Enter the Matrix - Xbox Review

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I bought this game the day it came out. Being a huge Matrix fan, and an avid gamer, I thought that I would enjoy the game immensely (I'm also a huge fan of Shiny Entertainment I loved Earthworm Jim and Wild 9's). Sadly, while the game IS fun, I wish they had delayed it to make it perfect. As it is now, it's only slightly above average.

As you undoubtedly know from every other review, the game shows the events of Matrix: Reloaded through the eyes of two characters: Niobe (Jada Pinkett-Smith) and Ghost (Anthony Wong). You see things from different perspectives, and see how storylines from the movies are tied into each other (Also, it ties the Animatrix storyline "Final Flight of the Osiris" into the movie, which I thought pretty cool). The game contains tons of FMV that you can't get anywhere else, so Matrix fans pretty much don't have an excuse to not get this game. For the rest of you, I'd read the rest of this before you make your purchase.

The game has many good things going for it, but Shiny always has some huge "but" to destroy any good notions you had. The character models are gorgeous, but the textures boring and the levels sometimes downright ugly. The fighting engine is magnificent, but the enemy AI either stupid or bug ridden (ie, SWAT members walking into walls, facing away from you while you pulverize their pals, etc.). The levels inventive and huge, but save points pop up too often, and many of the sections between saves consist of (not exagerrating at all) running literally 20 feet, seeing an in-game cutscene, running 10 feet, seeing an FMV, then save point. That's it. That's not fair to the gamer. I like to earn my saves if it's going to be a "save point" system. Plus, sometimes the levels consist of "run here, kill the guards, and enter the door." It could've been so much better, had just a little bit more time been put into it.

Also, the game has some of the worst driving levels I've ever seen. You can only be one character or the other, so you either drive (Niobe) or shoot at people chasing you (Ghost). And, no matter who you are, your buddy is a moron. You actually have to hold down a button to get Ghost to shoot at cops, or the twins, when you're Niobe, and you have to pray the AI Niobe doesn't run into every single obstacle in your path when you play as Ghost. I think they were decent, but it could've been much better... and God, the city streets are ugly as hell. Midnight Club 2 and Grand Theft Auto have shown that the city can have personality. The driving graphics are inexcusable.

However bad that sounds, the main component of the game is the third-person (think Splinter Cell) type adventure, and it's actually done quite well. However, the whole time I was playing this, I couldn't help but think, "Why couldn't they let the camera be controlled by the gamer? Why do they wish to punish us?" Splinter Cell's control scheme could've been used, and it wouldn't have affected anything (they barely use the right analog stick at all), and it would've basically eliminated all of those nasty camera issues that this game has. Nothing is worse than fighting 6 guys, then having the camera swing 180 degrees around, then trying to figure out which way you were headed. This should have been addressed early in the stages of the game design. It's almost as bad as Nintendo not having any different control schemes for Metroid:Prime. Talk about aggravation.

Also, I won't discuss the "pseudo-flying" level which finishes the game, because it is the worst level I've ever had the displeasure of playing. The Squiddys are so poorly shown, it looks like cheap "green-screen" effects from the early 80's.

All in all, this game disappointed me. I love the Matrix, and I liked the Matrix: Reloaded. I like Shiny Entertainment, and I think that this could've been one of the greatest gaming achievements in recent history. I wish that Shiny had held back the game until Revolutions comes out, and ironed out all the bugs, changed the ... control scheme, fixed some textures, and thought out the obvious stupid stuff this game seems to fixate on (constantly reincarnating enemies in a closed Post Office, etc.) and this could've been the greatest game of 2003.

I'm still upset.

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For anyone who doesn't know this game weaves in and out of the movie. You play as either Ghost or Niobi on missions that run parallel to the latest Matrix movie.

The movie sequences were probably the best part of the game. The cutscenes were shot while the movie was shot, so the look is very authentic. The story, much more complex than the first Matrix, is explained a little by the game.

The driving sequences were difficult, and more frustrating than challenging. The hovercraft gameplay was infinitely more frustrating.

The graphics are pretty good. Most of the levels looked pretty good (the hovercraft and sewer levels looked absolutely terrible). The graphics are about as good as your typical 3rd person shooter. The characters looked a little boxy, and Niobi and Ghost look a little awkward when fighting.

The controls are a bit counter-intuitive: with black as the firing button, and the right thumbstick bringing bringing up first person zoom. You cannot control the camera angle. Sniping is damn near impossible. The kung-fu fighting is not as good as a genuine fighting game (Tekken, DOA, etc), but it's not so bad as to really take much from the game.

