Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy - (Xbox 360, PS3)
Developer: High Moon
Format: Xbox 360, PS3
Genre: Action

Movie license title in great game shocker!

Unlike virtually every trilogy in Hollywood history (including the biggies such as Star Wars and The Matrix), The Bourne films are something of a rarity - every film has been progressively better than the last. The critics agreed, the viewers agreed - Jason Bourne could open a serious can of whup ass and make a blockbusting, thought provoking and visually gorgeous movie at the same time. Skip to the videogame version and publisher Vivendi combined with development team High Moon have a great deal to live up to.

The game delivers an original story uncovering Jason Bourne's past and the conspiracy shrouding his origins, plunging players into the role of Bourne as both trained assassin and marked government agent. Core to the experience is Bourne's definition as a perfect weapon with heightened combat instinct, where players use Bourne's characteristic capabilities to recognise threats, perform devastating takedown moves and use his surrounding environment to overcome deadly situations.

Start playing through the first 10 minutes and two things will strike you: The game looks, feels and sounds like an installment of the Bourne franchise - apart from one key ingredient - there's no Matt Damon. For reasons unknown our Hollywood hunk is nowhere to be seen. But within a short time you'll forget all about the A-lister and instead get carried away with the new Bourne as he fights, drives and shoots his way through a whirlwind of a game.

At no point does the game drop its tempo. This is largely thanks to a clever flashback mechanic that places Bourne as the aggressor of his past - keen to run headlong into battle taking on all-comers; mixed with his fugitive status of the present, where stealth and cunning are the order of the day.