Enter the Matrix: and exit at your earliest convenience.

So, seeing the 2nd installment of the Matrix triology and still being fascinated with the underlying 'message' and the right-in-your-face cool effects? Makes you want more, right? I have the perfect solution: Go and buy the associated computer game!!!!!

But hold on, would it be what you expected or would you be in for a disappointment after the investment of $50? Even if it was, is your equipment up to the task? Afterall, the Matrix is a huge and powerful system ... as we have learned from the movie.

Then again, it's Atari who published the game and having recently completed "Unreal2: The awakening" and "UT2003" I expected nothing less. (A dangerous thought as I would find out.)


Installation: Hardware

My system is pretty much mainstream:
- 2.4GHz Pentium4 (533FSB)
- 1GByte DDR333 RAM
- ATI Radeon 9700 Pro (Catalyst 3.4)
- Windows XP, SP1
- DirectX 9.0.a

The (steep) minimum requirements read like this ...
- Win 98, Me, 2000, XP
- Pentium 3 / 800 MHz
- 128 MByte RAM (256 recom.)
- NVidia GForce256* or ATI Radeon8500* (32MByte)
- DirectX 9.0 (on the disc)
- 4X CD-ROM (8X recom.)

*...take this requirement very seriously. It's stated on the box and apparently even applies for the so-called safe mode! The game requires T&L hardware and is not compatible to all cards that do not support Transforms&Lighting (T&L) -- previous boards from ATI and NVidia included. Apparently there is a software emulation available for non-T&L boards called 3D Analyzer. (make sure you have lots of CPU power available)

Unfortunately, as with most games the CD-ROM is used as a dongle and in order to play the game you will need to have disc 4 (play disc) in the drive.

Installing the game is standard procedure, but keep in mind that all 4 CDs are going to be installed on your hard drive. Hence, you will need a total of 4.3GB available free space. (This exceeds any other game I have run across so far.) The installation process does not offer many options other than the check for the right DirectX version and the installation of it.

DirectX 9.0 (included on disc) is required, which is also a first, since most games don't make use of all features and work fine with DirectX 8.1. Granted that DirectX9 can be installed everywhere, some functionality will be diasbled if the board is not DX9 capable! This might cause issues with the game. (The FAQs, however, suggest that the game should run with DX8.1)

Aparently Atari ran out of time finishing this merchandise in time for the movie. So makes sure to check for updates : http://www.atarisupport.com/faq/enterthematrixdownloads_pc.asp


The first encounter: Game interface

When starting up the game, one is presented with a rather cryptic window to configure the graphics engine. No help is available, whether electronically or in the short manual.

While some options are easy to understand, others leave most users guessing. If Allow Gamma, W-Buffer, Force Object LOD, and Far Clip Bias leave you guessing, you know what I mean. Oddly enough, settings can be reset, but most are not stored anyway. (I have to enable Shadows all the time) Note: Standard settings will limit the game's looks severely (even if your board is top notch.) None of the graphics settings are available from within the game.

Provided your board is approved, entering the game presents you with a few video clips that true to other Atari games can only be skipped by pressing ESC (a fact that's not mentioned in the documentation). The design of the initial menu fully conforms with what one would expect from Matrix related merchandise, but nothing special either.

The annoying part of the first contact with the game are the controls. Nevermind that very few producers support gamepads on the PC anymore. The real issue is somewhat different controls for the 5 different situations: general, combat, sniping, driving, and flying.

In real terms, that means that engaging into a 'fist fight' will switch the camera around and even change controls, but not enough with that ... it also limits controls. Especially beginners will feel trapped in a fight, since the only way out seems to 'finish the guy up'. (Later on you will find out there is more to it, but the awkwardness remains.)

In fact, I thought game pads were invented to overcome the shortcoming of a (digital) keyboard. This becomes eminent in steering the car or the little helicopter. (Unfortunately 'standard' controls crippled other games as well, just think of GTA3: Vice City.) I wish analog controls would be more valued by the PC genre.

Overall, this game left me with the impression that too many things are 'automated', all in order to make the game manageable. Auto-aiming weapons are one example. (The computer only needs the gamer to point the character into the right direction, but at the same time prevents you from aiming at specific targets if there is more than one enemy.)


Second encounter: Game Play

Due to the control issues I exited the Matrix relatively quickly, just to turn around and give it another try before it was doomed to collect dust.

There is actually a few cool things in the game, and running around and kicking a** is the main purpose of most games anyway... ;-)

The few aces up it's sleeve are related to the 'enhanced controls'. It's these things that allow mortals to bend laws of physics and time. (In a way that's true for any computer game, but bare with me ...)

The 'training mode' is integrated in the first few levels and consists of short hints that pop up on the screen whenever new things are encountered. Cryptic enough to keep the gamer guessing. However, one can access better hints from the menu.

In first person mode (use keys 3 and 4 to toggle and zoom), the character can look more freely around and especially up and down, but cannot move back and forth. This is supposedly by design, though not easy to comprehend why that would add to the game. Another 'unexplained' problem is that the frame rate can drop significantly when switching to first person. (at least with my system) I am still wondering why this is any different from normal 3rd person view. Then again, you would not see the cool stunts if in 1st person anyway.


