At a glance...

Previewer	Platform	Publisher	Developer	Players	Release Date	Screenshots
Matt Bailey	PC	Cenega	Plastic Reality Technologies	1	18th August 2006	Here

El Matador preview

Betas have bugs. That statement sums up the response you can give to all problems with pre-release products, but the statement doesn't often ring as true as it does for El Matador. The code I've been playing is filled with them, and I hope that they're removed in time for the game's release in two weeks. Of course, there's the likelihood that I've been using months-old code, but currently character clipping, graphical glitches, camera issues, and general stability are among the issues which unfortunately dominated my impression of the game.

Still, it's unfair to spend this preview moaning about issues which you hopefully will not see upon release, especially as underneath is a rather impressive-looking third-person action title. Despite the title, El Matador doesn't feature bull fighting; instead you take on the role of an agent of the US' DEA, operating against an organised crime syndicate in South America. Hence the Spanish title. Anyway, the storyline features a tale of revenge and justice, although this was absent in the three-level version I played.

Instead the preview was showcasing the key point of this action title; the action. El Matador could fairly be described as being somewhere between Max Payne and FarCry. It follows Remedy's third-person shooter in a number of ways, not least because they're in the same genre, and both lead characters are agents of the DEA. More importantly, El Matador shares the ability to perform a range of bullet-time moves in limited doses, and when you like for maximum effect. A simple button press can take you in and out of the slow-mo effect which offers greater accuracy, while another will send you jumping in a direction while gunning down a foe. It's one of the features that seemed to work best, and was often very satisfying to pull off, even if it does lack originality. El Matador also has rag-doll physics which sends bodies - when not clipping walls - into interesting positions, though the game's overall physics often felt far too light, and hopefully will be tweaked before release.

The FarCry association comes from the game's ability to pull off luscious jungle environments. The graphics engine is doing a good job between the bugs, and can perform a range of impressive effects that add to the atmosphere. What the preview code did well was show the versatility of the engine, with a range of environments on offer; not only is the jungle present, but a fairly realistic urban setting played a part in one level, with the immediate impression of an impoverished South American city.

Whether El Matador deserves to be associated with either of these high-calibre series is a matter still to be decided. At the moment, when looking past the problems, there's the potential for a good title, but unfortunately only that. The game currently lacks some sort of creative spark; some sense of originality that will take it outside of the increasingly crowded third-person action genre, especially without sandbox gameplay. Maybe this will come together with the game's storyline, and properly working code, but it remains to be seen how the game will succeed.

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