No I didn't know what that meant, thanks for informing me though, now I feel dumb heheh. Actually I had known about those people but never knew the term for it. Anyway this is too much off topic so i'll stop for now.

It's Jada's Body, But You Can Use It

Dodge bullets in slo-mo with the video game, Enter the Matrix

By Chris Taylor

Hey, sit back, and take in The Matrix Reloaded passively in a darkened theater if you want. But for the real red-pill experience, you're going to have to swap that bucket of popcorn for a console and controller. The Wachowski brothers, raised on video games, always intended it that way—and created an intricate plot for a game called Enter the Matrix that wraps around the second movie like one strand of a DNA double helix around another.

Video games with cinematic tie-ins are often wan, but Enter the Matrix is rich, complex and compelling—almost a new movie in itself. In production since February 2001, it puts Jada Pinkett Smith's Niobe—not exactly a central figure in The Matrix Reloaded—front and center. There are two hours' worth of new scenes that pop up between levels, and Pinkett Smith submitted to several months of highly advanced "mo-cap"—a motion-capture technique that turns body movements into digital information—so that you're literally playing as her.

As the game opens, Niobe, along with fellow supporting character Ghost, has to retrieve a letter that has been left for them by the crew of the Osiris, shown in the Animatrix short, The Final Flight of the Osiris—a letter that shows up in Neo's hands, with scant explanation, in the movie. Tantalizing intersection points like this are the Wachowskis' way of making you drop another $50 on their world the day after you leave the theater. (The game will be released the same day as the movie on all formats: PC, PS2, Xbox and GameCube. TIME got an exclusive prerelease look.)

Of course, there would be no point to a Matrix game in which you couldn't dodge bullets in slow motion while the camera sweeps around you. You don't have to be a trigger-twitching teen to play: simply press a button, and time slows down, allowing you to deliver martial-arts moves and avoid being strafed at a more middle-aged pace.

Shiny Entertainment, the Orange County, Calif., company charged with bringing the Wachowski vision to the gaming world, sent its staff to live on the set of the movie in Sydney for 20 weeks. The group took 25,000 photos and digitally scanned the heads of every A-list actor. More than 2,000 movements were mo-capped. "There are 30 different ways of walking," boasts David Perry, president of Shiny. Niobe and crew can walk, sprint or scamper, just like you.

There are almost as many ways to play the game. As with the movie, shooting and martial arts are only part of the picture. To outwit the Agents and Sentinels, you will have to brush up on your driving skills, Grand Theft Auto-style. You might also want to learn to hack. At one point in the game, you're faced with a green computer screen, a blinking DOS prompt and no instructions on how to proceed. Perry says he wants players to be staring slack-jawed at the screen—just as Neo was when he received his "knock, knock" message from Trinity in the original movie.

That may ultimately make Enter the Matrix a little beyond the reach of less tech-savvy gamers, but it will increase the Internet buzz about the game—and the Wachowskis' street cred. If in the future no self-respecting sci-fi director can make a movie without producing a video game at the same time, blame the brothers. Like the film that spawned it, Enter the Matrix already has the makings of a cult classic.

I'm definitely getting this, pre-ordered at EB and got the "bonus" DVD, which has a cool Animatrix Anime feature, some cool behind the scenes making of stuff, etc. I know, no gift card, but I'd rather preorder and stroll in whenever than try race to BB or CC after work, fighting the crowds and hoping to snag a copy. So I'll see the movie then pick up the game on the way home. Sweet Thursday!

Are the video sequences, 720p live action (the extra film footage shot exclusively for the game) or is it animated cut scenes?

MMMMmmmmmmm, Booth Babes page!!!

Im interested in the dvd...i sent ya an email.

after seeing the movie, (projectionist friend..)and playing the game, all I can say is definitely play AFTER the movie. The story makes sense and you wont possibly spoil anything for yourself...I would buy this right away, as I think copies might be "dry" at first as the movie is so good anyone with a system is going to want the game...Also, BB WILL sell if you ask politely for it out of the back It seems everyone has had it for nearly a week...which would explain how they can do a national "rollout" at the same time, same day....

Screw a game with that has fighting at its center yet has such a superficial fighting system.

???

This game is also out on the PC this week....

Just bit it and pre-ordered the game. Call me a victim of hype. Will pick it up tomorrow and see what it's like. I guess if it sucks I can always take it back to Gamestop.

Or trade it to me

Still on the fence debating whether to pick up the GCN or PS2 version, or neither. Which are you guys getting?

I got the PS2 version for the simple fact that I have a PS2. Getting the Bonus DVD and a bookmark too. Ooooohhhhh.

