Publisher – Sierra Entertainment
Platform – Xbox 360
First there were the novels, then there were the movies and now we have the first game based around the character Jason Bourne. Often games based on movies are a half-hearted cash in released to coincide with the movies’ launch. But in this case there is no new Bourne movie and this game is not specifically based on any of three Bourne movies. Rather, it contains elements from them all and also delves into Jason Bourne’s past to fill in some of the blanks in his back-story.
The game is split into various different styles that are particular to the Bourne movies. The periods of relentless frenetic action are captured in missions set against the clock. Accomplishing a task before something happens is typical of the way panic is created in the game player. There are problems with this however because it can be easy to get stuck repeating the same section over and over again. This is frustrating in itself but the load times are peculiarly long and after a while there is a temptation to throw the controller at the television. Also, during these frantic action sequences there are occasional cinematic pauses where a button press, or series of button presses, must be executed. This is a bit of a throw back to the Dragons Lair or Space Ace days and seems a little cheap on a next generation console. Also, the time allowed for these button presses is quite short and it’s annoying having done well in a mission to lose to a button press.
The action is all from a third person perspective similar to Army Of Two or Kane And Lynch. It might have been a good idea to have the frantic sections of the game in first person as a lot of quick turning is needed and the camera work does not move quickly enough sometimes. However, third person is perfect for the sections that represent the more stealth-orientated side of the movies. So much of these sections comprise of gun fights where taking cover behind walls, crates etc. is vital to Bourne’s survival. These are sections where patience is rewarded much like the shootouts in Gears Of War and are probably the most impressive part of The Bourne Conspiracy.
Of course in the movies we often see Bourne effortlessly escaping from dozens of police cars in intense adrenaline fuelled chases. These are also featured in the game and are as exciting as you could hope for. They look the part and are filled with spectacular set pieces. The only problem is that these set pieces are cut scenes triggered yet again by a couple of button presses. In fact this is the main problem with The Bourne Conspiracy, all the best bits are out of the gamers’ control. The best fight animations, the rolls, slides and jumps and the driving stunts are all things you have no control over and while they are spectacular without them the game is fairly standard. The fighting is based around three buttons, one for a light attack, one for a heavy attack and one for a finishing move. There seem to be dozens of moves but they are randomly generated depending on what button is pressed. So there is a lot of button mashing but little thought required. This is definitely not a sophisticated beat ‘em up. Also, the game is far too linear with no possibility of exploration or route variation.
The Bourne Conspiracy is a valiant attempt to immerse the player into Bourne’s world but concentrates far too much on being cinematic. The story is strong and it uses the Unreal 3 engine so it looks well but this could have something grander. As it is, it’s decent entertainment while it lasts but the sequel, if there is one, could be something special.
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