Date: 2008-11-02 11:52:02 Created: null
Played on Playstation 2 ...
My expectations were low on this game. Even if it was Shiny, and even if I've had quite different opinions than reviewers before, so many reviewers in unison couldn't be all wrong could they? And the trailers I'd seen didn't seem all that impressive either. Nevertheless, Henrik found it as a rental, and at that level it wasn't anything to think about. I went over and played, and my initial reactions are quite positive. It's just fun to play, and I think it's a well made game for many in that odd million of buyers that may not be too much into games before. It's easy to pull off lots of great looking moves, floor three enemies at once and generally look cool (although the running and climbing animations really aren't that cool looking), just the way you want a Matrix game to be when you think about it. The few cinematics I've seen so far have been nice too, with the in-game ones having a bit more style and movie-feel than I expected (turns out the Wachowskis had a part in those too).
And of course, you get plenty of Matrix code flowing over the screen while loading and at other times. That's a plus by itself.
It's not earth shattering, and it probably would have been even better given more time for polish. But I still feel that it's a solid game. A little rough around the edges, sure, but it's fun to play and does feel like the Matrix, despite what some other people might say.
It works, that's it.
I'm going back to play more tomorrow night, so stay tuned :-) ...
Yes, this is still a solid, fun game. The pacing is really good, and the stages are just the right length that you can take replaying them even if you fail at the very last part of them. We've only passed one driving segment so far, and it didn't really feel like we got a grip on it. It wasn't as much fun as the main offering, that's for sure.
The rent has been returned, and it's left us with much better impressions than expected. The next step is looking for a second hand copy somewhere. We want to see the whole thing!