Enter The Matrix

A few years back The Matrix was released, a film written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers.

The Matrix provided viewers with bullet time action which was later used in popular video game Max Payne.

Although The Matrix was a visual feast it also asked the philosophical question of what is life? If a dream seems real and you cannot wake up from it does that become reality?

2003 has officially been deemed the year of the Matrix what with a series of short films released such as the anime Final Flight of the Osiris, the release of Enter The Matrix and the cinema release of both Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions!

With a 244 page script, six months of motion capture, and hours worth of FMV to compliment the game it has the potential to be huge. With phenomenally high expectations can Enter The Matrix really meet them?

GRAPHICS

Visually Enter The Matrix is a gain that is highly detailed. One only has to look as the character's face in game to be aware of this. Every single detail has been accounted for to ensure that the computer character looks as similar to its real life counterpart as possible.

The hair in Enter The Matrix shows off this particularly facial hair. Ghost's beard is so detailed that one can actually see the thin millimetre of fuzz that has not been trimmed perfectly so that it trails off the chin.

Although a small detail this is a step in right direction as gone are the days when the beard is pencilled onto the character and in are the days when beards are so detailed you can actually see how fine or thick they are. Noses and other facial features are also very detailed; they are curved in a specific way so they are unique to individuals.

One of the reasons that the film was so successful was the way it looked. Enter The Matrix has the same leather trench coats that you would expect to see, they lap out behind the player as they run or deliver a kick off a wall to give an authentic feel. It was not only the cool and sexy leather image that gave The Matrix its name but more importantly the action sequences.

Enter The Matrix is an action based game and whether it is the firing of bullets, diving to avoid an explosion, or just kicking up dust in a car chase there is something to impress all.

Bullet time is the most predominant feature in The Matrix and is arguably one of the reasons that it is such a success. Bullet time has only ever been used in Max Payne before and although enjoyable it was a short lived experience as gamers would enjoy five seconds of bullet time for every five minutes of play.

Enter The Matrix is much more generous than this and as a result when fighting gamers can incorporate this technique and run up walls, dodge bullets, jump up a wall and execute a kick, catapult backwards off a door, and perform stunts that are nothing short of amazing.

Diving forward from building to building whilst shooting a shower of bullets gives Enter The Matrix an incredible cinematic effect.

Enter The Matrix provides gamers with a great deal of cut scenes and FMV; so much in fact that over an hour's worth of FMV was shot especially for this game! Enter The Matrix is the closest piece of software available to an interactive film or a cinematic game! With a large portion of FMV intertwined with amazing graphics and action Enter The Matrix narrows the gap between film and game.

20/20

SOUND

For gamers lucky enough to have Dolby surround Enter The Matrix, literally, is music to your ears. With heavy explosions, firing, and music from the film complimenting the game Enter The Matrix sounds perfect.

Tyres screech around corners in police chases, gun shots echo in large rooms, and characters heave as they make death defying jumps.

The music that accompanies the game is appropriate for the action. If gamers are fighting a few policemen then music will be fairly standard. When fighting a vast amount of enemies the music picks up and famous Matrix tunes will kick in as the gamer takes part in an action packed scene taking on 15 or 20 policemen at one time.

If the gamer is unfortunate enough to have to flee from agents then frantic orchestral music kicks in as the gamer runs away in a bid to escape the agents, remember only Neo can kill agents, and well...you're not Neo!

19/20

GAMEPLAY

When starting Enter The Matrix gamers are presented with a choice; they can either play as Niobe or Ghost.

Depending on who one plays at will determine how much of the Matrix storyline is revealed. Niobe and Ghost have largely different routes to take when playing although elements such as contact by phone give gamers an idea of how far through they are as opposed to how far through they would be if playing with the other character.

Admittedly the first few levels do not differ much depending on who one plays as but once the game kicks in there is a great deal of difference. Although characters do meet up when in car chases together, Ghost assumes the role of shooter and Niobe as driver, storylines are largely different.

There are not vast differences between each character it is all a matter of preference. One subtle difference between characters is Ghost can perform a slightly more impressive kick than Niobe, but then again Niobe's throw looks more spectacular so it is all a matter of choice.

The controls are fairly easy to get to grips with so within the first few levels gamers should have a good understanding of what function each button performs.

A clever touch which is now seen in most games is the use of the analogue stick, the harder one presses down on it the faster the player runs. If you want to walk stealthily and choke the enemy from behind it is best to apply minimum pressure but if one wants to run into a room and dive forward injecting bullets into police whilst using focus then maximum pressure is required!

For those unfamiliar with what the "focus" function performs it is "bullet time," a phrase that no doubt will be familiar to fans of Max Payne and The Matrix film. When bullet time is activated with the mere holding of the L1 button action slows down and gamers can run in cinematically dive forward, run up walls, and perform all the stunts that make The Matrix action scenes so popular.

The fundamental difference between Max Payne and The Matrix is the amount of time that bullet time lasts as mentioned earlier. In terms of gameplay bullet time is a brilliant feature to the game, without bullet time Enter The Matrix would be a damn good action game similar to Syphon Filter but with bullet time Enter The Matrix gains an extra level of depth and enjoyment.

