The Matrix Online Review

Coming on top of Blizzardâ??s insanely popular World of Warcraft is SEGA/Warner Bros Interactive The Matrix Online, promising fans a continuation of the storyline from the climatic truce been Mankind and Machine told towards the end of Revolutions and the resulting demise of Neo. Fans of The Matrix have long sought an extension to the trilogy of films, and itâ??s this that provides the biggest allure to The Matrix Online; has Neo really passed away, will Man and Machine stick to the uneasy truce and what really is on the Merovingianâ??s agenda â?“ this game is hoping to provide those answers...

The European release comes shortly after its debut in North America, and has thankfully allowed Monolith time to iron out a number of bugs, glitches and complaints that the game was receiving stateside a couple of months back. Hoping that an audience for The Matrix still exists, the game successfully manages to integrate some neat ideas and gets the style of the films spot-on; much like the movies however, for most people itâ??s a case of two halves with clunky and cumbersome implementation getting in the way of its main strengths.

The game takes place in the Matrix (otherwise known as Metro City) and presents three factions/classifications/clans/groups for the player to pledge allegiance to, although thankfully this choice isnâ??t too apparent from the start. Naturally we have the Machines of 01 and Mankind of Zion, although joining the cause is the Exiles â?“ computer programs living in the Matrix, led by the Merovingian and taking the form of mythical creatures such as lupines and blood-drinkers.

Taking the Red-Pill and awakening from the Matrix is handled excellently during the gameâ??s first introductory sequences, perfectly capturing the essence of the Matrix, providing important information and allowing the player to create whatever type of character they wish. Naturally itâ??s all dressed up in Matrix terminology, however the essential RPG facets are immediately evident â?“ instead of a Mage, youâ??re now an Elite Hacker...

One of the more intriguing prospects thrown up by The Matrix Online is that of an evolving storyline, which changes based on the playerâ??s actions within the game. Although itâ??s questionable as to whether a single playerâ??s actions will have any profound impact on the game, itâ??s good to know that the game is continuously evolving and fresh with new content â?“ an area that has hindered WoWâ??s initial success for many! An in-game newspaper and e-mail newsletter keepâ??s players aware of the latest developments, such as the recent Nightfall campaign that pitted players against an exile onslaught - while guest appearances from the likes of Morpheus and the Merovingian are guaranteed to please the fans. Whether or not this will actually emerge and continue to develop is naturally unknown at this stage, however itâ??s commendable to see at least one major MMORPG adopt this structure from the onset - with events currently scheduled until October, itâ??s safe to say thereâ??s plenty for Matrix fans to get stuck into.

Sadly the actual fundamental aspects of the game are far less satisfying, with the usual plethora of â??Fed-Exâ? quests that require you to go there, do that, go here do that and so on, so forth... Various exile gangs populate the streets of Metro City, providing the cannon fodder to earn experience points, while a complex coding feature provides the ability to create items and various other objects with the correct expertise.

Combat looks the part with a stunning repertoire of kung-fu, disarm and trademark wire-fu techniques, naturally mixed in with a little bullet-time and dual-uziâ??s of course. Given that combat plays the largest role within the game to date, The Matrix Online presents a welcome selection of choice and depth ranging from mobile gunfights to close combat.

Characters square off against one another in one-on-one bouts, which is extremely grateful given that the actual implementation is a little clunky, cumbersome and far too complex for the average user. Essentially combat straddles a semi turn-based system, boiling down to the â??scissors-paper-stoneâ? dynamic common in many titles and providing an, at-times overwhelming amount of techniques to the player. The various animations look awesome to begin with, but begin to grate after witnessing the same sequence over and over again; while numerous little glitches such as facing in the wrong direction shatter the overall illusion. The genre-defining Action Bar makes a return providing the player with instant access to the most popular techniques and abilities; although itâ??s questionable whether anyone but a MMORPG or Matrix fanatic will feel entirely comfortable with the overall set-up to begin with.

Another element that initially bogs down the experience is the various attribute and ability upgrades granted to the player as their characterâ??s rise in the ranks. Utilising a tree system, it can take awhile to get a handle on exactly what choices will evolve the character along the way you intended; although this does present one of the major innovations and differences between The Matrix Online and other MMORPGs.

Whereas the likes of World of Warcraft and Guild Wars heavily restrict character abilities upon creation (requiring the creation of multiple characters), The Matrix Online allows the main character to be â??changedâ? throughout the game, representing the characters capacity to â??learnâ? new skills at the drop of a hat within the movies. Experience points can be focused on one of three disciplines namely Hacker, Operative and Coder, each of which presents a distinctly different way of playing to the player. Having the option to spread abilities across the various disciplines results in an extremely flexible system, allowing the player to adapt the character around the various problems within the game but also presents the risk of becoming a â??Jack of Allâ? and spreading abilities too thinly!

Death is handled similarly to other recent MMORPGs, designed not to punish the player too heavily, although an inexcusable time delay and some game crashes, result in a system that is far too frustrating and leaves the player switching off instead of jacking back in.

One of the biggest issues to anybody contemplating picking up The Matrix Online is the beast needed to play it â?“ minimum specifications indicate a moderate set-up, however upon our playtests 1GB RAM, 128MB Graphics Card and 1MB BB are essential. The Matrix Online is an ambitious game; the Metro City it portrays features a staggering amount of detail and easily represents one of the finest looking MMORPG around â?“ if youâ??ve got the power. An overwhelming variety of buildings feature fully rendered interior locations, and despite the lack of variety provides an enticing new experience when compared to the likes of other titles. Itâ??s a shame then however, that despite so faithfully capturing The Matrix look, that exploring and just general navigation around the environment cannot compare to the delights of World of Warcraft.