Ugly to look at and boring to play; Jumper does nothing to correct the stereotype that movie based games suck.
(-) combat is tedious and repetitive button mashing; graphics are drab and dull; the missions are uninteresting; no story to speak of
There's no doubt that movie based games are having a hard time. Developers put out these lackluster titles seemingly to draw in a couple extra bucks from those who are anticipating the film, this is evident because the video game is often released before the movie hits theaters. But largely the only people who really appreciate these games are those with blind love for the film, who can look past anything going against the game simply because they get to play as their favorite hero. It's truly pathetic. And Jumper: Griffin's Story does nothing to contradict this belief. Like many other movie tie-ins, Jumper is a dull and frustrating experience that you've already most likely never even thought of playing, and if you have, you need to take the safe route while you still can and steer clear of it.
The game's rushed presentation will be known during the first few moments you run the game. You see a comic book scene of Griffin's parents getting murdered, then Griffin spies on someone while talking about vengeance. That probably doesn't make sense to you, it didn't me, because the game assumes you've seen the movie. Otherwise, you're not going to know what the hell you're doing or why you're doing it. The manual doesn't even try to fill you in. Although this is probably the least of complaints (which doesn't really help the game's case), the game has "story" in the title but it comes off as ironic that it doesn't even have a story.
And things don't get much better once you actually start playing. Jumper is a weird combination of a beat-em'-up and a plat-former. For the latter, you use your titular jumping ability to move the remote's pointer and press B, which works well enough and can be useful when you need to get to other places. Still, it does feel tacked on at times and is rarely necessary to get through the levels. But most of the game, you'll be fighting hoards of indistinct enemies, seriously, you'll see hundreds that look identical to the last. And in order to dispatch them, you'll have to endure the horribly shallow combat system. When you spam the A and B buttons, Griffin will swiftly around enemies and slice them with his weapon. This won't even impress you your first time, and it will get dull really fast. Soon, you'll be wishing there was just one more way to destroy your enemies. And if you're running low on health, just run from enemies, because it will gradually recover.
Not helping matters are the game's lackluster visuals. The characters have some decent cel-shading, but the environments are drab and dull, lacking any personality and carry on a generic feel, which causes the characters to look out of place, popping out like stickers. And while the character models look alright from a distance, the animation is really terrible. First of all, when they talk, their lips don't move. Second, their legs don't even move all the way while they walk. The music fares better, having some tracks which could have very well been transmitted from the film, but the loop is too short so they repeat over and over again. Another sting in the face is a lack of voice clips, you'll grow weary of hearing Griffin repeat "No offense, but you're definitely no in-game boss" which wasn't funny the first time, and hearing it a hundred times is nothing short of a disturbing nuisance.
The entire game has a very unimaginative feel, as if you've played it before, and many times at that. The missions throughout the game could have been borrowed from hundreds of others, from sneaking through infrared rays from a security system to finding a key hidden in the level. None of these goals can break up the monotonous and shallow combat even somewhat, and at times they feel even more pointless. There's no other multiplayer modes or side missions to speak of either, which could have helped Jumper stand out if perhaps the developers didn't skimp out on everything just enough to call the game not broken.
The most depressing thing about Jumper is despite the title was obviously rushed, having no outstanding gameplay to undermine the terrible production values and lack of meaningful options, uninformed parents and others will still likely watch the film and bring it home anyway. And what's just sick, is the game actually KNOWS of its laziness, at one point when Griffin tells a boss "I'm sorry, have we met? I've killed so many guys like you, it's all a bit of a blur!" One's devotion to a movie can only go so far, and even those people would be better off staying away from this decrepit game, as it could possibly damage their affections for the movie. As for everyone else, we should all know by now that Jumper just isn't going to be the dynamic breakthrough to forever put a cork on the stereotype that movie based games suck, because it doesn't. Jump away from this one at all costs.