September is set to be a big month for new MMOs, with NCsoft set to release its new MMO, Aion. The game has already been a runaway success in its native Korea, and in China. With a fantasy setting, it’s impossible not to draw comparisons with the global phenomenon that is World of Warcraft, but is that being unfair?

Of course, Aion can’t expect to scale the heights of 11 million players and growing that World of Warcraft achieved, but NCsoft has never said it was aiming that high, and nor does it need to in order to consider Aion a success. With a monthly subscription model, it just need to attract enough players to generate the revenue it needs, which in turn will ensure Aion has enough gamers in game for a convincing social and gameplay environment - something that is essential for an MMO. And Aion has enough new ideas to generate the interest it needs.

Firstly, while the game is “high fantasy” and therefore well into World of Warcraft territory, its backstory is taken from a mismash of legends and mythology from various sources, though mostly Korean, and this does give it a solid grounding. It makes the environment different enough from World of Warcraft that gamers won’t feel that they are playing a clone.

A new MMO needs more than different graphics and environment though, and Aion supplies this. The new feature that will have most people interested, or at least the most obvious reason to be interested, is flight. Hit level 10 and you regain your wings (an Amnesia story arc explains why you’d lost them). Suddenly quests and combat can take place in all three dimensions rather than just on the ground. Hover over an enemy and blast them while they wave a sword ineffectually at you! Naturally, there are limitations on flight or else you would be invincible, so in the main world you have a limited flight time before you must land. This is removed in PvP areas. Flight certainly adds to the gameplay in Aion, but there is more to it than just this.

The classes in Aion might look a little slim on first glance - choose between Mage, Fighter, Scout and Priest when you create your character, but again level 10 holds the key. At this level you get to choose a sub-class or specialism. The good thing about this is you’ve had ten levels to hone your style of play before you have to choose what exact skills you will pursue. As an example, a Priest might opt for the buffing route or the out and out healer route.

Level 20 introduces another way to customise your character - Stigma Stones. Instead of having the abilities of your character fully defined by your class, you can use Stigma Stones to allow your character to do something that the class doesn’t normally permit. For example, Cloth Armour too lightweight for your melee loving Mage? Not to worry, a Stigma Stone will allow you to wear metal armour. This way you can create a set of bespoke skills that mean your character is actually quite different from someone else’s playing the same class.

It’s not just the big gameplay additions that will warm you to Aion either. It’s little touches that let you know this is a well rounded MMO, like the semi-transparent map that makes it easy to navigate, the built-in Locate feature that makes following quests easier, the Private Store option to allow you to set yourself up as a vendor.

What’s not to like about Aion? Perhaps some will find that despite the extensive and successful localisation that it still retains an Eastern feel that Western gamers may not warm too - Talking Weasels can feel a bit odd, even in fantasy. World of Warcraft won gamers over by opening up their UI to third party add-ons and it’s a shame Aion hasn’t done the same, but these are minor quibbles with what is a polished MMO.

PC gamers have only to wait until September 2009 for the release of Aion. It will require a monthly subscription as do other MMOs.