Blood Stone starts out as intense as a Bond movie would. The last James Bond game we got to play was Quantum of Solace back in 2008. This time around Bizarre Creations takes on the developing duties. They’ve added in car chases, boat chases, and even a bond mode of sorts, similar to the detective mode in Batman: Arkham Asylum. Shying away from most Bond games, Blood Stone has a completely unique story, written by Bruce Feirstein. The game also features a new theme song, written and performed by Joss Stone & Dave Stewart. Most gamers won’t recognize any of those names above, but you have to give credit where it’s due. With a unique story that does not tie into a movie, is this an adventure you want to join Bond on, or is it just another licensed game that falls flat?
When it comes down to it Blood Stone is an Action-Adventure third-person shooter with a mix of platforming throughout. You’re main objective is to stop a world-threatening bio-weapons attack, which would have disastrous results for all of mankind. There is no one set antagonist you’re chasing after, trying to defeat. Instead, over the course of the game, you’ll track down 3 different targets that have some sort of involvement with bio-weapons. M is the main person you’ll be talking with, as she’ll be telling you your next objective. Joss Stone is in the game as well as the newest bond girl. She’ll also play a surprising role in the game, that most people will see coming. The story for Blood Stone also has you traveling across different cities on different continents, from Monaco all the way to Bangkok. The story will last you about 6-8 hours, all depending on which difficulty you decide to play on. Even though the story is unique to this video game, it simply is another terrorist attack on the world that James Bond has to stop, definitely not reinventing the wheel, but the story does what it has to do to garner your attention. That is until the end, the anti-climatic ending that most people will see coming from miles away almost completely takes away from what had transpired throughout the campaign. Obviously no spoilers here, but you’ll know what that means once you play the game.
Usually with third-person shooters they get to grow weary and boring. Bizarre Creations, the developer of Bloodstone, added a few unique features to stop that from happening. One of the major things added are the car chase sequences. In most chapters, you’ll be able to chase down a certain antagonist via a car or boat chase. What this does is make the game not only a third-person shooter, but it also turns it into almost a racer. The vehicles handle well for the most part, but they do get out of control at times. These segments also don‘t carry on too long, so you definitely won‘t get tired of just driving a car or boat around. But with this added in mechanic, it makes the game stand out from most shooter’s and it adds a new dimension to the Bond video game universe. Another gameplay mechanic that won’t be used as much, but does come in handy at times is Focus Aim. This will slow down time and kill your enemy in one shot, giving you the ability to get that headshot you wanted, or to help you regenerate your health. To gain Focus Aim you must takedown an enemy, or melee. Upon taking down an enemy you’ll get one Focus Aim shot, with three being the max amount you can have at one time. Enemies, or A.I., throughout the game are not just there as practice dummies, they're programmed good enough to where they will shoot back. However, it's almost too easy to run up to them and melee them instead of just shooting them. When it comes down to it the gameplay in Blood Stone is vastly similar to that of Quantum of Solace, but with the added in car chases, Focus Aim, and the inclusion of platforming, what is here is solid and fun at the same time.
Cover in Blood Stone is vital to keep both you and Bond alive, and it works well about 95% of the time. In most cases going into cover is as simple as pressing a button, but sometimes your character will go into cover on the wrong wall or he will miss altogether. Your smart phone throughout the game acts as your GPS. It will show you where objectives, enemies, and interactive objects are, such as explosives to help kill your enemies. Since Blood Stone leans more towards an Action-Adventure game you’ll find yourself using your smart phone more than you would think, as it does come in handy at times. Takedowns are also in the game, and as mentioned previously, will help you gain Focus Aim shots. By all accounts you don’t have to use takedowns through the course of the game. Most people will, but if you just want to shoot as James Bond, you can., with ease. When in cover and an enemy walks to you, you can perform a takedown on him. After doing this Bond will immediately go back into cover, something that most gamers won’t appreciate. Hacking is also back in this James Bond game, you can still hack security cameras, but there are very few in this game. You also have the ability to hack doors, but you’re obligated to do that as they’re part of the actual story path.
Collectibles are also here, and they're called "intelligence". In each level you can find different facts about each weapon, or each enemy. This time around collectibles are easy to find simply due to the fact that when you're near one your smart phone will display a notice in the lower right-hand side of the screen. As in most games, you're not required to collect these, but they do provide a bit of backstory on the game and weapons. Upon completing the story of Blood Stone, you’ll unlock the 007 difficulty mode. To most people this won’t mean anything, but it does add extra replay value to the game if you’re a fan of achievements. Speaking of achievements, the game also has an achievement tracker, both on the main menu and while playing the game. This is, of course, nothing new, but for the achievement earners out there it’s something they can appreciate. During the course of the game killing enemies with a Focus Aim shot, or performing stealth takedowns, an achievement tracker will pop up on the screen. On the main menu you can also see how close you are to earning specific achievements, and which achievements you might have missed.
