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 enlarge | From: Atari Inc.
Category: Video Games
List Price: $19.99
Buy New: $5.95 (On sale from $5.97)
You Save: $0.02
New (24) Used (15) from $2.56
Avg. Customer Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 3415
Platform: Playstation2
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Edition: Standard
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Operating System: Playstation 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 26500
Model: 26500
UPC: 742725265004
EAN: 0742725265004
ASIN: B0009PETYO
Release Date: September 8, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
The first good matrix game November 21, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
There have only been a couple of matrix games made ENTER THE MATRIX which was mediocore and THE MATRIX ONLINE which has not proven to be something all that great. But with the Path of Neo there is success. PLaying as neo is truly awsome the amount of pain you dish out is awsome and the moves you pull off will leave you in awe.
The game has a lot going for it mainly you play as neo. There are lots of moves to learn and the melee weapons are fun to use and there are lots of asses to be kicked. THe game goes through all three movies adding on stuff so you have more to play the story is the same as before with several minor changes so as to give you more playing time. The graphics are so so sometimes they look great and sometimes they look like crap no major complaints there.
One of the best things about the game is some of the levels. These levels are basically taken from the movies and really capture the essence of the matrix and playing them is a hella fun. The big shootout near the end of the first matrix is made perfectly in the game and the awsome smith fight is done extremely well beating the hell outa hundreds of smith was truly sweet. But some of the levels are lackluster and were just thrown in so as to not have a really short game and still the game is not that long maybe twelve hours at the most. It is a fun experiance but fifty bucks isn't gonna cut for me. The path of neo is the best matrix game out there but there isn't enough in the package to justify shelling out fifty dollars.
 This game RULES!!!! November 20, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Even though I was hugely dissappointed by Enter the Matrix, I decided to get a copy of Path of Neo because the screenshots on the internet looked pretty decent. Little did I know that Path of Neo would surpass my expectations. Not only does it do the Matrix series justice, it's also just a great game in general, with great atmosphere, great graphics and great fighting action. I also love that the environments are destructive. Adds to the intensity and fun. The style of fighting is very true to the film and being able to kick into bullet time makes the game very authentic feeling and super slick. Very satisfying that the characters really look like those in the film, the orchestral score has the same feel as the film and I'm so thankful that the Walchalski Bros scripted the game. It all ends up making you feel like you are in an interactive movie, and being a Matrix film lover, I couldn't pick a better film to be interactive in!
Not wonderful, but not horrible. November 20, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Okay, here's the deal. The Matrix Path of Neo is awesome in some places but in others can get very old or just very annoying. The training programs for example, personaly I thought that the training programs lasted way to long. They just got very repetitive. And the part that I really hate with a passion is when the Merovingian puts you inside this maze type thing. It was never in the movie added nothing to the game plot made no sense at all and just overall really started to irritate me. Now, please don't misunderstand me, the game is still really good. I love the Matrix and I have to say my expectations for this game were extremely high, which may also be why I don't find absolutly perfect. The game play is really good. I really love the way the movie footage was chopped up and put into the game. The way it was done it was almost like looking into glimpses of someone elses memories. I think I like the controls for Enter the Matrix better though. Mainly because of the gun thing. In Enter the Matrix you can push R1 to take out one of your guns and it stays out and ready to fire until you push square. Path of Neo you have hold down R2 and the second you let off of it your gun gets put away. So you're trying to hold down R2 while also trying to hold down R1 while trying to keep L1 held down to use focus. Overall really cool game but not perfect. Enter the Matrix wasn't perfect either but still cool.
 Is Neo the One? November 20, 2005
90 out of 95 found this review helpful
Finally, after SIX FRIGGIN YEARS, we finally get to play as the big guy himself from the Matrix trilogy! That's right, put your hands together, because you play as...Mouse!
Just kidding! Unlike the last matrix game, this time you finally get to play as the savior of mankind, Neo. Was it worth the wait? From my point of view, yes.
Before we go any further, I'd like to give everyone a warning about the game. WHEN YOU SEE A WHITE SCREEN AND TWO CHAIRS COMING TOWARDS YOU, SKIP THIS CUTSCENE! IF YOU DON'T, THE GAME WILL RUIN THE ENDING FOR YOU!
There we go. I apologize if I gave you the impression that I was shouting, but I wish that someone had told me this before I played the game. More on this later.
At first glance, Path of Neo simply seems to be a reworked Enter the Matrix, except that you play as Neo, and with better graphics. In a way that's true, because Path of Neo (PON) is a third person game where you run around shooting lots of guns, getting into lots of hand to hand combat, and doing cool matrix moves.
What all is different here from Enter the Matrix? Better graphics for one. While lots of people don't seem to think the graphics are bad, they really aren't. They are better then Enter the Matrix and have a higher level of quality. There are lots of moments where I went "Wow" when seeing some spectacular scenery. But, as many have pointed out, when you get up close and personal, the graphics can get pretty blocky and unimpressive. Overall, I'd say the graphics are pretty good, but not earth-shattering.
