James Bond 007: Blood Stone review round-up

The James Bond character and world setting should have exactly what it takes to structure a cracker of a game around. High stakes espionage,  fast paced action sequences, car chases, explosions – it’s all there and gamers love it when it’s done properly.

Despite the strength of the James Bond brand, only one Bond game of recent history is regarded as truly outstanding – Rare’s GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 system released in 1997. This title currently sits with 96/100 on Metacritic and 95.25% on Gamerankings.

Fast forward to 2008 and the Bond movies have had a bit of a reboot and Activision and Treyarch decide it’s time to have another crack at making a de facto standard for James Bond games of the current generation – Quantum of Solace. Whilst their attempt wasn’t entirely terrible, it suffered from the same problem that has afflicted Bond games since 1997 – it was compared to GoldenEye 007 and for the most part critics felt it fell short of that aged gem. Quantum of Solace sits with scores that range between 65% and 70% across PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 at both Gamerankings and Metacritic.

So, here we are in 2010 and soon a new James Bond game will be hitting SA store shelves. Blood Stone has one thing going for it right out the gate – it’s an original Bond story written by modern bond screenwriter Bruce Feirstein (GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is not Enough). Feirstein is also wrote the GoldenEye 007 remake which is launching for Wii and DS this month.

Without further ado let’s see how James Bond 007: Blood Stone has been received by the international gaming press. Once again we’ll refer to our favourite review aggregation websites, Metacritic and Gamerankings. Scores accurate as of the time of publication.

To substantiate these review scores, below are some abridged opinions from a selection of reviews.

Game Chronicles – 8.6/10

“I was surprised, both at the horribly bad first-impression this game makes and how much of a complete turnaround for the better Blood Stone achieves by the end. Arguably, there isn’t that much of a Bond feel to the game other than Craig’s accent and a few familiar bars of the Bond theme music, but as action-shooters that mix stealth and melee, and a few car chases tossed in to spice things up, you won’t find much better this holiday season.”

Eurogamer – 5/10

“One of the key factors in Bond’s appeal is that he’s cool under fire and always knows what to do. By reducing 007 to a rodent in a rat run with big signs saying “CHEESE THIS WAY”, Blood Stone never lets you play with that fantasy, never lets you feel like you’re the one reacting to each situation with unflappable aplomb. It even commits the cardinal sin of having Bond’s coolest fights and stunts take place in cut-scenes rather than under player control.”

IGN – 5/10

“Blood Stone is not a bad game: it’s just a painfully average one. There aren’t any majorly broken elements to it, but just because this Stone is relatively polished, doesn’t make it a gem. There really isn’t anything at all remarkable about it, and even though it’s extremely short it still manages to wear out its welcome thanks to its extremely repetitive design. If GoldenEye is indeed the Sean Connery of 007 video games, then Blood Stone is the George Lazenby; not bad, but not good either, and forgettable in almost every way. At just five hours long and lacking in any real innovation or challenge, it won’t leave you feeling shaken nor stirred, just shortchanged.”

Gamespot – 7.5/10

“Blood Stone could have been something quite special if it offered a more consistently exciting experience across the board, but the end result is a game that feels held back by a nervous reluctance toward going all in. But when it hits those high notes–which it does more often than not–Blood Stone is a quality action game. From exciting driving to fast-paced and stylish combat, Blood Stone is an enjoyable foray into the world of James Bond in spite of its flaws.”

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