Enter the Matrix

"One Word: Hype."

Enter the Matrix, along with the movie it's based on, ''The Matrix Reloaded,'' have both been hyped up beyond proportion. They were two peas in a pod, and their stories are similar. ''The Matrix Reloaded'' sold an amazing amount over its first days, as did Enter the Matrix. Reloaded didn't quite live up to the hype though, and in my opinion, Enter the Matrix didn't either. It has sold over a million copies already thanks to the hype. Don't get me wrong, Enter the Matrix is a high quality game, but it could never be as good as it was expected to be.

Enter the Matrix's gameplay is a strong point in the game. The controls bill baffle you for the first couple of minutes. For example: The action button is Z, and such an important button could have been somewhere a little easier to reach. If you press B while standing still, your character will do a jump that looks like something Conan O'Brien does, and will have you saying, ''What the hell was that!'' Don't worry, focus mode will fix all of that. Other than that, the controls are smooth. This game isn't all that challenging, but can be very fun if you master it. The levels are broken down into small parts. There are five or six big levels in this game, each broken down into 7-10 small parts of the game. The ''small parts'' are very short and it asks you if you want to save between each of them. The game is very generous with saving. You collect a vast array of weapons in the game. Twin pistols, shotguns, grenade launchers, AKs, and sniper rifles are all used in the game. You'll have fun with this game at first, but it gets repetitive. Each level is boring and predictable. It's all about shooting all the bad guys and getting out of the dungeon. The repetitive part of the game is that every time you are trying to get somewhere, the ''somewhere'' you are supposed to go is either blown up, heavily guarded, or doesn't work. They shouldn't even bother trying to tell you where to go in the first place because you know it is going to get blown up. There is a little variation in the gameplay, though. The driving missions. If you play as Ghost, you'll be in first person with a rifle, and you blow up as many police or enemy cars as possible, while the computer drives you. I found it much more fun than the driving missions while controlling Niobe, the other main character. You just drive a car along the street, and that's basically it. The computer gets to do the attacking. The driving missions are pretty well done, though. There is even a mission where you fly their ship in the real world. About the characters, you control either Niobe, the captain of your ship, or Ghost, the first mate of your ship. Ghost and Niobe go their separate ways during some of the missions, but they meet up during some of them also. What that means is that you'll get a couple different missions while playing as Niobe that you didn't get while playing Ghost or vice versa. That gives the game some more replay value. The game spans across two Gamecube discs. The 'Cube couldn't fit all the movie footage into one little disc, so that is the reason for the multiple discs. The coolest feature in the game is the focus mode. It's probably the thing that sets apart this game from the rest. It is The Matrix's trademark. When you press and hold L, you go into that slo-mo, bullet time style that all Matrix fans know. You can do super long jumps, run on walls, and fly through the air while in focus mode. But you don't have unlimited focus, you waste it if you over use it. But your focus, just like your health, even, automatically restores itself if you stand still. I don't quite understand why, but it makes the game a lot easier.

Maybe my favorite aspect about Enter the Matrix is the Hacking mode. This mode is like hacking a computer. You have to enter passwords, and enter the right file extensions to continue on in it. The point of Hacking is that you can view FMVs, enter cheats, look at character bios, view images from the movie, and much more. It's the best and most original special features mode I have ever seen. For completing it, you get a multiplayer mode which, personally I don't think is that great but is a nice addition. I had a lot of fun with Hacking. mode.

Fans of The Matrix will enjoy this game because if tells the story of Niobe and Ghost while you're not seeing them in the movie. It contains some nice details from The Matrix and probably will please most fans. Non fans of The Matrix and experienced gamers will not be amazed by this game though, but it is above average.

The graphics are the most disappointing aspect of Enter the Matrix. The characters don't look very smooth, although the levels you explore are lush and vast. This game has sub-par graphics compared to other Next-Generation games. Not what you would expect from a Matrix game. This game does have a lot of real life footage with the real actors though. They are a huge bonus to the game overall, and will make Matrix fans excited. The sound in Enter the Matrix is quite good. The music from the movie is in this game, and everything sounds realistic. The sound is one of the best parts in Enter the Matrix.

Enter the Matrix isn't a very long game. It will only take experienced gamers 4-5 hours to complete it with one character. With both characters completed, the game lasts maybe 10 hours tops with Hacking mode completed. It doesn't have tons of replay value, but it is fun to show your buddies when they come over.

In conclusion, Enter the Matrix is a good game, but doesn't live up to the hype that is around it. It is definitely worth a try though. Rent it if possible, although it will be hard to find, and buy if you like. Have fun!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 05/30/03, Updated 05/30/03