Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy
Score: 80% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Sierra Entertainment Developer: High Moon Studios Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action/ Third Person Shooter
Graphics & Sound: Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy is a cool looking game. The same quick cut editing and shaky, hand-cam techniques from the movie are used throughout the game and give it a unique feel. It does bring up a few issues, such as the camera trying to readjust itself into angles that are even more awkward than the ones it is trying to escape, but these are problems that nearly every 3D game faces - so they aren't unique. One of the game's more striking visual elements is that everything feels like it belongs; all of the levels feel like functioning areas rather than a level in a game. This leads to a number of inventive "blocking" tricks, like cars pulling out of parking spaces during the driving sequence, that breathes a good sense of "life" into everything and give it a real "dark ride" feeling that pulls you into the experience. The level of detail carries over into the character animations. For anyone hoping for the chance to control their own digital Matt Damon, neither his likeness nor voice is used. Instead, you've got stand-ins for both. Though you'll only notice it during melee sequences, Bourne's facial expressions (as well as those of enemies) react to things around him. He'll grit his teeth when going in for an attack and wince when hit. Also, depending on how much damage he takes, he'll start to show signs of bruising and cuts and bodily fatigue. The only thing about the graphics that really put me off was The Professor's resemblance to Eugene Levy. There are few things more demoralizing than being beaten by a guy who looks like Eugene Levy. Music adds a lot of the presentation. The background music always fits the situations and even amplifies them, mostly during melee fights. The voicework is just as good, though it did sound like the pitch of Bourne's voice changed during the last few story sequences.
Gameplay: It's pretty clear that Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy doesn't follow the book, though as hard as it tries to escape any relationship to the movies, it has a really hard time breaking free. While much of this can be attributed to the game using the movie's signature quick cuts and shaky camera, the cutscenes come incredibly close to matching the movie shot-for-shot. I didn't mind it and actually thought it helped make a better game. However, I wasn't as pleased with the way the story is handled. Although the name might lead you to believe otherwise, The Bourne Conspiracy centers on the events of The Bourne Identity, which are used as more of a loose framework. Most of the missions are flashbacks to Bourne's earlier missions, including the one that leads right into The Bourne Identity. For example, Bourne's brawl with two police guards early in the game triggers a memory of a mission in Switzerland. It's a pretty cool use of the license and really works with the story's theme of someone searching for his identity, though it also leads to an incredibly disjoined narrative. The threads that bind the flashbacks and the story are pretty thin and sometimes have little to do with the event that triggered the memory in the first place. For the most part, The Bourne Conspiracy is a third-person shooter, though it attempts to mix in a little stealth, adding a bit of a Syphon Filter-like feel. Stealth elements are most apparent during earlier missions while later ones seem to focus more on gunplay and hand-to-hand combat. Part of what makes Bourne a cool character is his natural instinct, which shows up in the game as "Bourne Instinct". This is basically a sort of "Spider-sense" that acts as an in-game radar; it points out important mission goals and highlights enemy locations. If you think about it, the ability is kind of goofy, but it works incredibly well as a gameplay mechanic and is enough of a breakaway from "reality" that it works within the game's context. Another cool part is the hand-to-hand combat mechanic. The system is incredibly simple on the surface and features two buttons (X) and (Y) which perform light and heavy attacks respectively. The trick to the system is chaining the right combinations of attacks in order to do enough damage to an opponent and build up enough power for a "Takedown" move, which I'll get to shortly. Although the system features a fair number of combos, you'll eventually figure out one or two that work and stick to those. Still, the system is fun, though only when it isn't forced on you. It's easy to incorporate the "Instinct" mechanic as a part of the natural game logic, but melee fights are inserted into areas where they go against logic. If an enemy has a gun and a clear shot, he's probably going to take that over hand-to-hand combat, especially if the other guy can kill you with his pinky. It makes sense for Bourne to do it, especially when the other guy is an innocent police officer, but not the other way around.
Difficulty: Even on harder difficulties, Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy is challenging, but not overly hard. Enemies are smart; they'll use whatever cover is available and are generally aware of their surroundings. At the same time, they tend to follow set patterns and will usually put killing you above their own well-being, so you can usually lead them away from cover and have an open shot. The only time the game becomes overly challenging is during boss fights. In particular, the big fight with Castel in Paris (the "Pen Fight" from the movie) and battle with The Professor are overly challenging. I understand that they're big characters and deserve big fights, but there's a major imbalance between the damage you do and what they hit back with. It usually takes one or two successful takedowns to defeat you, but you have to land at least ten or more to knock them out of commission. The fight with The Professor is even more frustrating since it adds a timer that doesn't jive with the general flow of combat. Difficulty can be adjusted on a level-by-level basis, so if an area becomes too much, you can ratchet it down and keep moving forward.
Game Mechanics: Takedown moves are your ultimate "goal" during fist fights. As you successfully land punches, you'll fill a three-tiered adrenaline meter. Once a segment is full, you can initiate a Takedown move, which is essentially a one-hit kill (at least on normal grunts; Takedowns are the only way to damage "boss" characters). Depending on where you are in the room, Takedowns will either unleash a powerful combo or use some element in the environment. These are where the game really shines and make you feel like a bad ass. Some are as simple as running a guy head-first into a wall, though there are a few that incorporate objects like laptops, pens or other enemies' gunfire. If you have multiple bars filled on the adrenaline bar, you can perform multiple Takedowns - which play out like a quick-time event. The Takedown system goes both ways. During fights, enemies can use Takedowns, which are signaled by a short ring and flashing button prompt. If you react fast enough, you'll counter their move. If it isn't apparent already, The Bourne Conspiracy gets a lot of mileage out of quick-time events. While tiresome, I liked how they were used and thought this is one of the few games I've played that "got" how to use them correctly. With a few rare exceptions, if you fail a quick-time event, you are immediately forced into a situation where you have to adapt and cope rather than being forced to start the sequence over again. In the rare instances you do have to repeat the sequence, they aren't overly long and are manageable. Bourne also has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, most of which are acquired from downed enemies. You can carry two weapons at once, a pistol and a rifle, and, like combat, you'll settle on one or two favorites and stick with them through most of the game. Supply crates are scattered throughout each level and as numerous as kegs at a Frat Party, so unless you're an incredibly bad shot, there's little reason to not have ammo. It has its issues, but Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy is still an incredibly fun game. While I wouldn't call it a must buy unless you are a major Bourne fan, it's a great lazy weekend rental.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Wall-E Guitar Hero: Aerosmith