Mount & Blade (PC, 2008)

Mount and Blade is a very unique RPG with mixed elements. These elements as a whole combine to make an overall thorough game in which the player gets drawn into the gameworld making him or her a part of the action.

The player gets to choose how he or she plays the game as a whole, which is an added flavor which really makes the game interesting. There are many ways the player can make their living in the game, whether it be full out combat, diplomacy, trade, working their way up in a King's faction, or even conquering other factions and starting their own kingdom.

The game is not story driven by any means, however, you do choose the character's past story and life history and in turn these choices effect some of the characters starting statistics. The character achieves levels through combat and other means, and after each level the character gets stat points to spend. The character has 3 different panel of stats you can change after each level up, and each of these can be changed to reflect different styles of gameplay.

The game starts you off in a world which is a sandbox type map and has boundaries which cannot be traversed beyond. Any place within those boundaries can be travelled to at any time as the player sees fit. There are multiple factions with leaders on this map and all have their own economic and military agendas, and any of those factions can be joined to gain favor. The character starts out with no allegiance to anyone, and can remain that way or gain reputation with a faction or factions.

All travel is done on a wide open map with the Character's icon and time passes quickly from day to night and even through day, month, and year.

Factions have their leaders and sub leaders under them controlling various towns and castles. Each town, city, and castle can be visited and walked explore. There are many shops and places to visit in these cities as well as people to talk to. Many people give quests or need help in doing something, and money and renown can be attained in doing these quests.

The character can attain mercenaries and different soldiers to fight for them. Party management is a must, as the more soldiers you have the more they eat and cost each week. The player has gear and can buy or attain better gear with better stats on them. The player also can choose different weapons and combat style. The weapon choices vary to two hand, one hand, archery/crossbows, spears and javelins and of course shields. The player can choose any of these, and has specific stat points in which maximize the damage and effectiveness of the players swing etc.

The player does throughout their journey encounter different NPCs at points and those can be bribed or bought to follow them. These characters cannot be controlled, however, they do interact a lot with the main character and have different stories of their own. They fight for you and can be geared, and can also serve you in your own Kingdom.

The combat system is real time and you and your army(however many you have following you) will engage the enemies in a unique realistic battle. During combat, the player can give orders to their troops to do formations and have different behaviors. The player controls only their character, however, in battle and he fights alongside his soldiers on the field. Players can aim and swing directionally, making it one of the most realistic combat games i've ever played. Overall, this game is a must have!

Mount & Blade is an independent game that truly hits the mark in first person medieval combat. Similar to Oblivion, it has a more realistic feel to it. It is a free-form rpg in which you set off to make a name for yourself in a medieval world. Voice acting, graphics, and story are a tad sub-par, but the game miraculously makes up for it in sheer fun. The real winning side of this game is it's mod community. You can find a mod for almost anything, any genre, any time period, even Star Wars and Lord of the Rings! This game was largely overlooked because indie game designers lack the advertising funds of larger companies, but that just makes this rare gem even more valuable.

I have been looking for this product for the last year on amazon. I was shocked to find it on ebay - and new (unopened) to boot.

I love this product and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to spend some free time in medieval battle. The freedom of the game makes for a fun, relaxed play with so many choices of how you'd like to play. I think it is worth every penny I paid.

very fun. Great gameplay and challenging. A must for historical gamers! love the freelance feel and no storyline gives it an ability to give you whatever you want and become whomever you want.