Enter the Matrix

"There is no spoon........or longitivity."

Enter The Matrix, for those that do not know, is the game based in and around the events of the motion picture The Matrix Reloaded. It has been hyped for what seems like millennia, and has been in development for even longer. What sets this game above any other movie-game tie in, I hear you ask? Well, apart from the majority of movie-game tie-ins being incredibly poor, sans GoldenEye, Enter The Matrix is put as the first time the directors of a movie have actually written the plot, filmed exclusive 8mm scenes for the game, and generally overseen the production. The problem? If directors knew how to make games, they would be a lot more of them, not to mention the hype. Hype can kill a game, and in the case of Enter The Matrix, it's like a bullet in the head.

Story - 7/10

In Enter The Matrix, you play as either Niobe or Ghost. I cannot tell much about the story without giving away plot details for the film Reloaded. In short, the story of the game follows on almost immediately from the Animatrix short ''The Final Flight Of Osiris'', and is centered about the imminent attack by the machines on the last human city, Zion. The story is very well presented, with 8mm footage, and in game cutscenes. However, the game adds more to the story of Reloaded, then the other way around, and thus playing the game before the movie can be incredibly confusing since events just seem to jump from one thing to another.

Graphics - 6/10

The graphics are, to put it simply; very bland. There is not very much detail to textures, and with the room architecture often repeating itself in levels, you can't help but feel a little disappointed. The character models are better, but they're nothing astounding. The FMV is very very muddy and dark. Shiny used DivX to compress the movie footage, and it shows with its outstanding DVD quality, but the very dark colours. I have also noticed the odd static twitch in the footage, but that might just be my television.

Sound - 7/10

There is not much to say on the subject of sound. It does the job, while not going out of it's way. Guns sound like guns, voices are quite clear, but what amazed me was when bullets fly past you while in focus mode. The sound they make just compliments them incredibly well, and you may even find yourself ducking at points while playing.

Music - 9/10

The music is great if you like that type of music. It's an even blend between heavy rock and nu metal songs, up tempo techno, and orchestral music from the Matrix score. Overall, it's pulled off tremendously well, with the right song for the right moment, and it never does feel out of place. It
really does suck you in and not let go. My only gripe would be that the same orchestral pieces seem to be used an awful lot, lessening their impact in a way.

Controls - 7/10

When you first start playing the controls seem like they were programmed by a mindless dead chimp, completely confusing you and incredibly complex. However, after an hour or so, they start to feel more natural, and even though they're not the most easy to use, considering how many controls there are in the game, it is probably the best way to programme it. The Gamecube controller is also very responsive, but the layout of the buttons in the game seems more akin to the Playstation 2 controller, in other words, what it was programmed for primarily.

Gameplay - 9/10

The game mechanics are actually quite good. The majority of the levels take place on foot in a third person action adventure environment, with your chosen character having over 2000 (though it would be quite hard to tell) different martial arts moves to fight off enemies. The fighting engine impeccably mimics what you would expect from the virtual world of The Matrix. You can run along walls, cartwheel and kick someone in the face, and even throw people into the air and shoot them across the wall. In addition, you can use weapons in conjunction with an physical attacks, which allows incredibly fluid fighting with so many different combinations it can boggle the mind. Throw in ''focus mode'' (or bullet time), and you enter a slow motion environment where all your sense are heightened, and you can see bullets break through the air, while pulling off an even higher number of stunts and tricks. It's incredible to watch, and pull off. You really do feel like ''The One'', even if you're not. I would have given this top marks, but about 1/4 of the game takes place as either sniping, or driving levels. These are very poorly executed, with confusing physics and just end up being a plain annoyance. Thankfully, these don't appear often. There's also hacking, which is a short, but fun mini game involving ''hacking'' into a MS-DOS window in The Matrix to drop weapons, and watch cutscenes and such like.

Longitivity - 3/10

This game is very short. It's not as short as I was lead to believe, but it does seem to be over too quickly, and your first time through would only take about 6 hours in total. The repetitiveness of the stages also makes any second play through not nearly as enjoyable as the first. After playing through with both characters, this will be shelved for a bit, apart from being taken out every weekend for a few hours to have some fun with your mates. It could probably even be completed with a rental.

In conclusion, Enter The Matrix is a major disappointment. It is quite fun to play, but it is such a short game that it doesn't seem to last. It's main saving grace is the information gained about Reloaded from playing the game, but that only applies the first time through. The best bit about this game? The Matrix Revolutions trailer at the end when you complete it. Outstanding. Won't take too long to play to see it either.

There was a victim today; its name: Enter The Matrix. The murderer's name? Hype.

Overall - 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/25/03, Updated 05/25/03