Dynamic Events >>> Rift and many other mmo’s are doing the same thing. Nothing new.
Personal Story >>> Will only go so far. This feature has probably been hyped, and by hyped I mean that it isn’t as mind-blowing as they say it to be. Possibly more meaningful for roleplayers/casuals.
Developer Philosophy >>> Dunno about this so no comment.
Art Style >>> Also part of the hype. Aion also had great artstyle so you can’t objectively say one’s better than the other.
Gameplay ?
Leveling Curve >>> This is where GW2 hits a home run. Leveling curve for anyone who can play 1 hour or 100 hours a week.
Different Races >>> nice amount of races + no playerbase division (a la asmos/elyos)
B2P >>> Aion is free-to-play.
I can honestly say GW2 is what AION should have turned out to be, but they’re dumping this game entirely for the subscription pool to purchase GW2.