007 Bloodstone (DS) Review

Behold! my first DS review! I wasn't really sure what to expect when i got this game. It looked pretty fun, but I was worried how much content and how long it would really be fun. However, I was surprised at some of the stuff i saw. A lot of voice acting, many different styles of play, and most of what appeared in the (what I heard was not so good) console counterpart. 007 Blood Stone is a great shooter on the DS. Though its simple, it defiantly gets the job done.

Presentation
 
like most bond games, the menu system is fancy and fits in nicely with the rest of the game. This time however, they basically give you the feel of holding a bond's phone.  Its pretty nifty and gives it a pretty good feel. each mission has plenty of game-engine graphical cut scenes, which are a rarity in DS games. Theres plenty of voice acting (done great I might add) durring phone calls between bond and M. Like I said, the menu system is really nice and the game has that film like feel you would expect form a bond game.

Graphics

 There is somewhat mixed bag. The textures are pretty mussy and bland. However, the animations are pretty good for a DS game and theres usually a decent amount of action os screen. The framerate (though not perfect) is generally solid. Ya the same guys who make the COD DS games (N space) made this, and you can tell when you see the blood effect on screen. Its generally a cool touch to be honest. Overall while the game lacks in shine and textures, it definitely makes up for them in performance.

Sound

Sound for the game is generally pretty solid. Like I said before, theres a lot of voice acting, and goood voice acting I might add. All of the actors that play in the current bond films (such as Daniel Craig of course) do there characters. The music is very tense and fits the game perfectly with each part. The guns, while having many different sounds, are somewhat muffled and lack depth.  Aside from the weak guns, the game generally has great sound.

Gameplay

Look at this pic for touch screen icons

 This is why I haven't done a DS game yet, the controls are gonna be a pain to type. But here goes nothing. The D pad moves. Double tapping the down d pad crouches. Double tapping the U d pad runs. L shoots. (note that all these can be done left handed to). On the touch screen, The phone icon pauses the game (so does the start button). the gun icon reloads (and changes weapons when its held down). The hand icon interacts with objects (and activate cover when available). Moving the stylus across the map aims. While driving, the d pad up or x button accelerates. d pad left and right and x and a button turn. D pad down reverses (so does the b button). You can also steer with the touch screen. L and R use the horn.
     Well there ya have it. The game is mostly runa dn gun with a little bit of stealth and cover mixed in. There is aa cover system that works pretty good, however you rarly need to use it. The AI isn't the best you'll find aand run and gunning is generally easier. There are stealth missions were its game over if you get caught, but there generally pretty easy. Its almost like a throw back to the first three syphon filters on the PS1. There are small mini games that take some skill, and they do nice to change the action. They usually involve either a puzzle or mind game and there always controlled with the touch screen. Finally, there are driving parts of the game as well. While there pretty fun, they REALLY lack a sense of speed. It feels like your always driving in 3 foot high water. Would have been way more fun if they felt like the DS version of need for speed Carbon.

Overall

why couldn't they make this look fast!?

Like I said, I'm generally surprised on how good this game is. Its pretty long (I believe its about 10 hour or so) and its story is engaging enough to keep you in the whole time. Its gameplay is perfect for on the road gaming.  The shooting is fun, the stealth is fun, the driving (though slow) is fun! this is probably the best portable bond game I've played yet. Its pretty funny how a portable version of a game thats on much more powerful hardware can come out much better.