Some days are better than others. With two eagerly awaited MMORPGs released in the exact same day things couldn’t be better. But... let’s say you only have money for one of them. Which one tickles your fancy?

Or, in other words, what is your favorite setting? Are you a post-apocalyptic junkie, loved the Mad Max movies and played all the Fallout games? Can’t wait for id Software’s Rage? Then there’s no other way to look at it, Fallen Earth is the game to get.

On the other hand, you may just be a fantasy fan. World of Warcraft is your life but you’re growing tired of it and looking for alternatives. You like your women scantily-clad and with the hair painted in funny colors. For you there’s nothing like settling arguments with powerful magic. Well, Aion is your thing, apparently.

But this is just a small part of the larger argument. We need to look at the overall quality of these games before jumping in. Aion was developed by the experienced NCsoft studios (of Guild Wars and Lineage 2 fame), is extremely popular and successful in the East, and there’s a gap of about a year for the Western release. This is a good thing since there was enough time to test the waters and polish the overall experience for European and North American players. As for Fallen Earth, it’s a new MMORPG and naturally has some bugs that need ironing out. The original setting is its initial strength, some players are just immediately drawn in by the post-apocalyptic theme, exploring the wastelands by horse or ATV and enjoying the different weapons they get.

Although it seems that Aion is sure to maintain a reputable player base for the next years, it’s too soon to make any valid conclusion on Fallen Earth and how it will behave. The critical reception will play a small but still important part in luring curious players, and Fallen Earth LLC (the developers) need to keep things fresh and interesting while sorting out the known problems. It’s a vital period to make or break a MMORPG.

So, if you can’t buy the two games, what would you do? Maybe buy Aion, the more polished one, play it for a month or two and then, when hopefully Fallen Earth has less bugs and more content, buy it too. That’s what we would do, as players.

But, hey, if you can afford both and are willing to, then by all means step into your mage/survivor outfits and travel to the ethereal world/wastelands! We’ll meet you there.