But gameplay always takes superiority over graphics. And while it stumbles along the way, PON for the most part succeds. If you haven't guessed already from the title, you play PON from Neo's point of view. You start out as wimpy Mr. Anderson, running from cops and armed only with a push move. As the game moves on, you slowly begin to unlock powerful moves one by one, further transforming yourself from a wimply desk worker to an ass-kicking trenchcoat fighter (who knows kung-fu!).
The meat and potatoes of PON is it's fighting engine. While the last game was a half and half mix between firing weapons and doing button mashing, PON places a bigger emphasis on hand to hand combat. While you can get into big gunfights if you want to, more often then not you'll be getting up close and personal with your feet and with your fists. Herin lies PON's greatest strength. The hand to hand combat system is a lot better and a lot more satisfying then Enter the Matrix was. While you could breeze through the last game simply by mashing buttons, you have to actually work and memorize combos to get through PON.
But you don't have to worry about seeing the combination for a move only once, then try to memorize it. PON has a nifty feature to help you out. When you get into hand to hand combat with an enemy, the game oftentimes suggests what buttons to press by showing the button in the left corner of the screen. For example, start punching an enemy with the triangle button, and the game will show the square button, suggesting that you should press that button to disarm the enemy. This feature is extremly useful, and helps you learn the various moves quickly.
And oh boy...you get some incredibly powerful moves througout the game. By the end of your journey as Neo, you'll be smashing jaws, punching people twenty times in five seconds, and smashing your foe's skulls into the ground while you stand on them. Shiny has put virtually all of Neo's moves from the movies into the game, and it's great fun to do them yourself, including his "run up guy's chest and kick him in head" move to "Slam both fists into an enemy, sending them flying across the room". Pulling off these moves eventually becomes a breeze, and when you get really good at it, you will really feel like you are Neo, because you can take down any foe you come across. Late in the game, agents won't be able to get even close to you without flying across the room from a well placed kick.
If you don't feel like doing hand to hand combat, you can take up gunfighting. Neo will come across a large array of weapons during his path as the One (though the variety of weapons is nowhere near as big as the last game). You get pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, bombs, even grenade launchers (very useful against helicopters). All of these weapons get the job done, but trust me, you'll have much more fun punching your foes! Though I have to admit, flying through the air in slow motion while firing in every possible direction is quite cool!
Because you are the one, and because you are aware that the matrix is an illusion, you have the abillity to focus yourself and use the illusion to your advantage. Focus returns from the last game, but it's slightly tweeked. Focus is essentially the ability to move faster, punch harder (much harder) and use exclusive moves that are physically impossible to pull off. With the touch of a button, you can stop bullets, dodge bullets, leap high into the air, take out up to four foes at once, and so much more. You'll even be able to activate code vision, which allows you to see those famous green lines that make up the matrix.
While the game does contain virtually every action sequence from all three movies (sorry guys, you can't have sex with trinity in Zion), it expands many of these scenes. For example, at the end of the first movie, Neo stopped bullets, destroyed Smith, and glared at the other agents. In the game, you stop the bullets, but then run through the rooms in the hallway, laying the smackdown on the agents. Likewise, after Neo beats up the Merovingians thugs (Sadly, you can't kill that french a**hole. Why?!), he has to journey through the guy's dungeons to reach Morpheus and Trnity. It's a blast to fight Smith, participate in the Burly brawl, and take to the skies in the explosive final battle from Revolutions.
There are several scenes put in exclusivly for the game that are not in the movie. Most of these scenes take place in the timeframe between movies 1 and 2, telling you some of the things that Neo did between the movies. In one truly brilliant level that should have been in the second movie, you run around T.V. filled hallways while Agent Smith ominously taunts you from the screens.
Sound and audio work well too. Laurence Fishburn (Morpheus) returns to do new audio for his charachter and does a great Job. For everyone else we have imitators who do a really good job (but Agent Smith sounds nothing like he was in the movie). The music is...well, music. Almost nothing from the movie's soundtrack made it in, but the new stuff is simply average.
There are also a good amount of jokes in the game, poking fun at movie critics ("Oh I get it, the black suited guy is the savior of humanity!"), video game critics ("Video games are teaching our children violence!"), and video games themselves ("I got the high score on Time Crisis"). My favorite joke comes from Agent Smith. When you get cut off from him, he keeps talking to you "I know you're in there Mr. Anderson! I can...smell you!"
But alas, PON does make a few foulups along the way, mostly with control, repetitivness, and the final battle.
The control is probably the biggest problem that you'll face in PON. It's a very strange setup which takes the better part of an hour or two to get the hang of. Gunplay in paticular is terrible. You press R2 to pull out your gun (which is selcted with the left and right buttons), use the right analog stick to select your target, then press square to fire. During all of your gun battles, you'll also be moving with the left analog stick, jumping through the air and using focus as well, meaning that you'll be pressing more buttons as well. So you'll be running around, focusing, jumping, targeting, and shooting all at the same time. It's frustrating to get the hang of, but thankfully, it eventually becomes second nature.
