El Matador Critic Reviews

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

There are better shooters out there.

Brazen plagiarism it may be, but this shooter is a worthy tribute to its forebears.

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

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.

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

With improved AI, reworked story and dialogue, and less restrictive level design, this game could've been stellar.

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

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.

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.

Your enemies are so blindingly accurate, and damage so extreme, you're often slowing time merely to peek around the corner.

Some mildly entertaining but ultimately vacuous fluff.

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

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.

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.