Jolt UK Review: The Bourne Conspiracy

Colin Barnwell reports:

”So far we’ve had The Bourne Identity book and the Bourne Identity movie, neither of which exactly tallies up to the other. Now we have the Bourne Conspiracy game, which – unable to use the likeness of Matt Damon – has plumped for something in between the two. Perhaps Sierra could have given Matthew McConaughey a ring instead, because the game also appears to be channelling How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, or more accurately, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Levels since that’s how long it took for me to go from enjoyment to contempt.

Conspiracy takes a mixed bag of generic action-game elements and – at first – uses them in a pretty intelligent way. It packages the whole thing up in a style very evocative of the movies, with dramatic music, fast camera cuts and lots of scripted events. The gameplay is divided into three main components that get mixed together frequently enough that – again, at first – you don’t feel let down by their lack of depth. One highly scripted car chase, made superfluous due to the lack of remotely believable acceleration or handling, stands as a lone exception, but by this point the cracks are not so much showing as gaping.”