The summer is well and truly upon us, which for a gamer can only mean one thing.
The summer games drought.
It happens annually and it is the time most gamers fear. It most certainly is not because of the stereotype that we fear the sun and live in doors, No, it is because when we do leave the house to visit the local games shop we are greeted with the same old stock. There is no point, is there?
The real question is how many of those games have you actually played? Or even given a second look? These are usually titles that deserve your attention but didn’t get it first time round thanks to the industry equivalent of a ‘school bully’ taking all of your lunch money in November.
Not allowing to let boredom kick-in and not buying the last, or any previous installments for that matter, of COD, I decided to look in the bargain bin and see what I missed.
I was amazed to see games like ‘Enslaved’ and ‘Vanquish’ for only £10 and Castlevania for around £20. There were quite a few to choose from;
So I purchased ‘007 Blood stone’. ‘What about the others?’ I here you cry well the truth is I bought them last year.
What I didn’t expect was to actually enjoy the game. Not kidding. I actually liked it. I am not saying it’s the best thing since sliced bread. No where near, but, just like a Michael Bay movie there is something satisfying about the media equivalent of a greasy cheese burger.
‘007: Bloodstone’ has a ‘by-the-numbers’ narrative and is played out through 2 different gameplay genres; Driving and Shooting.
The driving sections are fast paced action sequences that usually have you chasing the bad guy in one of Bonds trademark cars. They take place in a number of environments ranging from the bustling streets of a Thai city to the cracking frozen rivers of Siberia.
The frozen river scene in particular is intense as you have to chase a train whilst a helicopter is launching rockets at you and your road is disappearing rapidly. It did take me a few tries to complete though as the direction you need to take isn’t always obvious and usually ended up with bond taking the coldest bath he has ever experienced.
The shooting sections are repetitive but still fun. The similarities to ‘Uncharted’ are visible. The way you often find yourself moving into the distance whilst navigating strategic cover points definitely suggests the developers have played one of ‘Naughty Dog’s’ finest.
The close quarter combat is fun at first but after seeing the same animation a few times it becomes dull. Unfortunately there is a trophy for using the close quarter attack over 150 times.
Like the driving sections of the game the on-foot also has it’s fair share of set pieces which include running from a giant underground drill and escaping a computer room whilst it quickly fills up with gas.
When you mention Bond one of the obvious conversations to take place is his gadgets. In the case of ‘Blood Stone’ the topic goes from plural to singular because he only has one gadget. His smart phone.
Remember the ‘Detective mode’ in ‘Batman: Arkham Asylum’, The one that allowed you to pick up clues and find secrets? Well Bonds phone can do that too. It just isn’t used in the same effective manor as The Bats goggles were. In fact it is frustrating as you could only dream of it’s potential uses.
Blood Stone is neither groundbreaking or terrible. It is an enjoyable 7-10 hour action game that will fill a void this summer it doesn’t make you want to stay but you will be happy you visited.