Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder. Whereas most games give you time to catch your breath, Sierra's action-packed thrill ride continuously plunges you into multiple scenarios filled with jump cuts, explosions and bodies soaring through the air. One second, you're on the run from a bunch of soldiers carrying automatic rifles, and the next, you turn a corner and fight some guy one-on-one before bursting through a window, avoiding sniper fire and then hopping into your MINI Cooper and evading the law. This high intensity gaming combined with the intriguing narrative, makes this a guilty pleasure, despite its annoying flaws.

These mask wearing weirdos don't stand a chance.Click to see more images from the game...

As Jason Bourne, a $30 million super spy targeted by the agency that created him, you'll travel across Europe and put the hurt on hundreds of bad guys, unraveling the mysteries of your identity. No, you don't play as Matt Damon, star of the Bourne films, but Sierra's interpretation of Robert Ludlum's character is admirable, as are his numerous enemies, a collection of unnamed foot soldiers and their stereotypical bosses that run the gamut of action movie fare; the escaped con, the demented general and a muscle-bound bully, among others. All of them star in a tense narrative that, while not as gripping as the books and films, offers an expanded look into the Bourne mythos.

In between the grainy cut scenes, you'll do lots of bad things to evil people. It starts with the game's combat system, which keeps things varied by thrusting you into one-on-one (and at times four-on-one) fist fights and gun battles, both of which keep adrenaline levels high. The former begins simply enough, with two buttons performing standard issue punches and kicks. As you land hits, you fill an adrenaline meter. Reach a certain point and you can perform a takedown, a one-button kill instructs Jason to whip our martial arts techniques and use the environment to his advantage. This includes beating someone in the face with their own nightstick, breaking their arms and legs, smashing their head into a window, kicking them into a vending machine or chucking them down an escalator, and possibly a combination of those things. Each environment has unique objects Jason can interact with, and it's always fun discovering new ways to make people pay.

Shooting is cool, but not as good as in Resident Evil 4 or Gears of War. While the myriad of guns Jason uses are great, the left trigger (Xbox 360)/L1 and L2 (PS3) buttons are rendered useless, forcing you to aim with the right analog stick without the benefit of a zoom function. This makes killing enemies much more difficult than in the aforementioned games, and what's especially frustrating is the game's suspension of gunplay at inopportune times. You'll approach someone, go to shoot them at close range and the game immediately engages a fist fight, all the while his buddies shoot you in the back. Even worse, you cannot get out of it unless you defeat your adversary, so forget about punching a guy and then shooting him, or running away to recover some energy.

That said, the shooting isn't awful, and you'll enjoy blowing up explosive barrels, scoring head shots and watching the environment get torn apart. While ducking under a bar, stray bullets will shatter glasses and strike taps, releasing sprays of beer. As enemies hide behind plants, dirt gets kicked up. Outside, cars explode, wood splinters and trains smash into unsuspecting opponents. Meanwhile, you can also perform shooting takedowns, so hitting a button after filling a portion of the adrenaline meter causes Jason to make a fancy shot and a one hit kill.

Actually, surviving this adventure heavily relies on your ability to master Quick Time Events, moments where you must quickly press a button in order to help Jason jump through a train window or slide under a closing gate, failing to do so resulting in death. While not as annoying as in other games, Quick Time Events anger some gamers, so if you've grown to despise them over the years, The Bourne Conspiracy probably won't rekindle the flame.

LIVE from the apple bobbing championship. Click to see more images from the game...

Driving rounds out The Bourne Conspiracy's gameplay types, and it's the weakest of the three. You hop into a MINI Cooper and run from the police, smashing through store windows and making jumps in the hopes of barely surviving. It's cool, just not well thought out. You cannot shoot while driving, and the game forces you to backtrack sometimes. It's not easy figuring out where to go. High Moon realized this, since it laid arrows on the streets to guide you.

All of the explosions, breaking glass and splintering wood combine to form a game that, while attractive, doesn't do anything you haven't seen before. We dig the physics, which cause objects to fly around when hit, and the character models look solid, despite Jason always dying with his eyes open, which gives him a robotic appearance.

It's the audio, however, that really shines. The gunshots are good, but we especially love the hand-to-hand takedowns. A subwoofer amplifies the breaking bones and body parts getting pushed into things. Get used to saying, "that's got to hurt."

Like most action games, The Bourne Conspiracy concludes after seven to 10 hours of play. It doesn't have a multiplayer mode or significant extras. That makes it more of a rental than a $59.99 purchase, but regardless of how you snag a copy, you'll enjoy what this game has to offer. It's flawed, but the over the top action scenes and fast-paced gameplay keep things running speedy enough that you won't obsess over the negatives. As such, Sierra succeeded in publishing a movie/fiction based game that doesn't suck, and we strongly recommend you play The Bourne Conspiracy at least once, just to watch someone get his head rammed into a neon sign before sailing into an air conditioner.

Related Links

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy Xbox 360 Game Guide

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy PS3 Game Guide

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