lol getting this title best of 2009 is like saying This made of 1 ton of shit less than the rest
in 2009 only see 2 IP's with the slightest hope to go on , that said these are my winners Darkfall (omg i hate to admit it , but its true ) Fallen Earth (i doubt theyll be able to polish up their engine ever )
Darkfall deserves no reward but fallen earth was at least original and the closest thing to a sandbox to come out.
i would have given FE much more praise. Fallen earth shows that even in a theme park Big business dev company leading the way and the "not so great" releases in the past years it was quite a risk bring a strong sandbox element, non fantasy MMO form an indie company. And while I have never touched Aion and don't think I ever will the fact that Fallen Earth has done so well for itself and the player base still strong and healthy is a great feat.
Aion is simply a rehash of the same old MMO with pretty wings attached this time.
lol getting this title best of 2009 is like saying This made of 1 ton of shit less than the rest
in 2009 only see 2 IP's with the slightest hope to go on , that said these are my winners Darkfall (omg i hate to admit it , but its true ) Fallen Earth (i doubt theyll be able to polish up their engine ever )
Darkfall deserves no reward but fallen earth was at least original and the closest thing to a sandbox to come out.
@ Frost ...the most worn out word in 2009 is sand FUCKINGbox .
i dont even care bout that anymore , i want a title that knocks me off my feet , wether themepark or sandbox (as a community we do our part with those stereotypes in havin a BS non evolving MMO worlds ) i dont give a fuck ...i played on both sides
No "good" games came out in 2009. Aion wins by default, whoop de fucking doo. It sold the most copies and probably also had the lowest player retention after 30 days this year as well. FAIL.
only tried out fallen earth and Aion this year....FE being clearly the best of the 2....personal opinion...but c´mon...when did mindless questing become the center of a MMO.
This article has its merits. No one can deny that Aion's graphics are visually pleasing to the eye and are thus far unmatched in this genre. But visuals only get you so far. Playing Aion for me was like dating an extremely attractive and well-dressed guy only to figure out three weeks into the relationship that we have nothing in common. Or walking into a gorgeous postmodern new age penthouse condo only to realize I just don't feel at home here. Long story short, for whatever reason I couldn't make the connection to Aion. Once I reached the point where the gameplay felt like a grind, I stopped playing. Mind you, I have nothing against grinds and most of the time I can take it...but there has to be something else there keeping me interested, be it the lore or character development or what have you. Aion just felt too sterile and bland to me.
well visually pleasing get some asian women to the west....the relations will always be questionable tho
I had very high hopes for Aion,but ultimately ( when you look past the fancy graphics and the marketing hype ) it IS just another Asian grinder which was hardly adjusted for western markets . From what I have seen across the various forums , Aion has the most dissapointed player-base by far so it should never have won this category . Folks are quitting the game en masse due to its huge kinah-dependency,bots, grind and lack of content . And there is no light at the end of' "the tunnel" either ,the only thing they did was produce another marketing video ( the "visions thing " ) which is extremely vague when it comes to what in that video will be implemented and when that will be the case . It's very apparent they were set on aiming at a huge # of box sales and couldn't care less for the long term .But that has always been the case for NCsoft in western hemisphere .
Grindfest = name me 1 MMORPG that isn't a grindfest. Just one. Besides, what's wrong with grinding? Hundreds of thousands of people like and enjoy grinding to level up. It promotes grouping up and making friends, you know, the stuff the "MMO" part of RPGs is all about. I'd rather spend a year getting to max level but meeting awesome people on the way than solo questing to it in 2 weeks. Grinding also prevents every random mig-mug scrub to achieve everything there is to achieve. Wanna be someone and something on your server? Show some dedication.
Just one? I'll name several. LOTRO isn't a grindfest. WWII Online isn't a grindfest. Planetside isn't a grindfest.
And if you need to 'be someone' in a game, A GAME, then grinding is the least of your problems. I wouldn't call it dedication, either. Dedication is working hard to get a medical degree. What you're doing in an MMO grinder isn't dedication, it's wasting your life. Yes, it is your life to waste. But that is what it is.
