Everything about the game is over-the-top, including the story, and in our book that’s no bad thing. Like diving around and shooting bad guys in slow motion? Buy this.
If you're into single-player FPS titles and enjoyed the Max Payne style but were looking for a little more action, then this is a great pick. El Matador has its downsides, but it can be a fun, but bumpy, ride.
Good but short action game full of over the top moments. At times the visuals are a bit cheap but all in all this game is a banger. Overall rating: 6.8.
Well, i like this game. El Matador isn't as good as Max Payne, but this game gives a fun. Can not recommend to everyone, but for sure for people who do not require more than a decent shooting.
I got El Matador from a $20 sale on all 1C games on Gamers Gate. I say this just in case it may affect how I regard the game and how you may regard it's worth. Not much to say other then it is a Eastern European game.
Story:
The story involves you as a DEA agent who is sent to Columbia to take down a drug cartel. That is literally the story. The game does give you back-story on why you are in each location but other then that there is no additional story until the beginning of the final two levels in chapter 6. It's weird as it feels like the game was meant to have a bigger story due to how they introduced the characters in the first three chapters, but then the rest of the chapters don't do that. It feels kind of trolly as it gets you interested but fails to take off. Just imagine the exciting moment of a launch of a shuttle except it never takes off when the announcer says liftoff. It's a shame as the story could have been interesting with all the pieces of characters and settings they had.
Game-play:
El Matador is a third person Max Paine clone that is old school style. It was literally made with the Max Payne 2 engine and has the same weapons. This means there is no hand holding, no recharging health and armor, controls well, responds quick, and it's tough on hard. The game is made up of 7 chapters that are made up of 2-3 levels. You travel to locations and kill all enemies. Along the way you will encounter bosses that can take a lot of damage but are relatively easy since they keep their distance for the most part. It's fun though it does have flaws. The game is is fair with reasonably placed enemies in the first 4 chapters and in chapter 5. Chapter 4 and the last 2 levels of chapter 6 though are not done well. Chapter 4's is not bad but the way enemies will spawn at certain distances is noticeable and annoying due to the big environment. Chapter 6's problems is that the challenge makes a big jump with everyone throwing grenades, poor enemies placements, death traps, and a ridiculously hard final boss. These problems can be mitigated though using the slow down which recharges by killing enemies. It feels like they kind of became lazy with the last 2 levels and made it hard for the sake of being a hard finale.
There is a minor issue of practically all guns are worthless except for the assault rifles due to them being overpowered. Assault rifles have the best range, accuracy, minimal recoil, high damage, use the same ammo, plentiful, and latter you get an assault rifle with a scope that makes the assault rifle perfect. It's a shame that other guns are not useful as their are so many guns to use. The game will take relatively about 20 hours to complete. It's a decent game that I enjoyed playing.
Graphics/Sound:
Graphics are nice and detailed with no real noticeable flaws. It's not going to blow your mind with cinematic looks of the console games of 2006 and beyond but that is fine. It kind of feels refreshing compared to the brown, bloom saturated graphics of today, that feels all the same to me. It looks like a 2005 game that can do wide-screen resolutions. Sounds through the game are good. The voice acting ranges from sounding South American like, to really lame accents though it's rare that they are bad. There is new music in almost every level except the last which reuses the some of the prologues music. The music is nice action movie rock style that gets you into the mood of combat.
Conclusion:
El matador is a decent, solid, Max Payne clone that I had fun playing. The game play is good through most of the game with it only becoming bad in the last two levels. The game really lacks in story but the fun makes up for it. I can't recommend it but you can buy it at Gamers Gate for $10.
SummaryEl Matador is a third person, tactical action game, where the player takes on the role of a DEA agent, whose aim is to bring down the narkomafia, an organised crime syndicate in South America. Driven by revenge for what the narkomafia did to his brother, the player will progress through a story which weaves its way throughout the adventu...