Enter the Matrix

"Great when I was 10 years old. Total opposite 4-5 years on."

Intro

Let's face it. If it wasn't for the Matrix, Keanu Reeves wouldn't be famous anymore. He probably still wouldn't if he hadn't turned down Speed 2...anyway, an action, kung-fu style movie was always going to become a game. As the title says, this had me hooked as a landmark in gaming. I was 10. Now I can actually appreciate games, I realise that I was a little mistaken.

Story

You're kidding me. This couldn't have less to do with the actual movies. They don't even focus on the main characters from the movies. Here, you control either Niobe or Ghost, 2 characters from the movies sorta left to the side. You take them through their own adventure which intertwines with Neo and company's own escapades. Not a real story to be honest.

Gameplay

Now, things get strange. First off, aiming weapons. There ain't any! Just lift up the gun and 'you' aim automatically. Fire away. Meh. Now for slow-motion. You can enter 'Focus mode', where you slow down time. Here, enemy bullets travel slower, so do the enemies, and you can now do fighting moves you couldn't before. Kinda flashy, but nothing spectacular.

Fighting. One button for punches. One for kicks. Press randomly to do combos. End fight. Seriously, enemies don't even out up a fight. I'm not even sure they get harder the further into the game you go. The fighting is kinda button-mashing.

Halfway through the game, you meet a new type of enemy. A seemingly invincible one at that. Vampires. Yep, vampires. No, there's no Dracula. These things appear for some reason, despite having absolutely no connection to the Matrix. Of course, they can only be killed with a stake in the heart. Or, as you find out, a broken chair leg will do. Or a crossbow, which is conveniently hidden in the same area.

You can pick up weapons off the floor. A nice ability is the ability to hold 2 Handguns at once. Into the game you find a weapon that fires strange grenades that suffocate enemies. Disturbingly satisfying, if not ridiculously easy.

A feature is Hacking. You can enter cheats for some nice rewards. One cheat allows you to become 'invisible'. You don't really, it's just that enemies can't see you. A nice high point for the game. There is another huge hacking cheat that takes forever and isn't really worth the time. Just gives you the ability to do a one-hit-kill move using swords. Not as good as it sounds.

Agents reappear. Seemingly invincible, they can be knocked off a building or whatnot to get rid off them. They just dodge bullets in a very strange way. Similar to Neo's dodging skills in The Matrix.

There are driving sections. With Niobe, you drive the car or hovercraft. With Ghost, you are the gunner. The motorway level which has you speeding down a motorway being chased by Agents is undeniably fun, especially with Ghost. Blowing up cars with machine-guns is always fun. Unfortunately, the Agents car is magically invincible. Shooting them just makes them fall behind.

As I said, you can drive a hovercraft. This is one-off though, and not the most fun thing ever. It's kinda hard when you're Ghost as you're the gunner, fighting off the Sentinels that can't get enough of your sweet ride. Niobe drives the hovercraft through a pipe-laden area, which you must obviously complete by destroying any rubble that's in your way.

Graphics

Not much. For the console, it was pretty poor. Could've been so much better, had the right amount of effort been put in.

Controls

Please. Button-mashing and holding is pretty much all there is here. Not that bad, but nothing great either.

Difficulty

Using cheats: Easy as hell. Not using cheats: Either easy or frustrating. Nothing to satisfy a hardcore gamer.

Lifespan

The only real lifespan is in the few levels you can replay and the Hacking system. There are a few bonus parts unlocked by beating the game, but none really worth while.

Conclusion

Not very good, to be honest. Could've, should've been so much better. A disappointing 5/10.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/07