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INTERVIEW WACHOWSKI BROTHERS
Source: <IGN.com>
A (rare) interview with the Wachowski Brothers on the Matrix Online gameworld:
The Matrix Online has been in full swing for a couple of weeks now. To help peel back some of the mystery of the game, writer Paul Chadwick (of Concrete fame) managed to corner Larry and Andy Wachowski. Paul asked them a few questions about their expectations and intentions with The Matrix Online.
Paul Chadwick: What are you expecting to see from The Matrix Online?
The Wachowski Brothers: Our expectations are high, perhaps unreasonably so, but only because we're as anxious for a really good MMO as every other gamer. Obviously the most important thing we're looking for is for it to be fun, to be a game that we'd be interested in playing. Right now, the idea of MMOs, a multitude of gamers jacked into the same "computer generated dream world," is more interesting than the games themselves. We are hoping that The Matrix Online changes that.
Paul Chadwick: Is it difficult, after meticulously crafting the Matrix films shot by shot, to subject your child to the vagaries of a MMO, where unpredictable player behavior is the rule?
The Wachowski Brothers: The "vagaries of an MMO where unpredictable player behavior is the rule," is the reason for doing it. Our films were never intended for a passive audience. There are enough of those kinds of films being made. We wanted our audience to have to work, to have to think, to have to actually participate in order to enjoy them. This may be because while we enjoy movies, we also spend a lot of time (as in crack-den amounts of time) gaming.
Gaming engages your mind actively whereas most genre films (the films we tend to watch) are designed to provoke as little thinking as possible. Consider why the films in which everyone knows exactly what is going to happen are the films that make the most money.
Read the rest <here>
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ORACLE TRANSCRIPT
Source: <MxO>
These are probably the things that make the Matrix Online fun. To participate:
The Matrix Online has received a transcript of a speech the Oracle was said to have delivered to the inhabitants of Mega City. In it she seems to discuss the fragile situation between the three organizations, the red-eyed Agents, and a mysterious group called the Shapers.
"My goodness, look at you.
Looks like you’ve turned out all right, hmm?
Well, have a seat.
I know dear, you have questions. You always do.
But I’m afraid we don’t have time for that.
You see, the Matrix is approaching a contingency.
That’s a fancy way of saying that there’s a fork in the road ahead.
On one side, the Matrix continues, and there’s a chance for everyone to co-exist.
On the other side is a dead end; a point of no return where the whole shebang collapses.
Yes, I know it’s rather grim.
You see, there are forces at work here beyond you or perhaps even me.
Powerful entities that aren’t happy with the agreement Neo made.
But there’s a chance you can stop them. You and your friends.
And you have Neo to thank for that.
That’s right, somehow he was able to anticipate this.
Honestly, I don’t know how. He was just special like that.
He’s left pieces of himself in the Matrix.
You’ve seen them. They were all collected by the intruders, the ones with the glowing eyes.
You’ve all done a wonderful job taking them back.
But you’ve been selfish, squandering something that was meant to be shared by all.
I suppose you can do this without cooperating, but you’re just making it harder on yourselves.
I wish Morpheus could understand this.
In any case, you can’t finish the job alone. You’ll need some help.
You see, Neo’s echoes cannot be pieced together by a human. It’s just too tricky.
A long time ago, there were some very clever people. They call themselves Shapers.
They’re still around but you can’t really see them unless they want to be seen. That’s their nature.
However, I think in this case, they’ll be willing to help.
You’ll need to protect them. Guide them to a place where they can get their work done.
Oh don’t worry, they’ll tell you where they need to go.
Whoever is able to control the shapers will share the greatest portion of Neo’s gift.
People will be selfish. They won’t want to cooperate.
That’s fine, but you can’t let the intruders get to the Shapers.
Do you understand? Because this is the important part.
The intruders cannot be allowed to possess the Shapers.
That way leads to a scary place. One that I can’t even see beyond.
Alright, well I can tell you’re impatient to get on with it.
Go on then. And tell the others. Everyone needs to know.
Maybe next time, I’ll have some cookies for you."
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MATRIX ONLINE DOWNLOADABLE MATERIAL
Source: <MxO>
If you've visited the Matrix Online official website and have missed the Downloads section, it's certainly worthwhile to return to the site and have a look. There's a sheer amount of movie material available ranging from simple fighting tutorials to storyline sequences.
The latter are probably the most interesting, even for people who don't have the intention to play the game. For all three parties (Zion, The Machines and the Exiles) there are three downloadable movies. Make sure you have a fast connection though, some of them are quite some Megs...
Visit <the Matrix Online>
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MATRIX ONLINE EUROPEAN RELEASE DATE
Source: <MxO>
The US is already online and Europe will follow shortly:
Due to SEGA's recent distribution change in Germany, it was imperative that the German market was fully prepared for a successful release to hit Europe's key PC territory.
For SEGA Europe Ltd and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to launch on a simultaneous basis throughout Europe, we would therefore like to confirm that The Matrix Online for PC, will release across Europe on Friday 15th April 2005.
As a result of the new release date, the European pre-order beta period will be extended. European players who have successfully registered a preorder key will have until 11:59 PM PST on April 15, 2005 to register their accounts with a retail CD key to avoid any interruption in their service.
Buy the US version below:
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MATRIX ONLINE IGN (P)REVIEW
Source: <IGN>
Always my favourite when it comes to online reviews, although this is not a definitive review as IGN feels they've been playing too little and it's too early to finalize a score for a game which has been online for just over a week.
