Review: Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy

Debrief: ladies and gentlemen, this man is Jason Bourne, the world’s most highly trained assassin. This $30 million dollar amnesiac is now completely in your control. Oh yeah, and his game, The Bourne Conspiracy, kicks ass.

The Bourne Conspiracy – on both the Xbox 360 and PS3 – puts you in the shoes of Jason Bourne as he fights, shoots and drives through the best actions scenes of the first film, The Bourne Identity. While we get to relive those moments in fine, bone-crunching fashion, we are also invited into Bourne’s past. “Interspersed throughout these familiar missions are playable flashbacks that hark back to the time before Bourne’s amnesia when he had no qualms about leaving trails of bodies and bullets en route to his objectives” (Chris Watters, GameSpot).

The game is composed of a sequence of missions. Bourne either has to accomplish something in the present, a la Bourne Identity, or he’s neutralizing a target in the past. The game is dependent on action-packed cut scenes that string along the events and story, leaving you in control of Bourne mostly when it’s time for you to do some damage or get away.

The fighting sequences are the real gem. Bourne only has two attack buttons, one weak and one strong, but this is not your basic button masher. Switching up the button input strings different combos. Bourne also has a button for blocking, so timing is key. The visual style of these fights and their interactivity with the environment is what keeps them fresh even the second time around.

Shootouts involve picking up various pistols, shotguns or rifles and blowing people away as you move through the game. You will be required to duck and cover to avoid incoming fire, so it is not just run-and-gun. Unlike most games, you can blow away your opponents’ cover (i.e., boxes or weak walls) and watch them scurry for a new place to hide. Likewise, this works against Bourne, so don’t expect to stay in one place for too long.

One of my favorite features in the new game is an adrenaline meter that rises with the more damage you dish out. There are three bars, and the more they fill, the more devastating the attacks you can unleash. These takedowns always vary according to the environment and situation. Hit the button and Bourne will break limbs, throw heads through windows, or take out two guys at once. There are various times you can use takedowns, like when sprinting toward an enemy or in the middle of a gunfight. This will sometimes bring up a QTE, where you will have to click a button at the right time to continue the in-game action. These appear frequently, so always be on your toes.

Final notes: if you like the Bourne movies or are just looking for a good action game, this is a good one to check out. The gameplay, adaptive graphics, riveting musical score and never-ending amount of “that’s gotta hurt” moments are more than enough to leave you satisfied. Matt Damon, the star of the movies, refused to have his likeness appear in this game, because he said its too violent. Sounds like a good game to me…