Robert Ludlum's Bourne novels just begged for a movie adaptation - and they got three of them. So when Sierra picked up the Bourne license for a game, we knew it would be cinematic. But would it be fun?

Since it's a spy game, The Bourne Conspiracy plays a lot like other spy games such as Splinter Cell, Metal Gear Solid and the James Bond franchise. You play as Jason Bourne, a secret government operative with a past even the player doesn't know much about. For the most part, Bourne is dropped in the middle of a situation with little backstory and told to take out some specific person or retrieve information, avoiding or knocking out loads of henchmen along the way. The story includes the events depicted in The Bourne Identity, the first film, as well as flashbacks to preceding events. The episodic action isn't well-connected unless you've read Ludlum's novels, but each vignette is well-paced and fun.

For the most part, Bourne eschews the stealth tactics in favor of hand-to-hand combat. Three buttons are dedicated to close combat, and once he gets close enough, Bourne must take them down before moving on. This can be frustrating at times, and the hit combinations are basically button-mashing, but Sierra had a trick up its sleeve to combat this problem. Since Bourne is known for using "the world" as his weapon, Conspiracy included "takedowns" with cutscenes that change depending on what items are nearby. Pressing B near a sink makes Bourne drown his opponent under the faucet, while activating the ability near a power box makes him slam and electrocute his foe.

In fact, most of the game is based around these "takedown" cutscenes. They can be activated while fighting, shooting or running, and charging up a meter allows Bourne to take out multiple baddies at once. These special moves are driven by always-frustrating quick-time events, but are well-executed, so it's forgivable. Other game events are done with quick-time cutscenes, such as jumping through windows and on boats. Basically, just be ready to press a random button when prompted.

Bourne also occasionally steps back and uses guns, and this part of the game is overwhelmingly average. The only real strategy is to hide behind various boxes, and the shooting takedowns are definitely the lame ones.

Some of the game design is less than intuitive, but Sierra included a cure-all. "Bourne Instinct" can be activated at the push of a button, revealing the next checkpoint on the map and highlighting active doors and useful items. It's a bit cheap, but on the higher difficulty levels, each use takes a chunk of the player's takedown meter.

The Bourne Conspiracy feels more like a movie than a game, but sometimes that's okay. Pick it up if you like the genre or the movies.

Aug 19, 2008 | 0 comments
Graham Russell