Enter the Matrix

"Another bad movie based game"

Firstly let me say that unlike most reviews a 7 in my book is not average, a 5 is, so this game is marginally above average.

Now on to the review!...

Graphics 4/10

These graphics are below average. They are what you would expect from a first generation PS2 game. It looks as if you maybe slightly toned them down you could put this on N64. Also, in some areas the graphics appear better then others, probably from the creators rushing.

In some areas the game gets so dark you have to change your TV's brightness to max or fall off a cliff you can't see. Several times in the sewers I wandered around in almost total darkness.

Overall, not up to par with what we've seen from the GC, PS2, Xbox or PC in recent years.

Sound/Music 7/10

The sound fits very well with the game; some tracks are taken directly from the movie itself. It reminded me of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. My only gripe is the music is very generic. The only time a track stuck out for me was when Morpheous' theme played, and it lasted for only a few seconds.

Overall, slightly above average.

Game play 6/10

The game play is a mixed bag.

On the one hand we have the combat. The combat is very good. You can use either martial arts or firing arms. You have all the martial arts moves they use in the movie. Wall jumps, cartwheels, even that move where Agent Smith tosses Neo in the first Matrix Movie.

There are several different guns in the game, all you'd expect, Shotguns, pistols, machine guns, sniper rifles and many others. Since the game plays in 3rd person, they are not going to able to put in a complex aiming system, so the game auto aims for you. Unfortunately this system is not perfect, too often it will auto aim on the enemy that is not posing the immediate threat.

We also have a thing called ''Focus''. I have been told it is similar to bullet time in Max Payne, but I have never played that game. Anyway, focus makes the game travel in slow motion, while you move fast. This allows you to dodge bullets, fire more accurately, and grant access to certain martial arts moves like wall running and long jumps. It does have a limit to how much you can use it, though.

On the other hand we have difficulty. This game is entirely too easy. Your health refills to fast, the med packs you find from time to time are useless, as your health refills so quickly. I almost never used focus time, except when my health got below 20% (rarity) or in the beginning of the game when I wanted to check out all the cool martial arts moves and that lasted for about 20 minutes.

Then you have the occasional parts in the game when you are not on foot. Yes, through the game you also get to control vehicles like the hovercraft and cars. Thankfully, these are few and far between. They are boring, easy, and the graphics seem to take a dive during these parts.

Overall, it has the game play of any generic 3rd person action game with the cool focus meter.

Story 8/10

In the beginning of the game you can choose between two characters to play as, Niobe or Ghost. Niobe is the captain of the hovercraft Logos; you may remember her as Morpheous' Ex girlfriend and a minor character in Reloaded. Ghost is her first mate. They each get different levels, although they remain in the same general area.

The story is basically what Niobe did throughout the course of reloaded, actually tying in with the movie during the parts in the movie where you see Niobe. Through the game you will see clips from the movie, parts they must have cut.
Matrix fans will defiantly want to beat the game to see all the clips.

Overall the story is the best part of the game, especially the movie clips.

In Closing...
Rent this. The game is defiantly worth a rent if you’re a matrix fan for the extra scenes. But not for a buy. You should be able to beat this game in week or less. Each character's story takes about 5 hours so if you want a total 100% no more then 10 hours.

It is very evident that the creators rushed, probably due to trying to release it on the day of Reloaded.

Most reviews you will read that give it 10s and 9s say in their reviews they didn't beat it yet. This is understandable, the game is very ''sweet'' for an hour when you get to see and do all the cool moves from the movies, but after that it gets old.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/27/03, Updated 05/27/03