The hot new MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game, for the uninitiated) starts today for those who preordered the game. Which I did.
I know, I know, there probably isn’t a one of you who knows or cares what I’m talking about. I’ve mentioned before that I play Warhammer Online. And there’s been so much talk there about Aion that I finally took a good hard look at it a few days ago. I succumbed. I “preordered” and downloaded it. Doing so gave me early access to the game, which doesn’t officially release until next week, and the chance to create two characters — thereby reserving their/my names — before the big release.
From what I can see, it’s a beautiful game. And the character creation process is the most extensive I’ve seen in any game to date. Have I ever mentioned that creating characters is one of my favorite parts of these games? Imagine having yourself on a computer screen, with the ability to choose or tweak every single aspect of your appearance: hair style; eye and brow shape; height; physique; eye, hair, skin, and lip color; tattoos; facial marks and scars, facial hair (for the guys); jut of chin, shape of nose … and the list goes on. In itself, almost worth the price of the game for someone who has so much fun with the process.
Lol. Makes me sound pretty superficial, doesn’t it? Being so obsessed with my characters’ appearance. But as in real life, it’s the face you’ll be presenting to the rest of the virtual world you’re about to enter. You want it to be you, or at least the “you” you want to be in the game. And you want it to be a “you” you’ll enjoy being (and looking at) for many months to come.
Anyway, if my posts here drop off for a while, Aion is the reason.
I care! I wish I had the time to play, or I’d join you. It would be fun to rise through the ranks together. As for tweaking appearance, that is one of the things I love about The Sims. Or, loved. Again, no time to play. Plus, I liked the original one better than Sims 2 or Sims 3. The original was more free form. The newer versions are too goal-oriented for me–now they have “wishes” based on “lifetime goals” and at the end of a character’s life, whether you’ve fulfilled those wishes will determine if they have “regrets.” They did that to appeal to more males, but personally, I think that ruined the game. The way I see it, any woman with a romantic partner or kids will get tired of having yet more responsibility for someone else’s lifetime fulfillment!
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That’s sounding a little more like real life than I’d like. I’m looking for different problems and different solutions — with neither resembling real life.