Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 23
  3. Negative: 5 out of 23
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  1. GameTrailers
    83
    The mixture of real-time action and strategy is a joy to play, and a nice departure from what is fast becoming a stale play mechanic.
  2. Eurogamer
    80
    A very, very good videogame: another brilliant evolution of Koei's unique interpretation of the real-time strategy genre, and every bit as satisfying as previous efforts. What it lacks in terms of the speed and immediacy of, say, Gundam Musou, it makes up for with strategic range, design ingenuity, and conceptual novelty. [JPN Import]
  3. TotalPlayStation
    80
    It's likely that BLADESTORM is going to be an absolutely polarizing affair. Plenty will hate it for not being Dynasty Warriors while commenting in the same breath that the Dynasty Warriors games aren't different enough, while others will find the RPG elements and light strategy to be refreshingly different.
  5. GamePro
    70
    Bladestorm is a fun medieval experience, and veterans of the tactical action games will enjoy, though it may be a good jumping-on point for those new to the genre.
  6. VideoGamer
    70
    Bladestorm does provide and incredibly well structured action-strategy game, and it juggles depth and accessibility with panache.
    All this publication's reviews
  7. GotNext
    70
    While the combat can be rough and punitive, and the graphics won't make you stand up and shout, its whole is greater than the sum of its parts. While by no means a perfect game, it offers a fun and decidedly different take that's unique to the PlayStation 3 platform.
  8. IGN
    65
    Bladestorm is fun, for the most part. If it had a little more polish and fewer technical flaws, we might go so far as to say that this is one of the finest KOEI games we've seen in a while.
  9. GameZone
    62
    At one time, I was overly excited for Bladestorm: The Hundred Years’ War due to the strategy elements, but in the end it’s the strategy portions that bothered me most.
  10. PSM3 Magazine UK
    61
    A so-so mix of tactics and chaotic combat. [Dec 2007, p.82]
    All this publication's reviews
  11. Jolt Online Gaming UK
    61
    As something new, Bladestorm: The Hundred Years’ War is familiar but refreshingly new, even if doesn’t exactly work out quite as nicely as Koei probably would have liked.
  12. PSM Magazine
    60
    Although it's cool that you can customize your army and equipment and change sides in the battle whenever you wish, Bladestorm is just too repetitive to be worth $60. [Dec 2007, p.89]
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  13. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    60
    Bladestorm is mediocre at best. [Dec 2007, p.109]
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  14. Kombo
    60
    The gameplay has neat ideas, but the controls, that keep you at a long distance, are what ultimately hurt Bladestorm.
  15. Play UK
    58
    There is something charming about it that Dynasty Warriors fans may find appealing. [Issue#160, p.86]
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  16. PSX Extreme
    57
    Despite a few pretty and nicely choreographed cut-scenes, this title could easily pass for a PS2 game, and that's just unacceptable these days.
  17. GameSpot
    50
    Fresh ideas can't save Bladestorm from mediocrity.
  18. NZGamer
    50
    Hundred Years’ War is an appropriate subtitle as after a few hours of fighting, you feel like you’ve been playing for a hundred years.
  19. TheSixthAxis
    50
    Despite the interesting ideas, Bladestorm still manages to be shallow and, whilst it may grab your attention for a few hours, you won’t want to carry on playing for much longer – the repetitiveness of it all will make sure of that.
  20. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    47
    With all these hiccups, I'm shocked this war lasted one year, let alone 100. [Dec 2007, p.109]
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  21. GamingExcellence
    47
    If you're starved for strategy and like the idea of open-area, semi-persistent medieval battle scenes, Bladestorm might make sense. Unfortunately, you won't find rewarding, patient strategy, or dynamic action within.
  22. 1UP
    40
    The majority of the environments are quite sparse, with few buildings yet plenty of fog to help hide the fact that the draw distance here isn't that spectacular. The lack of vision also doesn't help when you're traversing the grassy plains and trying to get a read on your enemy's position.
  23. Cheat Code Central
    40
    It is really hard to recommend this title, especially considering the next-gen price tag. The game is marred by technical problems and, if anything, is an exercise in mediocrity.
  24. Game Revolution
    25
    It captures neither the balance needed to make squad-based strategy work, nor the thrill of decimating troops single-handedly. If you’re a fledgling warrior, firmly take your sword and four-hundred kill count somewhere else.

