819 replies to this topic

[marktmurphy]

Interesting to reflect that both Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery gave their last performances as Bond in video games...

[MattofSteel]

Been away for a few days, just processing all this now. Part of me is intrigued, and will inevitably purchase the game. I don't think there's been a Bond game I haven't bought yet. EON (and by all accounts, this is 'EON' starring Dan) is one of my absolute favourites.

But I have to laugh.

This is such an obviously shameful attempt to 'tide the fan appetite over' in the film delay that I actually rolled my eyes at one point during the trailer.

-Near identical driving set pieces to those found in QOS (film), to appease those who complained about the lack of driving in the game.
-Craig sporting identical piece of CR Miami sequence wardrobe (what, they aren't licensed to render new digital duds? Who skydives in a leather jacket?)
-If 'Written by Bruce Fierstein' is really such a banner-headline-worthy credit, why has every piece of dialogue I've heard thus far sounded rather 'video game-ish?'
-Totally shameless plug of the CR 'animated fighting man' motif in the opening credits (and this coming from someone who loved that).
-Easily the most uninspired, bland 'title logo' they've come up with yet in the series.

Look - I'm not hating, and I know how nitpicky I'm being. But I just can't shake the feeling. It's just a mishmash of all the popular elements of Bond gaming and Craig's recent films to give us some kind of 'filler' experience.

But who knows - I suppose if it's made up of all the best parts, it could end up being my favourite of all time!

Like I said, I'll buy it the day it comes out. But I just...have a really bad feeling about it.

[Matt_13]

I don't perceive it as an attempt to "tide the fans over" though. Making a Bond game just for Bond fans is not something a major videogame publisher would ever do. It looks like a James Bond game, just like EON looks like a James Bond game, and for Activision that's what will draw in the general audience. It isn't trying to blow anyone away with top notch visuals or a revolutionary story, and it certainly isn't attempting to pull the wool over the eyes of the consumer, it's just a cool looking third person shooter that the developers have tried to turn into an authentic "Bond" experience, even if it won't hold a candle to the film series. We will never get a game that matches the quality of those films, the budgets just don't allow for that, and writing dialogue for games must be especially difficult because there has to be so much of it. Kudos to Feirstein for having so many ideas left in his head to actually give us a stand alone feature in and of itself, let alone craft TWO of them! I'm very optimistic about Bloodstone, potentially too much so, as noone has gotten the opportunity to have some hands on time with it. Either way, while Goldeneye is clearly more of a cash grab than this is (even with the serious effort that is being put into it, I'll be pleasantly surprised if Activision has created anything more than a standard shooter with the Bond theme), both games are shaping up to be unique, FUN experiences that, intentionally or otherwise, will tide many of us over until Bond 23 gets rolling.

As for the gettup for the parachute jump, I'll agree that it looks a bit odd, and I do hope that Bond will jump with standard sky diving gear and then, ala Goldfinger, remove it to reveal his action wear. Still, minute details. It looks rock your socks cool either way.

[sharpshooter]

I can see them adding in the Goldfinger jacket reveal. Good call.

It is said action takes place on land, sea and air. So I wonder if we get to control the decent of the parachute jump?

[bondrules]

Been away for a few days, just processing all this now. Part of me is intrigued, and will inevitably purchase the game. I don't think there's been a Bond game I haven't bought yet. EON (and by all accounts, this is 'EON' starring Dan) is one of my absolute favourites.

But I have to laugh.

This is such an obviously shameful attempt to 'tide the fan appetite over' in the film delay that I actually rolled my eyes at one point during the trailer.

-Near identical driving set pieces to those found in QOS (film), to appease those who complained about the lack of driving in the game.
-Craig sporting identical piece of CR Miami sequence wardrobe (what, they aren't licensed to render new digital duds? Who skydives in a leather jacket?)
-If 'Written by Bruce Fierstein' is really such a banner-headline-worthy credit, why has every piece of dialogue I've heard thus far sounded rather 'video game-ish?'
-Totally shameless plug of the CR 'animated fighting man' motif in the opening credits (and this coming from someone who loved that).
-Easily the most uninspired, bland 'title logo' they've come up with yet in the series.

