MI6 reports from the Activision 'James Bond Event' 2010, held in London last week, where the two new 007 videogames were unveiled...

Activision Bond Event 2010

24th July 2010

Activision held the "Bond Event 2010" at the One Marylebone conference venue in central London on July 16th 2010, parking an Aston Martin outside the doors to let invited guests know they were at the right place. MI6 reports from the event where "GoldenEye 007" and "Blood Stone" were unveiled to the press.


Above: Julian Widows, Executive Producer on "GoldenEye 007" unveils the new game.

Activision marketing director David Tyler kicked the event off. "We're extremely proud to be making James Bond games. James Bond is one of the most iconic, well-known entertainment franchises of all time, and what better place to hold this event than in London", he said.

Tyler then handed over to Michael G. Wilson, co-producer at EON Productions, who quickly addressed the question on the tip of every reporters tongues - what of Bond 23? "It's great to be here. It's exciting! I wish we were launching a movie!", he joked. "Despite what you might have been reading in the newspapers, Barbara Broccoli and myself are convinced we'll be bringing you another James Bond movie soon."

Wilson then when on to explain the rationale behind remaking "GoldenEye", which had been a best-seller for the NIntendo 64. "Bringing this iconic film, and its signature elements on to the Wii platform celebrates the nostalgia many feel toward the movie, but at the same time introduces an exhilaration of Bond to a new audience. With the fact that the original is recognised as one of the greatest games of all time, it makes it all very exciting. I'd like to mention that many of our Bond team have been working on the games with Activision developers: Bruce Feirstein and of course David Arnold, who has been responsible for the scores of the past five films."


"[Blood Stone] is the closest we've ever come to putting you in the driver's seat of an authentic Bond action chase experience." - David Wilson, VP Global Business Strategy at EON Productions

The updated "GoldenEye" trailer was shown to the audience, and interestingly, was stamped with a provisional 'PEGI' parental guidance rating of 16 years and up. Five minutes of the first mission of "GoldenEye" was shown to the audience, including the new menu structures and briefing from M. The mission briefing showed the 3D character models for General Ourumov and Alec Trevelyan, and neither used the likeness of the actors (Gottfried John and Sean Bean, respectively) from the original film. Although the graphics, soundtrack, animation and gameplay all looked top notch, the characters - aside from Bond himself who appears with the likeness of Daniel Craig - were uninteresting and non-descript. Rather than destroying a chemical weapon's plant on the other side of the iron curtain, 006 and 007 are charged with disrupting a corrupt arms trade deal to a terrorist organisation. Despite the plot changes, the geography of the original N64 opening level is almost identical.


Above: Joss Stone is unveiled as the new Bond girl in "Blood Stone"

Both the "Blood Stone" opening title sequence and the first 10 minutes of play were shown to the audience, followed by a Q&A with the previous speakers and the new Bond girl Joss Stone. She will play a dual role in the new James Bond game - playing socialite Nicole Hunter and performing the title song "I'll Take It All".


Above: Joss Stone is unveiled as the new Bond girl in "Blood Stone"

The event wrapped up with a Q&A session before guests were invited to view the original Bond props scattered around the location in glass cases, and to marvel at two gleaming Aston Martin's - the DB5 that appeared in "GoldenEye", and the DBS from "Quantum of Solace".

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