Video Game Review:
‘Enter the Matrix’: ‘Good Game, but Too Short,’

By: Eliot John Hagen (April 3, 2005)

You know how when you’re watching a movie, you wish that you could be inside of it? "Enter the Matrix" does that for you. Playing as Captain Niobe of the Logos or her first mate, Ghost, you play through the storyline of "Matrix Reloaded." This doesn’t mean that you have to do certain things, though. The game is surprisingly open-ended for a third person platformer, allowing you to choose your characters (both of whom play the same missions from different points of view) and make your decisions.

This game is so full of action that I have to break it down into categories. First things, first; the game-play. Your characters run like they do in the movies, jump like they do in the movies, and, best of all, fight like they do in the movies. You jump off of walls, spinning as you kick an Agent in the face to slow him down as you leap from rooftop to rooftop, flying through the air with guns akimbo, taking out SWAT members as you go. After beating the game twice over, I couldn’t spot any flaws with this system.

Secondly; the graphics and environments. Graphics have never really mattered to me, and now, what with technology as it is, almost every game has good graphics. The makers of the game used the same motion-capture technology they used in the movies (toning it down a bit), so, if you’re one who cares about graphics, you won’t be disappointed. As for the environments; they are all quite detailed, but they’re so dark. I found myself walking in nothingness at times, being forced to pull out my gun and shoot the ground to see where I was. To overcome this, all you need to do is raise the brightness by a few notches.

Finally, the story. Like I said, your actions are taking place at the same time as the "Matrix Reloaded" plot. As a finishing touch, the Wachowski brothers filmed over an hour of movie footage especially for the game, making it seem more movie-like than ever. The price of this game has just gone down to $20, but I beat the game with Niobe on Normal difficulty in a little over five hours. If you are that die-hard Matrix fan, go ahead and buy it. If not, buy it used or rent it, but either way, don’t pay more than $10. It’s a good game, but it’s just too short.