Enter the Matrix

"Just Another One In The Bunch"

Synopsis:
The eagerly anticipated game is here, but does it back up the hype that it has produced in the video game industry. The answer is yes and no. Enter The Matrix was expected to be a milestone in video gaming. The cinematic events, bullet time effects, and Hollywood appeal was what made this game stand out from the rather boring batch of action games that have recently come out. Along with that but having a tie-in with its theatrical motion picture, The Matrix Reloaded (released the same day as Enter The Matrix) increased the popularity of this big-budget title. For some people, Enter The Matrix is everything that was hoped for and more. For others, it was a disappointment.

Graphics: 8/10
Although the graphics are impressive, they are not ground breaking. They are indeed Xbox quality, but a step below Unreal Championship, Dead or Alive 3, or Halo. The character models are extremely realistic. The depiction of each character is remarkable, as it is sometimes hard to tell a cinematic event (which is actual movie footage) from an in-game cut-scene. The cut-scenes are also enjoyable to watch, as they happen frequently in the beginning and ends of each level. Overall, the graphics are great, but again, not groundbreaking.

Control: 7/10
The controls do take some getting used to. At first the character is very hard to handle, but after a bit of practice, you will learn the important buttons, primarily the “focus”, punch, and kick buttons, along with shooting. Movement is a bit difficult as well. Using the side step and jump buttons effectively takes time and patience, but very useful once the skill is acquired. Despite the time it takes to gain a feel for the movement of your character, the controls still feel clunky, which is the biggest flaw in the game. Using weapons is award at first primarily because the same button to equip your weapon is also the same button to fire it. Also, the auto targeting is somewhat unexpected from a game that already hands you the advantage of bullet time. A targeting system similar to that of Dead To Rights might have been more fluent in the controls.
Bullet time is simply amazing to say the least. During an interview between Official Xbox Magazine and the Wachowski Brothers, Directors of Enter The Matrix (as well as the motion pictures), Andy Wachowski stated that all the other companies that had incorporated bullet time in their games had done it wrong. This statement is in fact very true after playing Enter The Matrix. The bullet time is unlike what is seen in such titles as Dead To Rights and Max Payne, and although both are very enjoyable games, Enter The Matrix has captured bullet time best out of all the others. Slowing down the camera allows your character to dodge bullets, perform dazzling dodges and acrobatic tricks, or execute deadly attacks by means of hands and feet. All moves have a feel of the Matrix in them.
Controlling your vehicle is also as important as is it is difficult. It is obvious that the driving levels were not done without the care as those you complete on foot, but the controlling the car is, unfortunately clunky as well. Turns are called out on the fly, and although expected to execute the turn with a cinematic drift, the cars turning is that of a train, sending you into the wall of a building. Not only does that diminish your character’s health, but it also allows your pursuers to catch up to you and attack you, again, reducing your characters health. The fault in the controls makes the driving levels seem to be the most difficult.

Sound: 10/10
The sound is brilliant to say the least. Each punch sounds different depending on where you hit your opponent and whit the amount of force. The sound effects of the bullets whizzing past the camera make you want to dodge them yourself. Along with the effects, the music is somewhat of a masterpiece as well. A soundtrack for a game being backed up by a multi million dollar picture will do well (take the Two Towers for instance), but the timing of each cinematic score is placed perfectly, the chase music gets your heart racing, as the techno adds to the excitement of using bullet time while fighting off dozens of police officers.

Immersion: 10/10
Very few games have the true feel as a movie. With exceptions of such games like the Getaway, there is still a line between game and movie. Like the spoon, Enter The Matrix bends that line, bringing up the question if this is indeed a game, or a virtual movie. The game play is enjoyably separated by cinematic cut-scenes, which progresses the story of your chosen character, Ghost or Niobe.
Outside of the actual game, there is still a sense of the Matrix lingering from the press start screen, to the ability to hack the game, discovering codes and secrets; something that has never been done before in a game.

Overall: 8/10
Enter The Matrix does indeed hold its own in the game world dominated by Master Chiefs and Sam Fishers. With its impressive cinematic appeal, Enter The Matrix certainly is an enjoyable game. The radical bullet time effects offers open-ended discovery to new moves that involve flips to wall runs. The sound effects hits as hard as the Kung fu choreographed by the great Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Iron Monkey). The story travels deep down the rabbit hole, immersing the player in a cinematic experience seldom seen in a video game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/23/03, Updated 05/23/03