Enter the Matrix
Xbox
Shiny Entertaiment / Atari

A game set in the Matrix universe, what could go wrong? A lot apparently... Enter the Matrix had the potential to be a great game, but it is instead only mediocre. First of all, you can't play as Neo, which makes sense considering his god-like powers, but surely disappointed many people. Instead, you can play as either Ghost, or Niobe, two characters who are essentially identical. They have the same combat moves and their campaigns are near identical, except that in any vehicle scenes Niobe drives and Ghost is a gunner. To be honest, I never completed the game as Ghost; I got bored a third of the way through, but what I played was identical to Niobe's. The game play is nothing special; you use a variety of martial arts moves, and pick up guns that you then shoot everyone with. The addition of a Max Payne-like bullet makes it more interesting. While using focus, your guns are more accurate, your melee attacks are more powerful, and the time is slowed down. The controls are a little frustrating, the characters often don't turn or move the way you want them to. Your enemies include hordes after hordes of cops, vampires, ghosts, agents and Smith(s). The cops are so easy to kill, and after a while it gets very boring. You fight only two agents and they aren't at all that deadly, you just run from one of them, but the other one you actually have to fight is surprisingly easy. Smith is cheap, very, very cheap. All he, or they, do is pick you up and then toss you. You can't block it, and it drains your health very quickly. If a Smith corners you or is standing in a door that you need to get through, you'd better give up, die, and try again. This wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't so boring, but the game gets old and repetitive after the first few levels. Then why keep playing it? Simple, the game fills in many plot holes in the Matrix storyline, such as exactly why the Logos is disabled in the beginning of Matrix Revolutions. The cinemas between the levels provide back story for the crew of the Logos. (These cinemas are also a difference between the two playable characters.) Without the story, I would have give up and played something else. The game also features an interesting hacking mode that works like DOS that can be used to cheat and unlock features. Unless you're a Matrix fan, you might want to reconsider buying this game.

Score: 6.2

Wise Duck