Look - I'm not hating, and I know how nitpicky I'm being. But I just can't shake the feeling. It's just a mishmash of all the popular elements of Bond gaming and Craig's recent films to give us some kind of 'filler' experience.

But who knows - I suppose if it's made up of all the best parts, it could end up being my favourite of all time!

Like I said, I'll buy it the day it comes out. But I just...have a really bad feeling about it.

Thank goodness!. At least we're not completely left out in the cold. It's not EON's fault MGM is immortal.

[MattofSteel]

Like I said, wasn't hating - and for all the reasons you mentioned, I'll be in line with you to buy it.

It just feels so...recycled. EON was phenomenal because even though it used familiar cinematic elements, it presented them in such a cool, original, standalone kind of way that it created a unique experience - for all intents and purposes, serving as Brosnan film #5.

I genuinely hope Blood Stone pulls off the same thing - I'm just not feeling particularly encouraged from what I've seen.

[double o ego]

Well, to me the game looks pretty good so far. I do hope Bond's attire changes though and I couldn't care less if this game is to tide us over until the next Bond movie. It's a new Craig adventure to experience and as a Bond fan, I'm delighted.

[marktmurphy]

I kind of agree: it's so blandly Bond that I kind of find it hard to get excited- at least EON had that up and down walls thing.
I'll buy it I'm sure but it does look a bit reheated (Bond-wise: perhaps the game is great as a game, even if the levels look very short from what we've seen)

[sharpshooter]

it's so blandly Bond that I kind of find it hard to get excited- at least EON had that up and down walls thing.

To be fair, how do we know what else is in the game and what isn’t?

We’ve seen a trailer and a snippet from one level.

[DamnCoffee]

it's so blandly Bond that I kind of find it hard to get excited- at least EON had that up and down walls thing.

To be fair, how do we know what else is in the game and what isn’t?

We’ve seen a trailer and a snippet from one level.

Indeed.

I don't think you can say the levels look short only based on a snippet from one mission. The trailer really only shows the first level anyway, so there'll be a lot more stuff in the game. Casino's, Street Chases, Rooftop pursuits...

[marktmurphy]

it's so blandly Bond that I kind of find it hard to get excited- at least EON had that up and down walls thing.

To be fair, how do we know what else is in the game and what isn’t?

We’ve seen a trailer and a snippet from one level.

Well, because usually you show the really good innovative stuff in the trailers. I expect it'll still change a bit, but...

Indeed.

I don't think you can say the levels look short only based on a snippet from one mission. The trailer really only shows the first level anyway, so there'll be a lot more stuff in the game. Casino's, Street Chases, Rooftop pursuits...

That gameplay clip on YouTube appears to show the driving bit only going along one road. The speedboat bit looked a bit better but there wasn't much to do. The shooting bits did look like they'd been curtailed a little bit, but even so the gameplay clip makes it look a bit bare. I'm sure there's lots to work on still.

[MattofSteel]

it's so blandly Bond that I kind of find it hard to get excited- at least EON had that up and down walls thing.

To be fair, how do we know what else is in the game and what isn’t?

We’ve seen a trailer and a snippet from one level.

This is exactly what I'm saying. I absolutely hope I'm wrong, and I'm reserving final judgment - but I'm just not feeling particularly encouraged by what I've seen so far.

[DamnCoffee]

Well at the end of the day, it's just a game. It's not as important as a Bond film, but I'm sure things will turn out fine. As long as I get my long awaited Bond-fix, then It's all good.

Oh, and why on earth are only Joss Stone and Judi Dench credited in that main titles video?

[YouKnowTheName]

Wow, my hopes for this game were dashed, flamed and salted from the trailer alone...

