An MMO is a serious investment. Not only is there a monthly fee to keep track of but gear requires regular maintenance and upgrading, regular interaction with a guild is required for those higher level quests and raids and don't forget the time required to level up to take part in endgame events that, many argue, are the real point of playing.

It's no surprise, then, that when a game hits upon the winning formula, it's very hard to break away and try something new. Recognising the dominating power of World of Warcraft, still the number one subscribed massively multiplayer online game after five years, NCSoft have produced Aion which, whilst not revolutionary, tries to inject some fresh ideas into the genre. Even at this early stage, it is impossible to acknowledge many of the features in Aion without referring back to World of Warcraft. It's true that WoW borrowed many of its ideas from Everquest and earlier titles such as the Ultima Online series but nothing has managed to approach the enduring pull of adventuring in Azeroth.

Aion revolves around a battle that has literally torn the world of Atreia in two; the shattered remnants orbiting one another in a cruel reminder of what the planet once was. Each broken half is home to the descendants of Atreia's original native population. On the lower segment, enriched by the sun's rays and a stable, lush ecosystem are the heavenly Elyos. The upper world is home to the fierce Asmodians, hidden in permanent darkness on their cursed, barren rock. While these are the only two races available, there is enough customisation to keep things interesting. Players have control over every aspect of their avatar's appearance and it has led to an impressive level of diversity in a game that could have so easily become overpopulated with generic doe-eyed heroes with impossible haircuts (Aion wears its Korean heritage proudly on its sleeve). Wandering through the starting areas, I was struck by the variation in the characters. There was the odd unfortunate combination; a gigantic head on a body barely two feet tall and a mage so tall and skinny that they could barely be seen side-on but it provides an excellent outlet for the player's creativity beyond their choice of name.

The characters also fit well into the extravagant worlds they inhabit. Aion make use of a heavily modified Crytek engine and the environments benefit greatly from the graphical force it provides. The air is filled with swirling, sparkling creatures, forests are densely packed with lush vegetation and the Elysian sky is a truly breathtaking sight as it diffuses from a clear blue to a harsh pink, reminding those below of the menacing world above. The sound is standard MMO fare, filled with battle cries and softly piped music, but does not detract from the brilliant visuals. Key quests are preceded by voiced cutscenes which serve as a refreshing alternative to the written instructions most NPCs provide. This, while stylishly delivered in the game's pseudo-medieval vernacular, can be overwhelming at times and I did find myself skipping through pages of dialogue to find out how many pink-crested skinks needed murdering.

Aion presents itself as a somewhat more mature online world than is found in WoW, partly thanks to its spartan attitude towards race and class options - only four basic choices are available at first but these soon branch out into more specific paths. The user interface has also been radically streamlined, allowing for quick, simple navigation without the need to hunt through windows to find the right option. While veteran players may want to hold on to their carefully designed macros and customised toolbars, Aion puts new players at ease with its intuitive controls. Every action can be controlled through the heads-up display and the skill chain system keeps things from getting too cluttered. Linked skills run on from one another, allowing a long stream of actions to be accomplished with only a few keystrokes. Successfully dodge an attack and the option to counter-attack replaces the previous icon. Should that stun your enemy then you can run behind them and use them same button to unleash a devastating surprise attack before they come to their senses. With enough of these options, developed through branching menus, a higher level player is able to deliver a varied range of attacks, spells and defensive moves in a number of different ways depending on the situation.

This tailored combat system is almost enough to mask the repetitive tedium encountered when grinding through those first few levels. Almost. No traditional MMO can avoid the seemingly endless quests revolving around killing x amount of a specific creature and it isn't soon before you realise that Aion, like so many games before it, has failed to provide a novel replacement. Amidst the fetch quests and animal slaughter are some true adventures, including sneaking into an enemy compound to recover a beloved pet and the developers have, at least, tried to keep things fresh with plenty of entertaining reasons for why you need to kill 20 pigs before you can level up. Also, by providing a realistic goal early on, players have a strong motivation to reach it to level 10 and leave the starting area. Progression is made even clearer thanks to the three different types of quest on offer. To prevent confusion, campaign-specific missions are marked separately from other tasks and there are also a large number of work orders that, when completed, offer profession bonuses to diligent players.

Once the last Kobold has been slain and your XP bar rolls over for the tenth time, you are able to ascend. In recognition of your skills and devotion, you are called upon to join the ranks of the spiritual warriors who fight the centuries old battle for control of the shattered world. As well as opening up the rest of the map for exploration, this allows you to pick your character class from the usual selection including assassin, ranger, healer, mage, paladin etc. More importantly, like any good angel (or demon) you also earn your wings. Limited to sixty seconds of flight initially (but upgradable), this provides a range of exciting new possibilities for combat and exploration as well as looking fantastic. It may be needless but nothing beats being able to swoop in on an enemy and deliver a devastating aerial attack before launching off in search of your next victim. After all the hard work it normally takes to acquire a flying mount in other games, the early gift of flight in Aion allows it to be implemented in a far more rewarding way. Unique flying quests open up previously inaccessible areas and certain bosses require strategies where agile flight matters as much as brute force and damage points.

As well as flight, NCSoft have developed another intriguing gameplay mechanic to attract subscribers. Rather than separating the role players from the brawlers, the Aion servers cater to all types with a "player-verses-player-verses-environment" system. While something of a mouthful, PvPvE is an elegant solution, allowing rival factions to fight it out in the spectacular battlefield of the Abyss (where much of the endgame will be spent pitting high-level characters against one another) while also having to fend off the game's real antagonists, the sinister and destructive Balaur.

For all of its innovation, Aion doesn't quite manage to feel like the great step forward it could have been. As I mentioned earlier, it's virtually impossible to judge any MMO without comparing it to the mighty WoW and, while NCSoft have delivered more graphical punch and put a clever spin on some traditional gameplay methods, I can't see it tempting too many players away from Blizzard's grasp. Only a few days old, Aion has also already been plagued by technical issues. Queues to get on to busy servers have lasted for as long as seven hours for some unlucky subscribers and one of the game's new features backfired as players who were unwilling to leave (and risk a long wait upon their return) set up personal shops to keep their character idle but online while they went AFK. This practise has been curbed by the introduction of a half-hour limit on idle sellers but it hasn't prevented dozens of players from clogging high-traffic areas, causing severe slowdown for everyone else.

A few years ago, Aion could have emerged as the seminal MMO experience. Unfortunately, the market has become more crowded recently; World of Warcraft continues to grow, fuelled by its regular expansions and, with more progressive titles such as Bioware's The Old Republic due for release next year, Aion runs the risk of disappearing into obscurity - especially if its server issues aren't quickly addressed. It's with a hint of sadness that, even for all its charm and original aspects, I'm not able to recommend Aion over a game five years its senior. NCSoft have produced a fine game but, in the end, it's simply too little, too late.

Reviewed by Henry Osadzinski for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).