Man. I don’t even know why I put the Matrix Online on my list. If I thought it looked bad before E3, I thought it looked even worse after E3. I think this is the worst looking game out of all the MMOGs I previewed. The character models look androgynously terrible in my opinion, and the whole booth seemed to scream out to me: “farce!” more than anything else.
At the same time here, my distaste for this game comes from an interesting place, and while different, I would argue equally as viable as any mechanical gripes I have with other MMOGs.
My problem with this game is a problem of marketing. This game will fail in my opinion because it’s the Matrix, and I think the Matrix is a very, very poor IP to be building an MMOG upon.
Here’s how I see it, and perhaps I’m way off base, but this is just my general take on matters. MMOGs are targeted towards markets. These markets are essentially cultural movements of people. A console gamer is often different in their wants and needs than a PC gamer. People who like Sci Fi settings are often different than people who like Fantasy settings. Hardcore, casual. Male, female. They are all variables that you add up like simple grade school arithmetic, and finally hopefully come upon a conclusion of what sort of market you’re targeting and want to make a game for.
MMOGs, in general, are right now considered ‘niche’ to a certain degree. Not ‘niche’ like say LARPing ‘niche’ but ‘niche’ like the large percentage of players are dedicated gamers. I won’t say ‘geeks’ so much, but let’s just say they don’t exactly balk at the idea of paying sub fees to play the game they want to play.
In fact, if you read this site, you’re probably one of them. You probably read internet sites daily, your bookmarks are probably easily in the double digits. You are comfortable with turning a computer on. You probably have a soft spot for ‘geek culture’ type things, such as fantasy novels, fantasy movies, comic book movies, and while you may not roleplay, and even think roleplaying is for losers, you probably don’t really hold it against them (as in you think it’s just something some people enjoy doing, and that’s fine, as opposed to assuming only freaks do it).
These are all, vague guesses I’d make on an average MMOG gamer. I’m sure if I scoured Nick Yee’s site, I might be able to come up with some better statistics, but I’m a lazy ass. Now here’s the problem, the geek culture loved the first Matrix, but were very split in opinion on the second two. Unfortunately, that split generally fell between indifference and loathing. As opposed to abject fanboism, and indifference, which in my opinion is more where the really good IPs should fall.
And I think this will kill it. How many people who are likely to play MMOGs are interested in the Matrix world as a place to spend their time? The number would’ve been far higher had the second two movies never been released, now, the people who were hardcore fans of the first, are probably sitting in ‘indifference’ and will try it out if it piques their interest, but have low expectations, while the rest of us are currently in the process of getting restraining orders on anything that is Matrix related, so it can’t legally come within a hundred yards of us.
This is sad because of how it nullifies the actually game experience itself. Who cares how good the mechanics are or how fun the game is if the IP of a product is what turns you off in the first place. I would play Dark and Light if it turned out to be the best game ever. I really would. Hell, if Horizons suddenly shot up to 700,000 subscribers, I’d give it another go as well.
I would not play the Matrix Online. The game repulses me because the world and lore have become boring and distasteful. I don’t want to run around in a Matrix type of world, seeing bullet time over and over again when I fight enemies. I don’t want to look like an androgynous monkey. I don’t think killing rats, or thugs, or whatever, with dual Uzis is cool.
In other words, mimicking the worst dialogue in film making history, from the first Matrix, this is how I see this project coming about.
Money Men: “Nobody has ever done anything like this before!”
Monolith: “That’s why it’ll work!”
Ubisoft: “Fuck you guys! We were snorting too much coke off our Splinter Cell cases last time we agreed to this idiocy, we’re out of here.”
And so, we’re left with a project that really seems to have no good justification for existing. What blows me away more about this is I can think of a dozen IPs easily that I think would make for popular MMOGs. Don’t believe me? Let’s see…
1. Dragonlance (see Forgotten Realms for reasons)
2. Forgotten Realms (yeah, as if these aren’t powerful enough licenses already. Fact is, gamers would probably kill kittens for a chance to play EQ style, first person, in the world of either of these licenses. Waterdeep. Solace. Whatthehellever. It’s gold if done well.)
3. Ravenloft (this is actually my favorite IP out of the list. Dark, gothic, and the set up of the world works perfectly for MMOGs. You know, you start with one realm, it’s borders are mist, then expansions are other realms, and the mist recedes. Plus you aren’t so anchored in the geographical limitations of trying to build a normal sort of world. A desert realm can be right beside an ice realm, anyways…)
4. Shadowrun (mmmm, delicious, my second favorite IP if done right.)
5. Marvel (No brainer here)
6. DC (same as Marvel)
7. Prydain (Lloyd Alexander you heathens, great background in Welsh lore. Hell, Disney even thought it was a good IP (too bad they butchered it). Either way, could be very, very cool.)
8. Shannara (not something that interests me personally, but it’s been an established world since the 70s and has millions of readers.)
9. Conan (this has always been a popular IP when used well. The comics, the books, the movies. Plus you could have an artistic direction that is Frazettaish)
10. Magic: The Gathering (nerd like as it may be, it’s got an insane amount of lore now, the abilities and powers could mimic the cards and think of the millions of people who have had fun playing Magic at some point in time? An instant market. Gold)
11. Grand Theft Auto (this one is a no brainer and will eventually be done. I know Rockstar owns the license, and develops the games themselves of course, but it’s still an IP that would be far better received)
12. Pern (this is one I’m not really certain of, but is a single setting fantasy/sci fi hybrid, with a lot of lore and a lot of fans. Really though, insert any popular Sci Fi or Cyberpunk world here if I missed whatever IP excites you).
And there we have it. A dozen IPs that are all more attractive than the dismal Matrix.
What else can I say? Perhaps someday, if the Matrix grows into a Star Wars like structure, then it would be worth a company doing a Matrix MMOG. Right now though? So soon? Ugh. Disaster is written all over this. It’s too soon, and the market MMOGs attract is the wrong market for a Matrix IP.
That’s how I feel about this game, and I just can’t get away from that. What did I see at E3? Nothing useful. I saw The Matrix… but like, online and stuff. Their booth was set up with all the Matrix colors and Matrix schwag stuff. I saw a sci-fi like interface. I saw players doing kung fu without good game engine collision, and then whipping out guns and pointlessly shooting at each other. I saw characters with no gender. I saw a city that didn’t look as appealing to me as the somewhat bland City of Heroes city (admit it, the city in CoH gets pretty damn repetitive after a short while).
I saw a game that somebody should abort now because everything feels ‘wrong’ about it.
Mechanics? Who knows. Some looked interesting, I haven’t done any real studying on them, but my E3 impression was a negative one, and I think this will be a massive bomb. Perhaps you'd be better off reading this review than my crap.
Oh, as a quick side note. I’ve been playing a lot of World of Warcraft and have A LOT to say about it. Expect literal novellas of materials as I pick it apart piece by piece and give in detail run downs on my gripes and likes. At the moment though I just have to get these E3 updates done, so I actually feel like one of the few people who actually goes to E3, has a media badge, and, you know, writes about it. I think with my current record here I’m probably grossing more material than most groups of media people put together. Not bad, not bad at all.