This is why GameSpot Reviews suck
But, hey you don't have to do that. You can just play the game as a bandit and serve no one. Recruit soldiers and build a large army or just roam the land solo. It's up to you.
The downside to this game for me is hardware technology is not yet advance enough for the game to display thousands of troops in a battle. So I'll have to settle for a hundred.
The game was developed by a very small group so the graphics are not great. But, who cares about graphics when the game play is pure awesomeness.
The quests are also very simple and repetitive. However, there is a large community of people who are developing mods for this game. So for those who are complaining there is not enough rpg elements you can probably find a mod to add in a better story.
I highly recommend people try this game and give it more than just an hour. Don't let the graphics turn you away from one of the best games on the PC.