As a beta tester, I saw many issues with the game that needed to be addressed but were not focused on or referred to as minimal importance at the time. Sure, no problem, I could understand that, it was beta, there was more tweaking to do than address the concerns of the "beta testers". I ignored most problems due to it being beta. I mean AION had glorious other things like eye candy graphics, cool races, elaborate battleground Fortress Claiming PVP, and wow .. oh my god, we got WINGS! But was that enough to satisfy the avid gamer?

Alas, release has been hell:

(1) GAME CRASHES - Yes, I know, all games crash, it happens! But it happens A LOT to quite a few people and I defintiely do not lack in computer equipment either. My system is very up to date and can handle quite a bit.

(2) GOLD SPAMMERS - Wow, need I say more. Korean based game is expected to have gold farmers I'm sure, but this is by far the WORST gold spamming in all the 12 years I have dealt with games. I literally have to open my BLOCK list to UNBLOCK old spammers so that I can add the daily new spammers!

(3) NCSOFT ANNOUCEMENTS EVERY 5 MINUTES - Yes we know and understand that you are not suppose to click on the links posted in the chat channels! NCSoft needs to stop spamming this announcement every 5 minutes as it goes across the middle of your screen. We suggested they put a private email to everyone (and I can deal with email everyday) once a day with this information instead of spamming it. This is just as bad as the gold spammers!

(4) REPEATABLE QUESTS - This gives the word "grinding" a totally new meaning! If you enjoy questing, this game is NOT for you. You gain new quests as you enter new areas, but then after you complete them, that's it! All that is left is repeatable quests doing the same thing you just did 10 more times!! This makes leveling extremely boring!

(5) CHAT CHANNELS BUGGED - This was the last straw for me. We had heard about it going around, but just recently got hit with it. This bug disables all of your chat channels except guildchat or say. This means the Looking For group Channel is out of your reach and now, those quests that ARE NOT repeatable and require groups to complete, are out of your reach as well. The most important channel is the LFG channel (because their LFG Window is completely useless already) and now we cannot even get a group.

(6) NO TECH SUPPORT FROM NCSOFT - A full forum dedicated to Technical Support is raided with bug reports, issues, pleeds of spam blocking, and endless posts from disappointed PAID subscribers and not a single technical support response. The admin's reasons for not responding?? Get this people, they said "We have issues from our system with admin posts on the forums so we cannot post until this is fixed ..." it's been how long now?? And why do you still have this forum up? Better yet ... why hasn't this been made a priority to get fixed NCSOFT can fix the other issues we are having?


So all that glory I focused on in beta, I have since pushed aside. In fact, all that positive I could find in other games WITHOUT all the negative.

In all out honesty, my complete recommendation is DO NOT PURCHASE AION! This advice will help you SAVE YOUR MONEY and your sanity!

... as for the Wings ... all can say is

"The Bounty Hunter can fly too ... here I come SW: TOR!"

Alex is a fan of Super Mario Brother's Wii games, so when asked what he wanted to be for Halloween, it was almost inevitible that he selected Luigi from Super Mario Brothers, but it was even better when daddy decided to join in on the fun and become Luigi's brother, Mario! Go, go Mario and Luigi! Wii want you to vote for us!

CLICK HERE to vote!

My husband is leaving again on another deployment this October and again me and my children salute him off to fight the war on terror. This video is our dedication to him as he journeys off without us with only our picture in his pocket to keep him going. Be safe baby, me and the kids will be here waiting when you return!

I made the above video in memory of those lost in 9-11 and Dedicated to my military husband who proudly serves in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

I made a post the other day about how my 5yr old plays World of Warcraft with me and my husband. This adolescent proceeded to tell me:

I really don't care how you or anyone else feels. I still think you're a sh*** parent. - Krydon (GuildCafe.com)

First of all, I have to say that this person obviously doesn't 't have children. To judge me without knowing me is more than immature. To set the record straight, my children are military children moving from place to place, daddy deployed quite a bit, and they have to adjust to a lot of new places, schools, people throughout the year, making it difficult on a child. Yet they are straight A students, they are respectful, the teachers love them, they take karate 3 times a week for exercising and self-discipline, and we as a family take vacations every year together. How can one say I am a **** parent because I allow my 5yr old play World of Warcraft with me and my husband (in the same room!). You want to see what **** parenting is, go to the article [Couples Internet Obsession Leads To Child Neglect], I AM NOT in that category of **** parenting!

He also stated:

I can maybe understand letting the kid sit on your knee sometimes and watch you play, but c'mon! This is disgusting and it is a sign or poor parenting. Some people just don't deserve to have kids.

Tell me, what is the difference between sitting that child on your lap and reading the chat on your screen than letting that child play with you and reading what's on his screen?

