Video games review
Nintendo Wii / DS (GoldenEye 007); Xbox360 / PS3 / PC (Bloodstone)
Release date Out now

You wait forever for a new Bond adventure and then two come along at once…

With no adventures for Bond on the big screen for now (and the foreseeable future), it falls to video games to keep the legend alive. Thankfully the legacy is in good hands.

GoldenEye 007 is an update and general overhaul of the classic game that was released an astonishing 13 years ago. While not a carbon copy, it updates the sheer playability of the original perfectly. The 2010 changes include making this an adventure for Daniel Craig’s Bond. Purists may balk at the idea, but the story has been adapted around him and it works well.

The Wii isn’t usually the console to offer great graphics, but this looks amazing, and has enticing ‘just one more go!’ gameplay and a multiplayer that breathes new life into a vintage gaming classic.

Blood Stone is the lesser of the games but it is by no means a disaster. A large part of the appeal of games based on licensed characters is the wish fulfillment aspect. There’s something really fun about being Bond in an action-packed adventure and getting to battle bad guys and take part in high speed chases. It’s not the finest example of its genre, and probably likely to be forgotten once the missions have all been played through, but that’s not really the point.

The action is peppered with driving missions and a touch of authenticity is provided by Daniel Craig and Judi Dench, who reprise their roles as Bond and M from the movie. It’s slightly let down by its presentation, which often feels sloppy (spot the gun fight where Bond changes clothes during the battle!) and the waxy skin tones of the characters look strange, but this is ultimately a fun, fresh adventure that’s distracting enough to keep Bond fans entertained until he returns to our movie screens. Jonathan Wilkins

VERDICT
GoldenEye: 9/10
Blood Stone: 7/10

Click here for an interview with writer Bruce Feirstein!