Well, now that Mount & Blade II is out, I feel we can all look to this game and reflect on what it did right and what it did wrong. For people, who don't have the desire or time to read my ramblings in their entirety, there is a TL:DR at the bottom. And if you scroll past that, probably more short and sensible reviews.

So... Warband. I would like to spare myself a description of what this game actually does, as there are tons of videos, reviews and content that answer that question. At the time I am writing this review, one legitimate question will probably be in the minds of most people, who dare venture into the deep, dark caverns of the steam review section to decide whether or no to purchase an old classic such as this: Is there any point in playing Warband, now that Bannerlord is out. And I would say that there still are many reasons to pick this one up. Of course the newer title is much bigger in scale, with much better graphics and a lot more features.

However, at least during the writing of this review, it is still in development. And even if this were not the case, the lifeblood of the game, it's total conversion and quality of life improvement mods are still in development. The truth is, even though Warband may seem old and dated, even to it's fans, now that they have seen the improvements and potential in Bannerlord, it is still the best and only place to play and immerse yourself in a world of your choosing. It can be fantasy like Lord of the Ring, Warhammer fantasy, Game of Thrones, or even Perisno and Pendor (Entire universes created by the modding community). It can be a historical setting like the Napoleonic wars, the Danelaw, The Crusades, Feudal Japan or even Pseudo-WWII. Or it can something entirely out there like aliens, lasers weapons, Star Wars and giant ridable tarantulas. And all of this can be explored trough the unique perspective that Mount and Blade provides. There is truly something here for everyone and anyone.

TL:DR - The game is still good even in the face of it's successor Bannerlord, because it has a lot of mods. Chances are it can offer you the unique Mount and Blade immersive experience in a setting of your liking.