First- Why the Hell do people keep hiring Bruce Fierstien?? Is he really cheap or something? He has no understanding of Bond, all his works play like demented fanfics, just incoherent beerslams of Bond cliches. His only solo writing venture is TND, a plotless, wafer thin, inspiration-free movie. And EoN was like it was written by a 13 year old ADD sufferer, barely qualifying as a Saturday morning cartoon (Jaws and Pierce Brosnan? You utter, utter moron) And the 'game' of FRWL was like a Bond fan's acid nightmare. He does know Bond is based on a series of actual, real novels, right? The fact that he is writing this does not bode well.

This has a decided whiff of EoN about it... The big names and song being announced before hard gameplay details just goes to show what Activision's priorities are. I've ragged on EoN enough before, but the thrid person severely dragged it (and FRWL) down. Being Bond has been the ultimate male fantasy for decades, and a well considered first person game (NOT first person SHOOTER) could really tap into that! But, here we go again...

Something big has happened to Bond since EoN... Casino Royale! Getting back to a more realistic, believeable espionage world with a human Bond more in line with Fleming's creation. So WHY am I seeing rocket launchers left right and centre? OTT explosions all over the place and Bond leaping invincibly around like forking Spider-Man??! We've done an Austin Powers game already, it was called FRWL. And it was awful. Games like Splinter Cell and (I'll say it yet again..) Hitman have been doing serious game spy thrillers for years, yet for Bond, the series that directly inspires them all, we get a bunch of simplistic arcade games designed for casual gamers? We have these games because of GoldenEye, a double hardcore game that offered almost no hand holding 'guidance' at all! And it's still probably the best game ever made!

Another nauseating blast of EON... needless and completely inappropriate American stunt casting. You know, the thinking that gave us Teri Hatcher, Denise Richards and Halle Berry, all of whom were totally NOT completely out of place and awful and totally DIDN'T drag the quality of their respective films waay down to subterranean levels. We're past this! We have unknown actresses of great quality doing amazing things in the Craig films! Why are we being dragged back to this crap? To appease the idiots who think that big name actors can make the game better? Someone here actually SAID something like 'That's all the big names? Lame!' It's a video game! The big names in EoN didn't fix the broken lock-on system or car physics did they? No! GoldenEye didn't even have voices and it beat them all.

Oh, and the trailer screams out I WISH I WAS QUANTUM OF SOLACE. The car chase opening, the boat bit, the normal, casual looking villain (Greco/Green...ugh)... So much for developing a game with it's own identity. What is it, community serive for leaving most of the film of of QOS The Game? Oh no, there's a suggestion of there being a deadly virus involved, a completely cartoonish element that would look completely stupid in a Brosnan film let alone....

Did I hallucinate Casino Royale?

[DamnCoffee]

That gameplay clip on YouTube appears to show the driving bit only going along one road.

Well in all fairness, if I tend to go out driving, I drive along one road as well. I never drive on two roads at once.

[zencat]

One gripe is I really don't care for how Bond is dressed. Not a very iconic outfit for a James Bond avatar. Put him in a tux, in a suit, in spy gear, something that says James Bond or spy. That nasty jacket...the only thing that doesn't look Bondian in this game is James Bond.

[DamnCoffee]

Yes, I wasn't too keen on Bonds attire myself. Saying that though, do you remember the very first demo for Everything or Nothing ?, Bond was dressed very plainly. In the final game he was in combat gear. Things will change over time. Think of this as a rough cut.

Plus, this is just one level. I'm sure Bond will have an array of different suits throughout the course of the game.

[British Chap]

Batman: Arkham Asylum was recently released in a special "game of the year" edition which allowed players to switch on 3D mode and use cardboard 3D glasses on any TV to play the game in 3D.

The reason I mention this is because on the Blood Stone site, under media, they have a section for 3D screenshots. This could mean anything. It could just mean you can view the screen shot from multiple angles. Or, perhaps Blood Stone will feature a 3D mode??

[zencat]

Nice fine, British Chap.

