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A Matrix fans dream come true.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 24 / 28
Date: May 19, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It's hard to describe a game like this without using words like wow and incredible. This is not a game, it's a piece of art. I've played for a couple of hours at the time that I am writing this review and I'm still in disbelief on how good this game is.

So far my only complaint is the camera going into the wall during combat in close quarters. The graphics are on par with MGS2. The controls have a slight learning curve as far as the 1st person movement is concerned. Once you get used to it the game should move a little more smoothly. Also, take time to learn how to use your focus attacks and dodges because you will need them extensively throughout the game. The AI can be tricky at times so you will have to be on your toes. This kinda goes without saying, but when you see an agent, run. They CANNOT be beaten. At your best you can stun them or knock them off a building and thats not likely. I've tried several times and it ain't pretty. The story is great, but you already knew that from watching the first movie. You actually feel like your apart of the trilogy. The voice acting for the in game scenes are excellent.

It's hard to imagine that anyone who plays videogames didn't like the movie. But for those who didn't like the movie but likes videogames should still enjoy this game. The gameplay is similar to that of Max Payne with a sci-fi twist to it. When I finish the game I'll write a quick overview of the complete game. If you don't have this game get it.

BEWARE PS2 OWNERS!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 19 / 22
Date: May 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this game the day it came out and it has serious issues due to rushing the game for release to coincide with the movie. The game voices echo. The game freezes 5 levels in and background disappear!! This game wasn't even beta tested for PS2! EVERY copy I exchanged it for did the same thing and I'm NOT alone. I was lucky enough to get my money back. Atari and Sony know of this problem and offer no resolution presently. I'd LOVE to have this game ONLY if all problems are corrected! BEWARE. If you don't believe me, rent it and see if the game doesn't freeze as Niobi approaches the plane in the "Catching a Plane" level. The screen attempts to load then goes black.. FOREVER. Thank you kindly for your time and patience.

So Much Potential, So Many Issues

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 12 / 13
Date: May 22, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Let me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of the Matrix. I grew up on Philip K. Dick novels, and the whole Matrix concept is one I've always loved. I thought the movie's plot, characters and special effects were great. Also, I'm a big fan of Splinter Cell and played it many times. I've always loved the Bond style games where you work your way through a level, finding objectives and taking out the bad guys.

So while I really, really wanted to be blown away by Enter the Matrix, I just wasn't. It was a GOOD game, but not nearly as good as it should have been - not nearly as good as many other games that are out right now. I almost wonder if they rushed the game into production to match the timing of the movie, instead of finishing up some much-needed polishing.

First, the good parts. It was directed by the Wachowski brothers and features the quite talented actors and actresses from the movies. It really ties in to the movie and sort of 'immerses' you in the experience. So that is quite neat. They do have Matrix-time "focus", much like in Dead to Rights, where you can temporarily slow time and do cool moves. Just like in Dead to Rights, it seems cool at first and is hardly used in actual gameplay.

Gameplay is intriguing. You're given general objectives but then have to figure out how to get to them. So you're not exactly led by the nose. There are sometimes big rooms with lots of directions, lots of offices, lots of choices. Still, the game is about getting from Point A to Point B. I definitely miss Vice City's free-roam ability.

I was pretty disappointed by the graphics. There are many other games out right now with truly STELLAR graphics, and this isn't one of them. Objects vanish from the screen. The rendering just isn't very good, compared to other games we play quite a bit. The physics models are a bit bizarre. People slide like hockey pucks across the floor. You can leap on some things but not on others, apparently at random.

The sound has serious issues. My brand new CD right from the store started double-talking almost immediately in several scenes. Also, one of the hallmarks of a great game is that the sound is context sensitive - quiet and brooding at times, thundering at the exciting parts. But this game is ALWAYS thundering. It gets very monotonous after a while and completely destroys the atmosphere.

The load time is incredibly long, and many missions are incredibly short. There are times that you almost load longer than you get to play that mission area! With the instant-reheal-totally, the instant-restart-10-seconds-ago and the lack of challenging enemies to fight, most of the game is a cakewalk.

Add to that the quite annoying aspect that there are times that a door won't open until you kill all enemies in the room. So you go around and check the doors, but you have to slay everyone there before the "special door" will open up. Yes, some games use that technique. But this game in general is supposed to be a realistic adventure. In realistic adventures, doors don't sense when all enemies are dead and then spring open.

AI, one of THE most important parts of any game, is spotty at best. Sometimes the guards hide behind cover. Sometimes they stand in the open when cover is right next door. I've had cases where a guard stood pointing a gun at a door even though I was right behind him, pounding the stuffing out of 2 of his friends. He didn't even turn around until I bashed him in the head.

