The Matrix. These are two words that, ever since 1999, have been talked about by millions of cinema-goers, gamers, and even housewives. But what does it mean? To many of us, it is the greatest film release since Star Wars or Aliens. So it comes as a surprise given the recent onslaught of movie-inspired video games, that haven’t we seen The Matrix on PlayStation or on Dreamcast.

It turns out that Shiny founder Dave Perry turned down the offer of the original Matrix game. Luckily for him - ... more >>

The Matrix. These are two words that, ever since 1999, have been talked about by millions of cinema-goers, gamers, and even housewives. But what does it mean? To many of us, it is the greatest film release since Star Wars or Aliens. So it comes as a surprise given the recent onslaught of movie-inspired video games, that haven’t we seen The Matrix on PlayStation or on Dreamcast.

It turns out that Shiny founder Dave Perry turned down the offer of the original Matrix game. Luckily for him - and us - writers and directors Larry and Andy Wachowski came back with another offer after the film had been released. Needless to say, Perry couldn't sign quickly enough. But has it been worth the tens of millions of dollars spent on it?

The chances are you’ve already seen The Matrix or have heard the premise behind it. But for those who haven’t, we recommend you familiarise yourself with the Wachowski brothers’ martial arts inspired sci-fi film. Enter the Matrix itself adds a new chapter to the war against the machines and is cleverly interwoven with The Matrix Reloaded. But just what exactly is going on in the Matrix, you’ll have to find out for yourself.

Enter the Matrix is a hard game to define. You can’t give the game a specific genre – it’s too diverse and there are multiple playing styles. However, combat features heavily here so you would be forgiven for calling this one a beat-em-up of sorts. With the option to play as two of Matrix Reloaded’s new characters, Niobe and Ghost, players must enter this virtual virtual world and pit themselves against the infamous cool-headed Agents. Events differ depending on which character you choose to play as, but that’s a good thing because in some respects it’s like playing two games in one and boosts replay value greatly.

The PC version of the game, from a visual standpoint, has the potential to be the most impressive of the four versions. With the right graphics set up and a fast enough PC, Enter the Matrix can look amazing and incredibly cinematic. The only downside is the lack of a genuinely good control pad, but the game is good enough for its players to be able to push past that.

Fashion victims Neo, Trinity and Morpheus make welcome appearances, as does Agent Smith and several other new characters who you will become more familiar with as you play through the game. As we mentioned, combat is maybe the most prolific element of gameplay in Enter the Matrix, but there are also elements of exploration, shooting, fighting, driving, flying, and hacking into the Matrix itself.

Enter the Matrix, like its cinematic counterparts, is guaranteed to be a huge success. Believe the hype, then. Developer Shiny has done the franchise proud - between all the cutscenes, you will find a very good game. << less