I didn’t know this game existed, but apparently Activision wanted to give the high end systems a James Bond game when the Wii was getting Goldeneye. I saw virtually no previews or even hints that this was coming and then it appeared in Blockbuster like a ninja in the shadows. What I thought was buried treasure turned out to be just another carbon copy.
Where does this game rank in Bond memorabilia
1. Bond remix by Moby
2. James Bond Jr. Cartoon series
3. Blood Stone PS3
4. Halle Berry as a Bond girl
5. Woody Allen’s Casino Royale
The Plot is Not Enough
Judi Dench and Daniel Craig lend their voices to this script, but you can tell that they are phoning it in. James Bond has to chase down a mad man trying to sell a biochemical weapon. It’s the same slap and tickle we are used to: Agent M belittles Bond as he uses his debonair charms to finagle through a series of tough and daunting missions. These missions will take you to Greece, Italy and Russia and Bangkok.
The Genre Never Dies
Ranking of Crouch and Cover Shooters
1. Gears of War 2
2. Uncharted 2
3. Rainbow Six Vegas 2
4. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
5. Splinter Cell
6. Syphon Filter (PSP)
7. Resistance Redemption (PSP)
8. Gears of War
9. Killzone 2
10. Metal Gear Solid
11. Bloodstone
12. Quantum Theory
You can see that the crouch and fire gameplay mechanic is no stranger to the systems. In fact, I feel that crouch and fire is beginning to stack up to the normal run and gun shooters. One would think that Activision would want to pull out something unique to differentiate themselves from the pack. One would also think that the writers of the Scary Movie Parody series would come out with a decent sequel. Both cases would be wrong.
There’s nothing terrible about this play mechanic. The game is actually pretty challenging so you don’t feel like you are going through the motions of hunting bad guys. One offshoot of the game is the melee system. Every time you use MI6 karate on a thug you get focus rewards. Focus rewards give you one shot kills, which make something as simple as cover and fire even easier. About an hour of gameplay and I find myself getting bored. I think the problem is the weapons are so dry and flavorless that you might as well not even give them cool names like MP5, UK-740, P90. How about the name, pistol, machine gun, smaller machine gun and grenade launcher?
But salvation meagerly comes to the game through driving missions. This usually involves racing to catch up with another boat or car, while certain obstacles keep you at bay. It definitely gets the adrenaline pumping. The other gameplay mechanic is through your smart phone. It serves as a mission marker for your objectives and as a clue scanner. It’s very reminiscent of the Metroid visor scanner. One thing that excites me to no end is being able to scan something with my phone and having the privilege of reading an essay about the significance of that item. That was sarcasm, btw.
In Her Majesty’s Multiplayer
Bloodstone’s multiplayer is actually pretty fun to get into. You can freely roam utilizing martial arts and shooting. It’s a cross between Uncharted 2 and Medal of Honor. It is required by law that multiplayers have a level up system and Bloodstone is no different. The modes consist of a few team variations and some death matches. There is no flag to capture and Bond mode is totally out of the question. Feels like Activision merely put a multiplayer template down and adjusted a few things to make it look like a Bond game. Still, it’s definitely fun for a romp.
Multiplayer stats: How safe are you…
…at your team’s base: very safe
…at a weapon refill: kinda safe
… out in the open: you better start running
…sneaking up on another guy: don’t even bother
…perfectly set up to frag some guy away: he will kill you
The Game Who Loved Me
I want to put this game under the scrutinizing lens of another Bond game that shook the 2nd generation systems by storm. James Bond: Everything or Nothing. It’s almost the same idea as the last two Bond games (Bloodstone and Quantum of Solace) but there was so much more. First of all, Everything or Nothing had a third person auto aim type deal that focused more on quickness. The game introduced melee and using objects as weapons. You used Bond gadgets to repel down buildings and blow up enemies with spider robots. There was coop multiplayer that involved different missions. You could also invite your friends over for some 4 player death matches. Even Jaws made a comeback. As I write this paragraph, I pine for that game.
Every critic would agree that EA put a lot of time and effort into that game just to ensure that Bond fans were getting the very best. What happened with Bloodstone? Why is this so lame that it doesn’t even have a marketing scheme? Answer: Goldeneye just came out for the Wii and that has way more promise. Us high end gamers finally know what it’s like to be on the low quality end of the stick.
But for those who do not have a Wii, take a look at the comparison between Bloodstone and Everything or Nothing.
The Breakdown:
Famous voices:
Bloodstone- Judi Dench, Craig Daniels
Everything or Nothing- Pierce Brosnan, John Cleese, Judi Dench, Heidi Klum, Willem Dafoe
Gameplay Modes
Bloodstone- Shooting, semi exploration, driving
Everything or Nothing- Shooting, gadget use, flying/driving
Multiplayer
Bloodstone– Elimination, Team Elimination, Objective, Team Objective
Everything or Nothing– Co-op levels, capture the flag, death match, capture modes, Team death match
Replay Value
Bloodstone– Harder difficulties, achievements and collecting intel to read later, Death match party
Everything or Nothing– Better Bond Rating, Unlock Bond Moments, Co-op, Death match party, Unlock new skins
Winner: James Bond– Everything or Nothing
Bored Another Day
I’ve learned somethings about James Bond’s lifestyle. It isn’t that fulfilling. Our world likes to bling out a lifestyle that is filled with thrills, spills, high speed chases, fast cars and faster women. But you know what? It gets old. There is no other fictional character who would benefit more from God’s command to “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) than James Bond. He represents the male drive. Look at what James Bond represents…
1. The need to woo women all the time 1. Self image problems
2. The need to kill 2. Lack of faith in the value of life
3. Constant use of new gadgets and expensive gear 3. Lack of contentment
Now look how easily Jesus addresses this problem. “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7:37-38
For more stuff from this writer and friend of Jesus check out the webcomic at http://theredeemers.thecomicseries.com. Or his self-published book at www.spiritboxnovel.com
For Your Eyes Only: Out of 7
Graphics 4: A view to Kill–Pretty in some scenarios and bland in other scenarios. Not much architecture creativity was put into this. It loses points for having a lame Bond intro.
Controls 6: License to Kill–Everything is solid and playable.
Gameplay 4: The Living Daylights– Straightforward shooting coupled with driving missions. Multiplayer is good, clean and limited fun.
Story 3: Die Another Day– You can tell its a boring story if it’s easy to understand.
Content 5: The World Is Not Enough– It’s Bond with a PG-13 rating. Thank God they didn’t incorporate that crap with Halle Berry.
Replay Value 3: From Russia With Love– Diamonds may be forever, but this game is not.
Final 4: Goldeneye? No. More like Bronzeeye. If you’ve never played a Bond game or you are stuck in 2002 than this game is suitable. But everyone should check out James Bond: Everything or Nothing.
November 10th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Dude, I loved Everything Or Nothing; it was like a Bond movie that you got to play. It’s a bummer that Bloodstone couldn’t recapture that feel. I will say that Goldeneye 007 for the Wii is pretty sweet. It’s everything you loved about the classic updated to be more awesome for today.
November 13th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
“What happened with Bloodstone? Why is this so lame that it doesn’t even have a marketing scheme? Answer: Goldeneye just came out for the Wii and that has way more promise. Us high end gamers finally know what it’s like to be on the low quality end of the stick.”
I thought the exact same thing, myself. The Wii tends to get the lower quality games, but for once, it actually got the higher quality game. I still might rent this, though.