It's
not every day that a game you expected to be horrible, turns out to be
pretty good. I will admit that my expectations for Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy
were pretty low, and maybe that's why I had such a great time with it.
High Moon Studios has proven that it is possible to make a video game
based off of a movie that is not only decent, but better than many of
the other titles sitting on store shelves. While it's not perfect, it
does show what kind of product can be released when a developer is not
rushed to coincide with a film's release.
The Bourne Conspiracy
follows the events of the first film, and many of Bourne's missions
leading up to it. That basically means that if you haven't watched the
first movie but would like to watch it sometime in the near future, you
might want to steer clear of The Bourne Conspiracy
for now. While the narrative isn't as tight and polished as in the film
version, it does serve its purpose. You see the character of Bourne go
from a brainwashed government weapon, to an actual human being,
fighting for answers of his past. It doesn't take on the deep meaning
that it does in the books or films, but it does relay it pretty well
for a video game.
What many fans of the films will love is how The Bourne Conspiracy
takes you into Jason's past and gives you a first-hand look at some of
his early missions. The assassination attempt on Wombasi is probably
the best in terms of connecting the movie to the game, and thankfully
it still includes the scene where Bourne realizes that he may just be
human. Along with all of the flashbacks you'll get a chance to play
through many of the scenes from The Bourne Identity.
The fight with Castel in Bourne's apartment is probably the stand out
and looks just as amazingly frenetic as it did in the film. While they
could have spent a little more time on the narrative for newcomers to
the series, as a supplement it should more than satisfy anyone's need
to know more about Jason Bourne's past.
The basic game play elements utilized in The Bourne Conspiracy
are that of a brawler with built-in Real Time Events. Bourne can
utilize a fair number of attacks while in combat, but they all revolve
around the basics of a light and heavy attack. Light attacks are quick
but don't do as much damage, while heavy attacks are a little slower
but cause more damage. With each and every successful attack, Bourne's
Adrenaline meter will build-up to a total of three levels. Each level
allows you to perform a takedown
which will trigger a quick cut-scene where Jason attacks the enemy with
whatever happens to be near them at that time. At times you'll be out
in the open and he will merely pummel them with punches and kicks, but
ultimately it isn't as exciting compared to when you're near an item of
interest. Items glow yellow when you're in battle and if you lure the
enemy near one and activate a takedown, Bourne will deliver a
devastating blow to them with whatever item it happens to be. My
personal favorite would have to be when he used a book to knock an
attacker out cold. A book!
While the premise of an old school
brawler sounds promising it doesn't translate as well as it could have.
At times it feels as though you're just going through the motions of
the fighting engine, and that there really isn't a way for the enemy to
defeat you. There were boss fights where I just held down the block
button and waited for the enemy to make a move. When they did and were
blocked from doing any damage, I simply retaliated. There is no way for
an enemy to break your block except with a takedown of their own, and
even that is easily shrugged off with the push of a button within a
real-time event. A little more variety in terms of the moves would have
also been nice, as it seems that I could get away with using the same
combo over and over. Of course, Part of the blame could be put on
myself for being unoriginal - but when you find a combo string that is
99% successful, you tend to use it.
When you're not fighting with your fists in The Bourne Conspiracy,
you're fighting with yours guns. Sadly, fighting with guns isn't really
all that fun, and tends to pale in comparison to the over the top hand
to hand combat. Bourne follows the one pistol, one heavy weapon
formula, which is actually pretty realistic - except for the fact that
you can be just as lethal with a handgun as you can with an assault
rifle. The game has a strange mechanic that almost makes it impossible
not to get a head-shot on an adversary. Anything aimed above the waist
seems to register as a head-shot on the counter, and it allows you to
tear through enemies with ease. Where the frustration of Bourne's
gunplay really kicks in, is when you don't know where the shots are
coming from. In other games there tends to be an indicator that lets
you know where the enemy is situated but here you basically have to
spin around until you find an enemy poking his head out from behind a
wall. This brings me to my next point, the enemy AI.
I've played
many games where the enemies have very dynamic AI. They adapt to what
you do, flank you if they can, and use whatever they have accessible to
take you out. In The Bourne Conspiracy,
the enemies do one of two things - shoot at you or fight you. It does
fit the quick pace of the game, but more often than not, you'll be
treated to a veritable shooting gallery of soldiers standing right out
in the open. I think it has much to do with the clipping within the
levels, and the attackers inability to gain a line of sight on you. For
example, on the last boss I literally stood out in the open and shot
him in the head for a good thirty seconds while he simply crouched and
looked at me. It was a pretty easy win, but it felt a little cheap when
you consider that he was the last boss in the game.
Now it may sound like I really didn't like The Bourne Conspiracy
by the way I'm bashing it, but that couldn't be more untrue. It's very
hard to explain, but even with all of its faults it still comes out
being a genuinely enjoyable experience. Clocking in at around 8 hours
from start to finish, it hits that sweet spot that many action games
aim for. The spot where the game is still at the point where it's fun
without being repetitive, and short enough to complete after a few sit
downs. I have already recommended it to many of my friends who can't
make the same time commitment as I do to games, based on the fact that
I know it's a solid single player experience that they'd be able to
play from start to finish.
For the more hard-core players,
High Moon Studios included some extras to keep you coming back for
more. The achievements are set up in the way that they are actually
tracked and progress can be viewed by simply hitting the start button.
I will admit that I'm an Achievement Connoisseur, and The Bourne Conspiracy
has set them up in a way that I'll definitely be playing the game
again. Along with the solid stable of achievements, there are some
in-game rewards that you'll be given on completion of your first
play-through and with the collecting of passports. There are 5
passports on every stage and as you collect them you will gain
unlockables that are accessible from the main menu. It's nothing really
too great but it will give you something to do if you ever want to give
the game a couple play-throughs in the future.
While
the game is far from perfect, I have no problem recommending it to
anyone who wants a brief 8 hour distraction. It's one of those titles
that makes a perfect "filler" game that fits snugly between many of the
bigger releases and doesn't require all that much of the player. Along
with giving fans of the movies a little more story depth, you'd be hard
pressed to not give the game a chance. The only thing that I find
somewhat off-putting at the moment is that the game is $60. Taking into
consideration that the visuals are amazing, the sound quality is top
tier, and the production values are very high. I still don't think I
could warrant a purchase of The Bourne Conspiracy
at its initial retail price. As a rental or after a price drop, I would
have no issue with it. It really is a game that surprised me with how
much fun I actually had with it, and impressed me with how high they
set the bar for all future movie tie-in games.
Kim Fidler
Freelance Writer
