So I was checking out some Modern Warfare 2 information today when I decided to pop my head into the forums. In particular, I went to The Virtual Underground. It was quite sad to go in there and see that it was a shell of its former self. I clicked on some of the profiles of people I used to know, people I haven't heard from in forever, and saw that many of them hadn't logged onto this site in over two years. I used to share lots of thoughts and feelings with these people, on topics about more than just video games, and now they are effectively gone, their old profiles and posts remaining as ghosts that haunt my old home.

It's sad for me, as GameSpot played a very important part in overcoming my depression in 2002. Some bad things had happened in my life and I literally had no one in my life except my family. Posting on GameSpot gave me a sense of friendship that I needed at the time and it helped me pull myself out of depression and back into the real world. I'll always have a soft spot for it in my heart. I guess that's what makes it even more sad to see what this place has become to me.

It's still an active site with a thriving community, for sure, but for me it will always seem a little dead.

I hadn't actually heard about Aion until a few weeks ago. Someone in the WoW forums kept talking about it, and I decided to do a little research. I watched a few videos and thought it looked interesting, but what really got me excited was all the chatter before the head-start launch. People were so enthusiastic, talking about how great this game was going to be. I was sucked in and before I knew it I had the game downloading through Steam. Like everyone else I went through preselect, took a screengrab, and shared it with the world. I stoked up on food and drink so that I would be able to immerse myself in the game. I set my alarm so I could wake up at 7 in the morning to play it, just as the servers went live. Man, I was pumped!

At first, it was a great. Everyone was running around fresh and excited. There were people everywhere, and the world felt alive! The starting area was lush and vibrant -- a special treat to see spectacular beasts flying across the sky -- and the quests were genuinely interesting. Poor Tutty! "Aion rocks!" I said to my friends over Steam.

Then, I ascended, and suddenly the game started to look a little shabby. Why could I only fly in one small section of the game? Why only for a minute? What happened to the interesting quests and story? Why all over a suddenly was I sent on huge grinds? Why were the areas so linear? Why did the environment suddenly look like it was missing the creativity I had seen before?

Then it got worse. Then the mechanical problems started kicking in. Queues? Aniticipated and, generally, acceptable. 9-hour queues? You've got to be joking me. Worse, if the game got disconnected from the server, not only would you go back to the end of that 9-hour queue, but you would also have to sit through the entire client needing to reload from scratch -- and boy, that thing is not fast to boot.

NCsoft's support was lacking, wiith vague shrugs being communicated through Twitter, of all things. Just before I quit, there was essentially no options except to waste all your progress and start one of the new servers.

Then the community problems started. For a community that goes on about WoW's community so much, it's hilarious that Aion's community makes the WoW community look like the bastions of civilised society. You thought Barrens chat was bad? You haven't seen anything until you've played Aion. Worse still, everyone seemed to be treating it like a race to the end, with the legion I joined actually telling me I was going too slow because I hadn't reached 25 in two days. Sour and bitter is how I felt, especially every time I saw the letter Q. They honestly seemed to want anyone who wasn't "hardcore" to just quit. "Go back to WoW; it's for casuals like you," was something I heard a lot.

I stuck with it. Lord knows I'd paid $60 for the collector's edition, so why not at least get my money's worth out of it. I did have until the end of October to play. But things only got worse. Why were quests sending me to enemy territory through a rift that only opens randomly? Why was I waiting FIVE HOURS for that rift to open? Why was I suddenly out of quests? Was I really now going to have to just grind mobs to level? Why, even with the stigmas, did I feel like my character exactly the same as everyone elses? Why did I have to wait until 25 to do an instance, and why is there only nine in the game?

WHY, OH WHY DOES AUTO-ATTACK TURN ITSELF OFF RANDOMLY?

Then it hit me: I'd been sucked in. This game is utter crap and the only reason it got any attention is because people are desperate for any game to take down WoW. It's a boring Korean grindfest that will only appeal to people who have no life and get a sense of achievement from investing ridiculous hours into a video game. It's not fun at all.

It's not just me, either. Even the diehards in my ex-legion have become burned out from the grind. When I said I was quitting, many said they might not be far behind.

The problem with Aion is that it doesn't have any personality or soul. It's devoid of charm. So when it suddenly becomes a grind, there is nothing to keep you enthralled. You suddenly realise how dull it is, and how you are not only wasting your time but also your money. Then you realise what a fool you were for wasting $60 on the product.

I consider it an expensive lesson. One I won't forget, though. It's too easy to get caught up in the hype and excitement of a new product and forget that it might not be everything it promises to be. It's easy to fork over money for a product only to then feel cheated when it's not your thing. It's even worse when you can't trade it. I definitely will not be purchasing games at launch now. It's bargain bin or bust for me.

As for Aion: it matters not how many copies they sell, but how many people keep playing. Given the reaction of people who aren't blindly in love with it due to some hatred of WoW, I can't see the game lasting more than a year.

[This is for my own benefit. Maybe GameSpot could implement a feature that allows you to keep track of games you need to finish?]

(Only including games I intend to finish.)

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2
Eternal Sonata
Final Fantasy XII
LittleBigPlanet
Oblivion
The Orange Box
Persona 3
Persona 4
Ratchet and Clank Future: Quest for Booty
Star Wars: Lethal Alliance
Valkyria Chronicles

I was looking at a list of upcoming games for this year, and I couldn't believe how many of them were $140. This isn't even the price for a collector's edition. What the hell is up with that? I can't justify spending that kind of money on a game. Looks like it's time to adjust my tracked list and wishlist.

Just glad that I have so many games to chow through. Should make not buying any feel that little bit less stale.

I'll keep this quick and simple. The Wii is actually the most expensive console of this generation. Here's why:

Wii = NZ$500
Extra controller w/ Wii Play = NZ$110
Extra nunchuck = $50

Already we're looking at NZ$660. Yes, you get two games that show off the Wii's potential well, but that's a lot to pay, especially when you can get an Elite with Halo 3 and Fable 2 for NZ$60 less. But wait, there's more. Whereas 360 and PS3 games eventually drop in price, Wii games generally do not. Here is a listing for Twilight Princess, a launch title. It's still NZ$90 and that's in a temporary sale. Super Mario Galaxy is nearly two years old now, and it still retails for the same price it sold at launch. Same with pretty much any decent Wii title. (Admittedly, the trash goes cheap and quick.)

So, if you take your NZ$660 and then decide to chuck on three or four decent titles, you're looking at around NZ$1100 or so. Now, that is less than the price that the PS3 launched here for (and less than I paid for mine), so it hasn't always been a hideous deal. But now you can get a PS3 for NZ$700 and that usually has a copy of inFamous thrown in as well. Given that you can pick up platinum titles such as Uncharted for as little as N$35 a pop, you can practically get a PS3 and ten titles for the cost of a Wii with six titles (including Wii Sports and Wii Play).

I can't be the only one that sees a problem with this.

Unfortunately, it keeps me from buying anything new for my Wii, as much as I would like to. I just can't justify paying $100+ for a title any more. (I might make an exception for Final Fantasy XIII.) I don't so much mind the console being the price it is, but honestly there is no justification for having a launch title at the same price it was when it released.

/rant