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The Matrix Online Announced
Thanks to Blue's News for pointing to the new official website for The Matrix Online. This massively multiplayer PC title, where you get to live, explore and fight within the machine construct of The Matrix, is courtesy Warner Brothers and Ubi Soft, and is being developed by Monolith (of No-One Lives Forever and Tron 2.0 fame) for a 2004 release. IGN.com has more details, and a healthy, if sensible, skepticism until they see the game playable. Finally, this project is completely separate from Shiny/Atari's Enter The Matrix game that we covered a little while back, and which is shipping into stores about now.
The game takes place AFTER the trilogy. That in itself kind of trashes the series, since it confirms that the war is not over, the agents are still in control, and the Matrix itself still exists.
Uh... yay. We win. Possibly.
I was quite excited about the whole cross-media storytelling planned for the last two movies, the way the plot would expand to fill all relevant games and films and animes and such. However, like Japan's similar efforts with the .hack series, it's better in theory than execution since the end result is disjointed. I'd still love to see the idea of multimedia (as in, more than one medium) storytelling done right, but it's been an uphill climb to get something smooth and palatable...
Now we'll have humans spending hours in front of the computer trying to immerse themselves into the digital world of the Matrix, a place where humans trapped inside of a digital world are trying to get unimmersed. it's not too hard to believe that the robots probably released an early version of The Matrix as an MMORPG...
Since we're now in the 'Make MMORPG's out of popular movies' trend, let me make a few suggestions based on some of the most popular movies of all time.
Citizen Kane
Casablanca
12 Angry Men
Singin' In The Rain
Let it die people... Let it die...
Why Monolith? Did Warner Brothers simply draw up a contract for the game design and award it to the lowest bidder? I hate to sound like a troll, but honestly, Monolith isn't exactly the paradigm of innovation in the industry. Almost everything they've done since the original Blood (nolf, avp 2, shogo) has been largely derivative of popular trends, and there isn't a whole lot of precedent for a game like this. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and the game will kick ass, but when I think of an ambitious project like this, one of the last development teams I would want is Monolith. The Blood series was first-rate, though the rest of their catalogue is a little weak. They're a pretty good team as far as the industry goes, but I wouldn't be surprised if this game ends up as "Everquest with Uzi's."
"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." -Voltaire
So, is this going to be the first MMORPG where you're _supposed_ to cheat?
"Wow, how'd you hit me?"
"I found a way to step outside the game... and install an aim-bot."
"Woah. Teach me."
A.
A single blue pill.
Do you really think such a powerful entity as the Matrix could be dissembled in three movies? Right now humans are fighting off extinction. I think this just means there won't be a cheesy 'yay, good guys always win.' ending.
Personally I am actually interested in this, and I generally can't stand MMOGs.
"I only speak the truth"
Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
Yes, now you too can experience life first-hand in my Matrix online game. Fight, love, work, party -- all in an amazing virtual world so real you'll believe you're there! Startling graphics, real-world physics, and a seamless leveling system combine to make an experience you'll never forget.
To sign up, simply send me $49.95 and I'll ship you a rare and coveted red placeb^H^H^H^H^H^H pill. Ingest it and you're on your way to adventure!
[PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
So, wait, a computer simulation of what its like being locked inside of a computer simulation?
As Kenu would say, "Whoah."
At least it proves that irony is not dead, even if it is lost on some.
maybe in that matrix i'll be able to get a job!
If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
Don't believe that Animatrix stuff - this is how it really happens...
Everyone knows how addictive MMORPG's are, and the next major thing in gaming will likely be to increase the immersive aspects of it. Next we see some special "totally immersive sens-dep tanks" designed originally for (naturally) pr0n consumption, however they naturally find their way into the gaming community where they become very popular.
Soon.. everyone has one, and, due to an easily missed checkbox on a Microsoft designed acceptance of terms and conditions when installing the new Matrix MMORPG, users find that they actually no longer have the right to quit the game, and without their knowledge, their tank containing their body is shipped to an efficient storage area (which ingeniously uses the body heat of the player to power the gaming servers while decreasing lag due to the closer proximity to the server). Naturally given the pr0n functions of the tanks, many people decide they are better off in the system and due to the technical and biological developments in the real world, are able to breed. Naturally the children grow up knowing only the system and so do not even realise they are trapped in the Gatestrix.
End of the world, human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together mass hysteria.
Fortunately for humanity a small group of Mac geeks refused to play the game citing reasons such as "I ain't buying no PC dude". Led by a black polonecked individual known only as "Jobseus" they fight for freedom.
This is their story.
I'm curious as to how they'll implement bullet time in a MMORPG setting. If I recall correctly, the bullet time feature was left out of Max Payne multiplayer.
If someone hits the "bullet time" button, will everyone slow down? Will all NPC's within a certain radius slow down?
Good luck devs. Lets just hope this title doesn't turn into a grief fest.