A supurb combat system mixed with a living economic world, this game will have you hooked.
Mount & Blade was independently developed by Turkish game developers "TaleWorlds" and published by Paradox Interactive. Like it's predecessor, It is one of the many hidden gems in PC gaming, A game made with its community in mind, and not primarily profit (Activision *cough*)
The player starts as a 'custom made' foreigner to the lands of Calradia, he/she will embark on quests and skirmishes in order to build their personal skill and the size and power of their warriors who are recruited from the local villagers aside from the recruitable mercenaries available in taverns. The game has many options, you can run a gang of misfits, mercenaries, a large army under the oath of a king, and of course, you can conquer land for yourself, and give way to a new kingdom in Calradia.
Onto the gameplay, the gameplay as a whole is solid, the combat system is ground breaking to say the least, the combat actually requires the player to think, whether it be which direction to block an attack or whether to send in the infantry with archers as support. I can't think of any other game with this much combat and organisation available all in one.
The world itself is decent, it actually feels alive in most cases, due to trade caravans, military campaigns etc... Tournaments are regularly hosted in various towns, offering a chance at fame and fortune to any warrior brave enough.
But how different is it to the original Mount and Blade? It's varied enough, enough to justify paying £15 for it, but not enough to call it "Mount & Blade 2" Which the devs have quite rightly not done. There is a new, detailed map, along with a new faction: "The Sarranids" situated in the desert. Almost every feature within the original was improved to a certain degree, including new features introduced, such as the marriage system, where one can marry his or her way into a kingdom.
The multiplayer is strong, it can be scarce in players at times, but the teamwork in modes such as sieges, Battles, team and individual deathmatches works surprisingly well, The combat is engaging to say the least, it requires some practise, but nothing feels better than to thrust a longsword into the back of an American pre pubescent teen, I know, it sounds twisted right?
Without a real story, some repetitive quests and the occasional bugs, this game doesn't shine nearly as much as it can do, however, for an independent developer, it's lack of cons impresses me.
Conclusion: A worthy step up to its predecessor with many new features including 32/64 player multiplayer implemented, makes this game an under appreciated gem that is just waiting for it's moment to shine onto the vast majority of the gaming community.
Gameplay: 9.5
Singleplayer: 9.5
Multiplayer: 8.5
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Overall: 9.5