The Triangle

Issue date: 10/7/05 Section: Entertainment
Originally published: 10/7/05 at 8:40 AM EST
Last update: 10/7/05 at 8:40 AM EST

It has been called lackluster. It has been called mediocre. At times, it has been called insipid, that it has nothing to do with a movie-to-game translation and that overall no one would enjoy it.

Despite these and other negative criticisms hurled at it, Shiny and Atari's Enter the Matrix does a relatively good job keeping the Matrix universe connected.

The game is no more than an alternate side-story featuring two of the films' secondary characters, Niobe and Ghost, both members of the hovercraft "Logos." Niobe serves as Captain while Ghost is the second mate. Along with Sparks, their operator, the two jack into the virtual world of the Matrix to retrieve a particularly vital package from a post office. Within this package is a message of warning from Thaddeus, Captain of the hovercraft "Osiris." Thaddeus' message is a small continuation of the "Final Flight of the Osiris" short from the Animatrix. There, the Osiris crew discovered that over 200,000 machines, called Sentinels, were utilizing a monster-sized drilling machine to burrow their way into the last known human city, Zion.

With this discovery, the Osiris comes under attack, and Thaddeus has no other choice but to perform a broadcast drop transmission in the Matrix itself. He chooses his trusted partner Jue for the job. Their mission is successful, but it comes at a horrible price. Thaddeus and his entire crew are lost in the Sentinel attack.

Once Niobe and Ghost have the package, SWAT agents, police officers and eventually an Agent of the Matrix pursue them. The two manage to escape in order to play Thaddeus' message.

Afterward, the mission of the Logos crew gets even more dangerous. They have to face off with SWAT and police officers, Agents, vampires and even werewolves!

Despite appearances, the game follows a simple pattern. A player gets to choose either Niobe or Ghost and the controls are fairly easy to master. The left analog stick moves characters around the levels while the right analog stick switches to first-person view mode, so players can look around and get a better idea of what is going on around them. The triangle button allows the characters to punch or throw a grenade when the button is held down. The X button makes the characters jump, which is useful because they automatically grab hold of ledges this way. It is also used to slide down ladders. The square button is used to open doors, push buttons, put weapons away, perform a takedown move from behind or counter moves in hand-to-hand combat, and the circle button is used to kick opponents.

Continued...

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