The likenesses of both Daniel Craig and Judi Dench are also in the game, and they’re spot on. The environments you travel too are almost breathtaking, whether it be the casino in Monaco, or an aquarium in Bangkok, each individual scenery is stunning. Cut scenes, as in most games, look entirely different from that of the game, but CG is supposed to look life-like. During the car chases, your car will receive damage, with smoke appearing from the car if it takes too much. The damage you take doesn’t reflect your car’s performance at all, however. There are only a few sore spots visual-wise that are worth noting. One is the inability for textures to load at times, this occurs very little, however., but it’s something that should not happen this day and age. Also, the residents and vehicles around each city also look a bit odd, especially the vehicles during the car chases. The conversations the residents have sound life-like, but they look unconventional and almost out of place. However, with that said, you can’t discount the stunning job Bizarre Creations did with each environment in the game, including the car chases, which resembles their latest racing game, Blur. While there are a few visual hiccups here and there, the overall graphical package is something both Bond fans and gamers can be grateful for.
Daniel Craig reprises his role as James Bond, and Judi Dench returns as M. Joss Stone also lends her voice talents to both the theme song and the game as the new bond girl. Something that was needed to make the game more authentic to the Bond audience. When walking through the streets of Istanbul or walking around the aquarium in Bangkok, you’ll hear conversations between the residents of the cities. These conversations make the game that more realistic, and more like an actual James Bond movie. Music in Blood Stone is done by Richard Jacques, and it’s reminiscent of a Bond movie. The wonderful sound of the saxophone and piano when running through the casino in Monaco is blissful to your ears, and each song sounds great. You’ll occasionally be playing and all of a sudden the song quit playing for a split second, but that’s a rare occurrence. Also, no need to worry James Bond fans, the old theme song we’ve all come to know and love is in the game as well. You’ll hear it during cut scenes and at the end of the game.
The multiplayer in Quantum of Solace, the last James Bond game, was average at best, but it was a worthy effort on behalf of Treyarch. This time around Bizarre Creations seem to just re-used the same multiplayer. There are only three basic game modes, with all of them being team based modes, in Blood Stone’s multiplayer, Team Deathmatch, Objective, and Last Man Standing. Team Deathmatch is what you would expect. 8 vs 8, and first team to 50 kills, or team with most kills after 10 minutes, wins. Objective has you and your team trying to attack or defend against three objectives. Complete all three objectives and it’s over. If you’re on the defending team, you’ll have to hold off the enemy team for 10 minutes, with time being added on if they complete one of the objectives. Last Man Standing is what you think it is. Your team battles it out with the other team in a best of three rounds to see who is the last man standing. Each player gets only one life, so teamwork and communication are essential in this game mode if you want to win. You start out each match with a pre-set loadout, which you can change at any time. Spread across your team's spawn are different weapons you can pick up if you run out of ammo, or have yet to do and want to try out a different one. Each game mode supports up to 16 players for the ultimate Bond multiplayer action. Although the game modes here are fun for a while, it would have been nice to see more modes thrown in. Maybe even a mode where one player is bond, and everyone tries to kill him first. Also, the fact that there are no free-for-all variants is underwhelming as well.
Leveling up in multiplayer is similar to that of most shooters now a days. Get kills and complete objectives, or challenges in each match and you’ll gain XP. Experience points will then help you rank up, but it will not help you unlock more guns. One thing Blood Stone does great is how you unlock different weapons. To gain the ability to use different weapons you’ll need to play as that specific class. If you want to unlock the MP7 gun, then you’ll need to use the SMG class in matches. This makes it to where now players can unlock guns they want to unlock. Also in the multiplayer are awards, both game awards and weapon awards, with both giving you additional XP. These awards are gained for leveling up, doing good in matches, and getting a certain amount of kills with each weapon. Leaderboards are available as well, with you being able to see how you rack up against the world in kills, XP, games played, and wins. Blood Stone’s multiplayer will not revolutionize the way we play multiplayer games, but it does have a distinct uniqueness. Unfortunately games like Black Ops and Halo: Reach will more than likely overshadow the game, which in turn will make finding matches a chore for gamers.
With a completely unique story, superb gameplay with both driving, shooting, and platforming, it’s safe to say that Blood Stone makes gamers take notice that movie-licensed games can be good. Even though it does have a few bugs, and the multiplayer is pretty cut and dry, what’s here is good for the consumer, not great, but good. Since the campaign will only last you around 6-8 hours, depending on what difficulty you play on, it’s a hard sell to the average customer. However, for the multiplayer fanatic, or the James Bond fanatic, this game is for you. The game’s campaign hits in all the right places, even if it is a bit on the short side. While I can’t suggest people go run out and buy the game straight away, I can suggest you give it a shot, as you will not be disappointed. Bond out!
