous contraption rivaling that of a medieval torture device: the Aion fitness machine! Okay, we'll admit that it's actually kind of cool even though we don't think there's a huge market for MMO-related exercise equipment just yet. (/munches on Cheetos and /sips Coke guilt-free, while /relaxing in comfy chair.) In an experiment worthy of the pages of Popular Mechanics, these fellows interfaced a basic treadmill, road bicycle tire, and two modded Nintendo Wiimotes with a PC running ...

NCsoft scrambles to reduce server queues: Private store tweaks incoming
Massively — Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Patches, News itemsIf one thing has marred the otherwise polished launch of Aion it is the extremely long server queues players face when trying to log in and play what they paid for. NCsoft responded a couple days ago saying that they are aware of the problem and working on solutions such as increased server caps and even opening a new server in both North America and Europe. Today they just announced a maintenance patch that addresses a major cause of their queue problem: Private stores will now have ...

Aion announces new North American server to be available soon
Massively — ... Lani Blazier, associate producer on NCsoft's Aion, has announced today via Twitter that the game will be opening its arms to a new North American server very shortly. This announcement most likely comes to many cheers from the community, as server queues have continued all this week on many of the NA servers. While we announced earlier that private shop changes will be coming to the game in order to reduce AFK spot holders, the new server will be one of the best ways to help spread out the population. The new server is ...

The Daily Grind: Should all games have fast travel?
Massively — ... you can have a horse or ATV from early levels, but let's face it - the world is enormous. Even with mounts, it still takes you some time to get from one place to another. There is really no method of fast travel there. In Aion, players have access to gorgeous wings after they finish the quest, but they only work for brief periods of time. Sure, there are other methods of travel, but as some reason - if you have wings, why not let players use them to get from here to there? Yet in other games you can teleport from town to town very rapidly. As we don't pay for MMOs by ...

WRUP: Hello, Aion edition
Massively — ... Another week culminates in another weekend. And with the launch of both Aion and Fallen Earth this week, it's a busy one! The problem, as always, comes down to countless available MMOs and only 24 hours in a day. So what's a gaming blogger to do? There are tough choices that need to be made. So, for the curious, here's what the Massively team is playing this weekend: Brendan Drain (@nyphur): Having spent much of this week in EVE Online preying mercilessly on miners in wormhole space, I ...

Five more quick tips for Aion
Massively — We spent a lot of time playing Aion last weekend and have another round of quick tips to share with you. Check out last week's list in case you missed it. Enjoy! 1. Cheaply level your craft This tip assumes you know the basics of crafting. The fastest and cheapest way to raise your crafting skill is to complete work orders given out by your crafting trainer in the Artisan district in your capital city. Crafting costs kinah (money), but there are three important things you should bear in mind to maximize your savings. First, only grind up ...

Aion's first fortress falls to the Origine legion
Massively — ... So for those of you who have been counting the days, Aion has been out for about a week in the North American / Europe regions. And, in this short, short, week, we've already got a legion who has gotten into the Abyss and accomplished one of the main objectives -- capturing a fortress. ...

Runes of Magic offers players wings, but only until tomorrow
Massively — ... We smell some Aion envy coming from Runewaker Entertainment, but we're not going to complain! We're being offered pretty wings in Runes of Magic! Starting right now and continuing until tomorrow, wings will be available for purchase in the Runes of Magic item shop. While it doesn't look like the wings do anything other than look really cool on your character, this is a very limited time item. Because of the limited window of purchase, these wings will most likely become a coveted item very quickly. (As long as ...

Aion patches, denies whispers
Massively — ... In an attempt to shut up some of those annoying gold spammers, Aion has placed a temporary restriction on whispering in today's patch. Anyone below level 5 will find themselves unable to whisper their friends until they reach the magical level, when they can once again make use of the function. In practice, this makes whispering very much like the general channel, which is also restricted to only those characters above level 5. This is only a temporary restriction while the Aion team works out a solution to keeping the gold spammers off of ...

