Video Game Review: James Bond in action on 'Blood Stone' and 'GoldenEye'

There's more than enough James Bond to go around right now. On the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 you have "James Bond 007: Blood Stone," a new adventure that is not based on a movie, and on the Wii you have a revamping of the Nintendo 64 classic "GoldenEye 007."

So it's secret agent time.

The nut graph: "Blood Stone" follows a familiar pattern for recent Bond games with a little bit of shooting, a little bit of stealth and a smidgen of brawling. Even if you're new to this type of game, you'll be pleased with the controls, and the missions are a nice mix of fighting and fun.

But what sets it apart are several lengthy driving sequences; the game was developed by Bizarre Creations, the same people who did the "Project Gotham" racing series for Microsoft. These are exciting and tense, although not as challenging as a regular racing game - there is some trial and error, but you can figure your way through after a couple of tries. Still, it's a nice change of pace.

It's a fairly short game with online multiplayer if you're interested. Bond fans will like the original story created just for this game.

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"GoldenEye" is an updated version of one of the most popular games on the N64. The story is newer (although written by Bruce Feierstein, who wrote the screenplay for the movie), and the Bond here is Daniel Craig, not Pierce Brosnan - it's certainly not the same game.

For controls, you can go with the Wiimote as a pointer or use the classic controller for the type of first-person shooter experience that "Call of Duty" fans will be familiar with. It's nowhere near as detailed graphically as shooters on the PS3 or Xbox 360, but it has the style and pacing down, and there is plenty of action and gadgets. If you don't have a 360 or PS3, then "GoldenEye" gives you a good look at the most popular type of game on those systems.

It also has the classic four-player split-screen multiplayer that was all the rage more than a decade ago, or you can try online with several different modes. It's a decent package and has very few rivals on the Wii in this department.

Reason to smile: Daniel Craig makes for a pretty interesting video game character since he can vary from suave and stealthy to outright brutish and cold-hearted. Both games capture his Bond character very well.

Reason to growl: Both games have a few cheap trial-and-error moments.

robert.mcginty@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4250