Taking in a viewing of the BAMF-happy Jumper trailer, you might be bracing your self for the Deja-dizzies, foreseeing another game/movie tie-in starring Hayden Christensen and Sammy L. Jackson. But you'd be wrong, young Padawan. Jumper: Griffin's Story follows Jamie Bell's character (the immensely irritating Jimmy from King Kong), unfolding a different plot that intersects the events in the film.
For those not in the know, “jumpers” are endowed with a genetic gift for teleportation. They can disappear and reappear at will, and as the film's tagline boasts: Anywhere is possible. Of course such power always comes with a catch. One can only jump to where they've been before, presumably a place they can accurately envision, and you're hunted down by cattleprod-wielding group of shadow goons, called Paladins (no relation WoW fans). Apparently, the ancient brood is vehemently opposed to your ability to teleport, and aggressively employ bursts of electricity to keep jumpers static and open to attack. Oh, and they kinda killed Griffin's parents, so there's a bit of a grudge there.
But the best part about the tele-talent, is that it's liberated the developer from resorting from the traditional hack-and-slashery associated with licensed games. Sure, all four face buttons attack, but it's not about what attack – it's about where. You're lock-on reticule will dynamically keep you informed on where an enemy is vulnerable, be it his right, left, back or front. So, on a 360 controller, we delivered a straight-on blow with X, then zipped behind him with B for a smack to the back of the noggin. It all happens as quickly as any face-to-face combo, strung together in a matter of seconds, as in any classic 2-D brawler.
