As the Aion: Tower of Eternity Closed Beta Test 2 continues, it's time to go deeper into Asmodae. You've explored Tunapre Lake, passed through Sap Farm, explored the Odella Plantation, braved the ghost-filled Ishalgen Prison Camp and you've even discovered the Forgotten Place of Exile. As you level, the Raiders and other NPCs start to mention Daevahood and an old man called Munin. Are you ready to meet destiny? Join us after the jump to find out what the future holds.

Welcome back to Aion. Yes it's Closed Beta Test 2 weekend and this time round I'm rolling Asmodian to explore a very different side of the shattered planet of Atreia. During CBT1 we showed you the lower half of the planet, a land known as Elysea and home of the angelic Elyos. I walked you through the character creation process, the first ten levels as a frail mortal, the Elyos ascension quest and those first steps into Sanctum and Verteron. Now it's time to visit the upper half and home of the Asmodians, the continent of Asmodae.

After leveling your stunning avatar to level 9, ascending to Daevahood and getting your wings, it's time to go out into the world -- well Verteron at least. But first, let's talk a little about the glorious city of Sanctum and what your new Daevic powers really mean. Join us after the jump as we take a closer look at Aion's hub city of Sanctum, the zone of Verteron and the basics of flying.

In the last two days, we've walked you through character creation in Aion: Tower of Eternity and introduced you to the starter zone of Poeta. Now it's time to get to the interesting bit, the Ascension quest where you finally transcend your frail Elyos form and become a Daeva. While this ascension can take place any time after you ding level 9, there are a number of campaign quests which must be completed first These begin much earlier, around level six when you befriend the Forest Lord Daminu and gain the amusing title Tree-Hugger.

Becoming a Daeva and earning your wings -- literally in this case -- is one of the reasons players have been so excited by Aion. It is your destiny and an inevitable part of the game play but it has some caveats. We'll get to those in a bit but first, join us after the jump, when we take a deeper look into the Ascension quest itself.

Yesterday, we showed you the character creation process for Aion: Tower of Eternity and today it's time to enter Elysea. The lower portion of the fractured world of Atreia, Elysea is, for the most part, as beautiful as its inhabitants. Poeta is a starter zone (actually more of an island) where the Elyos level from 1 to 9 on their journey to become Daeva and choose a subclass. It is where you learn how to play and are gently introduced to the mechanics which make Aion a very different kind of MMO.

So the Aion beta has finally begun! You won a key, downloaded the client and now is the time to take your first steps in Elysea. For the purposes of this beta you get to play on what amounts to a PvP server and can only create characters from one faction, in this case the Elyos. However you get eight character slots meaning you can create a male and female toon from every class should you wish to.

One of the best parts about starting a new game, whether it's live or on a test realm is the chance to create your avatar. The virtual personification of all your hopes and dreams as well as desires to kill anything that moves. The most important thing you're ever going to do, regardless of the game, is create a virtual you and in this game customization is the big buzzword. So join Massively after the jump on a whistle stop tour of creating your first toon in NCsoft's must-play title.

Welcome to First Impressions, where I play through the first few hours of an MMO, report back to you on some of the things you can expect as a new player - and whether or not I enjoyed the experience of the game. This week, we have Runes of Magic, a game currently launching early tomorrow morning (or late tonight, if you prefer) at 2:00 AM Pacific. Developed by Runewaker Entertainment and distributed by Frogster, this free-to-play MMO may well be the one that gets even the most staunchly anti-f2p player interested enough to give it a whirl. Also, keep in mind these impressions are on the open beta of the game, so some things may change slightly at launch.

I'll start off by saying that I've heard some truly positive things about this game from several MMO fiends I know. That said, a few of them bagged on it for being a World of Warcraft clone - but I'd have to argue that point now that I've played it. There's definitely enough in Runes of Magic to feel eerily familiar to anyone who has played World of Warcraft for any length of time. However, I feel that there's enough different in the two games - aside from the obvious free-to-play versus subscription - to say that each game will ultimately stand (or fall) on it's own merits. I'd also be remiss in noting that as a First Impressions posting, there was no possible way to reach everything there is to get to in this game - PvP arenas, player-killing, pissing off NPC factions, guild castles, high-end crafting, raids and a bunch more - there's a depth and complexity that I am glad to find in a free title. That said, today's overview should give you enough of a taste of the various parts of this easy to pick up but hard to master MMO for you to decide for yourself if it's worth trying.

Now, on with the gallery, and my First Impressions of Runes of Magic!

In First Impressions, Krystalle takes on a MMOG and reports back at what you can expect from the game. Is it painful? Awesome? Find out as she takes an unscientific (and highly opinionated) view of a game you may not have seen. Also remember, this is not a review; simply a First Impression - as such, we always recommend you give games that seem interesting a shot and decide for yourself.

Cartoon Network's MMO, FusionFall, is definitely a strong first entry into the market. With the Cartoon Network stars as the basis for their IP, and many industry names involved in the project, the hopes have been high. The story is set in a future version of Cartoon Network's own variant of Earth, where the characters are now teenagers - and a bit more anime-styled than their counterparts we know from TV. The premise is that Planet Fusion, a big nasty greenish planet-devouring ball of space-muck run by a terribad guy named Fuse, has come to snack on our beloved home. The only thing standing between Fuse, his sludge minions and the total annihilation of Future Earth is you - and the people playing in the world with you. Along the way Fuse is also spawning evil green versions of all the Cartoon Network characters to aid him in his sinister plan.