Second, there are many many gaming parents who would have words with this young adolescent: [See My 5yr old in PvP]. Please read that before you post anything, otherwise you are not getting your facts.

I want to lay this out on the table and defend the good gaming parents who game with their children.

Our society condemns parents when we read about teen girls who met some 45 yr old guy online and ran away with him. The first thing in posts are: "Poor parenting", yet when parents spend time with their children on video games, they are condemned for letting them play video games? The fact of the matter is, video games are here to stay, they will not go away and kids will play them. Because a parent allows their kid to play with them, and monitor the situations, there are still people who condemn the parents for this.

Computer games DO NOT ruin children's lives; in fact WIRED Magazine had an article about MMORPGs and how they are actually enhancing children's awareness in certain areas:

• Problem Solving
• Teamwork
• Critical Thinking
• Patience
• Hand-Eye Coordination
• Communication when vocals cannot be attributed

And if a parent is gaming with the child, s/he can monitor what is being said in whispers, eliminating some of the problems kids get when they are in chat rooms. Kids who game with their parents are more likely to be polite in game as well as know what is wrong and what is right in a conversation! THAT is good parenting! Why is it so hard for some people to understand that parents gaming with their kid is a GOOD THING?

In fact, there were some really good points given about parents gaming with their kids in mmorpgs from GuildCafe:

Roxianna:

There are always some people who fear new and foreign things. I think if you and your husband were skiing fanatics, you'd be out on the slopes with your kids and people would think that was nice. If you loved golf, you'd be buying tiny little clubs for your kids and taking them out to the driving range as soon as they could manage a swing. Same with tennis, baseball, soccer, gardening, cake decorating or any other pastime. Each one would use different set of mental and physical skills, but all would be considered healthy family fun.

Your kids are learning to enjoy what you enjoy and admire what you admire. The family that plays together, stays together.

Samhain

Ive recently taken up gaming with my 4 year old daughter. For a year she has sat on my lap watching me play eq2 (she loves the fairies). Last month, I went out and bought a PS2 for her and she loves Champions of Norrath. Together we pwn... We also play the disney games of course.

I intend of letting her play pirates of the caribbean MMORPG if it ever comes out.

Gaming with your kids is fun. Just as fun as doing other things.. in moderation.

My daughter is an active outdoors lover who plays soccer and does gymnastics and spends pretty much spends her summer at the park, beach or in the pool. Instead of sitting her down in front of Cartoon Network or Toon Disney, I think games are an excellent alternative.

Most parents don't even spend enough time with their kids. If you can sit together and game and have a great time its better than passive entertainment (movies, tv, etc).

Valeria

All the kids in our house are gamers just like us. Everything from FPS to MMO's I see nothing at all wrong with children enjoying agmes as long as they are taught ethics of playing online and safety. Kudos to you and give your son a thumbs up for being a wonderful player.

Venr

Thats outstanding, I don't understand why someone would go so far as to say you have bad parenting skills? Maybe they are just upset because your child beat them down? I wouldn't take anyone's advice on how to raise your own children (hence the "your own" part) He seems to be enjoying himself as do you.

MMORPGs are not going to go away, it is the way of the future, from cell phones, ipods, laptops, and internet, it is in our lives to stay and parents who sit down and game with their children should never be condemned. That is probably one of the most important times of a child's life, taking it as a LEARNING OPPORTUNITY to teach what is right and wrong in games. If a parent plays MMORPGs and their son/daughter wants play with them, they should not be condemned and called a '**** parent'. These are parents who can make our future generation more respectful of others and more involved with the family.

And one last word of advice to this young man:

I'm sorry my 5yr old owned you in pvp and you are angry at me for allowing him to play!

Atlanta, Ga. 9/17/2007 1:47 PM GMT (FINDITT)

Robert Jordan, the author of the fantasy literature series "Wheel of Time" died on Sunday afternoon at the age of 58. Jordan had been battling cardiac amyloidosis for the past year.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina Jordan served two tours in Vietnam before returning and earning a physics degree from The Citadel. He worked for the U.S. Navy after graduation and began writing in 1977. He found success as a writer of several Conan the Barbarian stories before turning his attention to the "Wheel of Time" series" that he began to publish in 1990.

Jordan published eleven books in the series and had been working on the final in the series "A Memory of Light" when he past away.

Here is the message that was left on Robert's blog.

"It is with great sadness that I tell you that the Dragon is gone. RJ left us today at 2:45 PM. He fought a valiant fight against this most horrid disease. In the end, he left peacefully and in no pain."

Robert Jordan was a prominent voice in modern fantasy literature. The author's massive Wheel of Time series has long been a top seller, and with his death he leaves the series' twelfth book unfinished and his story painfully incomplete.

We send our condolences to the family and friends of Robert