Aion and Fallen Earth dominate Steam/D2D charts
Massively — Filed under: Aion, Fallen Earth, News items, Champions OnlineAion. Champions Online. Fallen Earth. Three MMOs intended for three different audiences and yet they all have one thing in common: September gaming sales chart domination! The latest numbers on Steam and Direct2Drive show a bit of a re-shuffling compared to the last time we checked in. Steam (9/20 - 9/26) 1st - Aion Collector's Edition 2nd - Aion Standard ...

Exclusive Aion designer interview at AionSource
Massively — ... Aion has certainly made quite an impact at launch, with impressive subscriber numbers, a broad spectrum of starting content, and - of course - a groundswell of fan support for the game. ...

One Shots: Awaiting ascension
Massively — ... According to the Xfire charts and the sales numbers, Aion is doing very well for NCsoft. With visuals like this one, sent in to us by regular contributor Johanis, we're absolutely not surprised at all. Aion players seem to really love the detail (wings) and solid writing, coupled with the familiar game-play of favorites such as World of Warcraft. Here's what Johanis had to say about this particular image he sent in. Here is Metros, my newly created Templar in Aion who is about to ascend and get his wings. His ...

The Daily Grind: What unloved game do you adore?
Massively — ... If you had to describe the MMO field in one word - without using the words "virtual" or "massive" or "Warcraft" - you could do worse than picking "fickle". It's all but a law of nature that for every game that manages to get big-time exposure, there's another whose very name provokes boredom at best and vitriol at worst. For every Aion, there's a ...

Aion gets its first State of the Game address
Massively — It's been a little over two weeks since Aion launched and NC West Executive Producer Lance Stites just released its first State of the Game address. These kinds of announcements have become more and more frequent as new MMOs launch and they usually cover the ...

Transitioning to Aion
Just Potatoes — I’ve gotten a number of messages in recent weeks asking where I’ve been! Thank you all so much for your concern, but everything is just fine. I moved to Minneapolis in August when my husband’s job was relocated, so between unpacking and getting adjusted to our new home, I haven’t had much time to write. In September, I logged back into Warhammer for the first time since my move and found it felt sadly decayed. My server was like an old building with lots of character, where good memories were once formed, but now past its prime. Most of my guildmates were off playing Age of ...

Addressing gold spam in Aion
Massively — After playing Aion for any length of time, one might think the 'Looking for Group' channel is actually a 'Looking for Gold" channel. Don't worry, it's a common mistake. Since a few days after launch, players have been bombarded with gold spam in the game's various chat channels from general to group to trade and even to personal tell (whisper). Notably absent from Lance Stites' first State of the Game address last week, English Community Representative Ayase just put out an announcement about gold spam and NCsoft's efforts to eliminate it from ...

Big improvements in Aion 1.5.1 patch
Massively — Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Patches The folks over at AionSource were kind enough to translate the latest Aion patch notes being tested in Korea. There's no word yet on when western players will see these changes, but the notes are still worth ...

Exclusive interview with Aion Producer Brian Knox
Massively — We submitted a few questions to NCsoft back when players were taking their first baby steps into the strange and lush world of Atreia. Things have obviously been a bit hectic these past couple weeks but Aion Producer Brian Knox took some time out today to answer ...

One Shots: Good catch
Massively — ... While it's all very well and good to have nice graphics, one of the things we've noticed about the games that seem to do best is that they don't take themselves too seriously. Pop-culture references, silly asides, or just things that make us laugh serve to endear games to us. Today, we have a fairly silly thing that Seagull of the Ariel server in Aion noticed while getting some game time in. We'll let him explain: Idle animations in [ ...

WRUP: The where'd everybody go edition
Massively — ... ): Parents are coming out for a weekend, so I'm taking them out to a nice place in town, and might take in a movie. Board games and roleplaying will also be included this weekend, sans parents, of course. MMO-wise, I'd really like to have some time to play Aion and ...

