Massman

Still, persevere and you'll be rewarded by the depth of the game: the further you progress, the more political and strategic the game becomes, and the various factions gain and lose power. The world on offer in Mount & Blade is interesting, compelling and flexible - a toy which begs to be played with and is fun to mess with.

It's hard to score a game like Mount & Blade (don’t we always say that? – Ed). After all, its open-ended nature means that different people will get different things from the game. If you want to be a money-hoarding trader, then you can be that. If you want to be a halberd-swinging mercenary then you can do that too. If you want to be a general in charge of some loyal troops then that path also is open to you.

Conversely though, if you like to be led through your adventures by the hand and shown a deep, meaningful story with dramatic twists, then Mount & Blade probably isn't for you. The only twists and turns in the story here are those you bring upon yourself - the righteous general stripped of power after a failed mission, the mercenary who switches sides mid-war and changes the tide of a battle.

If you hanker after a bit of freedom, and like trading or political intrigue, then give it a go. In our minds, Freelancer on a horse is a winning combo and nothing to huff at.

And now, back to my troops. They insist on having food to eat and being paid, if you'll believe such a thing…

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2008/...nt-and-blade/1

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