|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
5/5 |
Pure Gameplay
(September 27, 2008) |
|
Now I've been playing Mount&Blade from back in the beta stage (as have many) and bought it a good while back, and in all honesty it is a bit.. rough. I will address the problems first, because, in all honesty, when you get to the meat of it you utterly forget them.
The first problem is the economy (or lack of); making money is as simple as it gets. You run from one place to another buying and selling, no skill involved, and easy money (a lot of it).
The second problem is the graphics.. well this isn't too much of a problem really, after you get over the shock of a character that's poligonated beyond belief you begin to forget them. The shader effects are very nice, good tree shadows, and the water reflections aren't bad either - it's not crysis, but nothing is.
The third problem is a rather big one actually; getting captured, released, captured, released etc. in an endless cycle due to overwhelming enemy force. This (pretty much) only happens if you align yourself with a kingdom all rival kingdoms will attack you - and if you get captured by an army of a couple hundred you aren't going to get much good out of it. But the problem doesn't end there, you get released, and then a few seconds later the army has captured you again. This doesn't happen all the time but still it's annoying.
The fourth (and final) problem is to do with finding out about your troop's morale and what they like and dislike, the information is a bit vague, but as long as you are sensible not much should go wrong (it really is important to pay attention to your troops though).
Now I'm sure you're all thinking that's quite a lot of problems, and I'm sure you're all wondering how I will justify a 9.5 - in all honesty it's hard to explain.
The gameplay - this is what's at the heart of the game, I've haven't noticed an ounce of story (well, actually I have, you sort of make your own, as you go around the world your troop will tell you interesting thing about certain locations, and in a way you carve your own story, it's not brilliant, there isn't any scripting or voice acting, but it's satisfying, very satisfying.
The combat is truly brilliant, not only is the actual combat satisfying due to huge battles you commanding one army, your enemy commanding another, charging into battle on horses with crossbows, swords, pole arms, a few bowmen on foot ready to take people down from a range (you get the picture), it's also rather smart. Prior to Mount&Blade I have never seen a game where if you have your shield on your back and an arrow hits it, it actually block. It doesn't sound like much but it's these small improvements that make the combat so satisfying, in most game the arrow goes through and you loose 5 hit points, and it does this for pretty much everything.
The controls make or break a game, and here they are brilliant. Easy to use controls allow good fast paced game play against many enemies without the slightest key confusion, or loosing a battle because the game didn't react fast enough. It works, it's very playable and it just makes the game even more fun.
The music is the last 'upside' I'm going to mention, it is really really good, now this really surprised me. A good soundtrack adds a lot of feel and atmosphere, and not only are the sound effects good, so is the music, creating a really epic feel.
Well.. I lied, there is one more upside that I have to mention, a good modding community. Even the best games get old after a while, some last 10 hours, some last 1000 (morrowind anyone?), but an active modding community is a sure way to keep it going until.. well until the modding community stops.. and this one doesn't seem to be doing that any time soon. So when you've had your fill of the normal game (which takes a good while) you then have many more user made 'modules' to download an play (and just for your information there is one being made at the moment reworking the game's graphics, and it looks very good).
Epic battles, Well written text, Active modders and some of the most satisfying gameplay I've come across make this game one my favourites - ever. A must buy for all even mildly interested in the genre! |
|
|
5/5 |
Great fun for a long time
(September 23, 2008) |
|
Mostly, I can only agree with other raters who acclaim this game (still, keep reading as there is new info below!). I downloaded the demo and almost instantly purchased the full game key (22 Euros from the website). This game will hook you, in spite of not having a central story line, which basically you make yourself.
You need to have some imagination and get into your character, and thus you create your own story line, and this game gives you the freedom to do so.
Sure, the graphics are Elder Scrolls 3ish, but they are still good, and there are mods you can use to make them even better......leading me on to one of the great points of this game....MODS. There are many freely available mods that you can download and use for this game, which recreate various situations. You can get an improved graphics mod, 100 years war mod, and even (which I am playing now) a Star Wars mod, which lets you choose the Empire or the Rebels. Its amazing what can be done to this game which really helps its replay value.
If you have to put values on games, then the replayability of this one makes it so worth it. When you finish a 20-30 hour story line game, you usually dont play it again, yet you may have paid 40 Euros for it. Well, for 22, I have played over 30 hours and Im still not tired of it, so in my opinion that is value!
|
|
|
5/5 |
A correction...
(September 22, 2008) |
|
To correct HLT's review, it's actually entirely possible to give orders to your army. You can tell them to hold position, charge the enemy, mount/dismount their horses, follow the player, go forward or backward ten paces from their current position, use only blunt weapons if you want to take prisoners, or toggle the firing mode of your missile soldiers between shooting at will and holding fire. You can give these orders to all of your army at once, or individually control the different wings of your army (cavalry, infantry and missile soldiers).
Tactics are therefore far more than just an abstracted stat - use intelligent tactics and your army will do a lot better. For example, if you have an infantry army and are up against cavalry, it's to your advantage to position your army at the top of a steep hill, or in front of a river, in order to slow their horses down and reduce the impact of their charge. The Tactics 'skill' only affects the starting numbers of you and your enemy's armies. If you've a higher tactics skill than the leader of the enemy army, then you'll start with a few more soldiers than they have. |
|
|
5/5 |
Surprisingly good
(September 22, 2008) |
|
I just recently downloaded the demo of this game and i HAD to purchace the whole game shortly after. I was so suprised to see so many elements in one game, especially one that was independantly made. It would be easy to relate this game to Oblivion but I think it is better as it doesnt have any magic or spells in it, just weapons.
Mount & blade certianly has lasting appeal as there is so much to do and so many different style of quests to complete. Its only downfall is that the graphics are not up to date but they are not nearly bad enough to ruin its charm and fun, but if you can forgive that then I guarantee you will be able to find something you like in this game. So do yourslf a favour and try this because it is something a bit different and well put together and reminds me of how I think most games out there should have been.
P.s. If you download the demo version you can then buy a serial key for £20 which will unlock the whole game if you think its too expensive here. |
|
|
5/5 |
You owe it to yourself to try this one
(September 21, 2008) |
|
Medieval Elite? Definitely. Also a chivalric 3D shooter/basher with party-based RPG elements and character development in a persistent world of competing factions. I got into it by downloading the trial version (various beta versions have been available for quite some time, allowing you to advance a character up to level 6, which is plenty of time to decide if you like the game) and was hooked from half-way through the tutorial -- from the moment I first mounted a horse, to be precise. I'm sure I had a huge grin on my face as I rode around the practice field!
The game is completely open-ended, with no central narrative. You find yourself in a land of competing kingdoms, starting start out as an independent adventurer, but as time goes on you'll want to build up your company of companions and hirelings, and eventually to join one of the warring factions (which has repercussions with the others of course, as well as opening up new paths and opportunities to you).
With other open-ended games (like the Sims or Port Royale) I've found myself getting bored after a few days, because there wasn't enough variety. Mount and Blade is holding up better so far, firstly because the combat is so much fun (similarly I keep returning to the Unreal Tournament series, also lacking in any story) and secondly because the quests and the chance for political advancement in the persistent world give you goals to strive for.
Another aspect that should help extend the life of the game is the difficulty sliders, which let you improve the combat AI among other things. I'm still playing it on the easiest level, but it's going to be interesting to see how much more challenging the game gets as I progress to higher settings.
Overall, it's really refreshing, particularly in these days of big-studio consolidation and all the baggage (particularly draconian DRM baggage) that goes with that, to see an indie game that succeeds so well in delivering a fun and addictive playing experience.
|
|
|
|