Aion 24/7 GM support 'coming very soon'
Massively — ... Aion has a lot of great qualities, although one of the biggest issues in-game towers above pretty much any others: 24/7 in-game GM support. Whether it's gold spammers, bugs or some issue that goes above and beyond asking for help in guild chat -- constant GM support is essential for happy customers. ...

NCsoft extends a thank you to Aion players for their patience
Massively — ... has been given five of these unique items, meaning that pre-order customers will now have 10 of them, as they have already received five from their pre-order. Enjoy the weekend of adventuring! Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Events, in-game, News items NCsoft extends a thank you to Aion players for their patience originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What game is wearing you down?
Massively — There's always that one game. We all know what it is, even though which game it is changes for person to person, but we know about it because we're adamant that we won't play it. We don't want to. Half the time we've read up on the game and explained in detail how many things we dislike about it and why we're certain -- certain! -- we would never enjoy it. Other players can praise it to high heaven, over and over, but we won't even touch it. We don't want to, no way. Cue two months later ...

One Shots: Do not taunt happy fun box
Massively — ... We're not entirely certain where this particular mob features in Aion, but the story that came with today's Aion One Shots was so strange, we couldn't resist putting it out here. We just wish we'd have found out what the mob dropped. Quinn R. who plays on the Kaisinel server sent this fun report to us. He explains: here's a screen grab of the entire (along with some other random people) "Gigantic Box" legion (which I'm a leader of) killing the mob [named] Gigantic Box! First a little back story about the mob: Gigantic Box has tons of health and a ...

WRUP: Old-school gaming edition
Massively — ... Also, doing Crafting instances to max out my Prospecting before the expansion hits. Joined a new guild so hoping to get in some Turtle groups as well. Eliot Lefebvre: I've finally caved in and decided to try DDO out, now that I've actually taken a look at how much you can buy in the game. I'm also still on my Mega Man kick, and want to see if I can blow through X5 over the weekend. Kyle Horner (@kylehorner): More Aion and Champions Online for me this weekend. Just bought a new ...

Aion's spam filter is bigger, stronger, faster
Massively — ... Gold seller spam got you down; keeping you from purchasing Aion? Fret not, fair... uh, would be Aionites, because NCsoft is working towards fixing the solution through improvements and good will. We already know that essential 24/7 GM support is on its way, so the news that the recent 10.5.0.10 added an improved chat spam filter is delicious, vengeful frosting on our Crytek-powered cake. By our observations, spam has been reduced to the occasional whisper or channel message from a character with an odd umlaut or whatnot in their name. ...

Aion: Heiron Zone Tour
WarCry Network : Latest News — ... Javascript For websites and blogs that allow Javascript tags Object Tag For most websites and blogsThe Aion devs have put together a great video tour of the Heiron Zone. Check it out! You won't be sorry. ...

NCSoft Announces Halloween Events for Aion, City of Heroes and More
GameZig — ... creatures pulled back into a semblance of life by the power of the eclipse. Elyos must join roving Dark Night bands to hunt and destroy the undead before they invade Elyos villages. Each day during Harvest Revel players will be rewarded for their investment with new lore and tasty treats including a Halloween Hat and candy that will transform players into in game creatures! • Starts: Sunday, October 25, 2009 • Ends: Saturday, October 31, 2009 Visit www.aiononline.com for more Aion-specific information. ...

Aion celebrates Halloween with the Harvest Revel
Oklahoma City MMORPG Examiner — ... of Atreia, the Elyos encounter undead creatures pulled back into a semblance of life by the power of the eclipse. Elyos must join roving Dark Night bands to hunt and destroy the undead before they invade Elyos villages. Each day during Harvest Revel players will be rewarded for their investment with new lore and tasty treats including a Halloween Hat and candy that will transform players into in game creatures! Starts: Sunday, October 25, 2009 Ends: Saturday, October 31, 2009 Visit www.aiononline.com for more Aion-specific information. Aion Halloween event Aion Halloween ...