Awards & Rankings

82
#82 Best PS3 Game of 2007
42
#42 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2007
17
#17 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2007

User Reviews

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User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 29 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 29
  3. Negative: 4 out of 29
  1. B.Rucker
    Nov 19, 2007
    8
    I'm trying to reconcile most of those lower scoring reviews with the actual game I've been playing. The graphics are actually I'm trying to reconcile most of those lower scoring reviews with the actual game I've been playing. The graphics are actually pretty nice - much better than the comperable Dynasty Warriors games, the game isn't unbalanced in favor of cavalry except in the very beginning (and the demo) before other units start developing more potent counters and the AI, for a KOEI game, is pretty decent strategically. The unit AI is a little simple but this isn't Medieval: Total War (also a fine, but very different, game). In fact, this title is unique enough I don't think most folks will get it right away and I don't blame them. There's an RPG grind here but it's centered on unit expertise not a particular character (though purchasing Sword unit skills will buff you when you're solo out there). There's a bit of a strategy game going on with each map but the real strategy game's core is character development. Bladestorm almost isn't a game in a conventional sense because you really can't lose. Sure, you can lose battles or be defeated but you keep a portion of your rewards and keep on going. The only battles you need to redo, to advance the story which almost seems optional in itself, are storyline battles. The rest take place on maps you'll be conquering and reconquering. The key to the joy of this game is a real love for medieval trappings. Knights and pennants and castles and archers and pikes. Alright, and for some reason Vikings and Mongols and other exotics up to and including Roman Chariots and Elephant troops. Realistic, Bladestorm ain't. But the way each, of hundreds, of units interacts and operates so much differently than others makes for an engaging tactical experience each time you play. The fortunes are constantly shifting on the battlefield with reversals and rescues abounding. Unlike Dynasty Warrior games your allies are fairly competant and the forces clash on the field in a believeable manner. Decent unit animations combine with a gorgeous diorama approach to terrain design makes gives Bladestorm a cinematic appeal that's only slightly undercut by the usual videogamey concessions of floating numbers and huge, colorful, letters hollaring BLADESTORM! when you max out a meter. I'd recommend this game for folks who like being part of a universe a bit bigger than themselves that can surprise and entertain over time. If you liked Pirates! or Romance of The Three Kingdoms VII, VIII and X - this might be your kind of game. You're not a general, you're a grunt leading grunts, and if that works for you then you'll love Bladestorm.… Full Review »
  2. Barhota
    Nov 18, 2014
    9
    Great game. A real Strategy based game but filled with action and excitement. I agree the graphics are not mind blowing but the game itself isGreat game. A real Strategy based game but filled with action and excitement. I agree the graphics are not mind blowing but the game itself is great. Being able to turn the tide of war and being more realistic with the different arsenal is great.… Full Review »
  3. ransonshan
    Sep 30, 2013
    6
    I will give a very honest review of this game I am long time KOEI fan and have played my own fair share of Dynasty Warriors, SamuraiI will give a very honest review of this game I am long time KOEI fan and have played my own fair share of Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, Nobunaga's Ambition, and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. However, this game took a different turn in terms of location and gameplay elements, which got my hopes up high. Starting the game i was happy with the game for a while, though since I view myself as a KOEI fan I feel I need to address some major concerns with the game as a whole. The good stuff first though, the gameplay is addicting and fresh, based more so on tactical combat rather than hack-and-slash. The voice acting, though a bit corny, does do its best in staying authentic with its british and french voices. Leveling up and using different units makes for great variety during combat and each battle you participate in does feel grand and epic due to the massive scale of the fights around you. Hearing news that an enemy base is taken or your ally is defeated in battle, on a completely different side of the battlefield makes the game seem much larger and active, which I believe is its greatest strength. Unfortunately, there are some problems that come into play very early on. The first major flaw is the hit detection, I don't know about anyone else who played this but i experienced a LOT of faulty hit detection during close encounters, mainly with sword units. They initially attack way too early and give up an opening for attack on you and your units. The combat, though strategically fun, is incredibly wonky and usually unresponsive if your up against less than groups of enemies. Early on in the game enemy AI and allied AI would act accordingly and logically in battle, attacking their nearest base and providing sufficient defense. However later in the game the AI goes completely braindead! Almost as if they have no clue what to do, or most of the time they leave YOU to do all the fighting and just sit tight in the back. The Graphics arent too good for PS3 and 360 standards, and the battles seem to get repetitive after a while when you know enemy weaknesses very well as well as your ability to abuse their intelligence. The battles are overall grand but ultimately are a mixed bag for me, as i LOVE the concept of this game, i really do. But I cannot bring myself to rate it as a great game in its current form.… Full Review »
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