Game: "The Bourne Conspiracy"

Publisher: Sierra

System: Microsoft Xbox 360

Cost: $60

ESRB rating: T

Review rating: 2 1/2 stars

Most movie-based games endure such things as poor visuals and mediocre game play so they can be released in a timely manner. So why has "The Bourne Conspiracy" only now seen the light of day? While I applaud the developers for not rushing the title and adhering to the series' vision, it still suffers from visual glitches and poor controls.

Based upon the first movie in the series, "The Bourne Identity," this game follows Jason Bourne in the days before and after the failed "hit" that led to his memory loss. Budding Treadstone agents control Jason as he puts the smackdown on enemies with lethal martial arts and fast-paced gunplay in between high-speed car chases.

Melee combat mimics the lightning-fast combat found in the movies, but poor control decisions turn it into basically the same sequence. For starters, pushing on the "X" and "Y" buttons performs punches, and holding them down performs kicks. However, such fast-paced fighting makes it difficult to combine punches and kicks reliably since they are tied to the same buttons.

This is where the Takedown maneuvers take over. Landing punches and kicks fills up a bar that lets the player perform devastating special moves when full. Since melee combat usually degrades into button mashing, every fight follows a similar pattern: perform fast punches to fill up the meter and finish enemies off with a Takedown.

Gunbattles are even less enjoyable since aiming is rather loose and a special "Bourne Instinct" button must be pressed before the lock-on ability can be used. This wastes precious adrenaline that can be used for firearm Takedowns (which look very cool). Also wasted is a vast amount of ammunition from simply trying to hit enemies.

Despite these problems, as well as the omission of Matt Damon, "The Bourne Conspiracy" is still more fun than most movie-based games.

RATING KEY

4 stars - Must have

3 stars - Pretty good

2 stars - So-so

1 star - Don't waste your time

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Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)

E: Everyone

T: Teen (13 and older)

E10-plus: (Everyone 10 and older)

M: Mature (17 and older)

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