The repetivitvness is another problem. All but two of the game's missions eventually boil down to "Run around and beat everyone up". This is fun, but the game suffers from a lack of variety in the missions. The only exceptions are the opening stealth level and a turret shooting level.
The storytelling in the game is a joke. The game does feature clips and scenes from all the matrix movies (and the animatrix as well), but the editing is in a fast cut/music video style, which just doesn't work. I was able to figure out what was going on, but the storytelling in the game is very sloppy and doesn't work. Seeing all the movies is necessary before you play the game.
Some sections of the game are also quite short. The burly brawl sequence lasts less then five minutes, not even enough time to beat up the Smith's you want to.
The biggest issue I have with the game is with the final battle, and the ending. Before you worry, i'm not going to reveal what they are.
The final battle from Revoltuions is the game's final level, where you fight Smith on the street, in the air, in the building, and in the crater. But after that battle is over, the game has you do one final fight that's not from the movie. It starts out with a cutscene of the Wachowski brothers coming onscreen and explaining why they changed the ending of the game from the movie. In the process, they tell you what the final battle is before you play it, giving away any suprise that you might have had. This is an enormously stupid mistake that ruined the battle for me. It's like the director of the sixth sense showing up on screen five minutes before the end of the movie and saying, "Well, I had this in mind for the ending, but I decided to make it so that Bruce Willis was a ghost the entire time. Enjoy the suprise ending!". I can't see how the wachowski brothers did this. If you want the final confrentation to be a suprise, you don't give it away before people play it!
So when you see a white screen with two chairs coming towards you, skip the scene. Trust me, you won't miss anything. I wish someone had told me about this.
And the battle itself? Well...uhm...uh...it's really one of those things that you really hate, or that you find fairly amusing. It feels like it could be in the movie, yet it wouldn't work. In stort, I expected to find the battle in a superman comic book, rather then in a scene from the matrix saga.
The claim, "An all new ending" is a lie. The ending is just two clips from the ending of revolutions put together, lasting about fourty seconds. Then the credits play. And the ending that is givin to you is enormously unsatisfying. Here, I do need to give a small spoiler, so if you want to stay completely spoiler free for the ending, look away! ******The game doesn't tell you, show you, or even hint at what happens to Neo after the game ends. It should be no suprise that he surivives the final battle with Smith in the game, yet the game doesn't show you what happens to him. It's INCREDIBLY dissapointing********
So in the end, your reward for all your hard work is a fizzled, half-baked ending that is a big letdown.
But I don't want to paint a poor picture of PON. When it's fun, it's really fun. It's heads and tails about Enter the Matrix, and is every matrix fan's dream come true. If you want to play as Neo, and if you are a big fan of the movies like I am, then you'll have a lot of fun with this game.
I should also say that PON is one of those games that you should rent before you buy. And even then, don't buy it for full price. Wait until it sells for about twenty dollars, and you'll get a much better deal.
If you really like the matrix triogy, then you'll most likely like this game.
When You're rerady, You won't have to play this game.... November 14, 2005
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I love the matrix, hell, thats why I traded in 4 of my previous PS2 titles to get some store credit on this "gem". Basically I paid $17 for this one, Which sadly, is what it SHOULD cost. Hold your pitchforks, I'm not bashing it. In fact, there are definetly moments and subtle new story branches that I felt added to matrix ethos much like the animatrix did, which I loved. But upon instantly placing the disc into my PS2, I cringed at the graphics and thought, what were the reviewers playing when they raved about these effects? the textures are like military camoflauge pants, that bad. On the plus side, as you progress, you really start to feel like Neo, and by the end of the game, even the toughest Smith can't touch you. I thought I was truly "the one" but it just turns out that the game is easy, much like Jet Li's Rise to Honor and can be beaten in LESS than a weekend. I beat this one in a day with time to replay some parts that I liked. $50? Oh no sir, I must say you're wrong! Watching each movie back to back would take longer, is that what they were going for? Damn Watchowski's!
But there are some delightful moments, and some really annoying ones too, such as the Escher mansion puzzle stage where you fight....ANTS? duh, it's the matrix, and apparently the Watchowski's were tripping on acid when they thought of this part. And their "new" ending?. Put it this way, after going through it, I wished Neo had just died like in the pictures. Being a matyr wouldnt be so bad. It is HORRID and LAME, I think they just gave up on sensibility, any REAL matrix fan could have done alot better. Overall, enjoy rockin' this one and doing Neo's awesome moves for a day. After you beat it, you can select "scenes" so there's no reason to play through it again. The unlockable cheats arent worth the time. Im really debating selling this one and getting something else, the fan in me disagrees, but my gamer side says "on to the next challenge". When you initially get past the coolness of being Neo, which lasts as long as the game, theres no reason besides nostalgia to play it again. However, if you watch the movies at least once a week, get this game. You probably think you're Neo right now.
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