Enter the Matrix

Overall Rating:
Genre: Action/adventure
Christian Rating: 1 of 5
   (very offensive)
Gameplay: 3 of 5
   (average)
Violence: 2 of 5
   (heavy)
Adult Content: 2 of 5
   (heavy)

Enter the Matrix is the game based on the movie The Matrix Reloaded and since the DVD should be out soon I thought it fitting for me to write a review for people who may want to pick this game up along with the DVD. If you don't know what the Matrix is go watch both movies before playing this game as it will spoil some stuff. Now that those who are still reading this review do what the Matrix is and needs no explanation. Instead of making a cheap recreation of the movie events this game got special treatment. See the writers of the movie the Wachowski brother wanted to make a whole new story just for the game so if you want to know the whole story of Reloaded you have to play this game. The game follows the characters Niobe and Ghost. Though they only get minor time in the movie this game will help you learn how important they really are. That is really the big draw of the game being able to watch exclusive movie footage you only get in the game but unfortunatly these movie scenes are the best and worst part of the game which I will explain later.

There are many different type of gameplay modes in Enter the Matrix. There is fighting, shooting, driving, hacking, and multiplayer. In this game you can do some very Matrix like moves like running on the walls and when you get into focus you can see the bullets stream in the air just like the movie. At first this all seems like a great game but somewhere along the way you will just get bored of the same simple 2 button fighting system and all of the focus stuff. They tried to keep this from happening by adding the driving and shooting levels and to a certain extent it works. Its kinda fun riding shotgun as Ghost but driving as Niobe is a pain. See you can play the game as two different characters and their own path is different enough to play twice but after that there is nothing more to do except hacking mode which is really enjoyable. Cheaters can put codes in here and the rest of us can hack our way through the matrix. There are little clues you get in this mode and if you get through the puzzles you will be rewarded with stuff like watching the FMV's as much as you'd like (though you can't just go to hacking mode and watch all the movies you have to beat the game to do this so don't go renting this game just to try that) or you could even hack your way to finding samurai swords. Its a nice feature but it doesn't last long enough but hey at least they added it in their.

The graphics in this game aren't terrible but aren't great either. This game has its moments where you may be impressed with nice shiny floors , destructible environments, and added attention to motion capture but there are too many similar looking rooms and just plain awful. I mean yeah a sewer isn't supposed to look nice and so I guess they inadvertently got that level right. The characters themselves are quite good actually except when you look at them up close. Of course you all probably don't care about that you just want to know about the exclusive footage. Well they did a good job with the quality except there are two scenes where the bad quality is really noticeable but other than those two its fine.

If there is one thing this game has done right its the sound. You really couldn't ask for more. All the actors play their respective roles so you don't get cheap likeness's or any of that. Also the in game sound is great too. The sound is what really gets you into this game at first because you just can't help but feel like your really in the matrix. Unless you don't like the matrix techno your going to want to raise the volume in this game.

Now for the important stuff. Why did I give this game a 1/5 for Christian rating and 2/5 for adult content? Its mainly just the movie footage actually. Yes the reason I actually bought this game and the reason some may want to rent this game. It truly is the best and worst part of this game. Not only do they curse a lot but there are a few times they use God's name in vain. That's not where it ends either. There are some homosexual scenes in this game also. You can skip the cut-scenes but since they are the best part of the game and the gameplay isn't that great there really leaves no reason to purchase this game. There are also some pretty gruesome finishing moves but fortunately there is no blood just green codes when you kill your enemy.

Final comments. I can't really recommend buying this game. If your really interested go rent it. please don't overlook some of the content though. The game is just too short and gets repetitive. I would almost recommend it just for the movie footage since there are some enjoyable scenes in there that you could use when you watch Reloaded but its just too dirty. If you can really restrain yourself from being tempted in all and your going to watch Reloaded anyway which has worse scenes then that's on you. The gameplay isn't worth it either go play Max Payne or something.

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