At a glance...

Reviewer	Platform	Publisher	Developer	Players	Screenshots
Matt Bailey	PC/Mac	Cenega	Plastic Reality Technologies	1	Here
Requirements					Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Windows XP, 1.5GHz Processor, 512MB RAM, 128MB video card (with hardware pixel & vertex shaders support), sound card, 2.5GB HDD space, DVD-ROM drive					Click here to buy El Matador.

El Matador review

Betas have bugs. Full games don't. Well, we know from experience that the latter isn't quite so true, and El Matador is no different. However, we've gone from a bug-ridden experience to one with only minor issues; gone are the major graphical glitches, camera issues, and problems with stability that we encountered in the preview code. Instead we're left with the game that it was trying to show me.

If you've read the preview, then you'll be aware that El Matador comes across as a game very much in the vein of Max Payne. Like the Remedy title, the game is a third-person action shooter starring an agent of the DEA, and contains the ability to perform a variety of bullet-time moves. While it may not quite live up to the high standards of its influence, it is still a solid game. The mechanics - which weren't broken in the preview - are fundamentally simple; move around and shoot things, and generally have a good time with it. The bullet-time, one of the game's more advanced components, does work well. Again, like Max Payne, you have a bar depicting the amount of slow-mo action you can perform, with the tab button flicking you in and out of that mode. Hitting shift and a direction also gives you a 'free' slow-mo move, such as jumping forward. All in all, the gameplay is enjoyable, but the most disappointing thing is that, despite this working well, it doesn't provide an experience that is fundamentally different from a game that is now 5 years old.

Getting past the basics, El Matador shows that despite sharing a job with Max Payne, its hero likes to operate in a different arena; South America. The story sees you operating in the continent to bring down an organised crime syndicate which, with your DEA role, probably means some drugs are involved. After a military-style training session, the game plonks you down in tough urban environments, working alongside teams of other agents. While they aren't controllable, they are useful, particularly when the difficulty—even on normal—will take you by surprise early on in the game. While this challenge is often welcome, it can be inconsistent. Sometimes you'll be able to run and gun into situations, and then a few moments later you'll find yourself overcome by an onslaught of shotgun-welding enemies. Even the 'boss fights'—which occur multiple times in a level—weren't necessarily the most difficult parts. The relative ease combined with moments of extreme difficulty will often see you reaching to restart; quick-saving is a necessity, so as to avoid having to start a level from scratch after dying unexpectedly—a tactic that saved me several times.

Still, El Matador remains enjoyable, as it later takes you through to the jungle stages. These look Far Cry inspired, and give a good chance for the graphics engine to be shown off. While not likely to challenge the likes of Crysis, the engine does a good job of rendering both the urban and jungle environments. What appears to be an in-house effort, it does well in providing a range of effects that can make the game look beautiful at times. It's also good to see it without the glaring graphical issues that plagued the unfinished edition, though there are still a few minor issues. The shadows, in particular, still look a bit rough, but the biggest issue was actually gameplay stopping. On one occasion, after a short period of slow down, I found the camera to be stuck, but the player was still moving. The character would continue to point in the direct the camera was facing, though, creating some odd viewpoint situations. Reloading the save didn't work, and it actually required quitting the game and starting it up again to solve it. While this may sound like a major issue, I have yet to replicate it, and I'm sure it can be fixed with a simple patch.

While the criticisms of how the game plays are few, the fundamental issue remains that the game simply does not tread on new ground. As good as the base of the game may be, it's worrying that there's nothing here to really inspire you. In fact, it's for this reason that I had trouble writing the review for a while; the game's lack of originality makes it difficult to write about, with Max Payne itself summing up most of what the game does. A lack of multiplayer features, or any significant replay value, leaves El Matador simply feeling like a good, solid title, but nothing more.

Ratings

Graphics	Some nice effects, but nothing mind-blowing.	8/10
Gameplay	Solid and enjoyable, but not particularly original.	7/10
Value	You get quite a good length of main game, but there's little else for your money.	7/10
Lifespan	The main game should give you quite a challenge – even if it is a bit uneven in doing so. Once this is done though, there's nothing more to do.	7/10
Audio	Sound effects are fine, but nothing better, while the voice acting is rather patchy.	7/10
Overall	El Matador is a fundamentally a good game, but it's not a particularly special one. It does things mostly right, but it's treading on paths that have been created by the likes of Max Payne and fails to create its own. Still, it's worth a pick up for third-person action fans, and those with a need for more slow-mo action.	7/10

Click here to buy El Matador from Amazon.co.uk.

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