Now that you've got the general back-story, I've included the FusionFall opening cinematic behind the cut to set the mood before we move on. So far as opening cinematics for web-based games go, this one is definitely worth watching. From there, be sure to jump into the gallery for the full First Impressions on FusionFall.

Do you dig anime? Are you fond of mythology when coupled with strange and adorable characters? Looking for a free-to-play MMO with a large community and a surprising amount of PvP? This week, we look at the free-to-play/microtransaction title Trickster Online Revolution, which includes all of those and quite a bit more. Remember - this isn't a review; just a First Impression of a new (to us) MMO. As always, if it looks interesting to you, be sure to check it out on your own. After all, it doesn't really cost you anything beyond a bit of time. That said, on with the show!

Trickster Online Revolution is actually not a new title in the free-to-play space. This game actually launched on August 22, 2007, and has been steadily gaining players since then. The Ntreev USA staff have worked hard with the Ntreev Soft staff in South Korea to create many things from beginning quests to special pets and items specifically for the North American localization. From what I could tell, the community in the North American game seems to dig all the work they've put into it - and are definitely enjoying those fun little pets!

In First Impressions, Krystalle takes on a new MMORPG weekly and reports back at what the first few hours of playing it are like. Is it painful? Awesome? Are there cool mechanics? Silly quests? Find out each week as she takes an unscientific (and highly opinionated) view at a game you may not have seen. Also remember, this is not a review; simply a First Impression - as such, we always recommend you give games that seem interesting a shot and decide for yourself.

This week I head into the world of Gaia Interactive's beta MMO project, zOMG! Having never actually waded hip-deep into the Gaia community, it was certainly an enlightening experience. Some good, some bad, with a word to parents as well. Curious as to what's involved in the anime-inspired world of zOMG? Have a seat and read on, but watch out - some of the chairs bite.

At last check we had identified and indexed well over 250 MMOs of just about every shape, size and color available for gamers from 8 to 80 - and up! Unfortunately, there just aren't enough hours in the day to cover every single game out there as in-depth as we'd like. That said, we are pretty insanely dedicated to MMOs and love to play them... So what's a blog to do?

After kicking the idea around, we've decided to bring back First Impressions for those readers who want to know about more games than just the mainstream. For now, we'll give you a brief look back at some of the staff's favorite past Impressions, as a taste of the fun to come. Be sure to come back next Wednesday and join me as we start a new journey through strange and fantastic worlds of First Impressions!

	First Impressions: Dungeon Runners Dungeon Runners is a game by NCsoft that trades off of the popularity of Blizzard titles WoW and Diablo II, but does it with a sense of humor. More properly, we should really say it does it with a healthy dose of snark and silliness. That's okay, we like it that way.
	First Impressions: Jumpgate Evolution Sometimes we get a ridiculously early look at a game in development. Wondering what Jumpgate Evolution was like in earlier beta days, or perhaps still waiting on your invite? Take a peek behind the scenes with Jennie.

Welcome to the First Impressions: Conquer Online! Brought to you by 91.com, purveyors of Eudemons Online and other Asian MMOs. Featuring a non-3D, fixed isometric viewpoint, the graphics seem at first to be a little dated, and there are a few oddities that might irritate players who are used to World of Warcraft and that style of MMO. But there is some charm to be seen in CO, and these in-game screenshots will display them to you.

Check out the Gallery for our First Impressions of Conquer Online -- don't forget that the images can be seen in two resolutions, low and high. Depending on your screen settings, you will want to choose the one best optimized for your monitor.

Officially called just Ryzom now, the MMO previously called The Saga of Ryzom is back from a brief hiatus. Featuring amazing design aesthetics,this game has its own unique style. Despite the fact that it was developed by a French studio, the English translations read, in many ways, better than some native American titles. We spent a couple of hours playing Ryzom, and here are our First Impressions. Remember, this is not a guide of any sort; this is merely our experience in dropping into a new title.

Peruse the Gallery to read what we thought about Ryzom!

Welcome to our First Impressions of NDOORS' Atlantica Online. Although it's in its third round of its closed beta, it's functional enough to talk about, and deservedly so. It's not the only MMOTBS -- massively multiplayer online turn-based strategy -- currently on the market, but it's got a high level of polish and a lot of potential. Let's dig in.

Welcome to our First Impressions of the king of all 2D MMOs, Maple Story! If you haven't played it, consider this a dip of the toe into its cuter-than-thou madness. We're not divulging secrets here, this is not a guide of any sort; this is just a record of the way we found the game during our first hour or so of play. Caveat emptor!

First of all, please notice the banner ad at the top of this post. That should tell you everything you need to know about MS in a nutshell: Cute superdeformed anime-esque graphics, goofy-themed gameplay, and an engaging sense of humor about itself. Cyborg turkeys, yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Don't forget, clicking on the following pictures leads to their hi-res versions. Read on, O brave audience!