”The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to Church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.” This seems to be true, because everywhere you look, there is The Matrix. Whether it’s the movie(s), posters, shirts, or the game, it’s everywhere. But, hopefully you don’t go without noticing these amazing products of the Wachoiski brothers. Ever since its release in 1999, Matrix fans have been dying for a game that will let you live out you dreams of dodging bullets in slow-motion, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, running on walls, etc. This game comes in the form of Enter the Matrix.

    Automatically, many of you will be disappointed that you can’t play as Neo, Morpheus, or Trinity, so you won’t buy it. Well, don’t punish yourself; this is an amazingly fun game. So, many of you are probably wondering, “Well, if you can’t play as them, who are you?” You have a choice, you can pick the close combat beast that is Niobe, or you can be the weapons expert that is Ghost. They even have different levels that accompany them (though the levels aren’t THAT different, there are some extras in each). You probably already know who Niobe is from seeing Matrix: Reloaded, but you probably don’t remember Ghost, because he did nothing AT ALL. Anyways, Ghost is the First Mate to Niboe’s ship, Logos.

    What is a Matrix license without amazing animation and effects? The answer is NOTHING! Enter the Matrix has some awesome graphics. All the characters look close to, if not exactly the same as their real-life counterparts. There are explosions that rock the screen and the levels are extremely detailed. The thing that ruins it though, is the fire. It looks like they graphed two animations and flip flopped them back and forth to create a fire effect. I have seen better fire in cartoons than this. It looks extremely cheesy.

    Now, since you don’t get to play as the main characters from the movies, you would expect some juristically different sequences. Well, in part, that is right, but there are many levels that are straight out of Reloaded, and on some, you get to see what Niobe and Ghost were doing behind the scenes, so you get a better understanding of the movie. This adds a certain level of surprise to every level. The only thing that is really annoying about the levels is the environmental interaction. Sometimes there is a high level of it, sometimes there’s none. It doesn’t seem like they put a lot of work into making it a fully interactive environment. Though, I really, really wish they did, because this one thing makes the game feel flat. The worst thing about the levels though, is the rail missions where you have to sit in a car while you are driven on a set path trying to kill everyone so they don’t hit your car or hovercraft. This is really bad when you’re Ghost. When you are Niobe, you have to do the driving, which isn’t really that bad, but you have to press L1 whenever you want Ghost to lean out and shoot. This is really annoying because it’s a little meter that has to have charge to use it. If you run out, you have to give it a rest and let Ghost stay in.

    The action is great. It is so fast paced, but then, with a quick press of L1, BAM! It is bullet-time in its finest. Matrix has the best bullet-time that has ever been seen in a game. Before using bullet-time, you can just use a regular set of kicks, punches, counters, and throws, but, when you kick press L1, you get and endless amount of combos that you can string together. If you would like, you can run up to a wall, flip over your enemy, then grab his neck and snap it like a toothpick, or you can dive into a room with your guns blazing. I love the versatility of this game. It seems to cater towards everyone’s unique style.

    Now, the plot, well, there’s not much to say and you won’t care once you get into the game, trust me. It is told through a series of cut-scenes that you’ll probably skip to get back to the action. The cut-scenes are a bit shaky and could have used a little more time to smooth them out. The voice acting is very solid, and was voiced over by the stars of the movie themselves. That adds a lot to the overall experience, IF you watch the movies. If you don’t, you are left running through a bunch of levels making your own assumption on why you are doing it, which is extremely fun by the way. If you are familiar with the movies, you will understand the game perfectly.

    The sound is absolutely amazing. Everything from the guns to the explosions to the voices sounds great. The music does get a tad bit repetitive, though, I would have liked for it to vary just a little more, but it isn’t really noticeable with bullets flying and things exploding. The coolest thing about the sound is when you are in bullet time. Every sound is dragged out and echoes nicely.

    The controls are top-notch. They are always on the ball and it is so easy to pull every single maneuver. Sometimes they are a bit too touchy though. You’ll want to sneak around a corner a surprise someone, but you end up slamming to them and taking a couple of hits. It would have been nice to be able to use the D-pad to control your character also. But, other than that, the controls are easy an intuitive.

    What would a computer system be without hacking? Well, Enter the Matrix has that too. It is a very, very basic DOS hacking system, but it is fun to use and has many cool rewards just waiting to be found. Some secrets include commentary, videos, codes, and many more extras. I haven’t explored it that much, but I would definitely see how far the rabbit hole goes if I were you. Good luck and happy hacking!

    Well, now you know the ups and downs of the game. Which pill will you take? I suggest the one that gives you the greatest action game on Playstation 2. But, I can only guide you. You are the one that has to make the decision.