Mount & Blade: Warband

 PC
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
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  1. Boomtown
    70
    Warband extends the gameplay with new features and multiplayer antics, and the hardcore enthusiasts will be able to overlook the flaws; it is the best medieval horseback combat and real time strategy kingdom building sim role playing game on the market. But then, it's the only one, and the execution of Warband never quite lives up to the excellent concept.
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  2. PC Zone UK
    70
    You'll be having Duke Nukem flashbacks and shouting "I've got balls of steel" in no time. [July 2010, p.84]
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  3. GameStar
    68
    On the one hand, there are the open world and the freedom to do what you want to do, on the other hand, the world is lifeless. It's a great game for some people, but the opposite for most.
  5. PC Format
    67
    It's the presentation and numerous glitches that let it down. [June 2010, p.101]
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  6. Metro GameCentral
    60
    A hugely ambitious and imaginative, but still very roughly hewn, simulation of medieval combat.

Awards & Rankings

53
#53 Best PC Game of 2010
11
#11 Most Discussed PC Game of 2010
7
#7 Most Shared PC Game of 2010

User Reviews

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User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1353 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,216 out of 1353
  2. Mixed: 89 out of 1353
  3. Negative: 48 out of 1353
  1. Duh
    Sep 29, 2010
    10
    You might ask yourself whether Warband is worth its money. The answer to that are your personal preferences, since there are a lot of greatYou might ask yourself whether Warband is worth its money. The answer to that are your personal preferences, since there are a lot of great things in the game, but also things that will anger you till you tilt, especially because you will - at that point - know that the game has a huge potential which seems to be not used. The PROs include The best fighting system there is. You are in control of your attacks and blocks, the direction, the timing, the distance and the speed. The fights are intense.
    Amazing battles sizes not only in the singleplayer, but also on the multiplayer. No not only 64 as falsely proclaimed in many reviews, there are servers that offer room for up to 222 players. The Singleplayer mode is in Vanilla limited to 150, but by using the MBW Battle Resizer the only limitation is your hardware. I play with a battle size of 700.
    The SP world. Kingdoms rise and fall with or without your doing. This war-torn country of Calradia does not need a player to function :-D.
    The multiplayer. You will hate it for crushing you (I have no clue how so many people can be so good). You will love it for the excitement, the rush of adrenaline when being faced by a group of enemies, the joy of making a kill - finally, and the tactical thinking.
    A great community. It is a must for anybody buying this game, to use the forum. Otherwise you will never get the full potential out of this game. The Mods are the true jewels here. More on that later.
    The developers put a lot of effort into fixing bugs and improving the game. Since the release in March there have been 6(!) official patches i know of, that fixed bugs, rebalanced weapons, added new game features, etc. . The game was playable from the beginning, it just got better.

    The CONs
    The singleplayer lacks a tutorial. The game is very complex and especially the character creation is too complex for newbies. Later on you will be happy for the amount of choices tho. A mission to start off with was added, which helps a little on getting into the game.
    No big questline. You can roleplay the squat out of this game, but you will have to create your story yourself.
    At some point the game becomes repetative. Its after getting started, gaining power and before starting your own kingdom. Overall the Vanilla Singleplayer is missing something to keep it interesting.
    Sieges are the biggest flaw in Vanilla SP. The AI sucks here and the possible choices - really opposing the general game theme - are basically nonexistent. It is a pity that the multiplayer siege options werent implemented into the SP.

    The conclusion:

    The Vanilla game has highs and lows. 30 Bucks is acceptable for it, but its not a great deal.

    HOWEVER Mount and Blade: Warband is a long term investment. This is due to the huge modding community of the game (Forum!). You dont like the graphics? Get Polished Landscapes. You dont like the Battlesize? Get a Resizer. You dont like time period? Download a total conversion, which plays in the Renaissance or WW2. There are even mods solely dedicated to the Multiplayer. F.E. You dont like to always have to choose from the same troops and equipment? You want to customize your character? You want to change your skills? Get the CRPG mod and play it on their servers, which hold up to 120 spots for players. This ever growing amount of mods add amazing things to the Multiplayer and the Singleplayer and thats why the game is in my opinion worth the buy. You will get not only 1 game, but you will get a growing number of games. Therefore a tip of my hat to Taleworlds and their modding community.    … Full Review »
  2. Kvothe
    Oct 8, 2011
    10
    I was pleasantly surprised when I picked this up for under ten dollars during the sale out of curiosity; the combat in this game matches thatI was pleasantly surprised when I picked this up for under ten dollars during the sale out of curiosity; the combat in this game matches that of one of my favorites of all-time (chronicles of riddick) and adds a plethura of weapons into the mix. The world is huge and there is so much to do; I'm already coming up to the 50-hour mark (about half was spent in sp, half in mp) and I feel that I'm barely halfway through the single-player campaign. If you're interested in a game of this type, get it, it's the only one. If you're interested in it because it looks good, get it, it is… Full Review »
  3. Templar19
    Jul 15, 2011
    8
    This game all comes down to personal preference, You will either love it, or hate it. Personally, i loved it, this is my definition of a freeThis game all comes down to personal preference, You will either love it, or hate it. Personally, i loved it, this is my definition of a free roam RPG. But it is not only an RPG, it feels like a strategy game also. There are so many elements to the game its rediculous, this is what makes the game fun. HOWEVER, i have encountered numerous bugs in the game, the quests can be really annoying, and there are pretty bad consequences for losing a battle. Also, the graphics aren't the best, and the game seems a little.. stale, that is where imagination comes in however, unlike other games such as Dragon Age: Origins, you do not follow a guided storyline, you kindof make your own, and that is what i really like about the game.… Full Review »
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