Developed by: Shiny EntertainmentPublished by: Atari and WB Interactive
Published by: Atari and WB Interactive
Enter the Matrix is the first of the three Matrix games developed. It takes place parallel to the storylines of M2 and M3 and was even produced at the same time, costing over $30 million to produce - one of the most expensive games ever created.
The game features two hours of film footage written and directed just for the game by the Wachowskis (this is live action film with the same actors as in M2, not "rendered polygon" film). The film footage was later included as part of The Ultimate Matrix Collection on the "The Matrix Reloaded Revisited" DVD.
There is a lot of variety in gameplay, which includes martial arts, firefighting, and even "hacking" into the Matrix. It is played controlling either Niobe and Ghost (depending on what point in the game the player is at) from either a first person or third person point of view.
While the movie (M2) primarily follows Morpheus, Trinity and Neo, Enter the Matrix (ETM) shows us everything that Niobe and her crewmember Ghost go through at the same time. M2 gives us glimpses of it when we see Niobe catch Morpheus on her car's windshield and when we see Niobe blow up the power plants. A lot had to take place behind the scenes in order to set these things up in the movie.
First, Niobe and Ghost retrieve the message from the mail drop that Captain Thadeus and Jue arranged in Animatrix: Final Flight of the Osiris. The message reports the presence of diggers and hundreds of thousands of sentinels directly above Zion on the Earth's surface. They transmit the message to Zion, which leads to Commander Locke's ordering of the ship recall we see in the beginning of M2.
Inside the Matrix, when Niobe is on her way to the recall, she is approached by the Trainman at a subway payphone in the Matrix (the game was released before M2, so players didn't yet know who the Trainman is). The Trainman mumbles to her, "72 hours. That's exactly how long Zion lasted last time." When asked who he is, he says, "Me? Nobody. Just a spectator enjoying the ride. 72 hours."
At different points in the game, Niobe and Ghost are each kissed by Persephone in exchange for critical information they each need. We learn from Persephone that Ghost has a profound love for "someone who loves another," and we later learn that Niobe still loves Morpheus deep down inside, not Commander Locke. We also learn that Persephone studies the love not only of males but of females too.
After Trinity and Neo arrive at Zion and Neo is overwhelmed with people who need him (we see this scene in M2), Trinity joins into a simulation program that Ghost is engaged in (a Zen garden). Trinity throws a rock at him, and this begins a playful battle. When fighting, it doesn't matter if Ghost wins or loses against Trinity. Trinity and Ghost refer to each other as "Brother" and "Sister" since they were both freed from the Matrix on the same day. After that simulation, Trinity goes to meet Neo at the temple, which we see in M2.
The Oracle requests that Seraph protect her, and Seraph points out that he is "forever in her debt" and would do anything for her. She tells him "the shadow [Smith] has begun to spread." Presumably, he always protects the Oracle but is not always needed in close proximity to her.
Bane sabotages Ballard's ship (the Caduceus), then activates the EMP to knock out the other ships. This delays the diggers slightly, but not nearly as much as if Commander Locke's plan had been successful.
Niobe and Ghost each meet with The Oracle, and the Oracle explains why her appearance has changed: The Merovingian warned her that if she helped Neo, she would pay. Two programs she trusted sold the termination code of her original shell to the Merovingian to protect the life of their child. However, the Oracle allowed this to happen since she believes the child will one day change both her world and the real word forever.
The Oracle then tells Ghost that his unrequited love will "only ever love him as a friend, as her brother." This is the deciding clue that Ghost's love is for Trinity. However, Ghost is at peace with it.
Next, the Oracle explains what happened to Neo at the end of Reloaded: Neo touched the Source and separated his mind from his body. Now he lies trapped in a place between her world and the real world. Only Trinity can free him and she'll have to "fight her way through hell" to do it (a reference to the Merovingian's underground "Club Hel").
The Oracle bids each of them to "prepare those that stand on the front line of the coming trial." They all have a crucial part to play and must find the courage when they're most afraid to do what needs to be done. The end of the world is coming, unless they all play their part to save it. "The path of the One is made by the many." The Oracle also tells Niobe that Neo will need her help, and that help will rely on a choice she must make (referring to letting Neo take her ship to Machine City).
The Merovingian's servants Cain and Abel let the Keymaker escape from his cell in the Merovingian's chateau by purposefully leaving the Keymaker's door unlocked, and as soon as the Keymaker enters the backdoors, Cain and Abel steal the key meant for the One from the Keymaker. They wait until this moment in the backdoors probably to escape the Merovingian's sight within the Matrix. Abel has second thoughts about using the key and returns it to the Merovingian, who destroys it.
Enter the Matrix ends with Niobe's ship (Logos) running from Sentinels. With their ship powerless and trapped deep in an unmapped tunnel, Niobe, Ghost, and Sparks await rescue.
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