Enter the Matrix

"A good action game with the matrix liscence"

The Matrix license has inspired a lot of films and invented the greatest addition to action movies since star wars. This innovation is bullet time which sets up a game perfectly. Fans of the awesome movie have been patiently waiting for this game and after all the hype the game was released on may 15 2003. This game attempts a side story of the Matrix reloaded. This game adds a lot to the third person action genre with a compelling story. You play as either Ghost, the first mate of the logos who shares the same position as Trinity in the movies or Niobe, The captain of the logos who takes the place of Morpheas.

Graphics And Sounds 7/10
The graphics in this game are sub par. The environments look dull and repeated. The cars and vehicles look ugly. But the graphics have their good points and these are great face animations and very good animation. The moves all look good and tie in very nicely. The face animations look spot on to the actors or actress. The sound is also good. The bullet time sounds really cool to listen to and the guns make great noises. To top it all off the original voice actors or actresses were used to ensure authenticity and great presentation. The music is good but not really good. The battle music sounds appropriately matrixy adding to the overall matrix immersion factor.

Gameplay 8/10
The meat and potato's of any game is the core gameplay. This one's gameplay is good and just a blast to go through once. The first time I played it I thought it was the best of the best and no game could beat it. After a few levels that feeling changed. Don't get me wrong this is a good game it just doesn't have the best replay factor. You play the game as two new characters in the movie, Niobe or Ghost. While very similar in fighting styles the characters do have different paths throughout the game. If you play as Niobe then during the driving levels you will be doing the driving and directing yourself and ghost to the check point. If you play as Ghost then you will cover Niobe so she can drive you to your hard line and exit the matrix.The driving levels are tedious at the best of times. While doing the kung fu action levels you will see very little difference in terms of fighting styles. The bullet time is pulled off magnificently. You can do super kung fu moves and awesome bullet dodges. The game does tend to get repetitive after about an hour of playing though. The game is one of the easiest games I have ever played. This isn't a bad thing for people who loved the movies and have never played game before but those looking for a challenge can find a better game elsewhere.

Controls 5/10
The kung fu moves are executed with super natural ease but when in bullet time the controls are non responsive. The gun combat is a little too easy because you just press the black button a million times. As stated the controls are easy to get used to, unless of course your trying to do a specific move then you could press the button a bjillion times before you see the move you wanted to do. While in bullet time and in driving the controls are non responsive and the suck. The sensitivity in the driving levels is too much to handle for me. The bullet time controls can take forever to pull off a move because you have to finish the move you are doing.

Story 7/10
The story in this game runs a parallel universe to the Matrix Reloaded. Niobe and ghost are responsible for finding the last transmission of the osiris. After you do that the games story unfolds from the perspective of Ghost and Niobe. At the same time the events that happen in the film then start. The story has plenty of good points especially the live action footage that was put in the game which does a great job forwarding the story. The best of these clips is the conversation between Niobe and Lock. As well there is a good scene after the level return to the great hall. In addition at the end of the game there is a preview for the matrix revolutions.

Overall 7/10
A engaging matrix experience with control and graphical issues but not to the point of driving you insane. The story is good at giving you things from another's perspective. The face animations and all the animations are really well done. The game play is a lot of fun the first time then fun to do in groups of an hour or so. The sound and graphics are good as well.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/17/04