Morpheous gets Ganked

[Andrew Mayer]

I love the smell of desperation in the morning (http://www.mtv.com/games/video_games/news/story.jhtml?id=1502973):

Say what you will about the "Matrix" saga, but don't call it predictable. Who would have expected Keanu Reeves' Neo to meet his end in the trilogy finale? Who would have expected so many fans of the first film to be critical of the sequels? And who would have expected one of the biggest characters in the movies to be murdered not on the big screen but in the new "Matrix" video game, two years after the movies supposedly put an end to the sci-fi saga?

But it happened. At 9 a.m. on Thursday (May 26), members of "The Matrix Online" massive multiplayer game witnessed Keanu's butt-kicking guru, Morpheus — he of the obscure riddles and gravity-violating kung-fu — meet his bitter end at the hands of a mysterious assassin.

George Lucas didn't wait to kill Emperor Palpatine in the video game versions of "Star Wars" — he did it in "Return of the Jedi." But that was 1983. The reclusive but ever-modern "Matrix"-creating Wachowski brothers like to do things a bit differently, a philosophy that now extends beyond their movies to their "Matrix" game, a shared experience that went live in March.

"They wanted to start with something significant and meaningful and shocking, and this was it," said Paul Chadwick, the writer whose job it is to follow the brothers' broad outline and script the day-to-day events of the online "Matrix."

Chadwick has a background in comic books, where the death of the big heroes can be as permanent as a stomachache. But he says Morpheus will be taking the big sleep long-term. "I suppose never say never," he admitted, though if there are any plans for a resurrection he's not aware of them. And he's plotted at least a full year of "Matrix Online" events with the Wachowskis. Still, for what it's worth, one of the toughest characters Laurence Fishburne ever portrayed is dead. "I did it not in joy but in sorrow," Chadwick continued. "I'm sorry to see him pass."


Shorter version: Fishburne wanted out.

[Mark Crump]

I don't think it was Fishburne. They've said from the begining a major character would die off quickly.

[sluggo]

The two aren't mutually exclusive. If Fishburne wanted out, and they wanted to kill someone off quickly, sounds like everyone's happy.

[McBain]

Who would have expected so many fans of the first film to be critical of the sequels?

Humor.

[Andrew Mayer]

So do they have to change the box cover now?

http://pcmedia.ign.com/pc/image/object/482/482120/0010086851380_500X500boxart_160h.jpg

[Jasper]

I didn't think Fishburne was playing Morpheus in MxO, so why would he care what happened?

Anyway, it's this sort of canned event that I didn't like about MxO. It's neat that there's an unfolding story, but the players basically don't take part in it (silly things like seeing which faction can collect the most loot don't count). Was there anything a player could have done to help save/slay Morpheus? Was there even anyway to have learned about it in advance? Bleh.

[Jason Becker]

If this is all they have to entice players to the game then their in trouble.

[Marcin]

I didn't think Fishburne was playing Morpheus in MxO, so why would he care what happened?

I was doing the Family & Friends event trial, and it sure sounded like him in the cutscenes...

[BrewersDroop]

I didn't think Fishburne was playing Morpheus in MxO, so why would he care what happened?

I was doing the Family & Friends event trial, and it sure sounded like him in the cutscenes...

Ah, the benefits of having decent voice actors (http://www.quartertothree.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=19179)!

[Andrew Mayer]

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000401/

Laurence Fishburne

# The Matrix Online (2005) (VG) (voice) .... Morpheus
... aka MxO (USA: promotional abbreviation)

[Wholly Schmidt]

I thought this was going to be about some crazy high level group finding a way to kill Morpheus like those EQ people that killed that dragon that wasn't supposed to be killable. That would've been much funnier.

[worm]

I thought this was going to be about some crazy high level group finding a way to kill Morpheus like those EQ people that killed that dragon that wasn't supposed to be killable. That would've been much funnier.
Yeah, even stories about the Matrix game suck.

[Miramon]

Two words: Meh and Meh.

[Alan Au]

I thought this was going to be about some crazy high level group finding a way to kill Morpheus like those EQ people that killed that dragon that wasn't supposed to be killable. That would've been much funnier.
Whatever happened to the guy who killed Lord British during that UO incident?

- Alan

[Desslock]

Rainz? He's been hunted down and exterminated.

[AttAdude]

Rainz? He's been hunted down and exterminated.

Yeah but no matter how many times he gets gamked he has a spot in gaming history. That single event changed the way we play those type of games forever.

[roguefrog]

Lord British killed (http://www.aschulze.net/ultima/stories9/beta.htm) was one of the funniest things to happen in an MMO.

[Phydeaux]

I love the smell of desperation in the morning (http://www.mtv.com/games/video_games/news/story.jhtml?id=1502973)

Shorter version: Fishburne wanted out.

I'm pretty sure this was planned. The cinematics are carryovers from the Beta - Morpheus didn't survive that, either. People have been predicting that he'd die since MxO went out of beta. The game has a huge pile of bugs and it seems like the dev team keeps adding more, but I'm still groovin' with this thing, warts and all.

[Alan Dunkin]

I dunno if it "changed the way we play those type of games forever" - I mean, it was funny, but definitely wasn't new. It always reminded me of a few years before when one of the Kesmai gods (Morpheus) descended to the mortal plane and go run around with players in the newly opened Rift Glacier. Then he got his ass promptly handed to him by a titan with a very large maul and suffice it to say all of his very cool stuff got swiped. And his death wasn't due to some database/input problem like LB, Morpheus was just exceptionally powerful but it didn't help him out very well :)

Ah those were the good ol' days.

--- Alan

[TriggerHappy]

He was banned for deliberately going against requests we made of him as a tester. Participating as a beta tester is a privilege we grant people so that they can help us make it fun for everyone. He was exploiting flaws in the game system that put him at an unfair advantage to other players. He then used that advantage to go on a huge killing spree that left hundreds of players dead. Let me emphasize that going on a killing spree is fine, but doing it when no one that you are attacking has a chance to defend themselves because of your advantage is not fine. Only when he was caught doing this did he then describe the problem to Origin. He was then requested to cease these activities or be banned more than once yet he chose to continue. (Incidentally he participated in very similar activity during our Pre-Alpha test over a year ago.)

Bolding mine.

I thought that was an everday thing in UO, it certainly was when I played.

[Timemaster Tim]

I thought that was an everday thing in UO, it certainly was when I played.

He was exploiting flaws in the game system that put him at an unfair advantage to other players. He then used that advantage to go on a huge killing spree that left hundreds of players dead.

This was a beta test. Presumably, one of the obligations in participating in the beta test is to report bugs, problems and flaws exposed through playing. He may have reported the flaw, but then went on to exploit it and ignored warnings to knock it off. That's a bit different than playing the release version and being an uber asshat.

I suspect that his piece de resistance was the straw that broke the camels back, but the bulk of the weight comes from the exploits.

[Desslock]

Yeah, it wasn't a matter of it being an unfair fight, because he was more powerful or otherwise ambushed weaker characters - he was cheating by using exploits.