Today I entered The Matrix. What is The Matrix, you ask? I can only show you the door. You have to enter it yourself.

Ya so, promotional catch-phrases aside, I've just begun a new e-life in The Matrix Online. Just thought I'd pop by with some ridiculously early impressions.

Character creation is a tad primitive. By primitive I mean they didn't apply lessons that Turbine, Sony and EA (and others - too many to name) all learned at least five years ago. You have to make blind class selections at character generation time that will (seemingly, very early impressions here, remember) significantly curtail your choices later in the game.

If you've read Ophelea's entries about her experiences in The Matrix you know that she rerolled early in her first day of play. So did I. You will too when you are first getting started, basically unless you make a very lucky blind choice. Fortunately it becomes clear what you did wrong really quickly before you spend several weeks on a character only to find out that you'll be seriously crippled later in life if you don't start over - an idea that probably dredges up some painful memories for more veteran MMOGers out there than just me.

That one major ouchie aside, the game looks marriage-threateningly good to me so far. I've long since learned my lesson about getting my hopes up this early in playing a new MMOG, but unless they've really fooled me, the combat system may be the coolest and most exciting I've ever seen. In playing a new MMOG, I always try to find the class that takes the most real interaction during combat, which generally means that a talented and experienced player can beat a less able player with the same skills. In Asheron's Call it's the Mage class. In DAoC, archers. I think that "close combat", or martial arts fighting in MXO is The One.

I'm still trying to settle on my permanent avatar. I'll let you know how it goes.

Welp, back down the rabbit hole. ploop!