Free. Your. Mind. I don't know what it is about games based on movies, but it's just a lot of fun. Enter the Matrix is no exception. The plot is seamlessly interwoven with that of The Matrix: Reloaded. Not only are the characters you play, Niobe and Ghost, modeled after the original actors' movements, but they provide their own voices, and there's movie footage that sews together all the levels of the game. For instance, the meeting of the captains held in the Matrix, that Morpheus and company arrive late to? You get to watch that scene from its very beginning, when Niobe and Ghost actually show up on time.
The scenery is straight out of the movie. Everything that Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity are able to do that made the first movie great, are moves that Niobe and Ghost can do as well.
Your character has a certain amount of focus, which allows you to slow down time (the music slows down as well), and achieve feats such as dodging bullets, walking on walls, and doing that somersault-while-shooting-at-the-same-time thing. It's incredible. There is an endless supply of security guards and SWAT police, which also provide you with your ammo and weapons. You can either shoot at your opponents, or take them out with kung fu moves, complete with sound effects (like that whoosh noise when Trinity was kicking the cops in the opening scene of The Matrix).
The controls are easily mastered, although a bit less so when it comes to driving. There are some getaway scenes, and driving takes some getting used to. The cops are constantly trying to shoot you, run you into walls, or just get you off the road any way they can.
There are rumors that the game will freeze up when you get past a certain point. I can't say one way or the other. I finished the game as Niobe in easy mode and there weren't any problems. I've only gotten so far as Ghost (you have different objectives with each character. Niobe, for instance, doesn't have to take out SWAT helicopters). I will say this, however. On the main menu, there is a Hack option, that serves the same purpose as loading the game. Maybe once the game freezes up, that's how you get it to work again.
As far as doing justice to the movies are concerned, this game does them all. You have a shoot-out in a hallway, complete with multiple pillars to hide behind that chip and shatter as they take bullet damage. Agents you encounter are literally unstoppable. They're insanely strong, evidenced by the amount of damage you take from a single blow, and bullets just pass right through them. The chase scenes are very fast-paced, and you can't wait to reach the next save point. You spend time in most of the major scenes of the second film, including the Merovingian's home. Monica Bellucci, aka Persephone, shot extra footage between herself and your character of choice, as did the Key Maker, Agent Smith, Seraph and The Oracle. Now, the actress playing the Oracle had already passed away at the time that the game and the third installment of the trilogy were filmed, and there is a vague but meaningful explanation for it in the game. I'm going to try not to give away everything.
I would definitely recommend you rent this game. Try it before you buy it. I personally don't plan to purchase it any time soon, as I've already beaten it on easy and medium's difficulty increases greatly. Still, you do not want to miss out on at least trying this game. It's available for the PS2, Game Cube, PC and X-Box, so everyone can try it.
I give Enter the Matrix a nine out of ten. Visually pleasing, soundtrack straight from the films, and the ability to play characters from one of the coolest flicks to come out in recent history? The only improvements would be trivial at that. Try this game! Go! Try it now!!
All images property of IGN. Article copyright 2003 MillionairePlayboy.com. The Matrix, Matrix: Reloaded, and Enter the Matrix are property of Warned Bros. Studios
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