Official Xbox 360 Magazine - Play new games every month with the UK's number one Xbox 360 magazine

	BioShock 2: 10 Must Try Things FEATURE: The must-do checklist is here...
	BioShock 2 ³⁶⁰ REVIEW: He's back! Has Daddy still got the moves?
	Sunday Supplement FEATURE: Bayonetta as Terminator and more!
	How Not To Play Modern Warfare 2 FEATURE: Mostly based on OXM Monobrow's play

EA - Medal of Honor release date, Dragon Age sequel, Sims 3 on consoles | Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing demo out now | Did Dante's Inferno topple Mass Effect 2 from charts perch? | Multiple Deals of the Week on XBLA | Aliens vs Predator scores 8/10 | Free Mass Effect 2 DLC hits tomorrow | Exclusive Left 4 Dead 2 Gamerpics with OXM issue 57 | Need For Speed: Shift Ferrari DLC announced | BioWare talks Mass Effect 2 sex scenes | Sega talks Alpha Protocol delay | X10 Fable III news will make you "super pissed off" | Final Fantasy XIII DLC all but confirmed by boxart | Modern Warfare 2 'care package glitch' being zapped | Bungie has last Halo 2 hoorah on April 14th | PS3-exclusive LA Noire confirmed for 360 | Brock Lesnar the face of UFC Undisputed 2010 | Iron Man 2 trailer flies in | Grab Mass Effect 2 'Dr Pepper' DLC the free way | Dark Void gets its own Horde mode | Microsoft turning off Live for the original Xbox | Could Microsoft be raising the Friends List cap? | Just Cause 2 demo on the way | Watch Super Street Fighter IV bonus stages in action | Watch debut Fallout: New Vegas trailer | Monday Night Entertainment trailer crashes in

On the site today - News: EA - Medal of Honor release date, Dragon Age sequel, Sims 3 on consoles http://bit.ly/bvCFKM

BROWSE OXM

OXM CONTENT

Contact us
Feeds

Login

Not a member yet? Click here to register!

Video

Launch Player

Tony Hawk's Proving Ground ³⁶⁰

WWE SmackDown! vs RAW 2008 ³⁶⁰

Review

Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War

7.0

Format Xbox 360

Developer Omega Force

Publisher KOEI

Genre Action, Beat 'em Up

8-Nov-2007 Once more unto the breach dear friends!

1 Comments

My ancestor, Sir John Talbot was one of the most famous men in history to get his arse kicked by a girl. The fact that the girl in question was none other than the brilliant, but ever so slightly crispy, Joan of Arc makes me feel slightly less pissed off.

Simon Schama can go swivel, because he would never have pictures elephants Vikings and ninja in the war between England and France. Koei on the other hand, brightens up history considerably, while still sticking to the fringes of truth.

On top of that, I'm convinced that all the French voices were done by the policeman from 'Allo 'Allo. But this is Koei we're talking about. Maybe you were expecting something serious? I hate the pompous realism of games like Total War. Splattering the King of France with a whirling cyclone attack is much more fun.

On top of that, there's still a fairly detailed strategic simulation to be enjoyed here. It's a re-working of Kessen III with significantly better graphics and an improved control system.

Bladestorm never possesses the depth of a game like Command & Conquer, but there's still a great deal of pride in leading your archers or pikemen into battle. As a mercenary commander, you're able to take control of any field unit you encounter. There's an impressive variety, which gets wider and wilder as you build wealth and reputation.

Easily the most exhilarating moment in the game is charging down the battlefield with a cavalry unit, obliterating enemy lines like a claymore through paper. It's the same kind of joy of battle you find in those old Technicolor movies with Lawrence Olivier. I almost had a tear in my eye as I crushed the French under hoof.

Of course, you can side alongside our continental cousins if you prefer. As an unknown mercenary, your only masters are glory and a wage purse. This is better than it sounds though, because the lack of a solid allegiance makes it hard to root for anyone in particular.

Bladestorm also suffers from some serious pacing issues. It's a gigantic game, and perhaps the subtitle 'Hundred Hours War' might be more appropriate. But this just means that there's way too much capturing castles in between story missions. In the first eight hours play, only three missions contained any kind of sub-mission.

On the positive side, it's a balanced and rewarding war game that doesn't delve too deeply into hardcore strategy. Koei's trademark enthusiasm for rewriting history is also a huge reason to play, and yet despite all this you might still learn something about the 100 years war. Watch out Joan of Arc, I'm coming and England's coming with me.

Ben Talbot