Can anyone help me? I'm stuck on the level where you have to shoot the airplane tires out with the sniper rifle from the control tower? It says to go to the red observation deck, but where is that? I'm using the Ghost character btw.

im stuck in the stupid airport as well, but with the chick. I suggest uninstalling and never speaking of the horrible game again

I have reserved a copy of Enter the Matrix at my local Gamestop, along with the bonus dvd. My question is: is the bonus dvd worth the $10 gift card that I'd get if I bought it at Circuit City? Could someone who has seen the dvd please give a breakdown of its contents?

I've only played a bit so far... I think it's decent...not great.... the movie stuff is the best part, for sure... also, the bullet-time is ****ing sweet... but some of the controls are really stiff, and the graphics are ho-hum, but I got a good deal, so I'm not gonna whine about it... gotta go play more....

MATT

I just saw someone playing the final level at the local game store (I won't spoil anything except to say it looked really tedious). It was the Gamecube version. The graphics in-game were decent (nothing jaw-dropping), but the character textures in the in-game cinemas were terrible. Really low-res. And the models themselves looked rather blocky.

Switching from the in-game cinemas to the FMV with the real actors was a little jarring. There was too much discrepancy between the two in terms of quality, and it didn't mesh the game and FMV together, it just kinda cut between them. It wasn't even close to the quality in LOTR:TTT, where the FMV would fade into the game itself.

Just my thoughts after seeing this briefly. I would buy this if it weren't for three things:

1. The driving levels look rather out-of-place with the rest of the game. Would rather have a straight beat-em-up like Max Payne instead of all these different types of alternating gameplay.

2. The flying levels don't look entertaining at all, and I've read as much from others who have played the game. Again, looks like filler to give the game some length.

3. Graphics. I would pick up the Xbox version if I got this game, but I'm concerned they developed for the lowest common denominator (PS2), which explains the bad textures and models. If the Xbox version looks noticably better, I may reconsider.

4. Game length. I'm just as bad as the other person when it comes to finishing games I've purchased, so who am I to hold this against it. But it does seem like this game could be finished in a full afternoon of gaming - not something I'd spend $50 on.

It really appears Shiny bit off a little more than they could chew with this. Seemingly years in development, it looks more like recent titles that other developers have churned out in mere months.

When the only thing a game has to hang it's hat on is that it has 30 different ways of walking, well, that's trouble...

Jeremy

OK, but nothing spectacular.

Has anyone else noticed that Niobi runs like Forrest Gump?

RUN NIOBI RUN!!!

I'll wait so see some actual reviews first. I'm surprised there areen't any yet.......

I bit. I just picked it up. I had a $10 gift card and a 20% off awards card from Kaybee Toys.

Maybe I should have saved it for Brute Force.

Picked up the GCN version along with the $10 GC this afternoon at Best Buy for $50. I actually had to bring in my Circuit City ad to match, because Best Buy was only running the $10 GC promotion with purchase of the PS2, XBox, and PC versions. They wouldn't let me use a $5 off coupon, because of the fine print stating "not to be used in conjunction with any other offer." (I assume the other offer being the $10 gift card, and not the price match.) That was annoying, but I'm sure others may have success with it.

Played about 10 minutes of the game to check it out. Pretty cool so far. Had my first "whoa" moment when I ran up the side of a wall in bullet time and kicked a baddie in the head. I'm going to save the rest for after I see the movie.

Saw the movie and bought the game on Thursday. I got the PS2 version at BB w/ $10 gift card. I also had no luck using the $5 off coupon.

As for the game...I played for about a half hour and so far, it's just ok, imo. The in-game bullet-time is pretty badass and the FMV sequences are top-notch. However, there are many things that just aren't refined. Like Gromit said, Niobi's running motion is very awkward - the words herky and jerky come to mind...and just wait til you see the fence climbing... Also, the controls aren't very sensative, so you oftentimes find yourself overkicking, overpunching, or overshooting. This was just my initial impression, though, seeing as I still have a lot of gaming to go (hopefully).

I rented the game at BBV yesterday and got to play for a bit. So far the levels seem really short and rather easy. Graphics aren't all that great, and the controls imho are pretty bad. It was worth the $0.99 i rented it for (thank you BBV for your pricematch policy)


I just finished the first driving part with Niobi after a little over an hour of playing btw...can anyone tell me about how far into the game i am?

I don't get how some people can complain about EVERY game out there. I think this game is fantastic! Great movies, the ability to play it all the way through w/2 different players, 3 difficulty levels, tremendous music and film scenes, variety of missions, easy controls, etc. TOTALLY worth my $50.