Blood Stone: 007

This was a great Bond adventure with some classic Bond moments.

From start to finish, Blood Stone is a satisfying action game with enough "wow" moments to please even the jaded Bond fan-slash-gamer crowd.

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.

James Bond 007: Blood Stone is a game that will surprise many. While the recent release of Goldeneye for the Wii has stolen some of the spotlight away from Blood Stone, the overall package in Blood Stone is good as there is plenty to offer for 007 fans.

An enjoyable romp across the world behind the eyes of a man with a penchant for destruction and a tendency towards his triggerfinger, Blood Stone will keep you entertained and excited as the brief story unfolds.

Sadly, Blood Stone 007 lacks any real depth. It does however contain some simple gameplay that could be a great foundation for future Bond games if expanded upon and fined tuned just a tad bit more. It's easily the fastest Bond game ever created and for those Bond fans looking for more of Craig in the midst of the fall of MGM, Blood Stone is a great place to find a quick, albeit mediocre fix.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

James Bond 007: Blood Stone sports a good gameplay both in the action and racing sections, but its short duration and the unsatisfying story keep it from being a true must have for every Bond fan.

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.

Blood Stone may not be the best Bond adaptation or action game in general, but it's not a gross misappropriation either.

Everything from poorly-executed multiplayer modes that no one cares for, to the formulaic and dull shooting, to the car sequences that will get you excited for far too short of a time - Blood Stone is better than mediocre, but the only thing it really excels at is the Bond atmosphere and style. And that's simply not enough to carry a video game, especially one that its publisher left out to pasture.

James Bond: Blood Stone is a good action game that involves the player with easy-to-learn game mechanics and a fluent action component. The Adventure, bye the way, is not so brillant in every aspect, resulting only in a funny (thanks to Mr. Bond english humor), middle-value, action game.

Whether it was time constraint, requirements of the 007 license, or a developer stepping out of their comfort zone you can't shake the the feeling there's a great action game bubbling under at Bizarre, but Blood Stone isn't it, limited by a lack of variety and reliance on the tropes of its genre. But it is a well-constructed, entertaining and wholly-polished blast.

James Bond is back with a new and epic adventure. Blood Stone feels like the new film, and it's a pity, because its main adventure is as short as if this was a real movie. A fun and engaging game but extremely short and with many things to improve visually.

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.

I'm also just very peeved at just how confined it makes you feel - and, most of all, how Activision didn't just port its own Blur into the Bond world for the driving bits.

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.

So, is there any reason to dive into Blood Stone? Well, if you're a Bond fan and like the genre of stealth/action that Splinter Cell has perfected, and have a spare weekend to fill, then you will find that the 5 hours you spend playing the game will be enjoyable enough to warrant a rental.

Cinematic and explosive, but mostly during the cutscenes - middling fare for Daniel Craig. [Jan 2011, p.94]

Blood Stone makes for a good weekend rental, or an 'in between' title, but it doesn't offer a lot more than that.

Blood Stone is true to the Bond spirit, but it does nothing to innovate or push the 007 game forward. It's polished and worth sinking a couple of hours into, but there's not enough content here to keep even the most avid Bond nut interested for long.

With a story that feels half-told and an execution that's barebones in every way that matters, it's difficult to recommend Blood Stone.

This game truly feels like a Bond game. Moreover, it makes you believe you are playing the legendary James Bond and few other Bond games achieve this. For this reason, I whole-heartedly recommend it to fans of the James Bond franchise. However, those looking for a high-quality game should exercise caution.

Bloodstone: 007 will draw more of the James Bond fans. Gamers looking for something different may not be as impressed, though those that give the game a chance may well find a game sprinkled with a few gaming relished moments, far and between as they are.

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.

On a technical level James Bond 007: Blood Stone is a competent third person shooter, however it is a game that really lacks that extra polish that sets games apart. Even for the biggest Bond fans I can only recommend this as a rental, as a little Blood Stone seems to go a long way.

A solid and well-implemented offering, but also shallow and lacking in variety. [Jan 2011, p.85]

Blood Stone shows promise that is never really capitalised on. [Issue#66, p.85]

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.

Thing is, in spite of all this peripheral mediocrity, if you pick up Blood Stone, you'll probably get a day or so's entertainment from it.

James Bond 007: Blood Stone isn't really a bad game. It's just a five-hour, heavily scripted game that's far too easy and short on genuine thrills.

Light, fluffy popcorn fare, with just a dab of buttery thrills.

It had everything to become one of the greatest games for the end of 2010, but Blood Stone is short, derivative and not very inspired. Honestly, we expected much more from a talented team like Bizarre.

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 annoying 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.

Bizarre's first attempt in the Bond series is not a bad game, with solid shooter mechanics and good driving sections. Unfortunately, Blood Stone is too short to offer a decent value.

Again, this is why I find Bloodstone so confusing: Trying to release an original Bond title that isn't tied into a big budget motion picture is risky on its own, but releasing it the same day as the remake of one of the most beloved Bond games of all time, with what will no doubt be the biggest selling game of the year in Black Ops waiting in the wings, seems like an odd business decision.

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.

If the story were better and there was more variety than just rote cover-based gunfights and frustrating car chases, Blood Stone might be up there with classics like GoldenEye and Everything or Nothing, but as it stands it's more of a 007 side story than this year's movie stand-in.

It's such a shame Blood Stone is so average and lacking impact because it does do some things right.

Not content to deliver a substandard singleplayer, however, Bizarre crafted an equally ho-hum multiplayer.

If you're a Bond fan, you'll be routinely disappointed by Blood Stone, but you'll probably play it anyway. If you're not one, then I can't really stress enough that there are better games out there that don't crush my hopes and dreams.

If you're after the definitive Bond adventure, Blood Stone 007 isn't it, stick to GoldenEye 007 instead.

With the exception of fleeting moments, the game's milquetoast mechanics don't cut it - watching a superspy and being one are very different things. [Christmas 2010, p.88]

Blood Stone is, hands down, a bad game. It's a game we've all seen before, only better than this. It's too simple and doesn't add anything new to the genre, and the multiplayer's a mess. It isn't engaging at all despite good voice acting from Daniel Craig.

With the exception of the car sequences and the stand out voice acting, Blood Stone is an average game with average gameplay and a rather short single player campaign. The game can be completed in about five hours and while it does have its interesting moments and explosive set pieces, they are few and far between and it leaves fans of 007 without much to be excited about.

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.

Almost everyone does it better than this bland, unambitious shooter that manages to squander all of the developer's usual talents.

Blood Stone 007 just doesn't have a lot going for it. It's got some standard shooting, some decent graphics, and a modicum of difficulty. Unfortunately, there's just nothing here that stands out, or deserves your attention beyond a lonely weekend.

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.

Players that pick this game up will find a game that is certainly playable, but if you let this pass by, you won't miss much.

Quotation forthcoming.

Mostly, the game disappoints because it fails to pass the Brand Name Test. Would we still care if it wasn't James Bond? Almost certainly not.

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

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.

Blood Stone is definitely not one of 007's best missions.