Enter the Matrix
Enter the Matrix is a Xbox fighting game released in 2003 developed by Shiny Entertainment. It centers on story, case, or mission progress, offense-defense reads, and character matchups, with controls and information arranged around the Duke or Controller S twin sticks, analog triggers, directional pad, and face buttons.
- AI score · out of 10
- 6.3 / 10
About this game
Enter the Matrix is a Xbox fighting game centered on story, case, or mission progress, offense-defense reads, and character matchups. Short bouts use character differences and rising difficulty for variety, with progress divided into stages, tasks, matches, or growth milestones that make immediate goals understandable. Its value depends on whether these rules continue to create judgment and room for mastery rather than on length, sales, or series recognition. Short campaigns are judged by repeat-challenge value, while longer ones are judged by variety, pacing, and recovery after failure. Animation, hit feedback, and readable arenas create match tension, while standard or progressive-scan video, widescreen support, HDD caching, and Dolby Digital audio need to preserve action, state, and text readability together. The genre-specific limitation is that button mapping, move recognition, multiplayer accessories, and cpu behavior can affect balance. Platform conditions also include disc loading, the internal HDD and cache, memory units, regional language, display modes, legacy controller ports, and retired Xbox Live services affect present-day use. This description covers only this platform release and does not import features or conveniences from remasters, emulators, or other console editions.
Collected in series
The Matrix games turn the films’ simulated world into martial arts, gunfights and gravity-defying movement. Some follow familiar heroes, while others explore events around them or the lives of new inhabitants. Slow-motion action and questions about the world’s reality give these different adventures a shared identity.
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Original Xbox
AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
Original Matrix footage and Focus have appeal, but weak encounters and Xbox usability faults keep the game from standing alone.
The original Xbox Enter the Matrix follows Niobe and Ghost during events alongside The Matrix Reloaded, using live-action footage filmed specifically for the game. Gunplay, hand-to-hand disarms and Focus slow motion can produce convincingly film-like motion, while a command-line hacking menu reveals records, clips and optional bonuses. These ideas make the adaptation more ambitious than a simple character license. Much of the two protagonists' level layout overlaps, however, and the plot assumes that players already know the film. More importantly, weak enemies are often beaten with basic disarms and punches, so the stylish systems are not consistently needed. The two contemporary Xbox reviewers differ on how much the film connection compensates for that, yet both document concrete usability costs. Third-person camera control is largely absent; GameSpot additionally reports occasional Xbox lockups and an awkward default firing button on the S controller. The Xbox edition's 1080i support is a real image advantage, not a cure for those faults. This score credits its distinctive licensed material and action ambitions without importing the movie's quality into the game itself. Fans seeking extra Matrix context may enjoy it more than players who need a self-contained campaign.
Strengths
- New footage and authentic film music
- Stylish Focus and disarm ideas
- Xbox high-resolution output
Weaknesses
- Weak AI underuses combat systems
- Overlapping routes and film-dependent plot
- Camera, button layout and occasional lockups
Who it is for: Matrix fans interested in the side story who can tolerate older action-game friction.
Play notes: Only the 2003 Xbox edition is assessed; its 1080i option does not describe other console releases.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension Two routes and hacking bonuses add interest, but shared levels and film-dependent storytelling limit replay. | Reviewed | 6.3 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Focus, disarms and gunplay look stylish, but weak enemy responses rarely demand the full system. | Reviewed | 6.2 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension New film footage and music add authenticity, but game animation and audio balance are uneven. | Reviewed | 7.4 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension 1080i helps image quality, but Xbox freezes, awkward firing placement and poor camera control hurt usability. | Reviewed | 5.0 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Shiny
- Publisher
- Atari
- Release date
- 2003
- Platforms
- Original Xbox
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Action · Primary genre
- Tags
- Real-time CombatSolo-friendlyCombosReplayableMain Story Under 10 HoursShort SessionsPlayer versus PlayerStory-driven3D GraphicsWarMelee CombatFast-paced
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Single player
- Perspectives
- Third person
Release editions
- Original XboxWorldwide2003
Game gallery
Sources
Not provided