"Enter the Matrix" is an interesting exercise, it's the latest attempt to merge video games and movies closer together by linking them to one story. Unfortunately, the video game part takes backseat to the story aspect. This title takes place between the CGI animated short "Final Flight of the Osiris" and "The Matrix Reloaded".
It's basically a back story for the two minor characters who are featured in "Reloaded" played by Jada Pinkett Smith and Anthony Wong. The game, at its heart, is a typical third-person shooter. You basically run around and shoot at anyone with a number of firearms and weapons. You also have the ability to "focus" and manipulate the Matrix like Neo, Trinity and Morpheus do in the films.
The levels are mindless entertainment, they do not require much from the player other than to press a few buttons to fight and move. You can either play as Niobe (Pinkett-Smith) or Ghost (Wong), but the stages are the mostly the same with a different perspective. I did like the element of "hacking" into the Matrix, which is based on the old DOS system.
With this, you can unlock a number of features, cheats and mini-games. In fact, I enjoyed this more than I did the game itself, which also includes some tepid "rail" sequences which brought back memories of some appalling Sega CD FMV games. The Wachowski brothers, the brains behind "The Matrix", are avid gamers and big time "Halo" fans.
It's disappointing their first venture into interactive entertainment is such a mediocre affair. Some "Matrix" fans would say the same thing about the two highly anticipated 2003 sequels. Maybe juggling the production of the movies, comic books, video game and animated shorts were just too much to tell one huge story with.
Perhaps the brothers should've just concentrated on the sequels and forgotten the back stories and mythologies. Oh well, there's always "The Matrix Online".
** out of ****
It's basically a back story for the two minor characters who are featured in "Reloaded" played by Jada Pinkett Smith and Anthony Wong. The game, at its heart, is a typical third-person shooter. You basically run around and shoot at anyone with a number of firearms and weapons. You also have the ability to "focus" and manipulate the Matrix like Neo, Trinity and Morpheus do in the films.
The levels are mindless entertainment, they do not require much from the player other than to press a few buttons to fight and move. You can either play as Niobe (Pinkett-Smith) or Ghost (Wong), but the stages are the mostly the same with a different perspective. I did like the element of "hacking" into the Matrix, which is based on the old DOS system.
With this, you can unlock a number of features, cheats and mini-games. In fact, I enjoyed this more than I did the game itself, which also includes some tepid "rail" sequences which brought back memories of some appalling Sega CD FMV games. The Wachowski brothers, the brains behind "The Matrix", are avid gamers and big time "Halo" fans.
It's disappointing their first venture into interactive entertainment is such a mediocre affair. Some "Matrix" fans would say the same thing about the two highly anticipated 2003 sequels. Maybe juggling the production of the movies, comic books, video game and animated shorts were just too much to tell one huge story with.
Perhaps the brothers should've just concentrated on the sequels and forgotten the back stories and mythologies. Oh well, there's always "The Matrix Online".
** out of ****