The Matrix Online finally went live last week. The MMO realization of the Wachowski brothers' vision has been highly anticipated by gamers long before it was even announced. After playing through the game for a few days, we're convinced that the overall content of the world will seem authentic to even the most hardcore fans. The actual mechanics of the game are solid for the most part, but there are still a few bugs that need to be ironed out before we can really dig in to the content. Rather than offering up a full review at this point, we're bringing you our initial impressions based on our first few days with the game.
As expected, the first step in playing The Matrix Online is creating a character. Characters in The Matrix Online have five key abilities: perception, focus, reason, belief, and vitality. Rather than assigning points to each, you'll pick from ten general character types that have one attribute higher than normal and one attribute lower than normal. Rather than telling you specifically what each ability score is used for, the game just gives you a general idea of what attributes are important to certain character types. Operatives are combat-focused characters, the fighters of The Matrix Online. The majority of starting character types are geared towards combat and you'll be able to differentiate them based on whether you deal with martial arts or firearms, or prefer face-to-face combat or stealthy attacks. The Hacker character type is sort of the enchanter/cleric, offering up a range of buffs and viruses that can affect the residents of the Matrix. The final class is the Coder, an interesting combination of the fantasy crafter and summoner classes. They can make items for other characters to use or create their own servants to fight for them. Since character abilities are based on code packages, you can easily switch out one character type for another if you like. This adds a little flexibility to the character system so if you suddenly realize you don't want to be a coder, you're not stuck on that path for the rest of your life.
When you start creating the look of your character, you'll find that the range of appearance options is pretty good. It's not as broad as you'd find in EverQuest 2 or Star Wars Galaxies, but you do definitely get a bit more variety than you'd find in World of Warcraft. The initial clothing options are pretty slim, but you'll soon be able to supplement your wardrobe once you get into the game. There are some odd gender restrictions on some of the items. My male character can wear culottes, for instance, but not a fedora.
Once you're all set with your character choices, you'll jack into the tutorial. The tutorial introduces you to the concepts of the game very easily. You'll start by taking your red pill and then learning how to move around and interact with objects and characters in your environment. The interface is relatively straightforward and uses many of the conventions of the genre with regard to chatting, ability hotkeys, navigation, etc.
You'll then be deposited in the bleak and grimy slums of The Matrix Online. This is basically the MMO equivalent of the kiddie pool, but there are still some incredible dangers and delights to be found here. The city that makes up The Matrix Online also includes three other districts. All four of them are subdivided into large neighborhoods filled with large buildings, predatory gangs and dynamic traffic. You can enter into many of these buildings, to search for loot, or engage in combat with the various criminals that loiter around the parks. These areas are also inhabited by many of the franchise's key figures; though we haven't met Morpheus or the Merovingian, we've already run into Niobe during one of our missions.
The graphics are quite good, but you have to allow that the locations are meant to look a bit run down. The dirty textures add a lot to the atmosphere of the game. The indoor and outdoor locations definitely seem filled with detail, from broken down cars stuck in alleys, to file cabinets and paintings along the walls of the nicer offices. The character models seem a bit luminous and stand out a bit from the darker world around them. The visual style of the characters is also very strong. I have noticed some clipping here and there, particularly with the outfits, but the overall visual style of the game is very faithful to the franchise.
Though the story elements haven't hit their stride yet, you'll still be able to take a part in the three-way conflict in the game. When you start, you'll have to work exclusively for Zion. After you've proved yourself, representatives of both the Machines and the Merovingian will contact you. You can then choose to start working for them. Since each of these factions is working at cross-purposes, you won't be able to switch back and forth building up a good reputation with each. You can get missions every once in a while from characters you meet in the street, but most missions are delivered via a handy phone you carry with you. You can use this phone to call up your contacts and get missions right away.
Read the rest <here>.
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MATRIX ONLINE GAMESPOT REVIEW
Source: <GameSpot>
The reviewers of GameSpot are not particularly fans of the Matrix movies, which will be obvious from the first paragraph. Nevertheless they certainly make unbiased points throughout the review, and luckily never end up in burn-and-bash territory.
The Matrix is famous for its spectacular action sequences and its distinct sense of style. But it's also notorious for burying all that silver-screen excitement under a heavy-handed parable filled with overt biblical references and assorted philosophical agendas. Either way, the movies' premise--artificially intelligent machines have incarcerated humankind in a virtual prison resembling our everyday lives, whose rules can be bent and broken by will alone--makes for a compelling setting for a massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Sure enough, the Matrix Online has a lot of original ideas that are clearly inspired by concepts from the movies it's based on. Granted, it's not that different from the many other games of its kind, since it's characterized by the same sort of time-consuming and generally repetitive gameplay that's conventional to the genre. It's also beset with glitches and an overall lack of polish, above and beyond what's par for the course in a style of gaming in which rough edges are to be expected. It's not that this is a game that only hardcore Matrix fans would enjoy (since they certainly might not), it's that it takes the same sort of person who can appreciate the entire movie trilogy in spite of its flaws to appreciate this game. It's got some very good qualities, but you'll need to wade through a lot of potential frustrations to enjoy them.
The Matrix Online takes place in the Matrix itself (a place also known as the Metro World) after the conclusion of The Matrix Revolutions, during a time of an uneasy truce between the machines and the humans. A third group called the exiles, comprising self-aware humanlike programs that have appropriated the Matrix as their home, further complicates matters. Amid all this, you play as a newly awakened "redpill"--a human freed from servitude to the machines and made conscious of the state of the real world and the nature of the Matrix. You'll initially begin your journey in the service of Zion, the last bastion of humankind on Earth, who'll help train you to survive and thrive in The Matrix. But, soon enough, you'll have the option of choosing to align yourself with any of the three organizations vying for priority in the Matrix.
Read the rest <here>.
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