Jim likes AAA graphics. Jim made mommy buy a 4K monitor. Jim doesn't understand Early Access. Jim heard about Mount & Blade from their brother/man child farther and now wants to play too.

Don't be like Jim.


Mount & Blade gameplay is unique and not many games offer the experience this game offers. They are not trying to be Skyrim, this isn't Deliverance. This. Is. Mount and Blade.
You're paying for more and better of what you had.
Mount & Blade as an experience is hard to pinpoint, it has a meta gameplay of economy and politics equivalent to Game Of Thrones. Most of the lore takes place with text and the learning curve is steep.
Mount & Blade also balances Early, Mid and late gameplay with new mechanics and complexities. Each stage completely changes how you interact with the world and compared to the first instalment, does these things better.

I honestly have NOT experienced any game breaking bugs. The only bug that has bothered me is the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ AI spawning in the towns. But at the mid-game I don't normally visit inside the towns anymore so don't notice them much anymore.


Pros

• More of the same, but better.
  
• Upgraded engine and graphics
  
• Politics feel smoother, more logical and heavier impacts
  
• Levelling system feels robust and supports gameplay styles
  
• Game was made by a Dev Team and doesn't suck arse
  
• Very playable in an Early Access state. Wasn't expecting that.
  
  Cons
  
• For some people the game doesn't work at all.
  
• Game is Early Access. Don't buy it if you don't understand it.
  
• Tutorial needs alot more work. The learning curve is still steeper then the tutorial lets on.
  
• UI has no indication of what anything does. You will see numbers and it will look like the stock exchange.
  
• The 'main story' feels a little bland.

The last one is pretty serious. The devs have had 8 years to think about this title and how they could improve the interactions between player and their world. The sandbox is brilliant, the economy and politics are spot on (with a few tweaks). But the draw from human player to the world just isn't there. There is no story, not really accept a self narrative. The whole 'bannerlord' campaign feels like the worlds longest tutorial ( I still haven't finished it as of writing this ).

Devs, if you read this, love the game, would recommend.
But please, revisit the UI and rethink the story elements and the frequency in which they take place. Maybe even look at introducing a random encounter mechanic? Use a stealth skill to avoid the random encounter mechanic all together, I don't know, I'm not a Dev.

I have a list of recommended games for every gamer to experience at least once. Minecraft, Skyrim, Mass Effect 2, Tetris, Pokemon, Any GTA that's 3 or after ... you get the gist (Not exhaustive). Space Engineers is a game I place among those titles for people to experience, at least once. No more, No less.

[hq] Condensed Review [/h1]

Do I recommend this game? Yes.

You're getting a WW2 game that's trying to be authentic. Take that as you will. But what you're really getting is a feeling of gameplay. For me, I'm reminded of Planetside 2. It's large scale battle is co-ordinated by a chain of command. If you have bad leaders, you will have a bad time. Memorable moments don't always mean winning and the dynamic nature of teambased PvP means your experience will change by the minute.

You will die. A lot. Sometimes, fighting the grind is needed to slow an enemy front while another better positioned squad prepares an assault. Communication is 8/10 tactical and 2/10 yelling at other squad leaders for not helping out.


- This game opts for player experience over graphics and sound.
: Though the devs recognise the games shortcomings and openly discuss their plans to update these later down the roadmap.

- Animations still need work.
: You will find that at times the reaction for animations are slow or you get locked into an animation as you see an enemy raise their weapon at you. It sucks, but it's noted and is a high priority.

- Teambased gameplay.
: Good or bad team = Good or bad gameplay. That simple.
: You don't need to be talkative or just mute. Enjoy what your team does and do your best to work in the small section of battle you are in.

- Progression system.
: This is still in its infancy stage. Just added into main game and lacks items to make it interesting however, it shows alot of promise.

- Toxic behaviour.
: Small to no hackers.
: Trolls are generally dealt with quickly.
: TKs are quickly punished by the in game system when it can.
: The voting system is useless. Absolutely useless. Fix this. Now.
: Community is generally helpful, interactive and are at times happy to digress just to play for the same objective.

- Updates.
: Frequent and meaningful.
: Devs are informative and honest with REALISTIC goals.

- Bugs.
: There are bugs in the game. Some will piss you off to no end.
: Optimisation issues, infinite loading screens, XP glitch (You can play for an entire hour, then get a glitch where you loose all that earnt XP) to name a few of the larger ones.

My suggestions (Not like they matter)
1. Stronger vote system
2. A better and more obvious commendation system for teambased recognition.
3. Maybe a Karma system? Maybe have a colour circle around someones rank to determine if the person is trustworthy or a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. (Though games not cancerous enough to need this and could make things elitist).
4. Basic tutorial system or at the least, a community training system where Veteran players get a small boon to XP gain for training low level players. Just an idea that can be fleshed out.

Worlds Adrift is a game I wanted to love. It ticks almost every one of my boxes, game play, multiplayer, crafting, flying and PvE modes however there is one very important piece that's missing in a game, any game. The ability to actually f*cking work.

• Gameplay: 1/20 (6.5/10 when it's working)
  
• Visuals: 6/10
  
• Sound: 4/10

Worlds Adrift is a game that will become synonymous with the word 'Lag' and not just your ordinary millenial '30 FPS or less' complaints, I'm talking dial-up modem to China. Because of this game-breaking feature, I'll talk about the game as if it works for now.

Worlds Adrift is a fantasic idea. The ship mechanics have been slowly but surely improving since the game first came to steam in it's early access. The concept has a whole has taken a few identity changes on it's road to truly finding itself in a niche market however don't let that fool you, it is still a beutiful game and idea.

The game itself has been plagued however by various hiccups along the road. During the time where survival esque games were at their peak, KoS behaviours and pirating was rampant. This led to the population desire for a PvE environment.

Additionally, the ability to 'level up' is directly related to the amound of exploring and scanning you complete on each island. The idea isn't bad, however the grind is borederling moronic. The only people who reach those higher tiers are obsessed fanboys or community builders. The rest of the populace bows out before reaching the storm wall just because the game is at times too unplayable to reach that far.

These issues aside, the game SURELY has room to improve and the devs are actively communicating with the customers even though they say nothing of any use to anyone who actually has a problem . In saying that, I get the feeling there is a large split between their public face and their private. Publicly they are active and friendly however when they are challenged, they are suddenly very quiet and insular. Keep this in mind when purchasing this game ...


No. At least, not for another 12 months. The devs need to pull their collective fists from their asses and start focusing on game breaking bugs before they mass release content. "Oh new hats? I can't play. New ship items? I can't play. New Islands? Can't Play. New, Can't Play. Can't Play. Can't Play ..." You see a pattern there right?

****So you are aware, this MAY be a geological issue. From what I can understand, if you live on the WESTERN COAST of the USA you won't have issues. If you live anywhere else, well good f*cken luck to ya, because the Devs don't give'a'sheet.****