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El Matador

EMAIL PRINT pc

4.1 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 24 critic reviews
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Based on 10 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Cenega Publishing

Developer: Plastic Reality Technologies

Genre(s): Third-Person Action, Tactical Action, Shooter

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: RP (Rating Pending)

Release Date: September 29, 2006

Summary

El 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 adventure, combines all the essential features of surprise, unexpected twists and dramatic developments. It is a tale of corruption, revenge, moral ambiguity and ultimate justice. The game features a wide varieties of essential gadgets which facilitate completion of stealth based missions, allowing the player to slip unnoticed through enemy lines. [Cenega Publishing]

Also On The Web: GameSpot Impressions Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Jolt Online Gaming UK

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.

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Pelit (Finland)

A run-of-the-mill shooter with nothing new to offer. It does not even do the old stuff well enough to rise above the ranks of mediocrity. [Oct 2006]

RewiredMind

Sometimes, try as you might, you can’t put your finger on what makes a game fun to play, and this is one of those occasions.

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GamingExcellence

The storyline in the game is great, and although the game length may seem a little short for the more advanced players, overall it strikes a great balance.

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GamingTrend

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.

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Armchair Empire

Hardcore action players will be able to blow through El Matador in six or seven hours because the gameplay and level design are very straightforward; it can't measure up to the most current titles or the promise of upcoming titles like John Woo Presents Stranglehold.

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Next Level Gaming

There are better shooters out there.

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PC Format

Brazen plagiarism it may be, but this shooter is a worthy tribute to its forebears. [Nov 2006, p.103]

AceGamez

Despite the lack of depth and bullfighting, all of the action is pretty fun - this won't be the most fun you have playing a game this year, but the set ups and environments work pretty well at delivering tense moments and engaging gun battles.

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VideoGamer

The biggest and most infuriating problem comes from your team-mates' seemingly predetermined locations to take cover.

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Worth Playing

El Matador isn’t necessarily a bad game, just a frustrating and unoriginal one.

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PC Gamer

With improved AI, reworked story and dialogue, and less restrictive level design, this game could've been stellar. [Jan. 2007, p.71]

Gamers' Temple

Horrendous AI and frustrating gameplay kills all the fun, and that’s no bull.

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IGN

If you've never played Max Payne 2, and are looking for some (otherwise) unique 3rd person action, with a lame story and decent controls, then give El Matador a try.

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PC Gamer UK

Your enemies are so blindingly accurate, and damage so extreme, you're often slowing time merely to peek around the corner. [Dec 2006, p.99]

GameSpot

It's fast-paced, it's gritty, and it's got style to spare, but El Matador is also one of the most infuriatingly unbalanced shooters in years.

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1UP

El Matador's story, characters, and gameplay add nothing new to the shooter genre. There's nothing here that's stupendously bad, but nothing good that's memorable either.

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GameZone

Extremely derivative and half-baked, El Matador fails to bring anything new to the table.

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Boomtown

Some mildly entertaining but ultimately vacuous fluff.

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Digital Entertainment News

For hardcore FPS players looking for a way to keep their skills up while playing by themselves, El Matador might be worth picking up at about $10.

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PC Zone UK

Everything about it feels floaty and disconnected, slowing down time makes you feel really sluggish and inaccurate, and you can forget about hitting anything while driving as your crosshair is jerked about rudely like a pogo-stick at a sexy bikini photoshoot. [Dec 2006, p.80]

Games Radar (in-house)

El Matador may be fine to play for a few hours but it's not worth a long-term or full-price commitment.

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Eurogamer

El Matador is an unsophisticated action shooter which might have been a decently average blast - there are elements of simple fun to be had in its running and gunning - but it's all messed up by the transparently scripted and static enemies, patchy AI and poor clipping detection.

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Computer Games Magazine

It's a bullet-ballet rail ride with decent graphics, passable physics, horrible character animation, and an uninteresting world. [Feb. 2007, p.69]

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 4.1 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tom M. gave it a0:
Ok good/average grpahics... it stops there. I played it for about 15minutes, felt ok, after an hour I was bored. The game reminded me so of Max Payne II, so I ended up playing that instead, even though I know it in and out. End of story.

Christopher S. gave it an8:
Created using the Max Payne engine, El Matador is an unapologetic over the top action shooter. I found it a lot of fun to play and absolutely beautiful to look at, its quite simply one of the best looking games released this year. At a street price of 10 bucks you'd be fool to pass it up.

Patrick W. gave it a0:
This game sucks complete a**. You can't move anywhere without getting hit. They ripped Max Payne and made the controls awkward and crappy.

Samuel G. gave it a2:
Clearly rushed out before being finished, full of bugs and glitches. Uninspiring and unoriginal gameplay, deeply lacklustre graphics, terrible voice-acting. Avoid.

Colt 1911 gave it a6:
Graphics 9.5/10 Sound 6/10 Gameplay 4/10 This game lacks a way to take cover, greatly needed in the intense gunbattles with multiple enemies. You are left to either strafe to/from cover, or charge into battle. I read that this was a 'tatical' game. Well it isnt. The gameplay is very arcade-like given that it takes a billion bullets to kill you. And tho I havent played a 'stealth' mission, I can already tell that the gameplay is not designed for duck-and-hide. There isnt even a walk, with no movement speed control how are you supposed to be 'stealthy'? The AI is really plain vanilla, they just kind of take cover and dig in. anyway this game only got a 6 because of the graphics, if the graphics wernt so clean it would get a 3 overall.

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El Matador

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What The Critics Said

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