With the same release date as Matrix: Reloaded, Enter The Matrix quickly found a niche inside the dreams of every techie and fanboy. Enter The Matrix was to be the port between the world of the movie-goer and avid gamer, and media and market savy executives wanted that port plugged with firewire. Several television specials were made surrounding the releases of both the movie and the game, including a very special Making The Game produced by MTV (music? what?). The hook was simple: you want to know more about the Matrix? You have to play the game. With a $49.99 pricetag at most retailers, I wasn't biting. But I have resources...

A mark of genius by Atari was to release their lovechild onto each gaming platform in the market (sorry Sega), thus cornering every little bitch like me who won't buy an XBOX for one stupid game. Oh yes, they are clever ones...tricky indeed. I can't even remember the last time a game company was able to pull something like that off...and on top of that, they made them different. A special gun for Niobe in the XBOX version, maybe an extra scene in the PC version... Who knows what is buried under all that money? I certainly don't care. Since I played the XBOX version, I can tell you I wasn't all that impressed with the specialness of the special gun. So don't worry too much about it.

The game in itself is pretty straight-forward. You play as either Niobe (Jada Pickett-Smith) or Ghost (Anthony Wong) and run like a chicken through a bunch of levels trying to accomplish various tasks. If you haven't seen the movie, don't worry: the game is backwards compatible. You can play first and watch the movie later or watch the movie and play later. Although, if you're looking to be less confused, I'd suggest watching the movie first. In fact, if you want to do this the right way (which of course means my way), watch The Animatrix first, then see the movie, then play the game, then kick yourself in the face for being as big a dork as I am.

Gameplay: 7/10

I was thinking about ranking it much lower, but I am reminded of the feeling I got when everything went right. Basically, you start off each level with some cutscenes (live-action or animated, which is kinda cool) and then you are left with your objective (kill this, get there, blow up that). You can collect an arsenal of weapons from slain security guards and SWAT team members, but for most levels you are jacked in with nothing more than a wimpy little pistol. I'm reminded of Trinity and Neo storming the government building with that nice bag of tricks, and it's not fair. Along with these weapons you can collect, you have those fancy Matrix style moves. In the game they are limited to the amount of Focus you have, which is represented by an orange bar that depletes when you use it and refills when you don't. Easy as pie; yes, like a pie with teeth that likes to kick you a lot. But pie.

I'm not suggesting this game is hard, not by any means. I'm saying that it is frustrating. There are far too many bottomless pits (instant death), narrow catwalks (difficult to manuver, falling off to instant death) and illogical physics, even by Matrix standards (one level you can jump off a building, the next is instant death if you miss a two storey jump). But okay, you're a wizkid and you can handle all that stuff--but there's more stress to be thrown on you. The human stupidity factor. Oh yes. You will have to protect hostages from themselves (we all know they love to run blindly into gunfire). You will have to use a sniper rifle with infared scope in complete darkness (you can't see them until, yeah, they already saw you). There are a few segments where you will be required to drive as Niobe or return fire as Ghost, all the while fleeing or rushing off to rescue someone or some such business. All of this is very boring in comparison to where the real action is...and that is COMBAT:

The airport is quiet. Too quiet. You slowly make your way across the hallway, your stance closed, your back hugging the wall. You reassure yourself as you feel the deadly steel in your hands. Hushed human speech comes from around the corner. You quickly take a look, not allowing yourself to be spotted. Two white-shirted security guards stand a few meters away, engaging in idle conversation. You ready your pistols and slow your mind to suit the coming conflict. There is no spoon. All time seems to stop within itself as you level your weapons at the two men, pumping off shots towards them as they slowly scatter to their knees and reach for their holsters. Too slow. You come back around and sheath your weapons as you twist your body into a rolling dive, avoiding every bullet they send your way. They continue to fire. Too slow. You're already climbing the wall above them, ready to strike. You land a perfect kick to the first, instantly snapping his neck. You effortlessly dodge the few stray bullets the survivor managed to squeeze off before stopping and staring in disbelief at his fallen comrade. Taking advantage of his moment of weakness, you disarm him with a quick snap to his arm, then another to his head. He's unconscious, but not completely gone. Can't leave any meat for the Agents. You grab his still standing body and work your arms around him as he slowly goes limp. Take him down slowly, feel the dead weight that does not exist, then CRACK.

If the entire game was comprised of these combat situations with more manuvers, I would probably never play another action/adventure game ever again. Yes, it's that nice.

Graphics: 10/10

Details, details, details. Enter The Matrix has gone above and beyond the normal criteria for any video game in the movie genre: under the close supervision of the directors, Enter The Matrix has got quite a lot to offer by way of eye candy. What stands out most is the presence of full live action movies inserted into the game; no, not just movie clips, but scripted and filmed sequences specifically written for the game. Directed by the directors and acted by the actors. These are clips you would not see in Reloaded, and even better is the fact that they are not half-assed. Secondly, there is the posturing of Niobe and Ghost. They both control and behave with the same mannerisms and moves you would see Jada and Anthony perform in the actual movie. Great care was taking to record their movements to get them just right. Costumes are tight, holding true to Matrix fashion. Even the CG (computer generated) cutscenes are very smooth. I did however fall victim to some lag and hang ups in the XBOX version (which people swore wouldn't happen). The graphic effect of being in Focus mode is much like a gentle haze settling over your eyes and you start to feel sleepy. Time does not stop, but I'd guess it moves about 10x slower when you Focus. Hella cool.

Controls: 7/10

Again, I can only comment on the XBOX version, but this is where the game falls short. In certain situations, there is no way you can avoid being hit by gunfire. You must simply accept that you will die. Often. Most of the levels, which rely on simply escaping from your would-be dispatchers, your survival will depend on your ability to memorize the correct routes to take and where to make your jumps. It's not perfect, but with some practice you'll get through it. The camera angles can be a bit dodgy at times, mostly in one-on-one fights with Agents or other supernaturals. I would have liked to have more weapons available, as ammunition becomes an issue in later levels. You have to ration your machinegun spray to an extent, in most cases laying down surpressing fire then going in with focused attacks. This is all based on your preference, but the game doesn't allow for much creativity beyond that.

Difficulty: 6/10

My mother could beat this game on the normal setting. There isn't much skill involved; even on the highest difficulty setting, the only obvious difference is you have less Focus which only requires you to slow down more. It's pretty short too, if you plan on only beating it once through with Niobe or Ghost. I polished off the Niobe side in two light evenings and got about halfway through Ghost in an afternoon. It's definitely worth it to complete both characters if you plan on getting the most out of the game, as you get to see the individual choices the character will make and how they are different. It's not much, but it's variety. And isn't that the something of something?

Overall: 8/10

Not the best game I've ever played, but definitely not the worst. If you're riding the fence on whether to get this one or not, I say go for it. But it's a better rental, good for a nice weekend project. You get the distinct feeling that you are playing these characters, NOT Neo. These characters are vulnurable and behave much like Trinity and Morpheus in the first Matrix. There are several levels where you are simply required to run for your sad hacker life, and that feeling definitelyh comes across. Being chased by Agents filled me with a sense of panic and urgency, knowing they could pop up at any point and knock me on my ass. Levels are short, which allows you the opportunity to save often.

Pros:
It's the Matrix
Live action movies (welcome back, Sega CD)
Killer neck snapping action, plus guns

Cons:
A loading screen that gave me a migraine
Too many falls to instant death
Hovercraft piloting isn't nearly as cool as you think it is

-Megan Rutledge