[Matt_13]

The trailer was built from the demo, and the demo is exactly that...a demo. The level is probably longer than what we were shown, and Bond's clothes could also have just been the only skin they had available. It's not that bad of an outfit, and if you check out on the official site, there's plenty of shots of Bond in a suit in the concept art. I don't think we have to worry about it.

And TND is the most original film of Brosnan's era, no question.

[zencat]

Cool. Good to know.

[dinovelvet]

And TND is the most original film of Brosnan's era, no question.

I question it

It seemed very much cut from the YOLT/TSWLM cloth of a villain manipulating two powers into attacking each other.

TWINE, for all its faults, at least had an original story.

[bond_azoozbond]

In amazon its says that bloodstone will release in Nov, 2 .
http://www.amazon.co...9662825&sr=1-28

[marktmurphy]

And TND is the most original film of Brosnan's era, no question.

Hmm. It ain't, you know. Even DAD had Bond captured and confined for 18 months: I haven't seen any other Bond films doing that.

[Matt_13]

And TND is the most original film of Brosnan's era, no question.

Hmm. It ain't, you know. Even DAD had Bond captured and confined for 18 months: I haven't seen any other Bond films doing that.

To momentarily go off topic....

Die Another Day was also a disaster in terms of plotting, dialogue, and action choreography. It was all horribly cliche, void of any originality whatsoever. I will agree that the first 20 mins of the film are its best because it does venture from the formula, but after Bond goes rogue, it's all very been there done that. TND, while hardly a revolutionary work in the Bond canon, had the most interesting plot of the Brosnan era (TWINE gets very close, but falters in execution and simply comes across as bland). The "Why?" of the villains plan wasn't world domination, but TV ratings. Carver was a wonderfuly eccentric character that had menace without being physically imposing. He also didn't change nationalities...which is, I will admit, certainly hasn't been done before, but there's probably a reason for that.

Back on topic...

Are they really shipping Bloodstone on the same date as Goldeneye? November 2nd? Interesting. Right around Midterms, joy.

[YouKnowTheName]

The trailer was built from the demo, and the demo is exactly that...a demo. The level is probably longer than what we were shown, and Bond's clothes could also have just been the only skin they had available. It's not that bad of an outfit, and if you check out on the official site, there's plenty of shots of Bond in a suit in the concept art. I don't think we have to worry about it.

And TND is the most original film of Brosnan's era, no question.

I'm not questioning it, I'm outright saying it's not true. It's the only Brosnan film to just be a complete retread of the formula, with no innovations or new elements beyond some scrubbing up for modern audiences. Even DAD had a lot of original features, they were just brain damaged. Apologies if that statement was a joke I didn't get.

[DamnCoffee]

It's the only Brosnan film to just be a complete retread of the formula, with no innovations or new elements beyond some scrubbing up for modern audiences.

What about Bond meeting Paris? A woman from his past? We haven't had that before in a Bond movie.

[MattofSteel]

To stay off topic for a moment...in retrospect, TND was wonderfully standard, and DAD sort of laughably ambitious. TND is certainly a cookie cutter Bond film with some decent originality layered throughout. Has its drawbacks, but is more of an appropriate successor to GE than QOS was to CR.

DAD was clearly started with the best of intentions - but they just absolutely fell off the wagon along the way.

[Matt_13]

To stay off topic for a moment...in retrospect, TND was wonderfully standard, and DAD sort of laughably ambitious. TND is certainly a cookie cutter Bond film with some decent originality layered throughout. Has its drawbacks, but is more of an appropriate successor to GE than QOS was to CR.

DAD was clearly started with the best of intentions - but they just absolutely fell off the wagon along the way.

That's a much better way to compare the two. Thank you

[Quantumofsolace007]

It's the only Brosnan film to just be a complete retread of the formula, with no innovations or new elements beyond some scrubbing up for modern audiences.

What about Bond meeting Paris? A woman from his past? We haven't had that before in a Bond movie.

Sylvia Trench From Russia with love.