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May 5, 2008

12:23:42

Bourne Demo online now

Good news for those interested in the new Bourne game coming out shortly (like me). The demo for the title is available on XBox Live for download. Go give it a try!

EDIT/ADDITION:

Holy Crap! This game is looking to be absolutely fantastic. The demo has 3 different scenarios to play through. In the first, you are escaping from the US Embassy with Marines in hot pursuit. Dive under security grates, dodge sniper fire on the rooftops, and beat the crap out of all kinds of enemies.

In the second, you are in a gunfight and trying to get onto a plane that is transporting a prisoner. Your goal is the prisoner's assassination. Pistols, machine guns, and a shotgun are all there to use, and it transitions nicely between melee and shooting combat.

The final scenario has you in a small car and evading the police through the streets of London (I think). Drive real fast, cause accidents, and get out.

Several high points to mention:

- Combat with fists looks absolutely brutal. Never seen anything like it, in all honesty. It feels exactly like a Bourne movie, and there are all kinds of takedowns and other nasty surprises you can use. Key enemies can use takedowns too, so watch out. Cool thing is that 'blocking' doesn't make you stand like a fool with your hands up, magically blocking all punches. Instead, Bourne moves, dodges, and counters... just like in the film.

- Guns pack a punch, destroy cover, and can be used a key moments to do a shooting takedown of multiple enemies at once. Poetry in motion. You can steal enemy weapons, grab dropped ones, and use cover just like Gears of War.

Few potential problems:

- There are lots of quicktime cinematic moments where you have to push a specific flashing button on a tight timeline. Once you know when it's coming, you can prepare, but most of the time they kick in without warning and you'll fail the first few times. Not a problem in itself, but reloading that section can take 15-25 seconds... and then if you fail again a mere 5 seconds in, it's another wait. That'll get the reviewers angry for sure.

- Combat options are mostly done for you. There's a fast attack and a strong attack, but no real combos or anything you can refine. It looks amazing, but perhaps a bit more control over what Bourne does would be better. I'd have to see if it wore thin over the course of the game. In the demo, certainly not, but I can see the possibility of it doing so.

- High blood pressure. My heart was actually racing and my teeth clenched during fight sequences. It's quite intense.

All in all, it's a great demo, and I'm certainly getting the game based on what I saw here.