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Enter the Matrix Review - Gamecube

Hype. It's what makes some games sell even though they might not provide for a good gaming experience. More often than not this comes from movie-based games. Having a popular license can shift games so easily and there is no bigger license then The Matrix. A movie that many gamers would like to take a hold of and play out themselves. But is this game a hype-based seller or is it a great license that was put to use in the best way possible. Read on...

Game play

Enter the Matrix doesn't have anything particularly revolutionary but it blends together some of the best stuff from other games. When you start a game you can choose to play as either Ghost or Niobe. Both are characters off Matrix Reloaded, though you may not know Ghost as all he seemed to do is stand next to Niobe a lot. Both are both crew members of the "Logos" along with their operator Sparks. The events of the game happen at the same time as that of Reloaded, meaning you get some additional information that you didn't get from the movie. It may help those who were feeling a bit confused with the second movie. The entire game is directed by the Wachowski brothers (who made the film) and there are plenty of cinematic pieces inside. This means that as well as the usually graphical cut scenes you get some full cinematic pieces included! A great treat for any Matrix fan. You play usually with a third person view in which you control your character so he or she can reach their certain destination. The missions are usually not that inspirational and more often then not just require you to get to a certain location and take out everyone along the way. However it's all in good fun. Depending on whom you're playing as you'll get some extra missions, which could see you driving a car, shooting out of a car and the same for a hovercraft (back in the real world). But the core is the third person game play with running, gunning and a whole lot of martial arts.

Enter the Matrix has the perfect setting, and creators "Shiny Entertainment" have used it to the best of their abilities, with the result being a good, yet not too engaging engine. When you go about completing a mission you have two ways of disposing of your enemies, through hand-to-hand combat or with the use of your weapons. This is great because most games recently have often decided to focus on just the one but this way you've got some variety. When in hand-to-hand combat you can string together moves with A button for punch, and X button for kick and Z to dodge. You can also use both A and X to do a throw. Whilst this doesn't seem like much, stringing together combos can add some variety. Still it is of course a lot shallower then most ... (continued next page)