The Bourne Conspiracy may have a different title, but it follows the events of the Bourne Identity, mixing in new tales of Bourne’s life as a fully functioning assassin. When one of his missions goes wrong, Bourne is struck by amnesia and left for dead. The game follows the events up to and after this point, as he regains his memories and tries to break away from the shady Treadstone Project responsible for his creation.

The game takes the player on a third-person adventure around various parts of Europe. While the visuals aren’t at the cutting edge of this generation, it’s by no means a bad looking game. Even if some parts look like they’ve had less time put in to them than others, the presentation of the environments is well realised. Sequences such as fist fighting in the middle of a raging thunderstorm, being pinned down in the snow at the front of an airport entrance while jets roar overhead, and battling in a flaming barn as it collapses, are just some of the more notable moments.

The bulk of the story is told through cut scenes that, in a confusing fashion, have a noticeably different style to the rest of the game. A heavy-grain filter has been applied and the characters (Bourne in particular) bear little resemblance to their in-game counterparts, which are often more detailed. The main plot relating to the Bourne Identity is skimmed over, making it confusing for anyone who hasn’t read the books or seen the film. Instead, the emphasis seems to have been put on explaining more about the wafer-thin stories that form the new assassination missions.

Split between shooting and fighting, with a driving level thrown in about half way through, the game attempts to recreate the cinematic and fast-moving style portrayed in the films. It employs heavy use of Quick Time Events (QTEs) where the player must follow the on-screen prompts and press the correct buttons to complete a sequence. These are initiated by an interactive cut-scene, or by the player using their adrenaline bar, which is filled by successful melee or fire-arm combat.

Having seen heavy use in games in the last few years, it’s safe to say that if you’ve already had your fill of QTEs, then you’ll want to stay away from The Bourne Conspiracy, since every aspect of the game is jam-packed with them. At least the developers seem to have been aware of this over-reliance and have given it a bit of thought, providing audio cues to alert the player when one is coming. There’s no denying that these events let the player pull off the stylish and impressive moves that you'd expect from Bourne, like Parkour-style evasion, or taking down multiple opponents at the same time. These would have been impossible using a conventional control scheme, so in the context of the game they certainly work. The intention seems to have been to simplify the controls for the game as much as possible, whilst retaining a level of interactivity. Actions like picking locks or leaping gaps between buildings are all done with one button, streamlining the experience.

For ranged combat, Bourne is able to carry two weapons at a time: a side-arm and a two-handed weapon, such as a shotgun or automatic rifle. He can also attach himself to most objects for cover, popping out to shoot at enemies. There is, overall, a cumbersome feel to Bourne’s movements and the combat mechanics, and the aiming is certainly a bit twitchy. This isn’t helped by enemies that are armoured to the hilt - it’s possible to empty a full clip into them with little effect. The player will have to quickly adapt to going for head shots and making use of the `Bourne Instinct` feature to help them. This highlights enemies against the background and changes the reticule when over a target. It also picks out objects in the environment which may not be immediately obvious, such as barrels or gas canisters, which can be used to catch out unsuspecting enemies. The adrenaline bar can also be used for 'shooting' take-downs, where a QTE can be used to rapidly take out enemies.

Hand-to-hand combat is initiated at set points or at close range. Bourne will automatically relieve them of any fire-arm, leaving the player to chain together light and heavy punches, holding down a button to perform a kick. There is also the option to block, during which they take no damage, and this comes in handy when waiting for the right moment to strike. Care is needed, as any other enemies armed with guns will be willing to take a pot-shot, and blocking for too long can trigger a sequence where the enemy will try to break it. Again, this leads to another QTE which gives the player a chance to counteract.

It’s simplistic and repetitive, but the combat has a hardcore, visceral feel and is extremely brutal. Both Bourne and his opponents become bruised and bloody as they take damage, to the point where even those wearing ski masks have blood stains seeping through the material. Once enough adrenalin has been built up, the player is able to press a button to perform a take-down move. This involves Bourne breaking bones or KO'ing an enemy with a flurry of fancy Krav Magna, but if close enough to parts of the scenery he can use the environment to incapacitate them. Pipes, walls, desks, pillars, glass tables, display cabinets, everything up to and including the proverbial kitchen sink, can be used to bust up enemies in a gratuitous and extremely satisfying manner. If it’s in the environment then it can be used to seriously mess up your opponent. At least here repetition is not a problem, as the large number of environmental take-downs and their positioning makes for a good deal of variation.

While Bourne can only engage one person at a time, multiple opponents will sometimes try to land a crafty punch from behind.Building up enough adrenaline when surrounded by multiple opponents means another QTE which can take them all down at once.

The repetition of the combat element strikes a double blow – not only are the button combinations limited so that the player is reduced to the same moves over and over, but the combat is so heavily relied upon that it becomes tiresome. It isn’t helped by the constant use of the same character models (a real issue for enemies who aren’t wearing masks) and some particularly gruelling boss fights. That is until the player stumbles upon the fact that one combo in particular can be used to great effect on all enemies, without giving them much of a chance.

The Bourne Conspiracy is a good attempt at replicating a cinematic experience, trimming out the slower, filler elements to keep the pace going. Obvious flaws aside, it manages to hold it all together as a knock-about action game. But, in the short time it takes to reach the end, it will have already become old hat and it doesn’t hold up to repeated playing, even on the frustrating higher difficulty setting. This makes it only essential for the more hardcore Jason Bourne fan.