Last year, Sony Online Entertainment announced that they had purchased the Monolith-developer The Matrix Online. The game did poorly in initial sales, SOE hopes to improve the game for greater appeal.

The Matrix Combat Revision 2.0, as it is called, will, first and foremost, speed up the combat in the Matrix Online. Rounds are shorter and animations have been sped up. In addition, a new combat UI has been added to the game. The visual cues have been moved onto the fields, with rings under the characters and showing on the hotbars, ala EverQuest II. Also modified have been the different combat styles in the game s well as the way different types of weapons will work. In Interlock - one on one combat - there's no longer just one winner who deals damage, damage is dealt based on attack rolls and defense stats. This new change would lock lower level players from hitting those who are higher level, but new modifications have allowed a level 1 player to have a chance to hit something of level 50 stature - even if not for much.

In addition to the combat improvements, there will be more customization in the characters, as well as additional hotbars and hotbar space, which, as anyone who's played World of Warcraft know, you need lots and lots of hotbar space.

The Matrix Combat Revision 2.0 will be available for download today. The Matrix Online is also available in Sony Online's new Station Access pack, a set of their MMORPGs available for $39.99 all with one monthly fee.