After all how many gamers would not enjoy running across a room, running up the far wall, flipping over and kicking the living hell out of opponents in cinematic style? Exactly!

For gamers who are particularly unskilled when it comes to action games and indeed gamers who just require a bit more help Enter The Matrix provides an arrow that points in the direction that the player should be heading, and there is a "tips" screen that can be accessed at the pause menu. The tips screen tells players basic functions that can be used to their advantage; once a new skill is needed a new tip appears in the screen whether it's how to catapult off a wall or dive through glass everything is there.

Having said that for the average gamer it is easy to perform these stunts and there are not hard combinations needed to execute spectacular moves. With the variety of moves available Enter The Matrix could have easily had various combinations deliver the best moves but they decided to keep it simple so that the action flows nicely.

The game consists of three modes of play, the main is action which occurs for the bulk of the game whilst the other two are driving and flying. The action mode is by far the most rewarding of the two for not only is their the opportunity to perform stunt like moves in bullet time mode but just delivering kicks and flips in normal time are impressive.

Gamers can take on multiple enemies, throw enemies through glass or simply deliver a combination of kicks and punches. Driving mode can prove fun as gamers either shoot from the car as Ghost or steer the car as Niobe. Admittedly the driving is not as good as it can be but it is satisfactory enough since it only makes up a vast portion of the game.

Sadly the flying mode is the weakest of all but thankfully this also lasts for the least amount of time. The problem with flying is it just does not prove to be fun; it is fast when flying but it is so fast it is ridiculous! Turning corners and avoiding obstacles gets frustrating rather than enjoyable and all in all it does not appeal.

Fans of the ancient Descent may put up with this but for others it will just be a nuisance. The Flying in Enter The Matrix does for Enter The Matrix what the flying in Turok: Evolution did for that - nothing.

Police are usually the enemy that gamers have to contend with but sometimes gamers are faced with Agents. This can prove a large problem because Niobe and Ghost are not able to kill agents.

Like the film characters have to run away from the agents as fast as they can because they know they cannot be defeated. This creates an element of suspense as gamers run through doors, jump across buildings and try to escape the agents as fast as they cab. Sometimes they'll be just one agent to flee but other times they'll be whole streets of agents which will send the gamer into a temporary seizure as they attempt to escape! This adds so much more to the game than just fighting police as gamers never know exactly when agents are going to appear and they are going to have to get running...fast!

Enter The Matrix provides an ideal mix of FMV and action. There is enough action to excite the gamer but also a handy portion of FMV to whet the gamer's appetite for the forthcoming Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions. The element that is most impressive with the FMV is that over one hour was recorded especially for Enter The Matrix - yes that's right not only is there a lot of FMV but the entire Matrix cast recorded it exclusively for this game meaning it will not appear anywhere else.

For fans of The Matrix this is an absolute must if only for the storyline. Where the anime Flight of The Osiris ends Enter The Matrix begins. Furthermore Enter The Matrix serves as a bridge between The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded, not only that but it also provides subtle hints about the storyline for both upcoming Matrix films! Enter The Matrix is a thoroughly entertaining game to play and bar the driving and flying mode it is nearly flawless.

23/25

LIFESPAN

With the option to play as two players with vastly different storylines and a helpful portion of FMV one would expect Enter The Matrix to be a fairly lengthy game. Surprisingly Enter The Matrix does not last that long. It can be completed in under four hours with either play which although admittedly it is a thoroughly entertaining four hours it is a little sparse for a game nowadays.

In length this is a lot similar to the original Resident Evil's for it is brilliant to play but seems to come to an abrupt ending. Enter The Matrix comes to a very abrupt ending as it just appears to end leaving the gamer on the edge of their seat.

That said the game does span an entire 12 levels with 58 sub sections so it is not as if the game lacks substance for there is certainly a lot there, it just takes place rapidly which can be expected since action scenes are meant to be rapid and adrenaline packed.

Despite the short length of the game the hacking element helps bulk Enter The Matrix up a bit. Hacking is similar to the hacking into The Matrix system featured on the film and if gamers manage to hack successfully they can alter aspects of the game and even insert cheats.

Hacking can potentially provide hours of tweaking to change the experience slightly but whether the majority of gamers will persist is another matter. Enter The Matrix is a fantastic game but to be completed in under eight hours with two characters is a bit on the short side.

15/25

ORIGINALITY

Aside from Max Payne which essentially copied The Matrix movie there are no other games to feature bullet time. Bullet time is innovative as it allows gamers to perform moves that quite simply seem to be taken from an action movie.

Added to this Enter The Matrix is the first game that seems to have almost merged the movie and game experience into one providing bits of film and then bits of gaming. There is also the hacking element for persistent gamers.

Enter The Matrix cannot be questioned for lacking originality as it is action packed to the full with stunts that can only be seen on this game and The Matrix film.

8/10

OVERALL

Enter The Matrix is an energetic, adrenaline pumped, action game that will no doubt be appreciated by many gamers and set one or two pulses rating. It is marred by the length and flying scenes but aside from this it is a game that sets out to do what it intended and create The Matrix experience in a game - excellent!

85%