The focus element of this game is, perhaps as expected, the most fun. The characters can focus, slowing down time so you can do cool stuff (run along walls, jump long distances, dodge bullets, etc). There are a lot of cool things to do in focus mode, and it makes the game worth playing.

This game will keep you busy for a lttle while. The bullet-time makes it worth playing and the cutscenes keep it interesting. If you're not a Matrix fan, definately try this before you buy. But be forewarned this game is difficult to master.

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I was fortunate enough to get to play through the game recently, here's what i thought of it

Graphics:

Character Models are are really good, but the environments don't look nearly as good. There's little to no atmospheric effects (fog, rain, etc). All in all the game looks bland. Special effects, like bullet time, are well done. Motion captured moves have choppy transtitions. (for example, the end of a punching animation does not smoothly flow into the animation for kicking, leaving the game looking jerky) . I saw a special on mtv about the game. It was pretty clear that ETM uses a modified version of the Messiah engine. The programmer was demonstarting the same tessellating polygon technique used in Messiah. It's interesting to see how powerful some aspects of the game's graphics engine can be, and yet the game still looks so bland.

Sound:

No problems here, uses mostly the ochestral score from the first movie.

Gameplay:

Kung Fu battles can easily be won by mashing buttons, except against agents. Go into focus mode and then mash buttons to hit an agent.

Gunplay is awkward, at least on Xbox. Using the black button to fire your gun is not very intuitive. Sniping is very frustrating, you push the right analog stick to enter first person mode, then you must push fire to bring up the reticle if you did not already have your gun drawn.

Running up the walls, backflips, etc. are all easy to execute and can be useful in doding enemy fire. Strafing is a pain in the neck, i don't understand why shiny chose not to let you strafe with the right analog stick.

Overall the 3rd person missions are usually short in length, The combat is unvaried. Many sub-levels are very similar. Once you've seen a couple, you've seen them all (with a few exceptions)

The driving in the game is mediocre at best. There are about 4-6 driving levels. The environments are empty, very few cars, even on the highway levels. The enemy AI is downright stupid. The physics are horrible.

The flying levels are downright unplayable, i didn't play as ghost, so i can't comment on the gunning levels.

The cinema scenes range from great to poor, but some are definitly worth seeing.

Hacking the Matrix:

a fun aside, one of the best parts of the game. I think i've completed everything possible in it, in which case it doesn't add more than an hour or 2 to game length.

Playing through as both characters:

More of a chore than anything else. Alot of repeat levels, through there is some new content. It's like how you used to have to play through Tony Hawk games with multiple characters to unlock things: you've seen most of it the first time through.

RENT it, it's not very long about 8 hrs, and it certainly does not have much replay value. It seems like they got way too caught up with all the technology they had available and didn't take the time to fix the gameplay problems.

Honest reviews on Enter the Matrix - Xbox

When I heard about this game, I didn't think it would be much more than a re-make of Max Payne (which is an awesome game nontheless). But when I bought it I was blown away by the realistic looking faces and unbelievable cut-scenes. Did I mention the real movie cut-scenes done by the real actors? This game is a Matrix movie in and of itself. With a special "Hacking" feature, you can actully "hack" into the Matrix mainframe. I use this feature to insert many cheat codes that make life in the Matrix soooo much easier. I could beat the game without them, but this just speeds things up. You can also unlock secret messages from Morpheus, Trinity, Neo, and many more other characters. I played this game after seeing "The Matrix Reloaded" movie and couldn't believe how well the storyline ties in with the movie. The decisions you make in the game actually affect the outcome at the end. It's actually 2 games in one since the gameplay as Ghost is totally different from that of Naiobi. Oh, and with a certain cheat, the game becomes a multi-player fighting arena. Yeah, Enter The Matrix goes Tekken. Awesome!!! Well, I hope this review persuades you to invest in this amazing peice of the Matrix Trilogy. Sure, the graphics can be a bit choppy at times, but the overall experience is definitely worth the bucks.

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The matrix. A great movie. A grand movie. Enter the Matrix? Find the exit quick. Fortunately, you can be told how bad this game is, you don't have to see it for yourself. This game is a dissapointment. The movie was so great, hype surounded the game, it came out, people were fooled.

Bad graphics + glitches + bad control = bad game.

If you have twenty bucks then simply buy a tom clancy game (splinter cell, ghost recon) or for ten bucks more get Halo. But please, please save your trouble and stay away from this game. Please don't be fooled. And if you don't believe merent it.