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I cannot think of one other game that has had such varied scores! And I just don't know if I should buy I or not. I like the movie, but am unsure about the game.
UKchatforums.com has several rooms on this game now - but on all the differant formats. So lets all join here, and decide once and for all if its a stunner or a bummer.
Because I just don't know anymore!
a negro-clad man chasing you with his .357 Thompson
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Enter The Matrix puts you in the boots of either Niobe (Jada Pinkett-Smith) or Ghost (Anthony Wong) as their adventures run parallel to that of the Matrix Reloaded, released mid-last month. They are both sent to investigate the Osiris's last message. Side note: "The Final Flight of the Osiris" is on the to-be-released Animatrix DVD (a collection of 9 tales that act as a prelude to the Matrix) as a 9-minute short and tells a lot more about the Osiris.
It's reassuring to know that the Wachowski brothers wrote and directed this game, but the actual relevance to Reloaded isn't great, and it weaves in-and-out of the Reloaded plot, which isn't neccessarily a bad thing, as don't just play what we've watched on the big screen. However, the design of the game is class - you have a Focus meter, which enables slow motion mode, where you can bend the rules of the matrix and dogde bullets, run up walls or dive through the air as guards haplessly try to shoot you.
The graphics are quite good, but they're not amazing. To liken them, I'd have to say they're quite similar to that of the Getaway, except there's no room for rotation of your character and you are constantly following them. The graphics are nothing special, but do the job. The audio is good, as we get some licensed music from the Matrix trilogy and decent fighting sounds. In terms of presentation, a nice little feature is that clips from the Matrix Revolutions (not released for another five months!) are interwoven into the action and give us some tasters for November.
There is a multitude of extras in the mix also, namely the Hacking Mode, where you can attempt to hack the Matrix mainframe and obtain "data", ranging from pictures, to movie trailers to the disappointing multiplayer mode. While this mode is entertaining and rewarding, it gets very frustrating and younger gamers will not understand how to work the console and load .exe files.
No games are without flaws, though, and this game is no different. Now, I have heard a lot of people complain about the lack of a tutorial mode and whilst they are true, it only takes a matter of five minutes to play the first level, muck around and get the controls sorted. If you have half a brain (and if you're reading this probably do), it's not a problem. I have one large gripe, and that's the AI - it is quite glitchy in parts, mainly thanks to the Focus mode. When you focus, guards cannot hit you, and this quite often causes the guards to freeze up, just hitting the air as if there's a fly around.
So, is Enter The Matrix a flawless, well-rounded special-effects laden shooter? No. Is it a fun ride? Damn right.
In a word, it owns :D