It was enjoyable doing something other than World of Warcraft for a week. I wanted to wait a few days before I posted my final review of the beta so that I'll be able to articulate the big take-aways and not focus so much on minutia. Let's get to what I have to say....

The chat for an entire week was filled with people talking about whether or not Aion would be the "WoW Killer." That was probably the most aggravating part of the week. Nothing but WoW chat and it got old before it started. That being said, my opinion is nothing will "kill" WoW. Over time, if companies can start developing enjoyable games, WoW players will migrate to other games (like Aion), which will eventually end the WoW monopoly.

The last game that pulled me away from WoW was Age of Conan. What a disaster! That game initially appeared to be well-designed and enjoyable. It had great graphics and all the other bells and whistles, including guild castles and a weird night/day thing. While the features appeared to be innovative and enjoyable, the game had absolutely no substance. They took too much time focusing on these new innovations and completely forgot to add the substance and foundation that makes a great MMORPG.

I've been asking myself "Could Aion turn into the next Age of Conan disaster?" I think it's possible. Having said that, there are differences. I didn't have a chance to test out Age of Conan before it came out, and I think I never would've left WoW for Conan had I been given that chance. Aion also offers the flight innovation and it works into the storyline. Speaking of storyline, Aion has a great one! Age of Conan? Non-existant. Also, Aion has a pretty big focus on group play, which is something I've always shied away from but always end up wanting to do. The bottom line for me is that Aion will not be the same Age of Conan disaster I experienced last year, but it is possible that it could suffer a similar fate.

Aion appears to have lots of people signed up for pre-order. I think this is going to be a big help when compared to other MMOs. Especially for a game focused on grouping, there had better be a lot of people there to group with -- and I think there will be. I think, with how crappy the new releases have been lately, it can't hurt to give Aion a try. The worst that can happen is you're out $65 and back to WoW in a couple weeks.