El Matador

About

"El Matador" is a first-person shooter game set in a present-day, realistic urban environment. You play as a drug enforcement agent tasked with taking down a powerful cartel in a South American city. The game features intense action, stealth missions, and a variety of weapons to choose from.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 224 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

story14 negative mentions

The game features surprisingly good technical aspects for its time, including great environment assets and decent enemy AI.
The fast-paced gameplay and bullet time mechanics provide a fun experience, reminiscent of classic third-person shooters.
It's a cheap and short game that can be enjoyable for fans of the genre, especially if purchased on sale.

The story is clichéd and lacks depth, often feeling like a series of tropes strung together.
Gameplay mechanics are flawed, with issues like inaccurate shooting and unbalanced difficulty, making it frustrating at times.
The game suffers from performance issues on modern systems, often requiring patches to run properly.

story
92 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
76%
15%
The story in "El Matador" is widely criticized for being clichéd, shallow, and lacking depth, often described as a series of repetitive missions with minimal narrative engagement. While some players appreciate the B-movie charm and voice acting, the overall consensus is that the plot serves merely as a backdrop for gameplay, which is often janky and uninspired. Despite its brevity and simplicity, the game may still appeal to those seeking a low-cost, action-oriented experience reminiscent of titles like Max Payne.
- “The story is brief and corny, but the slow-motion acrobatics and mid-00s ragdoll physics more than make up for it.”
- “The story follows a protagonist who neither feels fully effective nor distant as the other characters from audiences. He's merely an agent, a seemingly cold one, with a simple mission that immediately spirals uncontrollably and leads him into more endangerment than previously given.”
- “"El Matador" is the story of DEA agent Victor Corbett and his efforts to help overthrow a Colombian drug cartel.”
- “The story is non-existent; the main character is the only one with a decent voice actor who sounds strangely close to 'not important' from the game Hatred.”
- “The story basically consists of 'hey el matador, go and slaughter some drug dealers in x location' seven times over.”
- “You don’t pay attention to the story; it is just a series of tropes that exist only to string you from sequence to sequence of janky gameplay.”
gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
66%
10%
The gameplay is heavily inspired by the Max Payne series but fails to capture its essence, resulting in clunky mechanics and a lack of polish, particularly with the bullet time feature. While the level design accommodates fast-paced action, the overall experience is marred by stiff gunplay and underdeveloped mechanics, making it feel like a forgettable imitation rather than a worthy homage. Despite its flaws, some players find enjoyment in the chaotic shooting and recommend it to fans of third-person shooters, especially at a low price point.
- “The level design fits the fast-paced gameplay perfectly, with a change between confined interior areas where the shooting becomes frenetic, and more open spaces on the outside, which provide lots of cover and possibilities to flank the enemies and surprise them from behind.”
- “Graphics are obviously dated, but the gameplay is fun, so if you don't mind old graphics and get it on sale, it's gonna be the best 60 cents you ever spent.”
- “Gameplay is where El Matador shines, and I highly recommend this to any fan of the Max Payne series or third-person shooters in general.”
- “A forgettable, uninteresting, unengaging, basic third-person shooter that tries to emulate Max Payne's gameplay in the clunkiest manner, and will be a stuttering mess if you don't download the community patch.”
- “The slow motion, perhaps the most important mechanic in a Paynelike game, is very bad.”
- “Production values are not high, all mechanics feel flawed and underdeveloped, boss battles are broken, but this game gets the job done.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
64%
7%
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated, reminiscent of titles from the mid-2000s, with some users noting that they are functional and vibrant despite the age. While some players appreciate the visuals as enjoyable, others criticize them for being poor or plagued by bugs, particularly on newer graphics cards. Overall, the graphics do not overshadow the fun gameplay, making it a worthwhile experience for those who can overlook the visual shortcomings.
- “Imagine if someone took Max Payne 2, but made it in 2006 with then modern graphic features and tons (and I mean it) of physics.”
- “The visuals are really good; I would say they still look fairly enjoyable.”
- “The graphics are very functional and vibrant.”
- “Graphics are obviously dated, but the gameplay is fun so if you don't mind old graphics and get it on sale, it's gonna be the best 60 cents you ever spent.”