And finally, the camera is just plain annoying. Every friend I've had try this game says the same thing. They all play tons of adventure and action games. Somehow this game just does a bad job with positioning the camera anywhere useful.

The game really had a great deal of potential and I think with another month or two in QA testing it could have shone. But there are many, many areas that appear to have gotten through in a "good enough" state instead of a "ready for prime time" state.

Yes, I'll play the game. And yes, I'll see the movies many, many times and talk about them endlessly with my programmer / hacker friends. But I do feel let down that with all of the money and talent available to the Wachowski brothers, they didn't give this game the attention it merited. They focussed on the MOVIE aspect of the game, but not the GAME aspect.

A glimpseýand not much moreýinto the Matrix

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 16 / 22
Date: July 02, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It has always seemed strange to me that Japan dominates the video game market, both commercially and creatively. All of the major companies originate in the Land of the Rising Sun. Completing a game rewards the player with (usually) a visual feast and (without exception) a credits roster filled with Japanese names. Now, I'm sure there are several great games that I don't know about, born and nurtured here in the great 48, but it is a fact that although Americans consume a vast amount of this sort of digital entertainment, we actually produce very little of it.

I write this because one of the most hyped and anticipated games of 2003, Enter the Matrix, was developed primarily by an American software company, Shiny Entertainment, and the end result is, well, quite dismal...for the most part. The game has sold in the excess of 2.5 million copies as I write this; yet the popularity stems more from its connection to a certain film franchise than anything exceptional about the actual product.

Actually, I take that back. In couple ways, Enter the Matrix is a visionary, unprecedented first for video games. The Wachoski bros. filmed an hour's worth of story exclusively for the in-game cinematics, and these really are the game's shining point, revealing background information for The Matrix Reloaded and, in some places, adding substantial character development for the "lesser" players of the story. Enter the Matrix also contains an interesting `hacking' feature, where one can tap into the fundamentals of the game, change stats, watch movies, unlock multi-player ability, etc.

But as for the actual game itself...well...

PROS:
1) Focus/Bullet Time Fighting: A very cool technique where one can "slow" the action down and gain an edge. The one (and only) feature of the game that is smooth and enjoyable.

2) Additional story for Reloaded, a movie I personally loved & watched three times in the theater. The FMVs are of the same caliber as the movie, though with a lot more talking and a lot less action, with two notable exceptions (Seraph and the Ending trailer).

3) Decent Voice Acting and a nice soundtrack, being a mix of Don Davis' compositions and current breakbeat artists like Hybrid, Crystal Method, Rob Dougan.

CONS:

1) Poor Graphics. Comparisons to the PS1 are not far off, and given this game's budget, it is astonishing how cheap and rushed they sometimes look. The characters are blocky, move like robots and, overall, are poorly rendered as opposed to their real-life counterparts. The background details are flat and uninteresting (the "weapons" in the great hall, a toy-like plane, etc.) and the in-game cutscenes are downright embarrassing-good camera angles, weak visual representation.

2) Poor Gameplay. This is the real sticking point for me. Of the entire game, I only *enjoyed* playing one level, the Chateau. The fight levels tend to be overly long and repetitive (airport, post office, sewers), and the objectives for the missions range from dull (get from point A to point B) to thematically stupid ("rescue" companions like Ballard, who later takes on Seraph without much difficulty). Driving and Sniper sections are exercises in frustration, due to the unbelievably awkward play controls.

3) Loading times. Why? It's not as if this game is breaking new ground (or even pushing the envelope) in terms of graphic density, level length, and so forth. The rumor of some missions being shorter than the actual load times is correct!

Overall, Enter the Matrix is a tremendous disappointment. Given the opportunity the story of the Matrix presents, there could have been so much more than the half-baked result. My suggestion: rent and record the movies, and wait for the upcoming games, which will (hopefully) improve upon this "demo" effort.

Matrix Amazing

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 20 / 31
Date: June 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is definetly worth your money and I believe if you are looking for a game to buy and play all summer, it will have to be Enter The Matrix.

The graphics are quite amazing and are very satisfying to the average gamer. Focus mode is quite possibly one of the best features in the game. Focus is where you can go in slow motion and dodge bullets from your enemies as well as perform many different moves.

A very cool part to this game is when they do scenes with real people to tell you what's going on. You can also choose from Niobe or Ghost as your starting character. I recommend doing whichever one you want to first, and then later try the other one.

Overall, I say that this game is definetly worth your money and is a great challenge game. BUY IT! BELIEVE MY IT WILL BE WORTH YOUR WHILE!

