Neo & Trinity

In 2004, the developers of the Matrix had a bold vision. They were going to continue the story online, letting video-game-players act out the plot. The vehicle for this continuation was The Matrix Online, developed by Monolith Productions and Sony Online Entertainment.The Matrix Online was not the first video game based off of the series. 2003′s Enter the Matrix featured a storyline parallel to the one in The Matrix Reloaded, while 2005′s The Matrix: Path of Neo faithfully recreated the events of the trilogy. However, The Matrix Online was certainly the most ambitious. Players begin the game by creating their on-screen avatara redpill, or a human who has become aware of the Matrix and chosen to live in reality. Within the game, players regularly come into contact with both other redpills and non-player character bluepillsthose still living in the simulated world of the Matrix.Each player can select one of three main classes, which affects the game’s combat:

• Coders: Fight by creating simulacra to take their place
• Hackers: Manipulate code to damage or otherwise negatively affect enemies, or to positively affect allies
• Operative: Traditional action characters who can gain a variety of fighting skills

Story-wise, the game carried on after the events of the original trilogy. The perspective of events that a player experienced was based on which of three organizations the player joined. The options included:

• Zionists: Supporters of Zionthe last human cityfight a guerrilla war against the machines, mainly by enlisting in the Zion Military.
• Machines: Players could also choose to side with the Machines in the hopes of either maintaining the status quo or working to improve relations between the two sides.
• Merovingians: Finally, players could choose to work for the Merovingian, a character from the latter two films. This side prefers to abstain from the main battle between the humans and the machines, and also fights to protect the Exiles living within the Matrix.

The main storyline for the game was written by comic writer Paul Chadwick, later in collaboration with game designer Ben Chamberlain. The Wachowskis also offered input up through Chapter 9.However, the great experiment was not to last forever. Sony Online Entertainment opted to shut down the servers on August 1, 2009. The designers planned one last hurrah, which unfortunately didn’t work out as planned. Many players were disconnected accidentally before the final event, which involved advanced-level powers being handed out to all players. The servers were unable to deal with these graphically-taxing powers, and glitches overwhelmed the finale to what was, through most of its lifespan, a well-respected and imaginative experience.