[Nyx]

Review of Mount and Blade: Warband
By: Cloud

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
  
• Synopsis
  
• Graphics
  
• Gameplay
  
• Lore
  
• Overall and final touches
  

Introduction:
Hey guys, my name is Cloud and today I am here to write a review of the game Mount and Blade: Warband. This is a standalone DLC to the original game, Mount and Blade. I want to go into this review just letting you guys know, I haven't played Mount and Blade or Mount and Blade: Fire & Sword, so don't expect me to compare them and see which is better, although from what I have read, it seems like people find Warband to be the best out of all 3.

Synopsis: (NOTE THIS IS THE SYNOPSIS OF MOUNT AND BLADE, NOT WARBAND)
War has come down on Calradia and war attracts its own bunch of misfits. Men ride to war, for one or other reason. Some because they are looking for thrill and excitement, some because they are desperate and know no other way. Some because they are so bitter and hateful that they are willing to unleash doom on earth... And yet some, because they are the very heroes who will step forward to stop that...

Combining a sophisticated, dynamic game world and intense medieval swordfighting action, Mount&Blade has you venturing through a world filled with daring enemies as well as friendly groups that will come to your aid or need yours. In a land torn by constant danger, raids and skirmishes, you will raise and lead your own war band, commanding dozens of hardened soldiers. You will hunt down your enemies following the tracks they leave behind. And you will fight epic battles where arrows cut the air with deadly hisses, axes and swords hack with fury, and horses and men clash into a violent melee.

Graphics:
This game is a bit weird in terms that the two different sections of the game have totally different graphics... In the 'map' where you do your adventuring, the graphics aren't really all that. They are some what clunky and just really aren't that amazing, although I would like you to note the fact that this game was only released back in 2010 and wasn't made by a huge company so don't be expecting anything along the lines of Crysis or Battlefield. Now, to continue, this is where the graphics part of the review changes. Once you get into a battle, the graphics actually get honestly pretty good in my opinion. Now people who think that graphics define a game would have this title, as it is nothing special like BF3 or Crysis 3, but if you are just a casual gamer, you will really enjoy this game! I give the graphics a 6/10. If they would have put more effort into the map, depending on the amount of effort, I would say it could possibly reach an 8.

Gameplay:
I have enjoyed the gameplay of this game quite a bit. If you are impatient then you are going to have a hell of a time enjoying this game, as it is mostly walking around, starting wars and actually planning. Sorry guys, but this isn't a shooter where you load into the map and you run around shooting. You have to build an army, plan attacks and spend hours developing a plan to take out an enemy castle, but honestly, it is worth it. I am honestly quite patient in my opinion, so for me it was nothing to walk across the game world to start a war. So for impatient people, I suggest getting a bit more patient. Now for the strong point of the game; the fighting. The fighting in this game is a very realistic simulation of what a fight in the medieval era would have been like. The troops charge in and they battle like they should. It isn't a 6 vs 6 war free for all type shit where people run around the map randomly, people attack together and actually make a 'force to be reckoned with' type of thing. The awesome thing is, you can pretty much change your troops to your play style! You command your troops the way you want to. You can pull your men back, send them forward to attack or hold a position! You can even change the type of men you have. You can have a group of archers who dominate the enemies before they can even reach you, or have a huge wall of spears the enemies run into, or even have a bunch of guys with swords just run in and attack or you can send in a group of horsemen to crush the enemies, or you can have a mix of them all! Also, on a side note, another thing I like about the gameplay is the AI are actually smart and can plan. If a group of 20 bandits sees an army of men, they won't charge in and attack, they will pull back and wait for reinforcements and then attack the army, not just charge in and attack like a bunch of idiots.

Lore
The lore to this game wasn't all that great, it allowed you to pick and choose what your characters past was like, but other then that there really isn't anything to signify anything about the other nations of the world and why they all attack each other and whatnot... The lore gets a 3.5/10, as I like the fact that you can pick how your characters childhood was, but other then that it was pretty bland.

Overall and final touches:
Overall this game gets an 8.5. Other then a few minor turn offs, this game was incredible. I have really enjoyed playing it, and I am still enjoying it. There have been a few days where I will start playing at like 8 or 9 PM and play until like 10 AM! If you are looking for a good RPG to start playing this is a MUST PLAY!

Thanks for reading my reviews! Pay attention to my threads if you enjoyed this review as I plan to post many more!