Wasn't Bourne to be a good game.

User Rating: 2 | Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy X360
Looks like we have yet another game based on movie license, only this time it's more or less based on the characters and events rather than any particular movie, which intrigued me. I'm a fan of the movies, I think the first two were well written, well acted, high adrenalin action films, and I felt that Jason Bourne could be the next James Bond. Like many Bond fans, I relish a good game based on that character, only the problem is of all the 007 games to have come out, (and there have been many), only one really stands out in my mind. This isn't about Mr. Bond, though, this is about Mr. Bourne, the fast fighting, cold efficient man with amnesia. So how was the game? In a word, awful.

There's not much that can be said about a game based on a lot of concepts. Many of which are broken or poorly implemented. Sometimes I felt a little like I was playing the old PSone classic, Die Hard Trilogy. From fast handed fighting, to simplistic shooting, sketchy stealth, driving missions, and quick time events (QTE), this game attempts way too much, and succeeds at way too little. I'll admit, the first stage managed to hook me in a little, the story wasn't especially compelling by that point, but it showed that they really wanted to make this as close to being Bourne as a gamer can get, and example would be stepping out into a cut scene where you think you're safe, only to be slapped with a sudden QTE than I felt was a creative and fun way to keep me on my toes, just like other classics like Shenmue had done. Unfortunately, it isn't long before the game begins to spin off it's axis and the generic shooting and halfhearted stealth play rear their ugly heads, making what looked at first to be a fast-paced game into a slow crawl through unimaginative linear stages. The driving was sloppy, and despite taking place in a "city" you're pretty much stuck to a path that hardly forks, and when it does strangely enough all forks end at the same place. One of the only really positive things I can say is that for fans of the movies, this game offers you a chance to see certain scenes from a different perspective. Trust me, however, when I say that it's a lot better on paper than it is in execution.

I actually blame myself for the mistake of playing this one more than I blame the developers for making it. I wanted to believe that they could get a licensed game about a slick as Bond character to work, but like nearly every game based on a movie, it was about as enjoyable as having my legs broken. Every part of this game fails, from the story, to the driving portions, the shooting, there is nothing that makes this even worth the rental. FYI, I fell a sleep playing it at one point. Just watch the movies and forget this thing existed.