Excitement was in the virtual air. After the total awesomeness that was the End of Beta, many were counting down the minutes until the official launch of The Matrix Online. Upon jacking in, we went about the business of leveling up and regrouping with factions. Of course, not all went well. Like any MMO, there were glitches at launch (bugs, lag, crashes), but MxO had more than its fair share. Some began to question whether the game was ready to come out of beta (and some still do, lol). With the recent relatively successful launches of CoH and WoW, you have to wonder how much the gaming public would put up with. Unfortunately, this was reflected in mediocre reviews of what was otherwise considered a good game.

There were also problems with the pre-order process. Many of us who had pre-ordered to get into beta did not receive our official game boxes in time for the conversion deadline. There was no indication previously that this could happen, and in spite of pleas to extend the deadline, the company brass would not budge. Fortunately, I was only out of game for a couple of days.

In spite of all the problems, my excitement and anticipation did not wane, and WB made up for the glitches by giving everyone a couple days of free gameplay. All-in-all it was a good time with good friends.

Next: The Race to Find the One...