One area where the fighting really shines though is the Takedown moves. As Bourne connects with his punches and kicks, he’ll begin to fill a second meter that shadows his health bar. When this meter reaches a certain point, you can press circle, and Jason will unleash an unblockable Takedown move that puts a big hurt on his foes. One of the coolest things about this particular technique is that it is constantly aware of your surroundings: if you are near an air conditioning unit during a Takedown, Bourne will likely throw a few punches, then grab his foe and plow his head right into the machine. In addition, if you find yourself surrounded by foes you can build up your Takedown meter to the point where you can take out up to three enemies with a single timed button press sequence. Furthermore, there are particular boss fights which reflect scenes from the first film, and they come complete with their own movie-inspired props. Remember the time in Bourne’s apartment when the assassin showed up and Bourne stabbed him with a fountain pen? The pen is back, and you can re-enact that moment if you manage to get your foe over to the desk.

You have to be careful, though, as all the bosses and even some of the tougher regular enemies have their own Takedown moves, and getting caught by one is a sure ticket to pain. However, all is not lost, as a button prompt will pop up on-screen when an enemy is about to launch a Takedown, and if you are quick enough, you can parry the move and build up your own meter a bit in the process. So even though the hand-to-hand combat can become a bit dull, the Takedowns really make it an experience you’ll ultimately enjoy and it’s vastly superior to fighting enemies using your gun.

Speaking of the gunplay, you’ll quickly grow to loathe it in this game. Bourne is wildly inaccurate with nearly every weapon he finds, and the only real way to ensure a kill is to blast an enemy point blank with a shotgun. I can’t count how many times I carefully lined up headshots on bad guys only for the bullet to register in the shoulder or arm, leaving me to pump in several more rounds before I could finish the job. I can understand a little bullet spray with an automatic weapon as the recoil kicks it around, but simple guns like pistols should really be more accurate and effective in the hands of a trained killer.

One other squandered gameplay element is the Bourne Instinct, a technique which allows you to see the location of enemies or special items on your radar, as well as making objects you can interact with glow for a short time. The technique is basically a waste, doing little more than letting you know which hall to run down to find the next checkpoint, or pointing out from what exact spot a bag guy is peppering you with bullets. The only time the device is useful is during the game’s one driving mission, where activating it will heighten your reactions by slowing time and allowing you to finagle your way out of a nasty crash. The Bourne Instinct is supposed to be helpful in gunfights as well, locking onto a nearby enemy, but the whole shooting mechanic is so busted that not even Jason’s special powers can help it.