Oh, and I would have chosen Fallen Earth for top honors. More interesting gameplay, and valiant effort to roll back the stigma created by SOE regarding sandbox games.
_____________________________ Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.
Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.
Lets you know how dry the Genre is becoming when a game like Aion (which is 90% graphics / 10% substance) gets New Game of 2009.
I, for one, am glad that Bioware, and ZeniMax (think Bethesda) have finally jumped in to the MMO field. Since SoE has succumbed to Blizzard as second fiddle with only being able to offer Free Realms, this from a company that said they were the #1 MMO company. We needed someone with some balls to come in to the field and make some MMO's worth playing, and it seem like it'll take Bioware and ZeniMax online to do that... there is also that project from 38 Studios, but its been mum for quite some time now... not sure what it'll be or turn out to be.... Hoping for something worth the effort.
Aion is beautiful, don't get me wrong. Characters and customization are lacking compared to otehr games in the genre. End game PvP put it in Niche market, not mass market, and sustained subscribers will show that... It had a great push in the begining from the colors (art) of the world that draws people in... but once they find the true nature of this beast, they'll go back to what they were playing or something else.
I wanted to like it, but just it just didn't have enough to pull me away from other games that are a bit old but more featured-packed and compelling.
I disagree regarding Aion being the best game of 2009, yes, I found Aion fun for about a day before quickly realizing that it's just another Asian grinder with good graphics and that's also a little more polished. What killed it for me and pretty much my entire guild was the extreme linear gameplay. Now add in the mindless grind, it's no surprise none of us lasted very long.
Lets you know how dry the Genre is becoming when a game like Aion (which is 90% graphics / 10% substance) gets New Game of 2009. I, for one, am glad that Bioware, and ZeniMax (think Bethesda) have finally jumped in to the MMO field. Since SoE has succumbed to Blizzard as second fiddle with only being able to offer Free Realms, this from a company that said they were the #1 MMO company. We needed someone with some balls to come in to the field and make some MMO's worth playing, and it seem like it'll take Bioware and ZeniMax online to do that... there is also that project from 38 Studios, but its been mum for quite some time now... not sure what it'll be or turn out to be.... Hoping for something worth the effort.
after this ,this site is not MMORPG anymore its 100% pure MMO
this is like saying Tetris is best new car of 2013
World of Wingcraft, the number one NEW game of 2009? Yikes! I tried Aion for about a week, lured by the pretty shinies (graphics) and just couldn't see myself going through this tired fantasy grind one more time. Goodness. New?
For me, Fallen Earth has been, by far, the most fun I've had in an MMO since the demise of SWG. And it keeps getting better. Good community, great responsive development team, play-as-you-like style. This one's a keeper. And the graphics are, to my mind, in keeping with the setting. If you're a clone designed for heavy manufacturing work, you're not gonna look all anime-pretty. And if your armour is made from junk you've scavenged from trash bags and scrap heaps, it ain't gonna look very pretty either.
The engine has become a LOT more stable since release, the content is there, and the PvP revamp is just around the corner. It's a lot of fun, has NO ELVES, has a different setting, has good crafting and has a great future.
-- Xix "I know what you're thinking: 'Why, oh WHY, didn't I take the BLUE pill?'"
Well this was expected seeing as how nothing but crap MMOs came out in 2009. Aparently the editors here at MMORPG cream thenmselves everytime they play asian MMOs.
