The Matrix Online Previews

Two new previews for Monolith's The Matrix Online hit the web over the past couple of days. The first is at GameSpot:
To approach your battles in the best way possible, you may end up changing your characters' configuration and appearance. Unlike other similar games in which you're stuck with a single-character profession (like "wizard" or "sorcerer of blight"), The Matrix Online will instead let you swap out different types of skills that relate to hand-to-hand martial arts combat, firearms, and computer hacking. These skill sets are intended to let you customize your character's abilities to your needs as well as to what your teammates may need in a group adventure. For example, if you're working with a group that already has strong hand-to-hand combat skills, you may want to swap in some gun-slinging skills for yourself to provide ranged support. The developers hope that one of the game's most distinct features will be its hand-to-hand combat, as there will be a huge number of fighting animations that your characters will display while punching, kicking, blocking, and grappling with their enemies.

And the second is at IGN PC:
Of course, should players want, they can stay out of the happenings of the big three factions almost entirely by sticking to the missions flying underneath the radar. Along with Zion, Merovingians, and Machines will be several exiles and programs working on the streets of the city. "They aren't necessarily associated with any of the big three organizations, they're just trying to get by in what in some cases can be a very hostile world. You can choose to involve yourself in these local conflicts." Actions with these characters may not effect your standing at all even though meddling in these areas might bring you to odds with other smaller factions.