Curse.com founder's open Aion letter to NCsoft Korea
Massively — Open letters to MMO developers from forum members are a dime a dozen these days but it isn't very often you see one from a forum admin. It's even more rare to see one from the founder of a major fansite network. Today must be our lucky day because Netcurse, founder of Curse.com wrote just such a letter to NCsoft Korea, head studio behind Aion. The public plea puts some extra weight behind the biggest complaints many Aion players have been voicing since release, namely: "the grind," spammers/botters, and large-scale PvP performance in ...

NCsoft Titles Going Halloween
WarCry Network : Latest News — ... of Atreia, the Elyos encounter undead creatures pulled back into a semblance of life by the power of the eclipse. Elyos must join roving Dark Night bands to hunt and destroy the undead before they invade Elyos villages. Each day during Harvest Revel players will be rewarded for their investment with new lore and tasty treats including a Halloween Hat and candy that will transform players into in game creatures! ·Starts: Sunday, October 25, 2009 ·Ends: Saturday, October 31, 2009 Visit http://www.aiononline.com for more Aion-specific information. City of Heroes - Triumph over ...

Why You Should Be Playing Aion: Chain combat
Massively — ... I didn't give Aion the world's most glowing set of remarks last time I visited it, so I thought I should at least stop by and spend some time on a part of the game that I do actually like -- chain attacks. ...

One Shots: Getting used to her wings
Massively — ... about various things within Aion, many people are still thrilled with how beautiful the game is. While it isn't the next step in MMO innovation, it does combine gorgeous graphics like the ones above with well-known game mechanics and an interesting story. Today's ...

WRUP: It's all about EVE. And Aion. And...
Massively — ... Drain (@nyphur): I've actually been losing a lot of enthusiasm for playing EVE Online lately. I decided not to apply for this term of the Council of Stellar Management and haven't logged in much. I've been spending my spare time playing a little Master of Orion II and another single-player 4X game called Galactic Civilizations II instead. Brooke Pilley (@Snafzg): Let's just see if I can hit 25 in Aion this weekend. I'm 10-days behind the curve due to vacation, but it was worth it! ...

One month: Aion October community address
Massively — Aion has officially been out for one full month and NCsoft just released an October community address in response. The notice reads less like a giant pat on the back and more like a checklist of major issues they are working on, which is bound to churn up speculation about how well the title is doing. Oh, we're sure Aion is doing quite well even though we haven't heard the official numbers yet, but developers usually use these opportunities to shout about their accomplishments rather than their shortcomings. The top three issues mentioned ...

A look back at Aion's first month and impressions
Massively — 43,829 minutes. That's roughly how long Aion's been out in the West. Depending on your tolerance for grinding, it may or may not have felt like that amount of time passed. There's no doubt it's been a busy month full of ups and downs, so we'd like to take an extensive look back at the ...

Chinese company bans gender-bending
Massively — ... decided to cut out the middleman in the equation -- they're banning any male players who play female characters, requiring players to confirm their gender via webcam in order to enforce the ruling. The ruling currently only affects the Aurora-developed game King of the World, but there's always the possibility that this action could have further-reaching consequences. After all, Aurora is a subsidiary of Shanda, a company responsible for publishing Aion and Dungeons and Dragons Online in the region, which are names ...

Chinese company requires web cam verification of gender
Cuppytalk — ... web cam verification of gender in order to pick a character’s gender.  The goal?  To make avatars an exact interpretation of real life gender, i.e., no males playing female characters. The ruling currently only affects the Aurora-developed game King of the World, but there’s always the possibility that this action could have further-reaching consequences. After all, Aurora is a subsidiary of Shanda, a company responsible for publishing Aion and Dungeons and Dragons Online in the region, which are names ...