Disagree with the editorial teams choice if you wish (heck, I am not sure I agree 100%), but please understand that the argument that they spent tons of money on advertising so they won the prize is the reason. a) The editorial team (Jon, Dana, Garrett, Mike) have zero idea what advertising I am selling. They make these decisions on their own opinions, and I can assure you that if I ever told one of them to give game xyz a great review or award because of ad sales they would likely seek employment elsewhere since I know these guys have a lot of integrity. b) While we did sell some Aion advertising in 2009 the campaign came out to 2.2% of our 2009 advertising sales, and believe it or not - Fallen Earth did just a little bit more than that. c) We don't need to do shady deals to sell advertising. Most of the time we sell all of our ad space and while I would never make a unethical advertising deal, I also have no motive to do so - the ad space will sell regardless - so why risk ruining the reputation of this website and staff? I know it does not make for conspiracy theory fun, but the fact remains that ad sales do not get a game developer/publisher any favor at MMORPG.com - the way our business is structured it cannot happen. Here is to a great 2010 and hopefully some truely groundbreaking games for this year! ;-)
I have to laugh on that. Aion alone may not generate much ad sales to this site but think about the NCSoft as a client now and more importantly IN THE FUTURE. There weren't many mmorpg published last year by companies with big ad budgets. Do you think mmorpg.com will pick RoM as the best game of the year?
They have to pick somebody. A 2.2% of total ad sales may not be much but it is not all about Aion, it is the potential 5%+ from GW2 and such from NCSoft.
I have to agree with the results. Aion has kept me entertained since its release in the west. I also have played FallenEarth and find it to be entertaining but not on the same lvl as Aion. Grats NCSoft and looking forward to GuilldWars2.
Disagree with the editorial teams choice if you wish (heck, I am not sure I agree 100%), but please understand that the argument that they spent tons of money on advertising so they won the prize is the reason. a) The editorial team (Jon, Dana, Garrett, Mike) have zero idea what advertising I am selling. They make these decisions on their own opinions, and I can assure you that if I ever told one of them to give game xyz a great review or award because of ad sales they would likely seek employment elsewhere since I know these guys have a lot of integrity. b) While we did sell some Aion advertising in 2009 the campaign came out to 2.2% of our 2009 advertising sales, and believe it or not - Fallen Earth did just a little bit more than that. c) We don't need to do shady deals to sell advertising. Most of the time we sell all of our ad space and while I would never make a unethical advertising deal, I also have no motive to do so - the ad space will sell regardless - so why risk ruining the reputation of this website and staff? I know it does not make for conspiracy theory fun, but the fact remains that ad sales do not get a game developer/publisher any favor at MMORPG.com - the way our business is structured it cannot happen. Here is to a great 2010 and hopefully some truely groundbreaking games for this year! ;-)
I have to laugh on that. Aion alone may not generate much ad sales to this site but think about the NCSoft as a client now and more importantly IN THE FUTURE. There weren't many mmorpg published last year by companies with big ad budgets. Do you think mmorpg.com will pick RoM as the best game of the year?
They have to pick somebody. A 2.2% of total ad sales may not be much but it is not all about Aion, it is the potential 5%+ from GW2 and such from NCSoft.
Originally posted by Stradden The editorial staff here at MMORPG.com has made their decisions, and today we continue to unveil the winners of the 2009 MMORPG.com awards by naming our Best New Game of 2009. This year's Best New Game has the distinction of having been released and thriving in another market before making its way to the ravenous gamers of the West. While normally games launch in the North American market, are improved and then released in other markets, this year's winner had the benefit and hindsight of having been released in the East before hitting our local Best Buys.
the only way i could see a well known mmorpg ezine picking these guys for the best of any thing other than the best disappointment in 2009, is money, so im sorry normally you guys are right on but this is BS. the only people that play aion are the gold farmers and people who don't beleive there friends that it sucks after lvl 30.
On the surface, Aion is one of the most graphically impressive MMORPGs created to date, sporting visuals that are thus far unmatched in the MMO genre.
What?
The graphics are decent in a cartooney/anime way, but certainly not unmatched in the mmo genre. Aion may have an incredible character creator but so does Champions online. In terms of general graphics AoC and LotR both blow this game out of the water, especially if you run them in dx10.
Fallen Earth really should have won this category. Innovative gameplay, non-standard fantasy setting, decent graphics, humor and an amazing crafting system. Icarus studios really went out of their way to create a great game, while NcSoft copy and pasted a half dozen other games and added timed flight.
