Blood Stone: 007

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.

Sometimes it is really refreshing when developers concentrate on the basics and do not try out some "revolutionary" things. The action in James Bond Blood Stone is solid and will entertain you nearly six hours in single player. The story mode is always motivating but won't be nominated for the award of innovation.

The gameplay of this game is a bit repetitive in the shootouts and the developer could have done a lot more with the many environments. The game is also too easy, except for the missions where you have to drive. That part is by far the best of the game and shows the real roots of Bizarre Creations.

James Bond 007 Blood Stone certainly doesn't do any damage to the Bond brand, and can actually be thrilling and exciting to play throughout its short campaign. It just sucks that there's so little content here that can be easily blown through in day.

In many ways, Blood Stone is a mediocre title. Graphically, characters look dull and frankly some PS2 and Xbox titles looked better.

Bizarre clearly set out to make Blood Stone feel like a part of Bond's movie canon, and it's certainly successful on that front. The weapons are anemic, and the driving sections can be dodgy, but it delivers a dose of spectacle and intrigue worthy of the character.[Dec 2010, p.114]

Blood Stone is a solid game that without the license most people would write off as just another humdrum shooters. Still being such a huge fan of the property I couldn't help but really enjoy taking down enemies and feeling like a complete badass at times.

It's almost too accessible, even on the regular difficulty setting.

But, in the end it is too easy and far too short.

Stylish combat and white-knuckle driving make this an enjoyable James Bond adventure, despite some pacing issues.

If there's one area where Blood Stone is a bit disappointing, it's that everything that it does, while well-made and thoroughly polished, is fairly basic.

James Bond 007: Bood Stone is a cool action game, especially for 007 fans. Unfortunate, the game is too linear as you haven't the possibility to explore alternative ways.

James Bond followers will find an adventure which respects carefully the franchise canon, but the rest will just see an above average action game with no innovative features but great competitors.

It would be nice, however, if Bond's weapons packed a bigger punch. [Jan 2011, p.87]

It's never demanding. [Christmas 2010]

Blood Stone is not a bad game, but it lacks so much personality to look just shallow. Although Blood Stone offers different styles of gameplay and situations, it doesn't excel at any of them: you will forget it as fast as it takes to clear the game, which is actually quite short. 007 fans will be pleased by Bond-ish plot and direction but to anyone else Blood Stone is just your usual third person shooter.

James Bond 007: Blood Stone is a good shooter that has a lot of variety to offer. This game will keep you entertained until the end. It would have been an instant classic if it wasn't for the numerous mistakes and glitches.

Bloodstone isn't going to rival any of Bizarre Creations driving games, but it's a lot better than their last shooting effort, The Club. So if you want a fun "Bond" game were you can eat popcorn and snag a few achievements, this is it.

James Bond 007: Blood Stone is a good, workmanlike title with modest pleasures to be derived from the trappings of its license. Unfortunately, stiff combat, inconsistent visuals and a weak narrative ensure that the definitive 007 videogame adaptation is yet to come.

James Bond 007: Blood Stone is a good third person shooter, rather classic but overall enjoyable. Unfortunately, it's very short (nearly six hours, including cut-scenes), so it's recommended only to the fans of 007.

Bond fans will get something out of it but this could, and should, have been so much more. [Issue#199, p.80]

For those of us that are hardcore 007 fanatics, James Bond 007: Blood Stone is good enough to hold us over until the eventual resurrection of the film series (or perhaps another game), but most players will rightfully pass on this one in favor of other gaming options.

Blood Stone isn't a bad game, but it has numerous imperfections.

Even with its numerous imperfections, Blood Stone easily ranks as 007's strongest showing in a videogame since the original GoldenEye. Just try to keep some aspirin handy for the inevitable cellphone-induced headaches.

Blood Stone is a straightforward and plain 3rd person experience and is hard to recommend beyond a weekend rental. But this weekend rental should be an enjoyable one, although shortly lived.

If Blood Stone was a legitimate Bond film, it would be Die Another Day: formulaic and forgettable yet still sexy and entertaining with some standout driving sections to boot.

Blood Stone is a solid Bond title and an improvement over Quantum of Solace, but at the same time, it lacks any real substance. The short campaign and lackluster multiplayer make this title more worthy of a possible rental than a purchase.

Blood Stone is an able shooter.

Multiplayer is pretty limited in variety, all team-based, and with a fistful of maps. Couple this annoyance with the fact that the rest of the game doesn't attempt to raise the bar in any way – and only lasts a paltry five hours – and Blood Stone starts to feel like a very pedestrian shooter. Honestly, we doubt even Xenia Onatopp on herbal Viagra could squeeze thrills out of this short ride. [January 2011 p79]

Blood Stone feels like a Bond-movie directed by Michael Bay. The game opens impressively, with variety in surroundings and the perfect Bond-vibe. But after an hour the lack of deep gameplay becomes grating and the shooting parts don't offer anything you haven't seen anywhere else before. Furthermore, the racelevels are downright disappointing and the only gadget in your possession is useless.

While the plotline is moronic, there's still a little fun to be had from James Bond 007: Blood Stone. I wouldn't recommend buying it, but shooter fans may find a little fun in a weekend rental.

Ultimately, James 007: Blood Stone feels like a licensed movie game without the corresponding movie.

007 Bloodstone is a solid entry in the world of James Bond assisted by strong production standards and acting talent. The actual gaming aspect lets the overall piece down somewhat. As a stopgap to the next Bond film it'll do as a pit stop but the only aspect you'll return to for a while is the multiplayer mode.

It's tough to recommend Blood Stone 007 to anyone but the most loyal of Bond fans, and even they should consider passing on this at best very average 007 title.

Blood Stone puts the world's favorite spy in a series of action and chase sequences that are exhilarating, but sadly they aren't enough to save this otherwise flat title.

Blood Stone has been a weird experience for me. Its playability is dynamic but wonky, its production values are really inconsistent, its linearity fades a little when playing in difficult mode, its solo durability isn't so great but its multiplayer remains nice (though not great), and the non-stop action would be charming if there wasn't that repetitiveness. Pros and cons, to sum it up. Blood Stone will not be a future reference, that's for sure, but Bond fans may still enjoy it.

Blood Stone is an enjoyable game if you can see through the bland driving action, forgettable story and the shoehorned multiplayer mode, but at the end of the day this ambitious game has a lot of unfulfilled potential that could further add onto the promise that this series has going for itself.

Unfortunately, there's just not enough here to keep you coming back. Once you've finished the campaign once, you can play through online modes or take a shot at an even more difficult campaign, but more than likely you'll follow the Bond-film route and call it quits.

Blood Stone isn't bad, but literally every single thing you can find here has been done better elsewhere.

The license really deserves a little more care and attention than this. [Christmas 2010, p.108]

What really makes this game interesting and minimally satisfying is the whole Bond environment.

While a crippling lack of ambition serves to dampen any fledgling hopes of entertainment, even the cutthroat aspirations of Katie Waissel couldn't hide the fact Blood Stone is a product built on shaky foundations.

Bloodstone feels rushed in every way, and the multiplayer has a cheap and forced overall feeling. Even though this isn't a movie tie-in, it still feels like it. In a bad way.

Quotation forthcoming.

Blood Stone is not a bad game: it's just a painfully average one.

It's 2010's most uninspired shooter. Only with Bond in it. [Jan 2011, p.86]

And the issues with Bloodstone reach further than just a hard to grasp plot. Both the driving and the shooting suffer from a distinct lack of polish.