Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War

Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War (ブレイドストーム -百年戦争-) is a video game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. It was published by Koei and developed by Omega Force. The game is based on The Hundred Years' War which saw the forces of England face off against the forces of France. The character designs were made by Shinobu Tanno. The director was Akihiro Suzuki.

It is one of the few Koei produced titles to keep the same language track internationally.

Game Info
Players assume the role of a rogue commander with a group of mercenary units who can choose align themselves with the French or English before each battle. Unlike some other Koei games, in which the goal is to defeat a commanding officer, Bladestorm focuses on capturing bases. Each battle has its own set mission, which can vary from capturing a base, to defending a base, or capturing a base while defending another. Certain battles also have specific tasks, which can result in more money and experience. These missions include everything from acting as a bodyguard, to defeating an officer's arch enemy.

During the battle, players can assume command of various units, the basis of which are infantry, calvary and archers. Throughout the game, you can unlock more units by collecting special items on the battlefield. Infantry units disperse into an array of units including: knives, spears, maces, great sword, axes, clubs and pole baring ones, along with untis that simply fight with their bare hands. Calvary disperse into groups including: knight units (practically pole barring infantry on horses), spear calvary, and lady calvary units. Archers also fall into subcategories, inlcuding short bow units, long bow untis and cross bow units. The game also introduces some special units, like cannoniers, elephant units and caslte siege units.

The story development lacks some excitement at parts, but in the end it is very thrilling. Each side leads various campaigns in different areas, which results in various battles for each campaign. The battles continue until you have captured every base in that area. Leaders and soldiers accompany you alike, and greatly affect the play on the battlefield. Leaders on each side play key roles in catpuring bases, and should be used to you advantage.

Throughout the plotline, sub-stories also develop, which often tie in other well-known mercenaries that may accompany you to battle. These can very from attempting to out-do another mercenary on the battlefield, or to making a friend out of a mercenary. On occasion, other plotlines also develop, such as trying to collect certain items on the battlefield.

There are various other ways this game differs from others with the Koei name. Atthe beggining of each battle, every unit is grouped at a different base and has a specific course set for them during the battle. It is your job to decide which path you are going to take and who you are going to aid in order to achieve victory. As explained earlier, allied and opposed officers do have an effect on the battlefield, and have the capability to defend or take over a base on their own. Keeping a careful eye on various units' movement, and observing which bases are being attacked will result in a greater advantage for you.

The gameplay appears fairly similar to Kessen III. It's possible that this title is actually the oft rumored Kessen IV, which was reported to be set during medieval times in Europe.

Kingdom of England

 * Edward the Black Prince - voiced by Hideo Ishikawa
 * King of England - voiced by Seiji Sasaki
 * Philippa - voiced by Kimiko Saitō
 * John Chandos - voiced by Shinpachi Tsuji
 * John Talbot - voiced by Yōji Ueda
 * John Fastolf - voiced by Jun Hattōri
 * Henry Percy - voiced by Eiji Takemoto
 * Hal - voiced by Takeshi Kusao
 * Richard Beauchamp - voiced by Atsushi Kisaichi
 * Iamarl (original character) - voiced by Miwa Yasuda
 * Margaret (original character) - voiced by Akemi Kanda

Kingdom of France

 * Joan of Arc - voiced by Yumi Tōma
 * La Hire - voiced by Ryūzaburō Ōtomo
 * Gilles de Rais - voiced by Takayuki Suzuki
 * Phillippe Le Bon - voiced by Mahito Ōba
 * Arthur De Richemont - voiced by Akimitsu Takase
 * Bertrand du Guesclin - voiced by Yūji Kishi
 * King of France - voiced by Yūki Masuda
 * Christine de Pizan - voiced by Yuka Shioyama
 * Jean de Metz - voiced by Kazunari Tanaka
 * Marie (original character) - voiced by Hisayo Yanai
 * You Ji (original character) - voiced by Toshio Kobayashi

Mercenaries

 * John Hawkwood - voiced by Mitsuaki Hoshino; the legendary mercenary.
 * Magnus - voiced by Tsubasa Iwata; friendly and well-respected mercenary
 * Georges - voiced by Daisuke Sakaguchi; the brother of Marc, nicknamed "Sudden Death".
 * Marc - voiced by Haruo Satō; the brother of Georges, nicknamed "Iron Wall".
 * Karen - voiced by Yukari Hikida; motherly mercenary whose personality changes when in pursuit of money.
 * Diane - voiced by Akemi Satō; foul-mouthed mercenary seen talking with Karen much of the time.
 * Naran - voiced by Yukiko Hirō; smooth-talking Mongolian mercenary seen talking with Georges often.
 * Yoshimasa - voiced by Naoki Imamura; a loyal and honest mercenary from the far east.
 * Shakti - voiced by Yuka Komatsu; a foreign mercenary.
 * William - voiced by Yasuhiro Takato; a cowardly mercenary.
 * Branwyn - voiced by ; a young Welsh woman striving to achieve recognition of her archery skills despite her age and gender

Allusions

 * Some of the rarer weapons in the game are exact replicas of fourth weapons found in the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series. In the former's case, the game features the Dynasty Warriors 5 version of their weapons. Characters who're mentioned are:
 * Guan Yu and Lu Bu for the halberd class
 * Zhao Yun, Zhang Fei, Yukimura, Tadakatsu, and Xing Cai are referenced in the spear category; Xing Cai's shield also appears as a separate rare item
 * Cao Cao, Nobunaga, and Kenshin for long swords
 * Lu Xun appears for daggers
 * Zhou Yu in the shamshir category
 * Ina in long bows
 * Magoichi for the guns
 * Yoshihiro in hammers
 * Nagamasa for the knightly lances