My explicit Enter The Matrix review

[PeteJ]

I read that this game broke two records - most preordered.

And most returned.

Ha.

Shiney should have done a better job, but the game clearly needed another year of development. I'd guess that initially it was based on Shiney's own interpritation of the Matrix, but the film crew got involved late into development and mixed things up. The media overkill was a brilliant idea that they pulled off well, except here of course.

Some of Dave Perry's comments before release were classic, worth checking out if you can find them.

[Sidez]

"Have you seen the animation when you "run" up a ladder as well it looks like something has crawled up their ass."

Remember the zombies in Silent Hill 2? Remember how they crawled along the ground?

[Papercut]

I agree with most of the review, apart from the 'F grade developer bit.
Shiny ain't that bad.
MDK 2 was good, as was Sacrifice.

Didn't Bioware do MDK 2?

Yep. Shiny did the first game though.

[goldbricker]

"Have you seen the animation when you "run" up a ladder as well it looks like something has crawled up their ass."

Remember the zombies in Silent Hill 2? Remember how they crawled along the ground?

Spot on - but crawling at high speed.

[Mayhem]

The game admitedly has a lot of good ideas... they just aren't all implemented that well sadly. The combat system does work very well, there is an insane amount of combos in there to find both focused and unfocused or switching between the two. And the lock on/strafe/kung fu kick/cartwheel/knockout does look like the film. Sort of. But as the points earlier mention (especially the running and ladder climbing animations which my brother and I were in hysterics seeing), there's too much against it to give it more than 4/10 here...

[killy]

Here's an interview I'm sure some of you guys can quote for laughs. Haven't played it yet myself: http://www.gamespy.com/interviews/fe...3/matrixperry/

[PeteJ]

This is the classic:

We're looking to the future," Perry explains. "I'm not really thinking PlayStation 2 -- I'm thinking PlayStation 3 and 4. Instead of designing for the lowest common denominator, we design for a denominator that doesn't exist yet, and then we scale back."

[C']

This is the classic:

We're looking to the future," Perry explains. "I'm not really thinking PlayStation 2 -- I'm thinking PlayStation 3 and 4. Instead of designing for the lowest common denominator, we design for a denominator that doesn't exist yet, and then we scale back."

In other words "our game looks ****e"

[Che Musashi]

I really really really hate licensed games. 9 times out of 10 they are ****. This game can be added to that dung heap.

My only experience was with a Xbox kiosk that had the demo on. My thoughts were: "I didn't know the Matrix had this much loading."

I would have like to have fought but I ended up running around in bullet time looking like a dork. If anybody sees Dave Perry in person, please punch him.

[Firsty]

SO TRUE about the animation.
I was in HMV and saw peeps playing on a demo pod.
I laughed out loud when I looked and saw the main character run.
FLAIL THEM ARMS!
No one could see what I found so funny though :/
Sad.

[JammyD]

I agree with almost all of your review Sidez, but I really enjoyed playing ETM. I mean I liked it a LOT. And I've never been more apathetic about average games. I mean it's classifiable as massmarket crap but it didn't make me want to stab myself like The Getaway or turn the console off after 10 minutes like with Max Payne.

There is some truly shocking level design, like the second room in the conveyor belt level where I landed on the ground floor after kicking a guy in the head and there was no way for me to get back up again. Then when I restarted I got stuck to the door. Hey, give it an extra mark for comedy value

[Afterbirth]

Yep. Shiny did the first game though.

Correct, but i didn't realise they were competely seperate, and now, without looking, am unsure if Shiny did Giants or Sacrifice. Still good games though.
But i'm gutted. Enter the Matrix is raelly bad, and they have completely ****ed things up. Everyones using 3D platform games these days and its getting like the late SNES period. I know its the best method of placing you in a game world, but for ****s sake, make a good game too!.
GTA3's engine pisses all over this.
Another Britney Spears game, in my view.

[rjpageuk]

Personally I thought the game was the same as the movie - all hype.

But then I didnt think much of the movie anyhow.

[srgbilco]

Yep. Shiny did the first game though.

Correct, but i didn't realise they were competely seperate, and now, without looking, am unsure if Shiny did Giants or Sacrifice. Still good games though.
But i'm gutted. Enter the Matrix is raelly bad, and they have completely ****ed things up. Everyones using 3D platform games these days and its getting like the late SNES period. I know its the best method of placing you in a game world, but for ****s sake, make a good game too!.
GTA3's engine pisses all over this.
Another Britney Spears game, in my view.

Shiny did Sacrifice but Planet Moon did Giants. shiny aren't a bad devco, they often make vastly original and great games that sell like ****. Maybe their sick of it and need to make a fast buck. The strict deadline probably hampered them as well; Shiny are infamous for slippages. To be fair, they're not known to do generic cash-ins either, so this is a first.

I think the marketing men behind The Matrix are to blame more than Shiny. You can see there's a good combat system, but the rest is pretty much placeholder, like the animations and crappy driving sequences. But the simultaneous release with Reloaded didn't give Shiny enough time to properly finish it.

But Dave Perry's pimping of ETM landed him the scorn of everyne everywhere when the game turned out ot be a bit ****.

[RLench]

The only reason I would have bought this game was to understand the film a bit more. But you saved me by posting the plot details. Cheers

It sounds a bit average though - I was expecting huge revelations and twists. Bit of a disapointment tbh

I knew the game would be terrible. For once my prejudice against certain games was right all along