007 - Blood Stone

James Bond 007: Blood Stone for Nintendo DS is a third-person action shooter developed from the ground up by n-Space and published by Activision in 2010. Released in North America on November 2 and in Europe on November 5, this handheld entry gives Daniel Craig’s James Bond an original espionage mission rather than adapting a film. Its story was written by longtime Bond screenwriter Bruce Feirstein, placing familiar MI6 figures and a new international threat at the center of a compact DS adventure.

Bond’s investigation follows a biological-weapons plot, sending him through enemy bases and globe-spanning locations as he pursues the people behind it. The campaign mixes briefing scenes and in-engine cutscenes with missions built around infiltration, firefights, and escapes. Daniel Craig voices Bond, while Judi Dench returns as M; Joss Stone also appears as MI6 agent Nicole Hunter. That cast and the recorded dialogue give the handheld game a clear connection to the Daniel Craig-era Bond world while telling a self-contained story.

In play, Blood Stone uses a third-person viewpoint and stylus-led controls. Players guide Bond through stages, use cover during gunfights, and alternate between stealthy movement and direct confrontations. Pistols, automatic weapons, and heavier arms are used against guards, while close-quarters takedown animations add another option when enemies are nearby. The Nintendo DS version does not simply reproduce the console game’s Focus Aim system, instead tailoring its shooting and cover design to the handheld’s dual-screen interface.

Each mission also adds chase sequences to break up the on-foot action. Bond can take the wheel in car pursuits and fight from a speedboat, bringing the series’ trademark vehicles into the campaign alongside the covert operations. A casino sequence involving poker further fits the spy-thriller setting. These changes of pace make the game a blend of shooting, stealth, driving, and set-piece action rather than a continuous run of combat arenas.

The DS edition is distinct from the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions developed by Bizarre Creations. While it shares the same original Bond premise and some voice work, n-Space built a separate version specifically for Nintendo’s handheld hardware. Multiplayer is scaled for up to four players, with local play available for groups with their own cartridges and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support included at release. For Nintendo DS players, James Bond 007: Blood Stone stands as a tailored 2010 Bond mission that combines secret-agent infiltration with fast-moving action.