James Bond 007: Blood Stone

It took me a decade after this game came out to finally pick it up and give it a try and boy am I impressed and angry at myself for not getting it sooner. If I had to justify myself I would say its because I played Quantum of Solace and while it was cool for what it was, it was just a little too close Call of Duty for my liking so I thought Blood Stone would be the same causing me not to rush to play it but boy I couldnt have been more wrong.

A welcomed change is the return to 3rd person as it really compliments the chase sequences and takedowns and just he overall fast pace that a Daniel Craig Bond game needs. And although it is a faster paced game it still has some strong stealth elements that are not exclusive to this game. Take downs and silencers are your main tools to staying silent so if you've played any other Bond games you are familiar with the stealth in Blood Stone which im not gonna say its a bad thing because I'd rather that than shitty forced stealth sections that go on for half an hour with little or no checkpoints in between.

I would certainly rank Blood Stone among the creme of the crop in the Bond games simply for the way it captures the feeling of the Craig films and as I play this game I cant help but feel more and more excited for IO Interactive's upcoming Project 007 which I hope will breathe new life into the James Bond video game market with recent game technology and developers that we know actually care about the quality of the games we could be in for perhaps the best Bond game since Goldeneye or the biggest letdown since the Goldeneye remaster. Only time will tell.

Only thing i found annoying is that one guy you think is the main villain then another then another and it was really repetitive. However the gameplay , controls and everything else was pretty good.

Finally a game without being adapted from a movie first. I think its a pretty solid action game in a fantastic world of James Bond even if the story is pretty classic: we see all characters in the james bond movies and i enjoyed to finish the game and wanted to know how it will end. Enjoyed the fight scenes too. The "mise en scene"is pretty good too. I recommend it.

After the disappointment that was Quantum Of Solace, I hoped that the next James Bond video game would surely improve on the mistakes that had made Quantum Of Solace a failure - I was not let down.

James Bond 007: Blood Stone is a game that will please all Bond fans and gamers alike. The game-play is very exciting and manages to satisfy those who enjoy a good thrill or two - or in this case 10 or so. The story sends 007 across the globe as he chases down leads regarding 'Bio-Weapons' ... or something. The plot isn't exactly made clear. Which is where Blood Stone seems weakest. You are dragged around to all these different locations and are at some points unsure why. You find yourselves in situation where you are asking "Wait, so why are we in Siberia?" "Why are these men trying to kill me?". This continues throughout the game until eventually it doesn't really matter anymore. The game levels are enjoyable enough without a purpose.

The game-play revolves around shootouts (Expected of a 3rd Person shooter ;). James Bond is either sneaking about a building, trying to escape or is chasing someone - All of which faces Bond against a series of enemies which he must dispatch by shooting them or using a take-down. The shooting is very straight forward and familiar but it's the take-down system where Blood Stone shines. When Bond is close to an enemy, the player can press a button to perform a special melee attack that dispatches an enemy in one go. It sounds pretty dull in theory but when you are playing, the take-down system is very ...how do you put it..AWESOME! I just love running up to an enemy and hitting 'square' (PS3) to beat the crap out of some goon. Performing a take-down earns the player one focus aim which can be used to shoot an enemy, killing them in one shot. A maximum of three focus aims can be obtained at a time.

Now onto the other game-play system of Blood Stone – the driving. These levels are chases. Bond must race after and enemy through an environment that is so chaotic, you can't even see! Explosions, debris and out of control cars block your line of sight and cause you to crash and get game over. Honestly, it seems as though sometimes the civilians in downtown Istanbul are trying to kill you. Cars come out of nowhere. On top of that, the person you are chasing often has help. White vans or oil tankers block your way and try to stop you from catching up - Most of the time they succeed. Game over again. Oh well, I'm sure a few more goes I should get it. Asides from the beautiful graphics of these chaotic driving sequences, this area needed improvement.

Overall Blood Stone is a good game. With some flaws such as the unclear plot and impossible driving missions, this is a worthy title to the James Bond games. A must have for all Bond fans. (Which I happen to be.) 8/10

This was a very fun video game and I wish it had not only one sequel but multiple sequels!! I loved the car chases, the takedowns/stealth/fight choreography, the story, and the general gameplay! So many different world locations and the bad guys/villains in the video game are well-constructed and intimidating. I guess some people might complain about the graphics and it may come across as outdated a little, but I really don't mind them! The fact that they got Daniel Craig to do the voice was impressive and very welcomed. I played this game a lot and had a fun time! Plus, the opening song is awesome as well!