10 Hugely Popular Licenses Video Games Can't Get Right

2. The Matrix

The Matrix is a virtual world which humanity are trapped in, oblivious to reality - sounds an awful lot like video games, really. Despite this similarity though, any attempt by Warner Bros to create a spin-off game based on the series has flopped dramatically. Enter The Matrix was the first to try and it was designed to be an integral piece of The Matrix canon. Live action scenes were shot specifically for the game, adding extra detail to events before and after The Matrix Reloaded; the second instalment in the series. Anticipation was high for the game (given the immense popularity of the series) but it didn't deliver at all. The controls were awful and many were left disappointed by the inability to play as characters from the films (Neo, notably, is missing completely). Taking this feedback to heart, the next Matrix game focused solely on Neo, recreating events and scenes from across the movie trilogy. Path Of Neo fared better than the first game but it still failed to live up to the standards of the films. Intriguingly, Warner Bros next and final (so far) venture was an MMORPG - The Matrix Online. Set after the series, the game encouraged players to continue the story of The Matrix with a variety of storylines expanding the universe for several years. MxO maintained a steady fanbase for a long time but to the wider world, it was still massively underwhelming. Ultimately, The Matrix simply didn't have mass appeal in video game form, thanks to glitchy releases, bad controls and an exclusive 'die-hard fans only' attitude. Had the games captured more of what made The Matrix great, those glaring flaws might have been easier to overlook.