I'd even put Darkfall ahead of Aion simply for trying something different.
How much of a kickback does mmorpg.com receive for consistently promoting Aion?
There is nothing cartoony about Aion actually. Sure it has a clear asian styled art theme on par with that of Final Fantasy, but after playing the game it is one the least cartoony i have seen to date. The asmodian faction's side can get pretty dark as well.
Aion is under rated, i hated the game at first when I bought it a few weeks ago. I am now half way through the game and its getting better, the grind can get annoying if all you want to do is reach max level asap, but there is pvp to be had, crafting, and some dungeon crawling as well. Everything in the game gives you xp, so its not like you are ever limited to grinding mobs for ever.
NCsoft will be upgrading Aion's CryEngine 1 to CryEngine 2 as seen in the Vision Trailer released back in november. The game is fun but half the enjoyment needs to come from the player's dropping of bias, especially when it comes to reading all the negativity.
Most reviewers, like myself, started hating the game at low levels... unlike them however, i played anyways till the pvp zones start... then it got fun. Aion is one of those games where it starts off sucky but gets better, rather than the other way around like other games.
People have very short memories. For some reason, everyone seems to have forgotten the complete and utter mess that WoW was when it launched. Especially the servers - they were down as often as they were up for that first month or so. Likewise, most of Aion's issues were resolved within the first month after it launched.
Unfortunately, this site is populated by people crushed by the fact that Aion wasn't WoW 2.0. The seething hatred these people have for the game is simply amazing to behold. I greatly enjoy the game, however. The combat is smooth, the flight is fun, the game world is vivid with plenty of character (nyerk!), the pvp is plentiful, and the servers are rock solid. I have no real complaints, honestly, save for that I wish the world was more open.
People have very short memories. For some reason, everyone seems to have forgotten the complete and utter mess that WoW was when it launched. Especially the servers - they were down as often as they were up for that first month or so. Likewise, most of Aion's issues were resolved within the first month after it launched.
Unfortunately, this site is populated by people crushed by the fact that Aion wasn't WoW 2.0. The seething hatred these people have for the game is simply amazing to behold. I greatly enjoy the game, however. The combat is smooth, the flight is fun, the game world is vivid with plenty of character (nyerk!), the pvp is plentiful, and the servers are rock solid. I have no real complaints, honestly, save for that I wish the world was more open.
It was released in November 2008. I would hope it would be more polished than games that just launched.
Comments
lol getting this title best of 2009 is like saying
This made of 1 ton of shit
less than the rest
in 2009 only see 2 IP's with the slightest hope to go on , that said these are my winners
Darkfall (omg i hate to admit it , but its true )
Fallen Earth (i doubt theyll be able to polish up their engine ever )
Darkfall deserves no reward but fallen earth was at least original and the closest thing to a sandbox to come out.
i would have given FE much more praise. Fallen earth shows that even in a theme park Big business dev company leading the way and the "not so great" releases in the past years it was quite a risk bring a strong sandbox element, non fantasy MMO form an indie company. And while I have never touched Aion and don't think I ever will the fact that Fallen Earth has done so well for itself and the player base still strong and healthy is a great feat.
Aion is simply a rehash of the same old MMO with pretty wings attached this time.
Darkfall deserves no reward but fallen earth was at least original and the closest thing to a sandbox to come out.
@ Frost ...the most worn out word in 2009 is sand FUCKINGbox .
i dont even care bout that anymore , i want a title that knocks me off my feet , wether themepark or sandbox (as a community we do our part with those stereotypes in havin a BS non evolving MMO worlds ) i dont give a fuck ...i played on both sides
On the surface, Aion is one of the most graphically impressive MMORPGs created to date, sporting visuals that are thus far unmatched in the MMO genre.
graphics = rpg?
and what comes to this game,please try real rpg´s
Generation P
No "good" games came out in 2009. Aion wins by default, whoop de fucking doo. It sold the most copies and probably also had the lowest player retention after 30 days this year as well. FAIL.
if it had been best LOOKING game of 09 MAYBE
only tried out fallen earth and Aion this year....FE being clearly the best of the 2....personal opinion...but c´mon...when did mindless questing become the center of a MMO.
