James Bond hasn't been exactly critical or commercial darling of late. With the death of MGM, it's not likely that we will see Mr. Bond return to films anytime soon. Which is a shame! Bond is one of those everlasting figures in entertainment. Thankfully, not is all lost, as Activision is bringing the man back with Blood Stone, a strong representation of the more-suave men around. Bizarre Creations, the team behind Project Gotham Racing and Geometry Wars, is leading this one up, and it's all coming together for a very James Bond-esque experience. Blood Stone is indicative of the James Bond that Daniel Craig brought to the franchise, that is, a more realistic, much more gritty Bond. Hands-off, I was shown the shooting elements of the game. Starting off with a plane crash, Bond is isolated in the midst of a jungle in Burma. Bashed and bloody, Bond (debonair in a blue polo and khaki pants, of course) is guided through a nearby industrial base, aided by his handy smartphone. Falling in line with the tine of the latest films, Bond has more realistic devices and tools at hand, and this smartphone will be his primary too.
It acts as an overlay and indicates where nearby enemies are hiding, as well as other objects, such as items and weapons available for pick up. Actual shooting is heavily cover based, with James hiding and dodging shots as they come around. Nothing particularly unique, what is pretty interesting are the melee takedowns. Enemy characters will wander over to Bond's hiding spot to see what's up, and Bond can take them down in a one hit physical attack. These takedowns are important, as they add to the focus meter for “Focus Aim.” These shots provide an instant one-shot kill, and these can be a real savior to ammo and dealing with a threat. Nothing too special, but they offer something that is thoughtful, especially when co-opted with the physical takedowns. Between dealing with the enemy soldiers, the larger threat is the helicopter above. While it is perfectly possible to take the helicopter put by just shooting it, there are other options to deal with this problem. For example, the Bizarre Creations representative opted to climb up onto a nearby crane and drop a load of pipes upon the chopper, quickly dealing with that problem.
It appears that all of these boss encounters are going to be following this slightly more open ended approach, so let's see if the game goes all the way with open-endedness once it launches in November. This was all shown to me, which is a shame. However, I was shown some of the racing missions of the game. This time Bond was in the car with Bond girl Joss Stone. The two of them are in a snazzy car (or course), and said snazzy car is chasing after some dastardly Bond villain. Through an icy canyon they go, and while I've been told that later racing segments are going to be a little bit more technical, this one is all about going balls to the wall fast. Considering Bizarre Creations is the team behind Blood Stone, and with a strong pedigree in racing titles like Project Gotham Racing, there are very high standards for this mode. After spending this time with the game, I'm looking forward to what could be a very solid James Bond title. From my hands on with the game, I don't think it's going to be a ground breaking title in any way, however, there seems to be enough content here, with the right aesthetic and representation to please plenty of fans of Bond and all that he represents.
