The Matrix is often regarded as one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time, and for good reason. The film not only told a compelling story about the struggles of mankind in a post-apocalyptic future, but it also featured some of the best action scenes of its time, as well as ground-breaking special effects that still hold up surprisingly well today. And most of that had spilled into its two sequels, even though they never quite managed to match the first for sheer brilliance and spectacle.

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The Matrix franchise stretches well beyond those three movies though, growing over the years to include an animated anthology film, comic books, and even three mainstream video games. And now that the franchise is about to be revived by the forthcoming release of the aptly named The Matrix Resurrections, fans are no doubt eager to once again jack into its world of Alice in Wonderland references and colored pills. But for any needing some type of refresher, here are five things only those who played the games would know.

5 How Niobe And Ghost Destroyed The Power Station

Niobe and Ghost from The Matrix Reloaded

The best thing about the tie-in game, Enter The Matrix, was how tightly integrated it was with the story of the second film. It even featured an additional hour of live-action footage, shot specifically for the game.

In the game, players control either Niobe or Ghost, two new characters introduced in The Matrix Reloaded. The former was played by Jada Pinkett Smith and was captain of the battleship, Logos. At one point in the movie, she and Ghost are tasked with destroying a power station that would enable Neo to get to the Architect, a mission that happened off-screen. And in the game, players actually get to play out that scenario, which involved fighting off guards and an agent, the same way Trinity had at the start and end of the movie.

4 Neo's (Full) Path To Becoming The One

Keanu Reeves as Neo in The Matrix Reloaded

Much of The Matrix trilogy's plot centers upon Neo and his ascension to becoming The One, the messiahlike figure prophesied to come and save mankind from its robot masters. So it was only a matter of time before we got a game chronicling his adventure through the films.

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That game was The Matrix: Path of Neo, and it effectively acted as a greatest hits collection of sorts, featuring certain key sequences from the film series - except the game also takes a number of liberties in telling its own version of the story, creating scenarios where Neo is shown attaining many of the abilities he had in the films. This was no doubt done to flesh out the story and to allow for more standard video game levels to be built around the extra material.

3 The Trilogy's Alternate Ending

Neo fighting Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions

And still on the topic of The Matrix: Path Of Neo and its many deviations, one of its biggest ones was its alternate ending. In the movie, you'd remember that it had ended with Neo sacrificing himself in order to secure a truce between the people of Zion and the machines. This was the only way to ensure the former wasn't completely obliterated and wiped out by the latter, due to the overwhelming odds.

But in the game, he flat out won the war by defeating Agent Smith in a fight that was even more video-gamey than the one shown in the third film. In it, Agent Smith transforms into a giant amalgamation of smaller agents, car parts and random debris, complete with a giant pair of sunglasses ripped straight off of a billboard. It is one of those things that needs to be seen to be believed but trust us when we say it was over-the-top and ridiculously so.

2 The Oracle Was Forced To Change Her Appearance

Gloria Foster and Mary Alice as The Oracle in The Matrix trilogy

Shortly after filming her scenes for The Matrix Reloaded, Oracle actress, Gloria Foster, had passed away. This meant the role had to be recast for the final film in the trilogy, The Matrix Revolutions, where the character was portrayed by Mary Alice.

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And while Trinity had remarked about her change in appearance upon meeting her in the third film, the Oracle had simply said it was as a result of a choice she had to make. But during the events of Enter The Matrix, a more substantial explanation was given. Apparently, she had been attacked by the rogue program, the Merovingian, who had obtained the deletion codes for her external shell, prompting her to have to take on the new appearance.

1 Morpheus Was (Apparently) Killed

Laurence Fishburne as Morpheus in The Matrix

At the end of The Matrix Revolutions, Morpheus was one of the few freedom fighters left who had survived the sentinel's attack on the underground city of Zion. So to anyone who stopped with that movie and never dabbled into any of the games, the character should be alive and well and helping to pick up the pieces as they attempt to rebuild their city, right?

Well, wrong, at least according to The Matrix Online, an MMORPG set following the events of the film trilogy. In the game, Morpheus had met a grisly demise at the hands of the Merovigian's assassins. The game itself was eventually discontinued in 2009, due to a very low player count, but up to that point, its events were considered to be part of the Matrix canon. It remains to be seen just how much of the game's story the new movie would be honoring. But if its first trailer is anything to go by, we'd venture to say not very much.

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