How can I put this?
HAHAHAHA.
You're funny.
well visually pleasing get some asian women to the west....the relations will always be questionable tho
I had very high hopes for Aion,but ultimately ( when you look past the fancy graphics and the marketing hype ) it IS just another Asian grinder which was hardly adjusted for western markets . From what I have seen across the various forums , Aion has the most dissapointed player-base by far so it should never have won this category . Folks are quitting the game en masse due to its huge kinah-dependency,bots, grind and lack of content . And there is no light at the end of' "the tunnel" either ,the only thing they did was produce another marketing video ( the "visions thing " ) which is extremely vague when it comes to what in that video will be implemented and when that will be the case . It's very apparent they were set on aiming at a huge # of box sales and couldn't care less for the long term .But that has always been the case for NCsoft in western hemisphere .
Just one? I'll name several. LOTRO isn't a grindfest. WWII Online isn't a grindfest. Planetside isn't a grindfest.
And if you need to 'be someone' in a game, A GAME, then grinding is the least of your problems. I wouldn't call it dedication, either. Dedication is working hard to get a medical degree. What you're doing in an MMO grinder isn't dedication, it's wasting your life. Yes, it is your life to waste. But that is what it is.
Oh, and I would have chosen Fallen Earth for top honors. More interesting gameplay, and valiant effort to roll back the stigma created by SOE regarding sandbox games.
_____________________________
Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO
Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.
Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.
Find the Truth: http://www.factcheck.org/
Lets you know how dry the Genre is becoming when a game like Aion (which is 90% graphics / 10% substance) gets New Game of 2009.
I, for one, am glad that Bioware, and ZeniMax (think Bethesda) have finally jumped in to the MMO field. Since SoE has succumbed to Blizzard as second fiddle with only being able to offer Free Realms, this from a company that said they were the #1 MMO company. We needed someone with some balls to come in to the field and make some MMO's worth playing, and it seem like it'll take Bioware and ZeniMax online to do that... there is also that project from 38 Studios, but its been mum for quite some time now... not sure what it'll be or turn out to be.... Hoping for something worth the effort.
Aion is beautiful, don't get me wrong. Characters and customization are lacking compared to otehr games in the genre. End game PvP put it in Niche market, not mass market, and sustained subscribers will show that... It had a great push in the begining from the colors (art) of the world that draws people in... but once they find the true nature of this beast, they'll go back to what they were playing or something else.
I wanted to like it, but just it just didn't have enough to pull me away from other games that are a bit old but more featured-packed and compelling.
I disagree regarding Aion being the best game of 2009, yes, I found Aion fun for about a day before quickly realizing that it's just another Asian grinder with good graphics and that's also a little more polished. What killed it for me and pretty much my entire guild was the extreme linear gameplay. Now add in the mindless grind, it's no surprise none of us lasted very long.
after this ,this site is not MMORPG anymore its 100% pure MMO
this is like saying Tetris is best new car of 2013
Generation P
World of Wingcraft, the number one NEW game of 2009? Yikes! I tried Aion for about a week, lured by the pretty shinies (graphics) and just couldn't see myself going through this tired fantasy grind one more time. Goodness. New?
For me, Fallen Earth has been, by far, the most fun I've had in an MMO since the demise of SWG. And it keeps getting better. Good community, great responsive development team, play-as-you-like style. This one's a keeper. And the graphics are, to my mind, in keeping with the setting. If you're a clone designed for heavy manufacturing work, you're not gonna look all anime-pretty. And if your armour is made from junk you've scavenged from trash bags and scrap heaps, it ain't gonna look very pretty either.
The engine has become a LOT more stable since release, the content is there, and the PvP revamp is just around the corner. It's a lot of fun, has NO ELVES, has a different setting, has good crafting and has a great future.
-- Xix
"I know what you're thinking: 'Why, oh WHY, didn't I take the BLUE pill?'"
