Enter the Matrix

Enter the Matrix Production Credits Developer(s) Shiny Entertainment Publisher(s) Atari Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Engine N/A Distribution Release Date May 15, 2003 Genre(s) Sci-Fi/Action: Third Person Shooter Mode(s) Single Player, Multiplayer (Via Hacking Mode) Rating ESRB: Teen (T) ELSPA: 15+ PEGI: 16 ACB: M USK: 16 Platform Microsoft Windows PlayStation 2 Xbox GameCube Media CD, DVD-ROM, GameCube Optical Disc

Enter the Matrix is a video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube created by Shiny Entertainment for Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.

Enter the Matrix was designed to be an integral part of the Matrix film storyline. The game's primary characters included Niobe, captain of the hovercraft Logos and her crew: Ghost, her second in command, and Sparks, the ship's operator. Players could play as either Ghost or Niobe.

Gameplay

The first objectives of the game involved the retrieval of an emergency message drop from the Osiris (a storyline that appears in The Animatrix short film, "Final Flight of the Osiris"), a hovercraft believed to have been destroyed by Sentinels.

The game's features included the ability to "focus", where special abilities and clarity are gained for a limited time, allowing to perform superhuman feats similar to those depicted in the films.

The game also featured a meta-game called "Hacking", an old MS-DOS style prompt where players could "hack" parts of the in-game coding to input cheat codes and drop weapons, view art and in-game models, and interact with the crew of the Logos. An unfinished multi-player fighting game mode could be unlocked via the "Hacking" game.

Live Action Scenes

Much of the game's narrative is driven by 35mm film footage created specifically for the game, starring the game's main characters and several supporting characters, including the Oracle, Persephone, and the Merovingian. These film sequences, unlocked as the player progresses through the game, gives further detail into the Matrix storylines before and during the events of The Matrix Reloaded.

These scenes were later collected on the fourth disc in the Ultimate Matrix Collection, entitled The Matrix Reloaded Revisited .

Reaction

Despite high expectations, Enter the Matrix received generally harsh reviews. Many players were disappointed in some of the game's awkward controls, as well as expressing disappointment that they were not able to play any of the main characters of the Matrix films--in particular, Neo. Despite these major flaws, the game was a huge commercial success, with more than 5 millions units sold (according to VGChartz). It should also be noticed that it was the N°1 selling game after it's release, and also the most successful movie-based videogame in history at the time. It sold one million copies in its first eighteen days of release, 2.5 million over the first six weeks, and ultimately 5 million copies. Enter the Matrix bombed in a record time as Atari's most successful video-game launch title in terms of sales.

Despite the game's poor reviews, Shiny was given the reins for the second Matrix game, introduced approximately 2 years after the Matrix film series had concluded. The Matrix: Path of Neo used many features from Enter the Matrix, but allowed the player to play the character of Neo throughout his adventures in the film series. This game was more well-received and has been given generally favorable reviews.

Characters

Allies

• Ghost
• Niobe
• Sparks
• Ice
• Corrupt
• Seraph
• Malachi
• Bane
• Ballard
• Soren
• Binary
• Vector
• Axel
• Jax
• Morpheus
• Link
• Trinity
• Wurm
• Jacob
• Keymaker
• Persephone

Enemies

• Security Guards
• Dobermen
• Cujo
• Vlad
• Vamps
• Cain
• Abel
• The Twins
• Smith
• Agent Johnson
• Agent Jackson
• Agent Thompson
• Law Enforcement (Security and Police)
• S.W.A.T.
• The Merovingian

Gallery

Alternative European and Australian cover

Niobe cover

Ghost cover

DVD edition