007: Blood Stone is the latest installment in the James Bond franchise. It stars Daniel Craig as Bond. Craig’s voice acting is present here as well, which is definitely a good thing. Blood Stone is developed by Bizzare Creations, which is now closed down, and published by Activision. The game utilizes a 3rd person view, like in 007: Everything or Nothing released a few years back. The story is completely original, again, like Everything or Nothing.
007: Blood Stone is a mixed bag in the graphics department. The character models look bland and boring, along with simple environmental things such as bushes and greenery. When it comes to the car models, boats and other objects, the game shines. Effects like sparks and explosions are big pluses as well, they just look really good. The environments as a whole look great as well. There are many different types of locales boasting snow, rain, sunshine and so on, in which all have different seasons, making for a diverse experience when traveling from level to level.
The sound in 007 Blood Stone is pretty average. The gun fights are all pretty bare bones and the music is hit or miss, depending on which part of the game you’re playing. The best part of the sound in Blood Stone is the voice acting, which include all the series likenesses such as Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, as well as new Bond girl, Joss Stone. Having the real voice actors really makes the game feel genuine. The gameplay in Blood Stone is very simple and easily accessible for all players. The game gives you the choice of four difficulty levels. Gun play is pretty simple as well, using it’s own unique targeting system. There are many types of gameplay here, including epic shoot outs, intense car chases and a downright fun boat chase. There are also elements of stealth which are pretty entertaining as well. The controls are well done but nothing ground breaking. Overall, Blood Stone does a good job of keeping things simple, but at the same time, it does nothing new and fresh, making it feel a bit stale in the gameplay category.
All in all, 007: Blood Stone is another decent entry in the James Bond series. It doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but it offers one thing, and that’s entertainment. To be completely honest, I had a blast playing through Blood Stone. I enjoyed the simple gameplay, fun shootouts, car and boat chases, gorgeous scenery and the story line. The sad ting is, it’s all been done before in the series, and there needs to be a change. There have already been talks of a sequel coming soon, so hopefully the developers can create a new Bond experience that’s fresh and unique. For what you get in Blood Stone, I think it’s worth a purchase, simply because it’s good old, action-packed James Bond entertainment, so check this one out, especially fans of the franchise.