Well this was expected seeing as how nothing but crap MMOs came out in 2009. Aparently the editors here at MMORPG cream thenmselves everytime they play asian MMOs.
I have to laugh on that. Aion alone may not generate much ad sales to this site but think about the NCSoft as a client now and more importantly IN THE FUTURE. There weren't many mmorpg published last year by companies with big ad budgets. Do you think mmorpg.com will pick RoM as the best game of the year?
They have to pick somebody. A 2.2% of total ad sales may not be much but it is not all about Aion, it is the potential 5%+ from GW2 and such from NCSoft.
I have to agree with the results. Aion has kept me entertained since its release in the west. I also have played FallenEarth and find it to be entertaining but not on the same lvl as Aion. Grats NCSoft and looking forward to GuilldWars2.
I have to laugh on that. Aion alone may not generate much ad sales to this site but think about the NCSoft as a client now and more importantly IN THE FUTURE. There weren't many mmorpg published last year by companies with big ad budgets. Do you think mmorpg.com will pick RoM as the best game of the year?
They have to pick somebody. A 2.2% of total ad sales may not be much but it is not all about Aion, it is the potential 5%+ from GW2 and such from NCSoft.
Keep believing that...lol.
the only way i could see a well known mmorpg ezine picking these guys for the best of any thing other than the best disappointment in 2009, is money, so im sorry normally you guys are right on but this is BS. the only people that play aion are the gold farmers and people who don't beleive there friends that it sucks after lvl 30.
How does a game that was released in November 2008 receive best new game of 2009?
Depends on their definition of "The Year of 2009".
DDO is a "new" f2p mmorpg. "The Year of 2009" can run from "Nov 2008" to "Nov 2009".
What?
The graphics are decent in a cartooney/anime way, but certainly not unmatched in the mmo genre. Aion may have an incredible character creator but so does Champions online. In terms of general graphics AoC and LotR both blow this game out of the water, especially if you run them in dx10.
Fallen Earth really should have won this category. Innovative gameplay, non-standard fantasy setting, decent graphics, humor and an amazing crafting system. Icarus studios really went out of their way to create a great game, while NcSoft copy and pasted a half dozen other games and added timed flight.
I'd even put Darkfall ahead of Aion simply for trying something different.
How much of a kickback does mmorpg.com receive for consistently promoting Aion?
There is nothing cartoony about Aion actually. Sure it has a clear asian styled art theme on par with that of Final Fantasy, but after playing the game it is one the least cartoony i have seen to date. The asmodian faction's side can get pretty dark as well.
Aion is under rated, i hated the game at first when I bought it a few weeks ago. I am now half way through the game and its getting better, the grind can get annoying if all you want to do is reach max level asap, but there is pvp to be had, crafting, and some dungeon crawling as well. Everything in the game gives you xp, so its not like you are ever limited to grinding mobs for ever.
NCsoft will be upgrading Aion's CryEngine 1 to CryEngine 2 as seen in the Vision Trailer released back in november. The game is fun but half the enjoyment needs to come from the player's dropping of bias, especially when it comes to reading all the negativity.
Most reviewers, like myself, started hating the game at low levels... unlike them however, i played anyways till the pvp zones start... then it got fun. Aion is one of those games where it starts off sucky but gets better, rather than the other way around like other games.
Aion deserved this award.
People have very short memories. For some reason, everyone seems to have forgotten the complete and utter mess that WoW was when it launched. Especially the servers - they were down as often as they were up for that first month or so. Likewise, most of Aion's issues were resolved within the first month after it launched.
Unfortunately, this site is populated by people crushed by the fact that Aion wasn't WoW 2.0. The seething hatred these people have for the game is simply amazing to behold. I greatly enjoy the game, however. The combat is smooth, the flight is fun, the game world is vivid with plenty of character (nyerk!), the pvp is plentiful, and the servers are rock solid. I have no real complaints, honestly, save for that I wish the world was more open.
It was released in November 2008. I would hope it would be more polished than games that just launched.