Developed by Bizarre Creations
Published by Activision
Released for Xbox 360 (11/2/2010)
Also on PC/PS3/DS
007: Blood Stone was developed by Bizarre Creations and was released for multiple platforms in November 2010. The game creates an original Bond adventure starring the, at-the-time of its release, current cast of actors 3D-rendered likenesses and voices. They are quite recognizable and look pretty good considering when the game came out, but sometimes they appear to be staring off into space during the cut-scenes. The voice acting sounds like it came from an authentic Bond film and the story serves its purpose well enough to give you some cool locations to shoot people in.
Presentation-wise, it's not quite as cinematic as the Call of Duty campaigns, but it's definitely steps ahead of your average shooter. The game's environments are highly-detailed and look very good, though the level designs are mostly linear. You have a cover system in place that will be instantly familiar to those who have played Gears of War. For the most part, it works pretty well though sometimes jumping between cover points can be a bit tricky, but once you get the hang of tapping versus holding A it's not too bad. Pressing down on the d-pad causes Bond's phone to reveal way-points and other things of interest, lifted right out of the Batman Arkham series' detective mode, right down to the distorted visuals while you use it.
The gun-play in 007: Blood Stone feels good and is similar to the Club, also from Bizarre Creations. Getting close to enemies allows you to use take-down maneuvers, which are a bit over-powered and it can be quite hilarious to watch Bond run into a group of guards armed with machine guns and beat them all down like he was Batman (at least on the lower difficulties). There's some minor stealth involved, mostly involving slowly walking up to unaware enemies and performing a take-down maneuver. I really do wish they would have included a way to make Bond crouch, and if it does exist then I guess I'm a fool because I couldn't figure it out.
To vary the action a bit there are several driving segments between missions. With Bizarre Creations having created the Project Gotham Racing series, they have a lot of experience with driving games so these segments are surprisingly competent although very linear like the rest of the game. There is also a stat tracker that shows your progress towards achievements and the intel screen clearly indicates which levels you've missed collectibles on. I always appreciate when the developer goes the extra mile like this and includes this sort of stuff. After you complete your first run of the campaign you unlock 007 difficulty, adding some nice replay value to the single-player side of things.
Overall I enjoyed my time with Blood Stone and I feel it's better than much of the negative criticism may have you believe. A multiplayer mode was originally included, but the servers have been long dead so I'm unable to assess that part of the game. 007: Blood Stone stands quite well on its own with the campaign. The campaign will only last you about 5-7 hours, but there is some incentive for replay. With that in mind, it's worth a look but just don't pay too much for it.
Final Verdict: If you enjoy third-person cover shooters or the Daniel Craig Bond flicks, it's worth taking a look at 007: Blood Stone. Just beware that the multiplayer portion is dead, so you'll only be able to play the single-player campaign.
Purchase Links:
Buy 007: Blood Stone - eBay
Related Links:
Bizarre Creations - Xbox Overview
Third-Person Shooters - Xbox Overview
Activision - Official Site
007: Blood Stone - Metacritic
007: Blood Stone - GameFAQs
007: Blood Stone Achievement Guide - Xbox Achievements
007: Blood Stone - True Achievements
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