Enter the Matrix - PS2 (RESTART)

Released to coincide with the screening of The Matrix Reloaded, Enter the Matrix takes place in the same time frame as the film. As either Niobe, the female counterpart to Morpheus, or Ghost, the "spiritual martial arts warrior," you must stop the machines that rule the planet from annihilating the few remaining "real" humans. Of course, once you're connected to the matrix, you'll have access to hundreds of authentic martial arts choreographed maneuvers and, of course, weapons—lots of weapons. You'll also get to experience the thrill of high-speed driving and pilot a hovership through the haunted tunnels beneath the Earth. Want to know how deep the rabbit hole goes?

Unlike typical movie tie-ins, Enter the Matrix has benefited from creative input from key players in the film, both in front of and behind the camera. Jada Pinkett-Smith and Anthony Wong, who play Niobe and Ghost, respectively, have reprised their roles from the films to create an extra hour of exclusive footage and recreate all the action from the film. Using groundbreaking motion capture techniques, both characters have been recreated in exquisite detail. And while you won’t be able to play as them, Neo (Keanu Reeves), Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) will all make appearances throughout the story (which effectively overlaps with The Matrix Reloaded).

Behind the scenes, the Wachowskis wrote an entire side story that parallels the one told in the second installment of the trilogy and guided the direction of the game, both artistically and in terms of gameplay. Fight choreographer Yuen-Wo Ping supervised the motion capture of hundreds of moves. Even the set designers pitched in, helping to set up the game's "sets."

During the on-foot action-adventure portions, you'll spend much of your time battling Agents (and a mysterious vampire menace) using your "focus" to activate the famous "bullet time" effect and slow down your enemies' movements. Occasionally, you'll find yourself behind the wheel of various cars, engaging in thrilling driving sequences based on the incredible highway chase scene from The Matrix Reloaded. Back in the real world, you'll have to protect Zion from the onslaught of tentacled Sentinels, guiding the Logos through miles of disused underground tunnels and annihilating droids with the enormous firepower at your disposal.

Enter the Matrix is not just a video game set in a movie universe. It is an integral part of the multimedia experience that the Wachowskis intend to create. Not only do some of the events of the game intersect with Matrix Reloaded, but the movie also converges on ETM. If you haven't seen one or played the other, you'll never know the full picture. It's heartening to know that Enter the Matrix is ​​a highly playable and polished title with high production values, and that it is not so much the game of the movie as the game within the movie. The best movie tie-in ever? We'll leave it to you to decide...

Characteristics:

• Thousands of fighting techniques, choreographed by Yuen-Wo Ping.
• Control two characters, each with different abilities and individual story paths.
• Over an hour of footage made specifically for the game.
• "Connect" to the console.
• Meet key characters from the film, such as Neo, Trinity and Morpheus.