James Bond 007 Blood Stone

Information

Leaderboards - Yes
Private games - Yes
Maximum players online - 16
Genre - Cover based Shoot 'em up

Summary

• Maps are from the single player campaign and there are 8 all in all (six on Team Deathmatch and Last Man Standing, and two on Objective)
• Has three online modes, Team Deathmatch, Objective and Last Man Standing
• Can record easily who won
• Got leaderboards and levelling up functionality
• Five core weapons with upgrades on each
• Can change outfit of the person you are playing with

Maps

Team Deathmatch and Last Man Standing maps

Tunnels
The dimly lit map beneath Istanbul has several levels set above and below ground.

Dig
A map set in the ruins of the Dig. Move around the fallen columns and ancient statues of this derelict dig site

Construction Site
A map set on a deserted construction site. Climb into buildings and through pipes to close the distance to your opponents

Pomerov Industries
A map set on Pomerov Industries' main complex. The thick stone walls provide sufficient cover for what is generally long range combat

Towers
A map set amongst the warehouses of the Towers. A map with several prominent alleyways and side passages enables you to inflict the element of surprise on enemy forces

Missile Silo
A map set in the control room of the Missile Silo. Exploring the maps side tunnels and passageways gives an advantage

Objective maps

Istanbul

A group of mercenaries are preparing to fire a missile of the British Embassy in Istanbul. MI6 agents have been tasked with stopping the missile launch and destroying the mercenaries HQ

Siberia

MI6 have seized a bio-weapon tipped missile at a disguised refinery in Siberia. Reinforcements are on the way but MI6 must hold off a force of mercenaries trying to destroy the evidence until help arrives

Weapons

Upgrades are available on all of the weapons

Pistol

• M9
• USP
• Walther P99
• M9 - Silver
• USP - Silver
• Walther P99 - Silver
• M9 - Gold
• USP - Gold
• Walther P99 - Gold

Shotgun

• T2 Gauge
• M31
• M1
• T2 Gauge - Silver
• M31 - Silver
• M1 - Silver
• T2 Gauge - Gold
• M31 - Gold
• M1 Gold

SMG

• MP5
• UMP
• MP7
• MP5 - Silver
• UMP - Silver
• MP7 - Silver
• MP5 - Gold
• UMP - Gold
• MP7 - Gold

Rifle

• G36
• AK74
• Combat A.R
• G36 - Silver
• AK74 - Silver
• Combat A.R. Silver
• G36 - Gold
• AK74 - Gold
• Combat A.R Gold

Sniper

• M82
• M24
• DSR-1
• M82 - Silver
• M24 - Silver
• DSR - 1 - Silver
• M82 - Gold
• M24 - Gold
• DSR -1 - Gold

Teams

MI6
Mercenaries

Positives and Negatives

Positives

• Nice array of stats and awards
• Levelling up as standard
• Leaderboard function
• No disconnections experienced
• Maps are nicely designed and varied (albeit limited amount of maps, see negatives). There is a nice mix of inside/outside action
• Five types of weapon with upgrades on each weapon
• More weapons unlock as you level up
• Over the shoulder shooting system performs well, similar style to Resident Evil 5
• The cover system is easy to pick up, complimenting the tactical features of the matches
• Length of games is just about right
• Can change weapons when you are at base, you don't need to die to change your primary weapon
• Very much a welcome change from the typical shoot 'em up, i.e. there is a niche in the market for over the shoulder, third person, cover based shoot 'em ups. It certainly works for Gears of War 2
• Can change your weapon loadout and character look

Negatives

• Only 6 maps on TDM and LMS
• Only 2 maps on Objective
• Only 3 modes
• Difficult to find a game on Objective and LMS
• If you're after a fast paced multiplayer shooter game in the Black Ops mould this isn't for you
• Would have been nice to have a 'killstreak' system similar to Black Ops with Bond type gadgets e.g. exploding pens and Little Nell
• Goldeneye 007 on the Wii is a more satisfying experience overall, despite the graphical limitations of the Nintendo console compared to PS3 and Xbox 360
• Although the maps are based on the Blood Stone game, it would still be nice to have some locations from various Bond movies to play on as well
• Also given some of the parts of the gameplay in the game are based in vehicles (car, speedboat etc) why not integrate this into the multiplayer modes, like the Rallying idea in Halo Reach
• Sometimes there is an ever so slight delay when firing a kill shot and it being recognised as a kill - in a cover based game like Blood Stone having instant kill notification is absolutely crucial. Stepping out of cover longer than is necessary can be fatal, therefore knowing if a shot is a kill shot instantly is imperative. The slight time delay can lead to pursuing a kill longer than is necessary, thus opening yourself up to counter kills as you are outside of cover