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GC'07: The Bourne Conspiracy Preview
Jon Wilcox
28/08/2007
TVG tracks down the '$30 million malfunction' as Vivendi Games' debut Bourne title is unveiled at the 2007 Game Convention...
Already engaging movie-goers for the third time, and soon to find himself in a fifth literary adventure, Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne is also preparing to storm the next-generation formats in 2008 for the very first time. In development at High Moon Studios (creators of supernatural Western shooter Darkwatch), The Bourne Conspiracy is a self-described 'third pass' at the events described in 'The Bourne Identity', following the amnesiac US assassin as he globe-trots to uncover the truth.
Prior to the Leipzig Game Convention, only a few screenshots and press releases had been distributed, so it was left for TVG to secure a rendezvous with High Moon at the European show...
Despite being neither an adaptation of the novel or the movie, The Bourne Conspiracy nevertheless has a couple of veterans from the feature films onboard, helping to create both a compelling retake of the story and the physically of Bourne. With that in mind, High Moon has recruited Tony Gilroy (screenwriter of the movie trilogy starring Matt Damon) to produce the Bourne story for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, together with Jeff Imada, fight coordinator for 'Supremacy' and 'Ultimatum'.
The premise of The Bourne Conspiracy is to create not only a compelling sequence of key events from 'The Bourne Identity', but to also introduce a series of missions in the form of flashbacks that follow Bourne as the $30 million assassin before he 'malfunctioned'. Both hunter and hunted through the course of the game, players will get to understand the circumstances surrounding Bourne in the run up to his amnesiac encounter in the Mediterranean Sea that kick-start events.
Three scenarios from the game were demonstrated,: the key 'Red Bag' sequence in the US Embassy in Zurich, a flashback mission set before the Wombosi event that ended in failure and kick-started Bourne's quest for the truth, and one of the Boss encounters...first up, the Red Bag sequence. Expanded beyond the descriptions of the event both in the movie and Ludlum's novel, the mission culminates in Bourne's dramatic flight for freedom from the US Embassy in Zurich, Switzerland. With a timer counting down to the total lockdown of the government building, it's up to Bourne to escape the security staff and evade capture, and it's this initial mission that hinted at The Bourne Conspiracy's potential come release.
Even at this point of the demo, it was clear to see that High Moon are aiming to create an intrinsically cinematic game experience, with the sort of slick cinematography that trademarks the brand's movie heritage. Demonstrating a dynamic camera that seldom stays static for longer than a few seconds, Bourne's race to the top of the Embassy is littered thoroughly with the sort of set-pieces that would keep any cinema audience on the edge of their seat - and if The Bourne Conspiracy is as exhilarating to play as it was watch at Vivendi's Leipzig booth, then gamers will be in for a solidly immersive ride. Describing Bourne as 'not Gucci' on a number of occasions, a reference to the fact that the assassin doesn't carry even the smallest calibre weapon at his side, High Moon explained that gamers will have to 'weaponise' the environments that they find themselves in.
For instance, Bourne can execute a number of objects such as fuse boxes and picture frames in situ, driving his opponents' heads into them as some kind of finishing move. Whilst not quite as expansive as the use-what-you-see ability of Frank 'Dead Rising' West or the Sam Fisher of Splinter Cell Conviction (at least it wasn't suggested that it was during the demonstration) the use of environmental objects will at least throw a little variety into the sort of combat that Bourne (and players) will be able to pull off in the final release of the game. Combat for the most part is nailed down to a two-button attack system (light and heavy blows), together with a block button, and a 'Takedown' button - more on that shortly. Jason Bourne's multi-million dollar training is also put to non-combative use in the form of 'Bourne Awareness', allowing players to identify objectives, targets, and potentially useful objects. For a majority of the demo however, much of the combative action of The Bourne Conspiracy revolved around the premise of 'Takedowns', described as quick-fire button events that allow players to counter attacks from single or multiple enemies.
Basing these 'quick-fire button events' on Bourne's adrenaline levels, the ability to Takedown enemies not only enhances the cinematic immersion of the experience, but also helps players evade capture without breaking the flow of the game. Three tiers of adrenaline can be built up through fighting opponents, each tier adding to the number Bourne can takedown at a single time. Executed manually by the player rather than the interactive cut-scenes from the likes of God of War and Tomb Raider, the takedowns are broken down into increasingly difficult button sequences that can also be used regardless of whether Bourne is ambushed or if he runs into an enemy whilst running down corridors. Get the sequence right, and Bourne continues on his escape without losing much time - get it wrong, and you have to take the time to fight opponents, losing precious seconds.
Having found his freedom from the embassy, High Moon turned back the clocks to a time before Bourne's 'malfunction', taking in events that lead up to the ill-fated Wombosi event. On the docks for a brief couple of minutes, enough time to demonstrate the aforementioned 'Bourne Awareness' for potential objectives, the end of the demo showed Bourne take on one of Wombosi's lieutenants on a boat in the middle of a raging storm at sea. Taking down a number of grunts with relative ease, Wombosi's right-hand man can counter Bourne with his own set of takedowns, with the physicality of the fight taking a visual toll on the character. Ending with Bourne being thrown overboard, the demo showed that 'Conspiracy' is shaping up to be much more than we'd earlier anticipated, and was the surprise package of Leipzig.
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Date Added:Fri 18th Jul 2008 12:25
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