I haven't entered the Matrix, I've been sucked into it.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 26
Date: June 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is probably one of the, if not the best game I have ever played. It's between it and Xenosaga, Episode 1. This game is truly awesome. The focus is the most amazing and original concept I've ever seen in a game. But I have complaints. In some cutscenes, the voices have anooying echoes. This wasn't done on purpose. It's not much of a problem, though. What annoys me is the save points. Sometimes, after 1 save point, there is literally another one in the next room. And in the room you have to pass, sometimes there's only 1 or two guys in it. Other times, which are rarely, the save point isn't for a while and you have to go through so much to get there and if you lose, you start all over. Otherwise, it's an unbelievable experience. I remember this one time just today. I was in the sewers, and suddenly action music came on. And there were dozens of swat team members right there. It would've been hard in another game, not here. I whipped out my pistol and pressed focus. I saw the bullets coming at me, tons of them, and in focus, I kept pressing square, which is the button for frontflips and backflips. There are 3 random frontflips that work out usually in the situation. As dozens of bullets came at me, I flipped. I kept flipping, and not one bullet from either of the 40 or 50 swat members hit me. Two ran at me, and I did a split kick to knock them both out. Then I kept running and flipping, triggering the pistol at the right moments. When two bullets came at my sides, I did a front flip and dodged both by an inch.I kept it up, and soon got to the save point, not pierced by a single bullet in the bunch. In any situation where the enmy has a gun, do focus and front flips, and you'll get his only 5- 10% of the time. 0% if you know how to use it well(not bragging).

Cool as hell

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: May 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I just bought the PS2 version and it is one of the best 3rd person games I've ever played, coming in just behind Grand Theft Auto. The bullet time fight scenes are second to no other game out there. Even the real time fighting sequences are very well done. I'm not very far into the game yet, so I'm not sure if you can learn new combat moves or not? The movie quality is outstanding, comparable to watching a DVD. I've read that sometimes this game locks up when using bullet time, but so far I've had no problems. If you are a Matrix fan, or a fan of 3rd person video games, you should not be without this one for long.

Great game!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: May 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I purchased this game the day it came out and I can tell you that it is amazing!! The new look hand-to-hand combat styles are awesome as well as the armory of weapons and moves you cna do with the focus button. Oh and boy is that focus button great ~ you can pull moves like in the movie (doding bullets, super jumps, walking on walls, and MORE)..This is the game to get if you really enjoy video games and you enjoy the matrix..and even if you don't like the matrix, this game will turn you on to its story!

Are marketers writing the reviews?

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: May 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I keep seeing honest reviews on this site and then within an hour someone goes and gives a 5 star review which incidentally focuses on all of the same attributes that the press release focuses on. I for one, find this suspect. What gamers really put so much stock in the story? This is the kind of marketing hype that the publishers use to cover up weakness in the gameplay (remember Lost World). Great games are based on great gameplay and poor controls and a camera that goes through walls are not the makings of great gameplay. Has Atari P.R. hired people to spike this punch?

Great Story and All, But.....

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 11
Date: August 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Let me start by saying that I did not purchase this game, but I rented it for five days. In that span of time, playing maybe one to two hours a day, I finished every nook and cranny of the game. There are several elements that are both very intriguing and utterly laughable. To understand what I mean, let's break down the various aspects.

Graphics: While the Full Motion Video (FMV) is quite pretty, the rest of the game suffers from flicker and choppiness. There's nothing more annoying then trying to block a punch and having chop move the character animation faster than your fingers. While the world of the Matrix is recreated very nicely, there are places in the game that appear flat and lifeless. Still, the look is pretty well done, so 8/10.

Sound: The music, the sounds, the voices. All are recreated quite well from the movie, which is lends authenticity. However, in certain areas, like escaping the Post Office, the sound of crackling fire can become annoying after a while. But, since the sounds are so faithful: 9/10.

Controls: I have a little gripe here. While most of the controls are intuitive, there are moments where several enemies surround you and the default controls mean your fingers have to bend in almost yoga-like positions to stay alive. 6/10.

Overall: This game has great replay value as you get (almost) different stories with the two characters. Lonely fanboys will enjoy the girl on girl kiss during Niobe's section (think about the film with Persephone and you'll understand), and some diehard fans will be upset at how the game truly mirrors the film's plot (rescuing the Keymaker...twice?) Still the preview of the third film at the end of the game is better than the one after the film. While the game has a good script and some fun moments, it does suffer from its control scheme and choppiness. I would call it a solid renter.

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