Publisher: Activision
Developer: Bizarre Creations
System requirements: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7; Intel/AMD Dual Core; 1GB RAM for XP / 2GB RAM for Vista and 7; 12GB HDD; 256MB GeForce 7600 GT or ATI Radeon X1650 Pro video card
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

As far as I’m concerned, it had to happen. There came a point where the super-spy fiction of James Bond had to take a realistic turn in order to distance itself from the parody of Austin Powers and remain relevant to today’s movie-goer. I was against this at first, until a friend of mine convinced me to sit down and watch Casino Royal. It was a different kind of Bond movie for a different age of film, and Daniel Craig’s flawed, but extra bad-assed portrayal of MI6’s favorite agent sold it for me. I just wish I could use the same method to better understand 007: Blood Stone.

That title is a little misleading, actually, because there isn’t a single blood stone to be found in the entire game. Bio-chemical terrorism is the order of the day here, and it’s up to Mr. Bond to shoot, punch and drive his way to some answers. The problem is that in this story finding out who’s “in charge” might be Bond’s toughest question of all. It seemed that every time I took out the “main bad guy” there was always someone higher up waiting around the next corner – usually in a heavily armed helicopter. It got a little confusing…and monotonous, to say the least.

But the trip itself is interesting, taking 007 to all sorts of exotic locations like Thailand, Greece and Istanbul, and throwing him into all sorts of ridiculous scenarios. One section has you chasing an absolutely gigantic dump truck through crowded Thai streets and the next has you trying to catch up to the Russian equivalent of the Spruce Goose in a hovercraft. It’s high-adventure, but essentially an interactive feature film, so you’ll never feel too much of a challenge biting at your heels.

Blood Stone’s main problem is that it’s based on the new Bond, not the old ski an Aston Martin down a hill, crocodile shaped submarines and secret island fortresses Bond. The only gadget you use is a tricked-out smart phone, and apart from the music, there’s little else to remind you of what you’re playing. In fact, you could plug just about any hero or villain in here and it would probably float just fine on its own as a generic action game. The gunplay is dead on, if a little generous; the driving feels alright; and apart from some really annoying texture flicker I experienced, it looks decent, too.

Then again, Blood Stone only clocks in at around 6 hours and there are a few frustrations with the cover system and the less-than-intelligent A.I. The whole experience feels a little too 2005, as well; relying on typical action game conventions like bullet time and a disappointing close-combat feature that requires little more than a single button press to execute. Sure, you’re playing as James Bond, but you never quite feel like James Bond.

Yet if you go into Blood Stone knowing that this is a continuation of the modern 007, then you will find at least some modicum of enjoyment. I, on the other hand, felt like I needed to be sporting a jetpack or see some helpless girl get dunked in a vat of gold to complete the experience. If you simply can’t wait until the next Bond film (due sometime in 2012), then this might fill your tank, but for anyone on the fence, they shouldn’t bother climbing over.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation: