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Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War Best Review

It’s often been said that Koei does the same thing over and over, and that they need something new. Here Koei tried something very new: instead of the one-man-army of the Musou series, you play a mercenary commander who tips the scales of war in a tactical action game. Bladestorm received some bad press, but I think the reason was that people saw ‘Koei’ and thought ‘Dynasty Warriors’. While there is solid action, this game is truly one of its own and an excellent addition to any action and strategy fan – give it a chance, don’t take it as a ‘Musou knockoff’ and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Like its title implies, Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War draws loosely from history. Though some liberties were taken, nothing felt amiss. The only problem was the fact that you as the player control a ‘nameless mercenary’ and rarely will you be directly credited with the victories that you participate in: instead, you’ll get a brief blip about the historical progression, and that minor feeling of lack of impact is really the only thing I fault this game for. However, the game does a good job of showing that while you may be an intelligent and powerful person you are still just one in an army.
Story: 6.0/10

Having been watching graphics improve from the sidelines from the Nintendo Entertainment System to the Playstation 2, I knew that things were going to get better, but I had no idea how much better. Even without playing on a Hi-Def-capable screen I felt my jaw drop at the astounding quality. Action is smooth and I have never seen a second of slowdown even during fierce skirmishes including literally hundreds of soldiers from cavalry to archers. I’ve heard Xbox owners say that the game slows down sometimes, but I’ve never once seen it slow on the PS3 – otherwise, I’d say the editions are pretty much identical. The only complaint that I have is that text can be too small and hard to read.
Graphics: 8.7/10

With all of the undeserved negative reception that this game received, I was leaning against enjoying it. Despite my initial expectations, Bladestorm proved that it holds its own and the sound works very will with the graphics to create an atmosphere that truly makes you feel like you’re in the midst of a Middle-Age war, complete with blade clanging against shield and arrows flitting through the air. If you’re still not satisfied with the high quality, you can independently alter the volumes of the voices, sound effects, and background music. Voice acting, while nothing that will make you jump out of your seat, is satisfyingly solid.
Sound: 8.8/10

I feared the score would contain bad techno/pop-rock like other Koei titles, but to my pleasant surprise Jamie Christopherson composed a wonderful soundtrack harkening to the Romantic Period of music, conveying the powerful scale and emotional intensity of a war tearing two nations apart. The only disappointment was that some of the music seemed relatively soft – I liked it so much I had the volume maxed perpetually. Even if you’re not a fan of Romantic Period music, you should find it appropriate, and you have the option of muting it alone while leaving other sounds at your preference.
Music: 9.6/10

My lack of experience with Koei games was probably a help here, as my only other sample was Warriors Orochi, so I felt free to let Bladestorm be its own game. Instead of playing one man who plows through an army, you play a mercenary commander who takes charge of British or French squads (depending on which contract you’re playing at the moment). Aggressively attacking squads yours is effective against – and knowing when to retreat when spotting squads strong against yours – are key to victory, and the rock-paper-scissors lent the solidly action-packed game a unique flavor of strategy that I could only compare somewhat to Fire Emblem. The only thing I didn’t like was the ‘randomly generated’ nature of some progression and acquisition meant it could be a while before that next story mission appears or that last shard of Aegis Shield falls in your hands.
Gameplay: 8.5/10

Randomly-generated contracts allow you to play essentially at your own pace from beginning and past the end of the story missions, but since there is no “New Game Plus” there really isn’t a reason to start up a new game instead of just loading a completed one, except to see the in-game cinematics again or end with the opposite side. Still, you do get to keep playing past the end of the story.
Replayability: 4/10

I almost didn’t purchase this game, but now that I have it to enjoy I’m glad that I did. The tactical squad-based action, ability to seize then scatter friendly troops, and the sense of satisfaction when your men finish dueling the enemy Base Commander and subsequent seizure of an entire fortified city are things I’ve never seen in another game. As solid as this game is and as beautiful the music, the inability to do things like review cinematics (most of which are well-rendered using the game engine), play as alternative characters (you’re stuck as the mercenary), and the lack of any significant post-battle acknowledgement for my role in the victory (most of the talk is between nobles, which is true to the period) are easily forgiven.
Overall: 8.6/10

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Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War Feature

  • Lead a mercenary force- Immerse yourself in the role of a mercenary commander. Lead a broad array of troops from varied nations, including heavy infantry, longbowmen, cavalry, cannoniers, and castle siege specialists.
  • Real-time action- Control entire units in real-time. Issue offensive and defensive commands through an intuitive user-interface. Each soldier is independently animated and fights and reacts in a startlingly realistic and visceral manner.
  • Conquer armies on a grand scale. Clashes are widespread throughout varied terrain. Richly-crafted battlegrounds span the breathtaking provinces of southern France to coastal settlements along the English Channel.
  • Your fortune is limited only by your ambition. Establish a reputation as a formidable warrior and leader of men. Build your war chest and lure hardened soldiers to your employ. Achieve your mission objectives and more profitable battle contracts will be presented to you.
  • Heavy Metal Thunder- Amass a battalion outfitted from an arsenal of over 400 weapons, armor, and other historically-accurate items from the battles that shaped medieval European warfare.

Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War Overview

When you consider Heavy Metal, you can imagine what a field of war was like in medieval times. Imagine a war that spanned a century! This is history. In the 14th century a quarrel over English succession to the French throne escalated into what history would call the Hundred Years’ War. This ongoing war had exhausted the standing armies of both sides and there was a growing dependence on mercenary soldiers. An innovative action style enables you to command whole units and defeat countless numbers of soldiers with one cleverly chosen attack command. Outwit your opponents and overwhelm them with dominating force to be the last one standing when the dust settles on one of history’s greatest conflicts. Relive Medieval history- Outwit your opponents or overwhelm them with dominating force. The fate of two countries is yours to decide.

Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War Specifications

In the 14th century a quarrel over English succession to the French throne escalated into what history would call the Hundred Years’ War. This ongoing war had exhausted the standing armies of both sides and there was a growing dependence on mercenary soldiers. Take charge as a mercenary leader and contract your army to the English and French. Watch the battle begin as arrows rain from above, knights charge on horseback and cannoniers fire volleys at heavy infantry. The style of action enables you to defeat large numbers of soldiers with one chosen attack command. Establish a reputation as a warrior and a leader and watch as the toughest of men will battle at your side. Outwit your opponents and overwhelm them with force to be the last one standing.

Features:

  • Lead an array of troops from varied nations, including heavy infantry, longbowmen, cavalry, cannoniers, and castle siege specialists
  • Control entire units in real-time by issuing offensive and defensive commands through an intuitive user-interface. Each soldier is independently animated and fights and reacts in a realistic manner
  • Battlegrounds span varied terrain from southern France to settlements along the English Channel
  • The Free Mission system lets you contract your army to France or England. Achieve your mission objectives and more profitable battle contracts will be presented to you.

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Customer Reviews

Definitely Worth It! – Joshua Shu – Columbus, Ohio USA
Overview: Another great game from KOEI. You are a mercenary fighting in the Hundred Years War, you can pick either to fight for the English or the French(with each of their own story plots). Along the way you meet fellow mercenaries and historical figures such as Joan of Arc. The combat is fantastic, its like a complex rock-paper-scisors, different classes beat others. You command groups of soldiers of 5 to 30 soldiers and lead them against the enemy. You have many classes of soldiers like sword, sword+shield, spear horsemen, two handed axe, ninjas, wizards, and way more. You level all the classes up by gaining experience by using them. If you’re good enough at this game you can easily beat the storyline in around 35 hours. After that the only thing left are finishing the challenges/high difficulty maps. Not much fun though after 45 hours of playing or so. You may get 90 hours or so by finishing both sides, English and French.

Pros: -Lead units, not just solo hack-and-slash
-Leveling classes of soldiers
-Likeable characters, pretty good plot
-Epic combat, epic maps, great soundtrack
-Pretty good cutscenes
-99.99% glitch free
-A pretty diverse amount of armor and weapons

Cons: -Not much to do after you beat the game
-Maps are too big, and some classes are super slow (like wizard), sometimes gets annoying
-Once you hit 99 it gets way too easy
-Objectives are almost always the same (capture, defend, capture+defend)
-Pretty historically inaccurate
-No 1080 HD resolution and sometimes text is hard to read on small TVs

Overall: 10/10, Fantastic game
Graphics: 8/10, No 1080 resolution, small text, beautiful maps though
Sound: 10/10, epic soundtrack, slightly reptitive though, you’ll still like it
Game: 10/10, great combat system
Plot: 9/10, likeable characters, pretty good plot, good cutscenes, you get a great sense of accomplishment at the ending cutscene
Price: 8/10, slightly overpriced for this game
Replayability/Length: 9/10, 90 hours is good enough, but nearly NO replayability
Originality: 10/10, great idea, leading units of soldiers
Multiplayer: 0/10 (N/A), none
Difficulty: 5/10, most gamers should have no problem with this (there’s no easy/medium/hard setting)
Learning Curve: 3/10, if you can get the tutorial, you’re pretty much good for the rest of the game

fun for a while, repetive later. – Flight_173 – MI
the game starts our great, but after 3 days of strait gamming it gets dull. its the same old same. players control a merceny who stives for fame. the game has story line, but very spaced apart and short. it focuses on stratagy, units can lvl up and be custumised via a point system. thats all this game realy has to offer.

Great way to take up time! – Bradford H. Armstrong – Bloomington, Indiana
I first heard of this game through the demo on the PSN and enjoyed it. I purchased it, trusting that being from KOEI, whos games I have played before that it would be a fun way to take up time.

The general idea behind game play is much like the Dynasty Warriors series, however shifting from one sole character to your character controlling a squad of troops of your choice. It is a nice feature to be able to switch from different kinds of squads on the fly (that is if they are with in your area) from a swords man who is weak against horses to a spear man who is strong against mounted foes.

The story line does get a little repetitive but that is expected as how the gameplay works. There is a large amount of play time so it is worth the money if you can find it used. Fun for the people who enjoy action games but also like a little bit of strategy.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Feb 02, 2010 01:51:16


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