The lack of quality graphics, storyline and ..... is substituted with a Great addictive gameplay ....
Storyline 0.4 point
- No storyline, just join a fraction or don't...history or whatever unknown....
Animations 0 point
- No intro animation or whatever.......
Sounds/Music 0.5 point
- No 5.1 ....but if you have some program to convert all sounds in windows to 5.1 then you'll enjoy hearing battle slaughter....spears arrow axes flying....around your head till you get an axe in your face like me.....that's missing with 2.0
Graphics 0.6 point
- For today standards low....the skins for some armors, weapons and shields are crossing over each other...for example the gauntlets stick half out on chain armor..or your spear passes through your back...big shield is cut inside a horse back.....
- Nice drawn pictures of enemies, bandits and .... that appear when you're in a choice menu to attack or retreat or whatever....
Mission updates/Debriefing/Quests 0.5 point
- Some non liner quests, repetitive, like bring, scout, find, follow and train peasants...not too much....
- Some quests you receive with a picture of messenger..not bad nice picture....
Gameplay 1 point
- The best card of this game is "gameplay", after you pass over the basics how to play and enter the game....then you're starting to get addicted, train some soldiers, build up some experience...kill some sea raiders to get a strong armor...anyway your options are limitless.....visit towns, villages or castles, walk inside them....talk with people...besiege towns or castles...loot villages....You will gain control over some villages and castels to manage and improve them....
- You can encounter some bandits, deserters, caravans or military troops leaded by an other Lord...also you can choose to aid someone in a battle, or sometimes someone will aid you....
- The weather is changing from sun/rain to fog...for me the battle in a fog is the most interesting...running around blind rolling over the enemies with a Charger horse holding a lance or spear that cuts them down, and they stay down...one shot with a charged lance kills them instantly...very effective against enemies cavalry - puts the horsemen and his horse at peace with the earth...
- You can also jump with a horse in a crowd of enemies
- All the units differ among themselves never mind if they are all from the same class...because one will have a different helmet..other one a sword..the third one a spear or club...or even a diferent armor...really great...reduces the game look...like made from factory...more realistic....great...great and great...
- All your troops baear your banner that you choose when becoming a kings loyal servant...numerous banners to choose...it will be on your troops from any race or model....excelent....yust perfect....
- Your army starts as some peasants, and they evolve, and can be upgraded to meet your request like swadian knights or some archers or...
- You can gain some additional followers like you, they will join your army...and you can equip them with armor, horses...also party skills like looting, engineering...most important like surgery, first aid and so on...to heal your loyal soldiers, and reduce the chance they get killed in battle...
- Everyone gets experience...from you to your followers...don't forget to set up your hero followers stats...because they will not do it themselves....
- In my opinion the swadian knights are the strongest, they will cut down everything in their path...the only way they will get killed is when their shield brakes...
- the red color as blood appear all over your wound...so like these swadian knight after besieging the castles they all are red blooded survivors....
- A lot of controls to move and control your army per class, horsemen/infantry....but sometime its missing a possibility to control individuals...huh but then the game would be too complicated......before a battle the charge enemy is the only option, because order your troop to attack always results with a loss....like 100 knights against 20 naked looters with knifes...you will loose a knight???...and in charge enemy you can let them running around while you go to drink something....because when your army is fully upgraded...then you can lead like me 100 swadian knights against 300 or 400 enemies, and go eat something if not interested in fighting, while your knights exterminate the enemy
- Aim your shots on the enemies...like spear from a horse...because a hit in the head kills the enemy instantly...
AI 1 point
- Enemies use tactics to move the troops around or wait from distance for the archers to rain you down with arrows, but still roll over them with a cavalry charge....
- I don't know if the AI is learning from your actions, or not...because Once I was fighting a large army like my 300 vs 2100 ...man uhh that was a massacre, but still I managed to reduce the to 1400 till I gutted a spear.....anyway next time the enemy used my tactics...I still don't know is this a coincidence or....
- If you're surrounded by enemies, some of your cavalry will rush in to help you...and so in return you help them...that way no one gets killed except the enemy..
Weapons/Armor/Upgrades 1 point
- An arsenal of weapons and armors that you can buy (uhhh really expensive) or confiscate from an enemy after the battle...
- The best part for me is that each cloth or shield has your banner sign....you can buy any shield and it will change color to your banner...also like a chainmail with a cloth will change to your banner...nice...one of the best details...
- Horses have armor...nice....some special horses like Charger cannot be stopped by enemies infantry, you will roll over them like a tank on horse shoes...man my favorite hobby - eat my horse shoe pal...
Multiplayer 0 points
- No multiplayer...at least it will come with an expansion Warband...also with a friendly fire..uhhh that will be hard....imagine two big armies colliding in a center of a map, they will cut themselves apart...
Bonus 2 point
- I will give the bonus 2 points for intensive and detailed gameplay... it's perfection drives you in addiction...drooling for more and more....
- Some people probably wonder why gamespot gave the game a 6.0, well if you look at all the graphics...even my review ends up with..6.0...because today standards are not met for high quality graphic...sound...and...for me its easier to give this game a 8.0 due to a perfect gameplay - in my opinion. Some new games with excellent graphic and sound, have a total looser gamplay...
- I would recommend this game to anyone....it's also playable on old computers...the only problem with this game is that it's released in the wrong time...maybe a few year earlier...the gamespot rating would be higher in my opinion...