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 Post subject: PS3 - James Bond 007: Blood Stone
PostPosted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:34 am 
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Location: Ely, Cambs. UK
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Title: James Bond 007: Blood Stone
Genre: 3rd Person Action
Developer: Bizarre Creations (Activision-Blizzard Liverpool)
Publisher: Activision Blizzard
Rating: ESRB - T, PEGI - 16
Formats: PS3, Xbox360, PC, DS.


Synopsis:
Bond is back, and looking for some more names to take in Blood Stone. After MI6 receive word of a terrorist attack being planned on the G20 summit in Athens by the notorious Greco, Bond is sent to uncover the plotters, and stop them in their tracks. After a quick pleasure cruise on Greco's yacht, a car chase ensues with Bond eventually stopping the bomb-laden car in its tracks, and preventing the collapse of the G20 talks. So far, so gravy.
However, the following day, Bond is then assigned to recover the kidnapped scientist Malcolm Tedworth, who was taken along with his encrypted USB drive, containing information regarding a cure for a hybrid anthrax strain, that may eventually be weaponised.

With Bond on the trail, Tedworth's captors are soon found. However, Tedworth succumbed to the torture, and has given the decryption key to the interrogating thug named Bernin. After a quick foot chase, Bond catches up to Bernin, who gives him the name of Pomerov, one of Siberia's most renowned chemical manufacturing moguls.

With a chase to lead Bond all over the world from Siberia, to Bangkok, via Monaco, the race to stop the vaccine from being weaponised is on. Although, as usual with Bond, deception and betrayals are only around the corner.



Ok, Blood Stone.... It's a little bit unsure of what it wants to be really. On the one hand, there's the usual gripping tale of chasing some terrorist all over the world, killing everything in your path, and on the other hand, there's a fair bit of leaning on the stealth side of things. Oh, and car chases involving (check it) a DB6, DB9, DBS, and a Koenigsegg. And as usual in Bond style, they all get written off. Oh, and an assault hovercraft, complete with a (and this is the in-game intel here) 90rps anti-missile system. So that's shooting, stealth, car chases, and a boat with all the subtlety of a brick to the face. Yeah, Bond's back!

As a 3rd person shooter, it's rather lacklustre, with a campaign time of around 5-6 hours, depending on your difficulty, and enemies that are about as strong as the house of straw (go look it up...), coupled with an absolutely absurd amount of guns and ammo available for them, then you just get more of a turkey shoot, than any actual challenge.
Now, the stealth side of things took my interest pretty much from the get-go. Being able to stay in cover, and perform some JUDO CHOP on the unnamed henchmen was a nice change. Especially when you can sneak around an area, taking out the guards silently until someone spots a body, then it's [b]![/i] time. Did I mention about the patrolling enemies actively spotting their fallen colleagues? Well they do.
And no, you can't drag the bodies to somewhere private either. One massive miss for a game based around a spy. But then again, I guess if you want some real stealth, then Mr Fisher's waiting in the wings.

And once you start performing the Takedowns, you're then rewarded with little "Focus Aim" discs. These are basically auto-aimed, instant-kill shots that you can chain together, to take out an entire room of enemies. Even though you can only store 3 of them, use them with a full SMG, and every shot that hits something will kill it, even if the focus hasn't stopped moving yet. Only a little overpowered, no?

As it's an Activision Blizzard game, I've got to talk about graphics. Now, this on the same day that Black Ops was brought home by my lovely partner, and played a bit, the difference in approaches is tremendous. Graphically, the PS3 is capable of so much more. Daniel Craig, Judy Dench, and Joss Stone all lent their likenesses and voices to the game, yet PS3 owners are given a low-res version instead, as though the game was developed at 360 engine levels, and lazily ported to the PS3.

Ok, enough about the shiny stuff... Story-wise, Blood Stone is very much standard spec from what you expect from a Bond story. Terrorists want to kill shit, someone smart wants to ransom the world, and Bond is there to shoot, stab, and JUDO CHOP people down until the Big Bad is dead. The storytelling isn't bad, it's just that after 20-odd Bond games, it's getting a little old. Although, the twist at the end, and I mean RIGHT at the very end, was a little expected and very much in the Bond theme.


Scores:
Graphics: Dull, and duller. Playing the PS3 version right after a stint on Black Ops made me wonder if I'd accidently put the disc in the 360. Licenced likenesses helped a little, but the watering down really didn't help them either - B-

Gameplay: Yet more auto-aim, even when disabled. Stealth mechanics are very much let down by not being able to hide bodies, and the car chases that punctuate the game are even more annoying. Enjoyable watching the Takedowns though, and challenging yourself to do a level without shooting anyone - B+

Sound: Everyone, even in the depths of Siberia, speaks flawless English apparently. Weapons sound very little like their counterparts. Musically, Blood Stone offers little in terms of musical immersion, and the only saving grace is that of the audio likenesses - C-

Replayability: Easily attained SP trophies for the main part, but also setting little challenges to yourself, like completing a level without firing a shot, etc. Treasure hunt is also present and correct, with the Smartphone Intel Scanning taking up most of that - B

Overall: A standard foray into the world of Bond, and as normal, we get yet another game that is neither atrocious, nor worth calling home about. Good for Bond fans, but not great for everyone else. B-

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Reviews:
Supreme Commander 2 <-- A sequel with a lot to live up to. Does it command everything, or take orders?
Fight Night Champion (PS3) <-- Nubnos comes back from the canvas, and goes in swinging.
James Bond 007 - Blood Stone (PS3) <-- Do try to return this in one piece, 007...

Upcoming Reviews: <-- Add to the list!
Dragon Age 2 (PS3) <- OMG YU SO ADDICTIVE?! *In Progress!*
Ratchet and Clank 4 (PS3)


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 Post subject: Re: PS3 - James Bond 007: Blood Stone
PostPosted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 3:20 pm 
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Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 3:04 am
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I used to follow the 007 games pretty closely and would always pick mine up on the day of release. I haven't been impressed with the recent ones, so I stopped tracking the series. When this came out I was surprised a little, and I checked it out online. Every0one was giving it mediocre reviews, so I guess it's good I didn't jump the gun and buy this one.

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