The Matrix: Path of Neo

"Best Matrix game yet..."

You can tell a lot about The Matrix: Path of Neo just by the title. You follow the entire matrix trilogy from Neo's point of view. I'll start with the basics:

Graphics: 9
Don't believe what other people are saying about the graphics because for a game of this generation they're extremely impressive. Trenchcoats have detailed textures, leather shines, skins come in a variety of dynamic tones, and special effects mirror those from the movies. Animation is a bit stiff, however, and there are a few visual glitches. Nothing too drastic as some reviewers would like you to believe. Areas are big filled with plentiful enemies all with their own weapons and fighting styles. To be honest, the game runs very smooth considering.

Sound: 7
The music sounds like it's taken right out of the movies, but without the major soundtrack titles (nothing from Rob Zombie in the game, sorry). Sound effects sound great too, especially when you use the patented ‘focus' mode that the series is known for. One downside, however, is that sometimes a series of sounds just won't come through, like the sound effects have been muted for a second or so. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it makes the game seem a bit lagged. A minor problem, but one that shouldn't be in there to begin with.

Gameplay: 9
Arguably the single most important aspect of a video game. Many people were disappointed by Enter the Matrix and for good reason. Shiny, the company hired to program the games, did a substantially better job with Path of Neo. The game emphasizes hand-to-hand combat, and does so very smoothly. There aren't a lot of kung-fu action games out there that are any good, but this one is actually quite good, and that's impressive. The shooting aspect isn't perfect, but it's still a great amount better then it was in Enter the Matrix. Integrating close range combat with firearms is always tricky business, especially with Martial Arts. It takes a good while to get used to the game, and there's so many different attack combinations to try out that you can easily make it to the end of the game without realizing you still haven't even tried a number of them. Higher difficulty levels are available to better players, but you have to prove you are good enough to handle it in order to unlock them. Secrets are unlocked by beating the various difficulty levels.

Replayability: 5
No alternate costumes, no hidden characters, bonus levels, hidden games, nothing interesting as far as unlockables goes. Sure, for competitive gamers there's the higher difficulty settings, but that isn't much to go on. Side-missions were you get to play as other characters would've been interesting. How about a short series of missions displaying how Morpheus was awakened, and how he recruited his crew. This could provide with some more challenging missions as well, since Morpheus isn't The One and doesn't have the same potential. They could've given us some short missions were we get to play as Seraph and protect the Oracle, or as Agent Smith taking on rebels before he ever met Neo. Heck, they could've given us a multitude of training applications like the ones in the beginning of the game that we could just have fun messing around with. So much potential unrealized.

As stated previously, this game follows the series from Neo's perspective. So, that means you don't get to reenact certain events like Morpheus battling the Agent on top of the semi as it rolls down the highway, and you never get to fight those strange ghost-programs the Frenchman had (and I don't see why they couldn't throw them in somewhere). The game also occurs solely within the matrix, so all the battles with the machines in the real world from Reloaded and Revolutions only exist in the game as cutscenes taken straight from the movies. Sorry, but you don't get to pilot those big mechas with the chainguns. However, the designers did expand certain parts of the movie into full blown dungeons (sometimes multiple dungeons in one) so that you get more playtime out of it. This means that certain parts of the story are changed in minor ways. For instance, when Thomas Anderson is trying to escape the agents at the beginning of the first movie, he gives up on the ledge outside the office. In the game, you can proceed to the roof, work your way down, and out the bottom where Trinity waits for you; or you can allow yourself to get arrested to proceed as the movies did. There's also a number of short missions thrown in were you get to help save potentials from agents or rescue fellow rebels. It would've been nice if they added even more, gave us more characters from the movies to interact with, or even some from the Animatrix (like the crew from the Osirus).

The Path of Neo could've been a lot better, true enough. But it's still a very good game for this generation of consoles. A great purchase for any fan of the series. Why would you want to sit down and watch the movies in one day, when you can spend two or three playing the game where you can actually be The One?

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/08/07