Third Encounter: Story

After being disappointed by the game's initial impression on me, this is the part where I have to admit that there is more than just criticism about the game.

The graphics depend on the available hardware, and while I don't see much evidence for the DX9 requirements, it's beautifully rendered. Nothing out of the ordinary though, at least when comparing with titles like Unreal2 and UT2003. Maybe with two exceptions: particle effects appear more polished and characters are very detailed (which may be the reason for use of T&L) For example: The bullet traces look great, when bending the time constant. (Focus)

The sound is fitted around the theme and situation. Quality is outstanding, or at least from what my 2.1 system allows me to judge.

Load times are decent, but may require a good hard drive (judging from Atari's requirement of at least 7200 rpm). Video cut scenes are okay, but give it a little bit of a low-budget movie feeling. However, they nicely add to the story.

Stability is marginal especially when involving into a fight with several enemies and frequently using the focus mode. (Besides the system kinda getting slow, it looks great until the game simply quits.) Recommendation: Finish enemies up as they appear, don't let them become too many. Yeah right! ;-)

The major disappointment, however, is the fact that one can only play one out of 2 secondary characters from the movie. Their roles are different, which may add to the replay value, since the same level requires different actions / skill for each character. And, you sure know it by now, but the gamer cannot slip into neither Morpheus' nor Neo's shoes. However, some of Neo's skills are available in the game. (like slowing the whole matrix down in order to gain an advantage and be able to dodge bullets.)

While I am not a big fan of multi-player games (online), Enter the Matrix is a pure single player game and that may reduce replay value a little bit (or significantly for some).


The final encounter: Summary

In a nutshell, if you are a die-hard fan of the Matrix merchandise and willing to accept a few limitations (controls), this may be the game for you. It looks good and somewhat feels good too (to be able to bend rules). Just make sure that your hardware is compatible!!!

However, I will have to motivate myself significantly to stay interested in the game. It's at risk of gathering dust quickly (yes you guessed it, because of awkward controls).

Here a quick rating ...

Graphics: ****-
Sound: *****
Controls: **---
Requirements: *----
Replay value: ***--
Gameplay: ***--

Note: My general recommendation is to not buy the game if you're not a die-hard fan of the movie. For everybody else, there are better games out there. However, your skills may be better developed in regard to dealing with awkward controls. In that case, it might be worth a try. (Some special effects are great.)

At this point, however, I am glad I didn't have to buy the game at full price. I paid $30 (after a couple rebates at BestBuy), which is about fair for this game.

And in case one is willing to give it another try here a few cheat codes that should help tame the beast ...

0034AFFF Maximum firepower
1DDF2556 Unlimited ammunition
69E5D9E4 Unlimited focus
FFF0020A Fast focus restore
7F4DF451 Unlimited health
13D2C77F Bonus test level
13D2C77F Sparks' construct in training mode
4516DF45 Enemies cannot hear you
FFFFFFF1 Enemies cannot see you
FF00001A Turbo mode
D5C55D1E Multi player fighting
BB013FFF Low gravity
7867F443 Faster logos
312MF451 Taxi driving
2931GH27 Play as Neo
95F21008 Select Level (1-60)


Update (06/21/2003):

The game industry's holy cow (compatibility to voodoo class graphics boards) is on the verge to be replaced. Developers start breaking this tradition in order to fullfill customer's expectations (better looking games). Reality is that developers are more easily ready to make the next step and 'force' hardware that allows better effects. The writing is on the wall and it's just a matter of time until it becomes 'harsh' reality.

Developers start breaking traditions and while ShinY took a bold (and maybe a little clumsy) step, Yeti (www.yetistudios.co.uk) just released Gun Metal 2 and decided to still stick with the compatibility doctrine. However, they also released a GunMetal benchmark v1.2s to show how the game could look if a wide variety of DX9 features were accessed. This limits the compatible graphics boards to a selected few, like ...

- 3D Labs' Wildcat VP series
- ATI's Radeon series
- Matrox' Parphelia series
- nVidia's GeForce series

Same limitations already apply to ShinY's/Atari's Enter the matrix, and I can only guess that it might have been because of the Wachowski bros. being directly involved and wanted to see the product in it's best quality. The only 'clumsy' part about that is the fact that even in so-called Safe Mode the game uses a good set of advanced functionality. Then again, the bullet traces in focus mode may not have been possible, and how good would be a Matrix game without it?

The good news, however, is that technology for full DX9 support already exists for 3 years and some boards already dropped below $100. Hence, the pain of upgrading may be eased a little bit. (It doesn't have to be a FX5900, Radeon9800, WildCat VP880 Pro or Parphelia, but it sure will help push limits further.)

A good way to determine if your system is ready for the next step are these two benchmarks ...
- 3DMark03 v3.3 (180MByte) ... www.futuremark.com
- Gun Metal DX9 Benchmark (50Mbyte) ... www.yetistudios.co.uk