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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 put a good 40 or so 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 Bladestorm does this quite nicely. With a plethora 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 be off-putting.

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.

So while casual gamers would probably find this game rather disappointing because of it's 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 storylines and a create-your-own character) quite alot of replay value.

The Hundred Years' War was fought between the French and the English. It was a petty blood feud with no real good guys, which is why the game has you playing as a mercenary that works both sides for profit and glory. The Black Prince Edward and Joan of Arc are forever remembered in history because of The Hundred Years' War, and both are featured prominently in the game.