Bizarre Creations Reveals 007: Blood Stone

In an unexpected turn of events, Bizarre Creations finally revealed their new Bond game entitled Blood Stone today. The reason I say unexpected is that the game really looks like a traditional bond game, with high octane driving sequences and third person ass kicking included. Speculation had been running rampant that the new Bond game would be almost exclusively a driving based game full of the adrenaline pumping chase sequences that the series is known for. What we get instead is a third person action game starring Daniel Craig and Judi Dench.

As for initial impressions of the game, it is really hard to say how I feel about it. It's great to have Craig back in Bond's shoes again but I was a little disappointed in the trailer for the sole reason that it shows nothing outside of a single level. For a game set for release this holiday, I thought they would have a little bit more to show. While this worries me, the driving sequences and the action seem sound enough but nothing revolutionary. Since "Nightfire" and "Everything or Nothing" on the PS3/Xbox/Gamecube, I have been more of a fan of the original storyline Bond games than the movie tie-ins so they should have originality working in their favor and with the story being being penned by the screenwriter of Goldeneye, there is definitely something to look forward to there.

I am currently adding the finishing touches to an article describing my feelings about games changing developers and the reasons why I am not opposed to it (in most cases). Well what interesting timing because the bond series has been changing developers with almost every iteration since Goldeneye. Among the developers to give their take on Bond are Eurocom, EA Redwood Shores (Visceral Games), and Treyarch (among others). In what seems like an endless attempt to achieve the success of Goldeneye, almost no team has found the right formula to make Bond relevant again. While Nightfire and Everything or Nothing were both decent attempts, no set formula has stuck. So the question remains, should we be optimistic about Blood Stone or shrug it off?

With the fate of the film series in limbo, I am happy to see Activision shopping the IP around for new studios, I am not so sure Bizarre Creations would have been my first choice. While they have created some fantastic and memorable titles like Geometry Wars, Project Gotham Racing, and Blur, this would be one of their first forays into the world of action titles with the exception of "Fur Fighters" for the Dreamcast and the more recent "The Club", neither of which received must critical acclaim. One thing is for sure, come December, gamers will have more Bond than they can handle with the highly anticipated "remake" of Goldeneye set to hit stores around the same time.

While I am certain to play Blood Stone when it hits this fall, I will be placing this game on my back burner, hoping to be pleasantly surprised when it launches. Any thoughts? Did I mention Joss Stone (See what they did their) will be providing the music and lubricant?