The Matrix Online Reviews
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At a glance it seems that The Matrix Online is a game that will appeal to hardcore fans of the films who will be willing to overlook its flaws for the distinct theme and aesthetic that it offers. That'd be true if not for a recent development that seems to have been passed over in many early reviews of the game. Despite appearing to be a merely adequate MMORPG in a sea of higher profile, more polished competitors, MxO does bear one single startling innovation that may yet raise it from mediocrity. It's a simple, brilliant concept that has been conspicuously lacking in the genre, and to which this game above all others is uniquely suited. So many games of this kind have proclaimed that they offer a continually evolving storyline that the players can take part in and influence, and up to this point none of them have managed to deliver on the promise to any appreciable degree. Major story events in MMOs are always few and far between, and the actions of individual players rarely have any influence on their outcome. Monolith is showing a unique determination in allowing involvement in not only the game's story, but in the development of the canonical Matrix universe. By hiring a live events team of twenty or so digital actors and writers to plan events and step into the shoes of the familiar main characters they've been providing opportunities for player involvment in unique plot developments on a surprisingly regular basis, with interesting things happening every few days. MxO is offering players the opportunity to meet, speak to and even team up with Morpheus, the Merovingian, the Oracle and others knowing that they're not mere NPCs and that the direction the story takes is in some part dependent on their own actions.
And the second is at Eurogamer with an overall score of 5/10:
The Matrix Online, then. It's just about possible that the game may evolve into something marginally more palatable, but it's not particularly likely. Even if the surface mistakes were removed, its problems are so fundamental to its design that it's hard to imagine it transcending into a serious competitor for the big boys.
Which is a shame. But whether you believe it's real or a computer simulation, that's life.
