Take the BLUE pill. (Enter the Matrix (PC))

Member Name: The Duke

Product:	Enter the Matrix (PC)
Date:	14/03/05 (1005 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: More Matrix story, Exclusive extra footage, Sounds and music taken from the films

Disadvantages: Everything else is pants, I mean it, pants!, Cars with square fricking wheels! Pants! Avoid!

At first hand, 'Enter the Matrix' (EtM) sounds like one of the more interesting film tie ins. Developed at the same time as the last two Matrix films, with input from the Wachowski brothers as well as other Matrix personnel, it should have shaped up to be something a bit special.

Like my attempts at cooking, the result does not do justice to the ingredients used.

The game takes place at the same time as Matrix Reloaded and just after the Animatrix story "Last Flight of the Osiris", but follows the crew of the hovercraft Logos instead of the main triumvirate. The story (scripted by the Wachowskis) starts with Niobe and Ghost attempting to intercept a message left within The Matrix by Capt. Thadeus of the hovercraft Osiris.

The message is important and could change the future of humanity's last city, Zion. Once this is complete, other tasks become necessary if the humans are ever going to defeat the machines and end the war.

On paper, it sounds like a great idea. The Matrix films had a strong storyline that could translate easily to any number of different kinds of computer games. Shiny Entertainment, given the task of creating the Matrix world for the PC and consoles, appears to have bitten off more than it could chew, though.

Graphically, the game's well below standard, even considering age. Released around the same time as Matrix Reloaded, the game engine is very poor. While the main characters look the part, their main animation is shocking. Watching Ghost run within the game was laughter inducing, as his arms pumped wildly like a child running in an exaggerated manner. Niobe wasn't exactly fluid in her running either.

The animation during the fighting was much better though as the actors from Matrix Reloaded did a lot of motion capture with Yuen Wo Ping, who was responsible for the fight scenes in the Matrix movies. But again, the game engine showed its limitations as you quite clearly fail to land a punch or a kick on your opponent, but he will still act as if you'd plugged him one on the jaw. Throughout the game, there are far too many graphical glitches, irrespective of how high you push the graphics detail – even a top of the range PC these days will not get a good looking game from this.

The cut scenes are marginally better, but the one memorable feature that I can remember is that vehicles have square wheels. Square wheels! Octagonal wheels would have just about been forgivable, but square? Even Neo might have had an idea in the first movie that something wasn't right if the cars had square wheels!

Sound wise, though, Matrix does have a lot going for it. With the exception of one or two sound effects (running through gravel or climbing metal ladders for example) the game is impressive. Guns, vehicles etc. are all done well. Voice acting is exceptional, as the actual Matrix actors do it.

Controls are easy enough to get used to, but the game still feels very clumsy at times, especially when accuracy of movement is required e.g. thin ledges, combat, jumping etc.

EtM is not a single genre game. During the course of the game, you get third person shooter, first person shooting (sniping, really), third person fighting, driving and hovercraft piloting. As my mother has a habit of saying "jack of all trades, master of none" and that's very apparent here.

Even the Matrix bits that should set the game apart from similar others aren't done particularly well. Max Payne 1 or 2 is easily better than the third person shooter aspect of EtM and manages to implement bullet time (or 'focus' as they call it here) in a far superior way to EtM.

I haven't played too many fighting games, but even my ancient copy of Virtua Fighter for the PC, which is probably around six years old, offers a better fighting experience than EtM. It is possible to win fights in EtM by randomly hitting buttons on the mouse and keyboard. During the entire game, I don't think I won hand-to-hand combat based on skill.

The driving bits were quite poor, too. They're certainly not a patch on games like Colin McRae's Rally, or even Grand Theft Auto (or Vice City). That's pretty much the problem with EtM: other games exist (of a similar age) that are better than EtM.

The one area that EtM manages to do well is the story. Coupled with the supposed extra hour's worth of exclusive film footage, the game weaves its own path in and out of the films. Along the way, you'll meet up with the Keymaker, Trinity and Persephone, amongst others.

However, I do have one problem – I was assuming that by being able to play both characters, I could find out about the entire parallel story thread. This isn't the case as the game is slightly different, depending on which character you choose. Instead of being two story arcs, it's really only one and a half.

Overall, I can't say I enjoyed this. I persevered through it to complete the story (which does has some answers to questions that Reloaded might have offered up). I enjoyed the story aspect immensely, but the game itself was an incredible disappointment. As stated above, other games out there are much better examples of the genres on offer in EtM. My advice would be to seek out one of those because you'll get more enjoyment from them.

Shiny's Recommended PC specifications:

Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
CPU: 1.2 GHz
Memory: 256 MB RAM
HD Space: 4.3 GB
Gfx card: Direct X 9.0 compatible
Sound card

My Specs (where different):

CPU: 2.5 GHz
Memory: 512MB

Summary: