ENTER THE MATRIX (PS2, PC, XBOX)


You think that is air you're breathing?

By WILL BARKER

Like a freshly-picked digital apple dunked in red toffee, Enter The Matrix is a sumptuously sweet and deliciously edible chunk of electronic entertainment.

At the same time, it would be fair to say that even if it was an absolute stinker of a game, it would still sell by the truckload thanks solely to its association with Neo, Trinity, Morpheus and the malevolent-yet-supremely cool Agent Smith.

And, with some four million copies shipped before it's even released, it's already a huge success, and I'm happy to report that no, it's not an absolute stinker either. Huzzah!

In 1999 the Wachowski brother's approached a rich Hollywood mogul - sometimes known as producers - called Joel Silver with a pitch for a new movie that focused on a hybrid mix of anime-inspired martial arts, gunplay, computer techno wizardry and imaginative storytelling.

The perfect mix? Millions of fans would be quick to nod a vigorous yes, myself included.

The Matrix was a massive hit and as a result Warner Brother's Studios handed over a cool half a billion dollars for the two sequels to be made.

In addition to the two new movies, Andy and Larry Wachowski wanted to give the fans a little more interactivity to boot, while also tiding up a few plot points, and so Enter The Matrix was born.

Simply put, the game is about as close as you'll get to an interactive version of the movies. There's plenty of kick-ass kung-fu, gratuitous gun fights and catastrophic car chases, all presented with the sensational slow-mo feature that was a trademark of the original movie.

Developed by once-famous Shiny Entertainment - put on the video-gaming map with such games as Earthworm Jim and MDK - the company had been a little quiet since the gaming media panned Messiah.

So what of Enter The Matrix: Is it a return to form for Shiny, a solid game, an accurate representation of a popular universe, or merely yet another cleverly marketed chunk of Matrix merchandising? Read on, fair humanoids, read on…

Pop the game into your chosen platform - whether the PC, Xbox, Playstation 2 or GameCube - and that trademark green tone that permeates the Matrix films is there in all it's enigmatic glory, as is the superb soundtrack, all helping to heighten the anticipation.

From the main menu, there are four choices - options, new game, load game and hacking. While the first three are self explanatory, the last option is a bit of blast from the past.

It allows cheats, vehicles, and maps to 'hacked' open -- just like operators aboard the many ships of Zion would -- but many of the commands needed to access these folders, files and executables are borrowed from the text-based operating system DOS. Old schoolers will love it; everyone else will probably find it frustrating.

After picking new game, players will be treated to their first glimpse of what are very sharp full motion video clips, some of which are snippets from The Matrix Reloaded (where the game crosses paths with the movie's plot) while the majority is exclusive to the game - roughly 60 minutes worth.

This in itself helps elevate the game to more personal level by involving the likes of Captain Niobi and her sidekick Ghost, not to mention Aussie actor Lachy Hulme who plays Sparks. Kudos to the Wachowski's for not taking the easy option there.

Moving right along, and the first few levels of the game start off relatively gently, with most of your opponents offering little resistance. The game is played from the third-person perspective, or over-the shoulder camera, and the opening levels serve as quasi tutorials, with basic tips popping up every now then to help players adjust to the gameplay and controls.

Speaking of which, the controls are pretty good across the board, though the pick of the bunch would go to Xbox. Even so, all platforms are very solid in terms of controls, and it doesn't take long to get nicely acquainted with all the games input-based nuances.

There are two close combat buttons - punch and kick. If mashed quickly, they perform some very tasty manoeuvres, and when combined rhythmically, they can unleash extended combos the likes of which would put Jet Li to shame. Pressed at the same time, they perform grab moves, most of which are amazingly acrobatic and great to watch.

Then there is the action button, which will pull levers, press buttons, and also perform some ultimately gruesome finishing moves, if you will.

While all this biffo is going on, pressing the 'focus' button slows down time in traditional Matrix style, and while it's been done before in video games, it's never been used so eloquently, and with so many variations.

For starters, holding the 'focus' button with doing performing certain attacks sometimes modifies moves. For instance, pressing the action button when sneaking up behind a foe will rather crudely (yet silently) strangle them to death.

