Killer cinematic sequences
The three tiers of the adrenaline meter represent the amount of enemies you can eliminate in one sequence and once activated trigger a cut-scene showing you Bourne killing his enemies in a variety of entertainingly violent ways. He’ll often use the environment to his advantage, for example, if you’re standing next to a photo-copier he might grab his opponent by the hair and smash his face into it. He’ll react unpredictably, smacking heads off bar stools, picking up objects that are lying around, or sometimes just by unleashing a devastating flurry of attacking maneuvers. Though you don’t have any control over Bourne during these sequences, the visual impact is exceptional.You can still have some bearing over the sequences though by luring your opponent to a part of the environment where there’s an object that you’d like to use in killing your enemy, for example, move towards a ledge and Bourne may throw his opponent over the edge or stand in front of a mirror and watch him smack his head into it and witness the glass shatter into a thousand pieces.
The ‘Takedown’ sequence can also be activated during shooting segments where you can kill up to three enemies in a variety of ways. Most impressively though is the flying takedown that you can execute as you're running towards your enemy; it triggers a cut-scene of movie-like quality.
Click for larger image
Click for larger imageThe shooting sections, in which you get the chance to use the likes of a pistol, a rifle or a shotgun, don’t measure up to the quality of some shooters with an average cover system, a poor selection of weapons and a questionable targeting mechanic. Once again though, it’s the presentation, the style and the animation of characters that distract you from its simplicity and make the overall experience enjoyable. Using the ‘Takedown’ feature to grab an enemy and then watching the scene as he uses him as a shield against the gun-fire of his own men is superb.
The developer has also mixed it up with action sequences that spring up randomly. At these points, you need to press a button when prompted to do so on screen. Press the button in time and a cut-scene kicks in that may show you dodging out the way of a bullet, stepping in to prevent an attacker from walloping you from behind or a whole host of other stunt-man style moves, such as sliding under a metal gate before it closes. These sequences blend in seamlessly with the melee and shooting sections, keep you on your toes throughout and are frequent enough to help no end in keeping you immersed in the gameplay.
Continued Overleaf