Enter the Matrix Preview
We take an exclusive look at the PlayStation 2 version of Shiny's highly anticipated action game.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a more anticipated game than Shiny's upcoming Enter the Matrix. As the next film in the franchise, The Matrix Reloaded, nears its May 15 release, Shiny's game is becoming a must-have item for fans eager for more of a Matrix fix. Rather than just offering a "greatest hits" collection of moments from the upcoming film, Enter the Matrix uses the film as the basis for an original adventure that weaves in and out of the action in the movie. To capture the film's varied action, Shiny has attempted to create a game that mixes a number of different gameplay styles with the film's distinct cinematic flair. We recently got an exclusive look at a previewable build of the PlayStation 2 version of Enter the Matrix to see how everything is coming together.
Enter the Matrix's story focuses on one of the major plot threads in the upcoming movie. The game's narrative will actually complement the film, as many of the events in the game are only touched on in the movie. The story will follow three crewmembers on the Logos, a hovercraft like Morpheus' Nebuchadnezzar, who are tapped to help Neo and company in their fight to bring down the matrix. You'll assume the role of either Niobe, the Logos' captain, or Ghost, the ship's weapons specialist, as they're dispatched to retrieve an important package. The third member of the crew, Sparks, is a computer whiz who'll offer hints and a helping hand on your journey via cell phone. While both characters share the same main goal, you'll notice that the game plays out a bit differently depending on who you choose to play as. The story will unfold via a mix of real-time cutscenes, scripted events, and an hour of live-action footage shot exclusively for the game by Matrix masterminds Larry and Andy Wachowski. Unfortunately, to ensure that no spoilers for the game's story were revealed, our build lacked this live-action footage.
When you first start the game, you'll find four choices: load, new game, options, and hacking. Loading an existing save will let you pick up from the plentiful save points you'll come across as you play the game. When you start a new game, you'll choose one of three difficulty settings--easy, normal, or hard--and whether you want to play as Ghost or Niobe. The options menu will let you tweak various settings in the game and save them to your memory card. The hacking option is a clever minigame in which you'll be challenged to "hack" into the matrix, using a simple text-based interface and DOS commands to unlock a number of secrets in the game.
The game's structure follows a pretty standard mission-based model that breaks down into three distinct types of gameplay: 3D action, driving, and flying. The 3D action sequences are a mix of exploration, combat, and puzzle solving. You'll start out each level with a mission briefing from Sparks, who will clue you in to what your main goal will be. Each level will be broken up into smaller sections that will often have their own unique objectives. The missions will require you to engage in a variety of activities, ranging from combat to finding switches or specific items. A 3D arrow, similar to the one used in Crazy Taxi, will pop up onscreen and point you in the right direction if you have trouble getting to your goal.
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