Where The Matrix Online scores high is in the flexibility of the skill system and the overall adherence to the franchise. This undoubtedly feels like the Matrix, which is sure to please fans who've dreamed of taking up their own identity in the world and choosing sides in the three-sided conflict. The "big" story elements haven't really taken center stage yet with me but those that I have experienced have been pretty impressive. If the team can keep up that level of involvement, the story will be one of the game's biggest draws.

But story and setting aside, The Matrix Online, isn't as innovative as it ought to have been. It relies heavily (unapologetically at times) on many of the genre's conventions, from class archetypes to loot to endless missions of errand running and extermination. In many ways it feels like a fantasy game in sci-fi clothing. For me, that just doesn't do justice to the potential inherent in the brand.