Shiny's President/Founder David Perry took some time with us to talk about how the game came to be made and what went into creating it.

NVIDIA: Enter the Matrix has an interesting heritage as a tight collaboration between the movie's creators and the game developers/publishers. How did the partnership start, and how did it work during the game's construction?

David Perry: True story--the Wachowski Brothers, Larry and Andy, approached Shiny to create a game for the first movie back in the 1999. And we turned them down. Can you imagine? At the time, it seemed like the smart move. Shiny was in the midst of other projects, and no one knew anything about The Matrix. But then when I saw it in the theatre, I was absolutely blown away and knew right there that I had made the worst mistake of my career.

When they came around a second time, I wasn't about to make the same mistake!

NVIDIA: Any fun behind-the-scenes stories you can share?

DP: I'll tell you the point where I knew the collaboration was really going to take off. In early design meetings, we went in hoping that the Wachowskis could provide something unique for the game. Something from the movie that would really make the game compelling for the player. We were hoping, maybe, for some little bit of film footage that they were cutting out of the movie.

Then they said, "Well, we're planning to write an entire script for the game, and record an hour of original film footage, just for the game." It totally blew us away, and we realized just how different and how cool things would be for this project.

NVIDIA: The development process was also somewhat unique, with the game makers having access to the sets and actors, as opposed to just re-creating the locales and characters, and using the actors' voices. How did that work, and how do you feel it helped the game?

DP: The game couldn't be possible without the Wachowskis, simple as that. They wrote the script, directed the action and provided complete access to the entire film production, so absolutely everything in the films would carry over right into the games. They approached the project with the same level of detail and care that they pour into the Matrix films themselves.

The thing to realize is that the Wachowskis are gamers. They knew exactly what they wanted to see happen from the moment the project started. We had all the actors, all the costume designers, all the set designers together and working on the videogame. Everything in the film had to be in the game, which meant a new animation system, so characters would fight with real kung fu, driving levels, flying levels, characters that fired thousands of bullets at a time. And then on top of that, we wanted a hacking system to add yet another layer of depth.

NVIDIA: Wild computer-generated effects were at the core of the first Matrix movie and The Matrix Reloaded, with more of the same expected for Revolutions (the final film in the trilogy). Undoubtedly, that was carried over into the game. What are some of the cool effects that we can see in the game?

DP: The heart of the game is the player's Focus ability within the Matrix. This is how the player unlocks those cool "bullet time" effects. Hit Focus and time slows to a crawl, and you can cartwheel across a room, firing a storm of bullets that leave trails in the air, run up a wall, backflip over a table, then belt some security guard in the jaw with a kung-fu flying kick--all in one smooth motion.

NVIDIA: What have you engineered that will sparkle in the eyes of NVIDIA graphics-accelerator owners?

DP: We have cyberscanned the actors and digitally photographed them--be it Carrie Anne Moss or Jada Pinkett Smith, the detail goes down to the reflections on their fingernails.

NVIDIA: What did NVIDIA contribute to the process of creating Enter the Matrix?

DP: NVIDIA provided key support in a variety of areas--providing our programmers with early looks at hardware, drivers and technical information to ensure smooth compatibility and a great game experience for the end-user. They know what it's like to be in the trenches. Their goal is simply to make games look better and they can supply any help needed to make that happen.

NVIDIA: Are there plans for other Matrix-related games in the future?

DP: After a long crunch period on this game, right now we're recharging the batteries and doing lots of research on new technologies. We can't wait to find out what else the Wachowskis have in store for the Matrix.

NVIDIA: So, red pill or blue pill?

DP: That depends... do I get to fly around like Neo and hang out with Trinity?