- “Very poor man's Max Payne, game runs somewhat bad on a totally overpowered rig with PS2 graphics.”
- “But the graphic bugs (huge amount of shadowing bugs) are destroying the whole game experience on newer graphic cards.”
music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
75%
17%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the energetic and situationally fitting soundtrack, particularly during intense shootouts, while others find it awkward or annoying, describing it as techno or reminiscent of "Swedish porno movie music." Overall, the soundtrack is seen as decent for its time, but not memorable enough to warrant personal listening outside of the game.
- “It has an all-around solid presentation and the graphics, sound, and music are all very decent for 2006 standards.”
- “Music fits each situation but it may not be something you'll want to download and put on an mp3 player.”
- “Music is bad.”
- “I have no words for the soundtrack, it makes the whole experience incredibly awkward.”
- “And whoever's idea was it to play bombastic music non-stop during shootouts was the glue that kept this game from falling into garbage.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
29%
57%
The game's optimization is severely lacking, resulting in significant performance issues such as stuttering and unresponsiveness, particularly on newer systems. Players are advised to download a community patch and adjust CPU core settings to improve performance, but many still find the game unplayable due to its clunky mechanics and overall poor optimization.
- “Crazy hard, lots of guns, no map, linear, crazily unoptimized, and no auto save.”
- “I’ll make a final note on the performance.”
- “A forgettable, uninteresting, unengaging, basic third-person shooter that tries to emulate Max Payne's gameplay in the clunkiest manner, and will be a stuttering mess if you don't download the community patch.”
- “If this game didn't have such massive performance issues, it might actually have been some mindless good fun.”
- “The stuttering makes this game really unplayable.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game has limited replayability, with many users noting that while it offers some excitement, the short story and overall experience do not encourage multiple playthroughs. After the initial run, players generally find little incentive to return.
- “The game is infinitely replayable, offering a fresh experience each time.”
- “With its engaging mechanics and varied outcomes, this game truly shines in replayability.”
- “The replay value is impressive, making it a game you can return to time and again.”
- “The game offers some excitement but also some downfalls that include a short story and overall experience with no exceeding replay value.”
- “After the first initial playthrough, there is no replay value.”
- “Replay value: average”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its over-the-top, trashy dialogue and amusing cop clichés, which contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining experience. Players appreciate the game's funny physics and moments of poor lip syncing, adding to its charm despite its lack of polish. Overall, the humor is a significant draw, making it a fun and memorable shooter.
- “The textures pop in frequently, the character models look dead, and the lip syncing is absolutely hilarious at some moments.”
- “+ Hilarious cop clichés do wonders for the story.”
- “Short game with bullet time elements, funny physics, and a nice amount of guns.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of "El Matador" is criticized for being plagued with bugs and glitches, leading to a laggy experience. While the game is not described as a complete mess, issues such as invisible bullets and limited autosave functionality detract from the overall gameplay experience.
- “El Matador is also full of bugs and glitches throughout.”
- “Laggy, buggy, Max Payne wannabe.”
- “Bullets are not visible to the eye and fly as straight as the rays of a laser, and the only consolation for you is the buggy opportunity to shoot at enemies through cover.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized as lacking depth and drama, focusing instead on action and exotic holiday settings. The dialogue is described as overly ambitious in its attempt to be edgy, contributing to a somewhat trashy tone. Overall, it offers a less polished experience reminiscent of Max Payne 2, prioritizing entertainment over atmospheric immersion.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the exotic holiday settings and making every moment feel alive.”
- “The game captures a unique vibe that perfectly complements the action, creating a memorable experience.”
- “The combination of the vibrant environments and engaging dialogue adds a layer of charm that enhances the overall atmosphere.”
- “One of my favorite shooters of its time; think of a less polished Max Payne 2 without any drama or real atmosphere, completely focused on the action, the exotic holiday settings, and hilariously trashy dialogue that tries way too hard to be hard and cool.”