Press 'focus' mid-way through strangulation and you'll snap their neck, accompanied with what can only be described as an evil sound sample. Furthermore, press action while holding 'focus' before you reach your hapless victim and you'll forcibly smash their face onto the ground. Indeed, the kids will really love this one!

And that's just the start: There are so many moves, and dammit, I'm just going to have to describe a few more.

Let's see… Okay, holding 'focus' while running makes you run faster, jump further and if you run towards a wall you'll even pitch sideways and run along the wall in true Matrix style, and if you start firing your guns akimbo while doing this (all in slow-mo, no less) it looks just brilliant, and Shiny should be commended on their excellent work.

Gunplay makes up a significant part of Enter The Matrix too, and with about 18 weapons on offer, even the most trigger-happy gun freak will be impressed (yes, that means you Martin).

The sounds effects that accompany the weapons are remarkably authentic (compared with the movies) and combined with the 'focus' button players can pull off some awesome cart wheeling-while-shooting moves.

There is of course the obligatory sniper rifle - well, three of them to be precise - and there's even some cool techno-weaponry thrown in there for good measure, one which fills your opponents lungs with liquid. Oooh... Nasty!

The only downer with the weapons are the grenades, which are rendered completely useless thanks to their ridiculous throwing arc.

There are so many moves, tricks, attacks, evasive manoeuvres and down-right grin-inducing actions involved, that playing through the game to simply explore the limits of the game engine is almost as much fun as unfolding the mysterious plot.

There are also some highly entertaining driving levels thrown in there - including the awesome highway scene from The Matrix Reloaded - which help lend the game much needed variety, and depending on which character you choose, you will either get to drive or shoot. Bonus!

While the game on the whole is an absolute blast to play, it's not without flaw. Level design ranges from full-on gobsmacking, such as China Town and the roof-tops, to downright boring and repetitive, suggesting more time was spent on specific levels.

And it should be said that the final hovercraft level is really crap. It's as though the Wachowski's asked Shiny to add another level, but the programmers had all gone to Hawaii on holiday, so the work experience kid cobbled something together.

I was also slightly disappointed to finish the game in a bit under six hours - and they really leave you hanging at the end - but despite this relatively short life span, the game is much more satisfying and lengthy on the hardest difficulty level.

It's also pretty cool how many levels are different depending on whether you play as Niobi or Ghost, which also helps improve longevity and it's nice that both characters have different moves too (though Niobi rocks so much harder - I think it's the sunnies).

The short game life, annoyingly lengthy save/load times (particularly on the PS2) and the sometimes-average graphics (re: repeated textures) are perhaps the game's only sore points. These quibbles are easily overlooked however, thanks largely to the game's premise, its engrossing soundtrack, killer cut-scenes, intriguing plotline and profound gameplay.

It should be said that the graphics, in places, are supremely awe inspiring, and the detail and complexity of the character models is very impressive, and the general movement and motion capture on all characters is second to none. I challenge anyone not to mouth 'woah…' Keanu-style after performing a slow-mo snap kick combo.

It's not the giant-killing, gloriously thought-provoking and scintillatingly deep game I was hoping for, but it comes so damn close it's scary, and in terms of action, there are few games that offer as much - just check out the overall score.

Movie-to-game ports are commonly very bland, but thankfully Enter The Matrix is more than a quick way to milk more money from the franchise, and you can see that the Wachowski's had quite a bit of input, having captured the sometimes sinister and eerie feel of the movies flawlessly.

Had a little more time been spent tidying up a few aspects of the game's design, this would have been a bonafide, top shelf, AAA, pump-your-fist-in-the-air-and-dance-on-the-table title.

If you liked the new movie, then there's a good chance you'll enjoy this, which explores more areas of the story - a pseudo addendum, if you like. Enter The Matrix is a wonderfully playable game with the kind of action that's rivalled by few titles today, and a game that I have no trouble in recommending to all and sundry.

ORIGINALITY 75%
SOUND/GRAPHICS 85%
PLAYABILITY 80%
ENJOYMENT 90%
OVERALL 85%