Chinese company requires web cam verification of gender
Cuppytalk — ... web cam verification of gender in order to pick a character’s gender.  The goal?  To make avatars an exact interpretation of real life gender, i.e., no males playing female characters. The ruling currently only affects the Aurora-developed game King of the World, but there’s always the possibility that this action could have further-reaching consequences. After all, Aurora is a subsidiary of Shanda, a company responsible for publishing Aion and Dungeons and Dragons Online in the region, which are names ...

One Shots: Elvis is everywhere
Massively — ... comes to us from Justin M. who felt that a screenshot we've run earlier didn't do the lovely looks of Aion justice. As such, he sent in his own pretty shot along with the following note for us all to enjoy! Justin writes: Saw you post a picture talking about how beautiful ...

Last chance to upgrade Aion from standard to collector's edition
Massively — Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, New titles, News items If you've been holding off on upgrading your standard edition version of Aion to the full-fledged collector's edition, now's your last chance. NCsoft is extending the upgrade window ...

Details for Aion's new Veteran Rewards Program
Massively — We probably don't need to point out the glaring congruity that each month you play Aion will soon be rewarded with four XP boost amulets; but we will. NCsoft just spilled the beans on their new Veteran Rewards Program. This seems slightly ironic because the game has only ...

How much is riding on City of Heroes: Going Rogue?
Massively — ... , there's not nearly as much revenue coming in from the western branch of the company as they'd like, even with the success Aion has been having in the marketplace. (If that sounds cynical or as if it's expecting too much money, Adam Martin has ...

NCsoft responds to City of Heroes speculation
Massively — ... . And our newest addition to the NCsoft portfolio, Aion, has just seen a very successful launch here in the West. As you point out, we have had to make some tough portfolio decisions, but this is very much par for the course for any major game publisher today. That being said, we remain extremely proud of the Paragon team's accomplishments with the City of Heroes franchise. City of Heroes is still the world's most popular super-powered hero MMO. Even with an increasingly crowded landscape, City of Heroes remains the gold standard for comic ...

The Daily Grind: Are you still playing a September MMO?
Massively — Filed under: Aion, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Fallen Earth, New titles, The Daily Grind, Champions OnlineSeptember 2009 saw the release of Champions Online, Dungeons & Dragons: Eberron Unlimited (an older MMO going F2P), Fallen Earth, and Aion. This was easily the busiest month for MMOs in recent memory and we're sure many of you at least picked up one of them to try out. We're curious to know if you're still playing a September MMO just over a month later. If so or if not, why? ...

One Shots: The hat needs work
Massively — ... When it comes to Aion, many players love just how highly detailed and cool-looking their armor and weapons are. However, when it comes to the recent holiday hats from the ...

The perils of railroading in MMOs
Massively — ... for this as well, as offering precisely that -- a game streamlined so effectively that you have no choices to be made. In particular it cites Aion as an example of a game offering a straight-line, no-thought approach to the genre. ...

Aion reports nearly 1 million copies sold in North America and Europe
Massively — ... free of competition -- the MMO market wasn't exactly glutted with new high-fantasy PvPvE titles in 2009. Aion officially launched September 22nd in North America, and September 25th in Europe. Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, News items Aion reports nearly 1 million copies sold in North America and Europe originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Daily Grind: What part has stayed the same?
Massively — ... , always something that's being improved or altered, added or removed, whatever. But even with all of that, there are certain things that don't change after all. If you've been with your current favorite game for a couple ...

Aion live server numbers crunched
Massively — Aion has been out for roughly 6 weeks so we thought it might be fun to crunch some of the numbers NCsoft provides on their official North American website. We've taken a look at realm balance, class balance, and what level Aion's population is at. Data ...

Developer communication as it affects games
Massively — ... Aion is his choice of examples for the first type of communication, in which the development team is essentially totally silent. The attitude is either complete silence, or denying that a bug is actually a bug. On the flip side, ...

Anti-Aliased: Blade & Soul > Aion
Massively — ... , a game from NCsoft that has been stealthing in the background, waiting for the right time to strike and jump in front of Aion. ...