Enter the Matrix

Seriously, if your a fan of the matrix and you love movie based games done well, then this is the game for you. Yes it is true, this is more for movie/matrix fans then it is for the hardcore gamer. I fall into the former category, I am not or ever will be a "hardcore" gamer. I am a movie fan more, and I did really enjoy the matrix movies, so being able to do bullet time in slow mo, dressed in some slick duds with sunglasses and visiting matrix 1 environments, evading agent smith clones, all the while watching a story made exclusively for the game that ties into the movie, its just a great experience and a fun one. You really do feel you are in the movie world of the matrix, the same creepy vibe you get in films is evident in the game, much more then the other matrix game "path of neo". I thought the graphics were exceptional and well done, even though other reviewers say it looks "rushed", think about it, the game had to tie into the release of the movie and if it at times looks like that, which is rare, it still doesn't look "bad". not at all. this was before xbox 360 graphics and such, so its commendable what they accomplished with this game. Its very interesting story and you can play as 2 characters, and each has different and unique abilities the other doesn't have. 2 different stories, alternate outcomes. its very cool, plain and simple. I've never before or since seen a movie based game done this well or had so much effort put into it.

After seeing the movie, i started playing the game. It weaves in and out of the story of the movie, and adds its own never before scenes to move along the story. The hacking is fun to unlock, and the rewards are great (multiplayer fighting). Action, graphics, and in game script are great. It's a wonderful game to along with the movie. 10/10

Lets start by getting the negatives out of the way first.

1. The physics of the game are a little off in that the people don't react the solid objects correctly. Sometimes you will kill or incapacitate an enemy their body will be laying halfway inside a wall or laying flat as if they were on the ground but are actually laying on a one inch rail.

2. The sound in a few FMVs has some kind of echo problem that makes it hare to understand what the characters are saying.

3. Occasionally your character will perform a complex fighting move where they grapple with an enemy and knock them out except they don't pull off the first move correctly, i.e. getting a hold of the enemy, and they will perform the entire sequence of fight moves against thin air.

The first problem is understandable considering that MOST video games don't have accurate physics engines. The other two indicate that The Wachowski Brothers wanted it out in time for the release of Reloaded. The game came out 3/11/2003 and the film 3/15/2003.

Now for the good parts.

1. Other than these few problems the game is quite enjoyable and gives you a very in-depth look at the Matrix reality. Unlike most movie tie-in games this actually compliments the films rather than trying to imitate it or be a condensed version.

2. The game's plot line actually interweaves with the film Reloaded giving you a better understanding of the films complexities.

3. The use of focus power, or bullet time as it is also known, makes for some very impressive hand to hand and gun fighting. For those of you unfamiliar with the Matrix concept (if you don't know any thing about the films then why the heck are you reading about the game?) I will give you a prime example of bullet time so that you can understand the magnitude of being able to control this power.

Five minutes into the first Matrix film we see a woman dressed a black, leather biker's outfit with her hands on her head about to be cuffed from behind by a cop, there are three other's who all have guns trained on her as he approaches. Just as he touches her wrist she quickly spins around, breaks his right arm at the elbow and jams the palm of her hand into his face breaking his nose, all within one second. She then jumps 4 feet straight up into the air and time suddenly grinds to a halt. While time is frozen the camera view rotates 180º showing her poised like the Karate Kid ready to perform a crane kick. Time then resumes normal speed. She kicks the cop so hard that he goes flying backward about 10 to 15 feet into a second officer. She, defying the laws of physics, is not moved back at all by the force of her kick and simply lands back where she was. She quickly kicks the wooden chair she was sitting on into the face of a third officer, stunning him and shattering the chair. The fourth officer aims his gun at her and begins to fire. She runs up a wall along the corner of the room, again defying the laws of physics, and then runs back at the fourth officer ducking and weaving until she is in front of him. She then spins the both of them around until she is facing the third officer, now regaining his composure and taking aim, with the fourth officer behind her facing the same way and her hand controlling his gun. She fires a few rounds at the third officer, presumably killing him, and then whips her leg up kicking the fourth officer in the face over her own shoulder, incapacitating the last of her would be captors. This is what bullet time is about.

The game itself is sufficiently entertaining that if every thing about the matrix were stripped away from it and it were simply an action/adventure/fighting game with no connections to any other product it would still be a decent enough game to stand on it's own. The thing that makes this a good game is that it (like The Animatrix) is more like a compendium to the matrix than an entity unto it self.

All in all I would give this game a. 7.5/10 (10 being excellent, 0 being horrible and 5 being average).

I held off on buying this game because I had heard so much about how it sucked that I wasn't about to drop 50 bucks for a bad game. I picked it up the other day because it has become one of those "Playstation 2 Greatest Hits" titles.

Really what it all gets down to is this: This game is fun to play. Above all else, that's the most important thing in any game. The controls, which so many complain about, were really easy to get used to. I really don't understand what everyone was complaining about. The sound was great, and I really enjoyed the added dimension the cut scenes gave to the films. The graphics were weak, I'll admit. But frankly, I'd rather play a fun game with a good story than a beautiful game with no story that bores me to tears. All in all, it's a good game and if you like the Matrix, get it.

Ok, first off I'm going to say that I got this game free, legally I might add. I was able to get a full rebate from Amazon a while back. And I'm also going to say that I'm glad I didn't end up paying for this. The gameplay was pretty bad, the graphics weren't much better, and the AI was absolutely atrocious. In the driving portions, when you weren't driving, you were lucky to get to the end in one piece. Another thing: square tires are bad; zooming in on clearly square tires is worse. Sure, you could do Focus moves, and they were cool, but they were also useless for the most part. You regenerated health fast enough that you could take a few hits while just running around killing everyone with no real negative effects.

That said, the extra footage/plot info was great. I really feel most of the dialogue in this game was better than could be found in the movies. I really wish Sparks and Ghost had been allowed some character development in the actual movies, Sparks in particular. And it was nifty seeing the Trainman reappear in the movie.

In the end, I'd recommend this game to any, at least slightly serious Matrix fan. But if you're looking for a good game, look elsewhere.