Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (Sony Playstation 3, 2007)

This is a game you can really sink your teeth into... provided you meet a few specific criteria:

1. Patience. This game moves very slowly. You may want to start off and be able to use Guns and Magic right away. Well, I've put quite a few hours into this game, and never got the ability to use either of those weapon sets. So be prepared to put some time into this game if you really want to get the most out of it.

2. Love of Strategy. Few war games ever quite capture the strategic element of war, but this game does this quite nicely. With a ton of different "job classes" that you can (eventually) utilize, and each of those job classes having different strengths and abilities, the amount of ways you can approach a certain battle situation is staggering. However, if you don't like your games to make you think too much, this may deter you from playing.

3. More Patience. Not only is the pace of the game's campaign slow, but the battles themselves may feel slow to gamers who are used to rapid button-pressing and combos. There is no button-mashing here. The outcome of a skirmish is decided entirely on strategy, practice, and good decision-making.

Overall I give it a 5 out of 5 rating, this game is really similar to Dynasty Warriors, another PlayStation 3 title, but different in so many ways. You have to lead troops into battle, where you must take strategic points across a vast map. The story revolves around the 100 year war that took place between France and England.

Your character is a mercenary for hire capable of choosing either side to fight with or use both sides to draw out the conflict and earn vast sums of money. The money you earn can be put towards upgrades for yourself and the respective unit you may be controlling i.e swords, spears, bows, etc. The graphics are very good, and the AI of the opponents are tactful and challenging. There a few draw backs, such as a few long drawn out battles and occasional lack of gripping story may leave you wondering why you are fighting. But with the vast weapon system and individual stat system that is effected on each individual unit type, it will leave you planning and plotting against whichever side you choose to fight against, whether it be French or English.

If you are into action/strategy games, then this is defiantly a title you should try. While the casual gamer would probably find this game rather disappointing because of a lack of an adrenaline-free battle system, this game still does what it set out to do very well. It's a deep and satisfying strategy/war game, with plenty to do and (what with multiple story lines and a create-your-own character) quite a lot of replay value.

Here's to hoping that the publisher Koei, makes more games in the fashion of this one. Well done in my eyes.

An early title for the PS3 it didn't do much to show off the graphical capabilities of it, think on par with later final fantasy games for the most part, however it did deliver a fantastic story along with a great system for levelling up different unit types. Throughout the game there was always an element of challenge with a healthy does of fun strategy and hack and slash when you wanted to (just go solo!). With dozens upon dozens of items to loot and use and equip yourself with the planning for missions could be extremely involved. This one's definitely worth a play for anyone who has a bit of time and can find a copy, there's nothing like taking over an entire country side for the French and then siding with the English and taking it back all over again. :)

The sounds and sound track were fantastic even if the graphics weren't quite up to par with what people expected on PS3, on that note the graphics were still pretty good.

Controls are fluid though take some getting used to when moving units instead of just your own body, and horses are a challenge to control in Melee but they should be! Pay attention to the hints and you'll have no trouble.

YOU CONTROL MEDEVIL BATTLES, ARCHERS , HORSEMEN, SUPERB GRAPHICS, YOU COMMAND THE FORCES TO BATTLES, TAKEOVER CASTLES AND MOVE AND CONQUER YOUR OBJECTIVES. YOU ARE A MERCENARY FORCE, TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER OR FOR BRITAIN OR FRANCE, IF ALLEGIANCE LIES WITH ONE OVER THE OTHER. SIMPLY STUPENDOUS- I AM SURE WILL RANK IN THE TOP 5 GAMES THIS YEAR! THATS A TALL ORDER - SO IF ITS #6, ID BE SURPRIZED!! WELL WORTH THE MONEY SLASH BATTLE, PLAN , COMMAND, REACH OBJECTIVES, AND PROFIT ON EACH WIN. MONEY EARNED IS USED TO BUY UPGRADES AND ITEMS TO SUCCEED!

Game play is interesting. Similar to Dynasty Warriors 6 but game relies mainly on strategy later on in the game. Make your own character and lead him into battle either on France's or England's side. This game is solely based on strategy. There are no 1 overpowered characters. Every units have a weakness and a strength. Recommended for hardcore rpg strategists. 8.5/10

This is an excellent game to play, with several different options in the game play. You are a mercenary that is in the time of England vs France, you are a neutral party (except for when your getting paid). You decide the future battles by what battles you participate in at different times. There is also a few choices to how your character looks (would have been nicer if there was more of a variety), the armor/weapons they use on the field, and the troops you can lead through each battle. Overall, a great game, one of the best I have ever played and highly recommend to anyone that likes battle games, rpg games and/or strategy games. This has the depth of a rpg (with skill upgrading included), the field play of a battle game and enough of a strategy to hold interest through and through.