This is how MMORPGs should have been from the start!
Fantasy and sci-fi online rpgs are commonplace, but an RPG with a gritty, urban environment is a rare find, and MxO (the nickname the game took up instantly) sets the mood just right. High-rise buildings can be seen eternally off in the distance, and the whole place reeks of decadence and decay due to it's varied eerie skies and venomous green tint (another clever implementation from the revolutionary films). Best of all, the place is huge! There are four districts but just one of them would have made a solid map, and there's loads of landmarks to absorb. One of the highlights of this world is that every single area is accessible, every room, every rooftop. The downside is, except for the rooftops (which are a blast to jump off for bets) there isn't any incentive to explore these buildings. Every floor seems to be the same as the one below, and unless you're on a mission they're entirely vacant with scant decorations. Unique buildings such as the nightclubs are a completely different manner and warrant visiting regularly.
Without spilling on more into the game's various encounter features like the other fifty reviwers have, fighting is as cinematic as you'd expect and fun to watch. The recent combat revision makes combat much faster paced and allows for mutiple fights at a tome, finally allowing large-scale battles that is sure to become this game's trademark. The animations, though sometimes way off que, are well done and capture the superhuman abilities you'd dream of having in the Matrix. You'll spot your character pulling off newer, stylish moves as you level up too. Speaking of levelling up, there's plenty of encouragement to gain experience, which is both good and bad. MxO's abilities are varied, creatively designed, and satisfying to execute. Once you grab hold of the super jump things REALLY get interesting. The one flaw is that starter players have virtually nothing until level 10.
I'll bypass the concept of instant class switching because it's been discussed everywhere and is every bit as useful as it sounds. The game's most entertaining aspect, and it's most original, is its constant progressing storyline. At last, players actually have a chance to participate and make a difference in the world around them. You probably can't become a crucial player until you reach level 50, but you can still partake in whatever parties, meetings, and epic battles you come across in. Meetings are a great opportunity for fans of the movies because you get to actually meet characters from the franchise, accurately portrayed by a live actor. Battles are a new concept to the Matrix and are therefore very rare, but considering most RPGs take to slow one-on-one fighting, this all out chaos is probably the most intense aspect of any mmorpg. It's literally guns blazing all around you while you're dropkicking three or more people at a time! Getting involved in the story recquires having friends in high places or sheer luck, the former can be done simply by joining a faction. Either way, you'll have to have a lot of patience before you'll find yourself a member of a historical event in the Matrix, but that patience is well rewarded.
To say it fast, the Matrix Online is what MMORPGs should have been from the beginning. With awesome abilities, a strong community connection, and the hope of saving or destroying the Matrix, this is an RPG for people who hate MMORPGs, and it is a gift well recieved.