Enter the Matrix
There is only one way to enter the Matrix, and it's in the form of a game conveniently titled Enter the Matrix. Enter the Matrix asks the question "In the war to save Zion, what part will you play?" Seeing as there are only two playable characters, it's not that hard of a choice. You start the game of by watching the opening cutscene, and then you have to choose which character you want to play as. You can either play as Niobe or Ghost. Niobe is the tough as nails pilot of the Logos, which is a hovercraft. Niobe is a supporting character in the movie played by Jada Pinkett Smith, who was a previous lover of our friend Morpheus. Ghost, a follower of the Buddhist religion is her kung-fu, butt stomping, co-pilot and weapons man.

Graphics:

The graphics in Enter the Matrix are truly not what they could have been. While they are not horrific, there is much work that could have been put into them. However, not all bad is to be said about them. The actors from the movie have handed over their likenesses for it, and it looks good. At some points in the game, the graphics can become glitchy and screwy. There are not really many other things to say about the graphics other than this.

Sound and Music:

The sound and music in the game has to be one of the best features of it. The music is taken directly from The Matrix movies and The Animatrix. While most music is from those sources, some however isn't. These songs, however, are not any less great that what would be found in the movies. One song, Going Under, is sung by the famous rock band Evanescence. The music isn't the only great part of this. All character voices are done by the actual actors from the movie, and they do a great job with it. Other than the characters you can play as, the game features main characters such as Trinity, Morpheus, and Neo. But don't worry, they also lend there voices and likenesses to the game. Overall, the sound and music in Enter the matrix is probably the most solid part of the entire game.

Storyline:

One of the finer features of Enter the Matrix, the storyline cannot be truly enjoyed unless you have seen both movies, primarily The Matrix Reloaded. Enter the Matrix is practically a movie on its own, with over one hour of actually deleted footage from the movie. The storyline follows the paths of Niobe and Ghost, who are the crew of a hovercraft called the Logos. There is really no straightforward story I can tell you. The game follows you from place to place. In the earlier levels you have to save and protect people. In the middle levels you'll find yourself at the Merovingian's hideout trying to help the Keymaker. Finally, in the last levels you'll be in a nuclear power plant trying to wipe out the electricity of twenty-five city blocks. For all you people who have never seen The Matrix Reloaded, I'm sorry for all the movie terms used above.

Gameplay:

Enter the Matrix offers a wide variety of different gameplay. The majority of the levels are shooting and/or fighting levels. Each character has there own variety of different moves and abilities they can use while fending off the bad guys. While you are able to use fighting in the earlier levels, you soon get sucked into having to use guns to save yourself from getting killed. The fighting levels are my personal favorite, and offer a lot of fun beat-um-up gameplay. The shooting levels can get annoying at times, and you can find yourself dying very quickly if you don't pay attention to your health. However, as added help, if you stand still for awhile, your health will go up. But sometimes you never get the chance to gain your health back as you wonder "Where did that guy come from?" The next type of levels are driving and flying. If you play as Niobe, there is a fair amount of driving levels, but if you play as Ghost there are only a few. The driving can seem hard at some times, as you are forced to make split second decisions on where to go. Luckily, your operator Sparks offers the occasional tip or hint on what to do next. If you play as Ghost, most of the driving levels feature you on of the window shooting at your enemies. While there are a few driving levels in Ghost's quest, they aren't much different than Niobe's. The worst levels are the hovercraft levels. In these levels, you are forced to navigate through the tunnels of the real world in first person view. Most of the time you will find yourself hitting walls and just letting them take you to where you have to go. While Enter the Matrix offers fairly solid gameplay, the flaws in it are very prevalent and can often make you want to smash your game disk with a hammer.

Controls:

Two words describe the controls. Big pain. While most games have annoying controls to begin with that you later get used to, this game does not. Every single button does something, and it doesn't work out well. Sometimes you'll find yourself pressing the right buttons, but actually doing something different that you want to. This is bad, seeing as how sometimes this will end up getting you shot at, or even killed. While the control setup itself is easy, the combo moves and the matrixy style stuff gets very annoying when attempted. That's really all I have to say about the controls. They are undoubtedly the worst and most annoying part of the game.

Replayability:

Another part of Enter the Matrix that has flaws is the replayability. While there are three difficulty levels and two characters to play as, that's about it. The only other thing you can do is "Hack" into the game. Hacking into the game is a neat little thing that you can do to unlock videos to watch, pictures and art to look at, and secret levels to get. The secret levels however are not that great. One is a training construct, which is made up of four or five mini-games. The other level is a two-player fighting program. There are about seven levels to spar in, each containing different characters you have to play as. So what I'm trying to say is that Enter the Matrix doesn't offer very great replay value. Each player's quest only lasts about five to six hours. Once you're done with that and the hacking, you're done with the game.

Overall, Enter the Matrix is a pretty good game. If you're able to get past the bugs and glitches in the game, and if you're a major Matrix fan, you'll enjoy your experience. Those who are a bit too critical on games with glitches, you'll want to steer clear of this title. As for the rest of you, feel free to pick up this game if it sounds like something you'd enjoy.
Graphics: 7.2/10
Sound and Music: 8.7/10
Storyline: 9.5/10
Gameplay: 6.7/10
Controls: 7.0/10
Replayability: 7.5/10
6.5
Out of 10