Might and Magic The Might and Magic Discussion Thread

[aleph]

Not to defend IX here, which I've never played incidentally, but something like that can be said about the MMX too. It's a pale shadow of 6 and 7 in all respects (setting, levelling, exploration, scope, quests) except one - the combat. In previous MnMs the combat is simply terribad, there's no way around it, whereas in MMX it's one of the most enjoyable TB combats I've ever experienced. And because of that it's still a very enjoyable game.

I've always avoided the IX but if it's the same kind of pale shadow like the MMX than I'm actually tempted to give a try. It's sitting there on my GOG shelf anyways...

MMIX is weaker than X, by a far stretch. Maybe you like it when you try it out, but I wouldn't bet on it.

 

[nikolokolus]

IX just felt so blah. I bought it within days of its initial release, fully excited to play it (and the graphics whore, 19 year old, in me couldn't wait to see it rendered in glorious, full, 3D graphics) - and then I played it. I forced myself to play for 15 or 20 hours and finally gave up becuase it was just so damned boring. I don't remember it being terrible so much as it just failed to do anything well and it had none of the charm of the previous games in the series.

I'm half-way tempted to pick up a copy on GOG just to see if my initial gut reaction has shifted in the intervening years, but $5.99 seems kind of steep; best to wait for a sale.

 

[octavius]

I don't remember it being terrible so much as it just failed to do anything well and it had none of the charm of the previous games in the series.

That sums it up quite well.
Some of the artwork was laughably bad, like some of the NPC faces, but I guess that was due to time constraints.
I only got halfway through myself before I had enough.

 

[Cadmus]

Uh so for the nostalgia's sake I reinstalled Crusaders of Might and Magic and this game is so strange. It's obviously completely shitty, cheap and fucking corridors all around. The areas are all the same and with zero view distance, zero distinguishing features in the environment and no map I have no idea where I'm going half the time. On the other hand.. the combat is good, kinda hardish and really fun. Surely better than anything in TES ever. So I'm sticking with it. I just wish there were some item descriptions, it's totally ridiculous that I have to equip an item and check my stats to see what's changed. Or am I missing something again? Anyway, the game is quite fun despite being an obvious cash-grab and lazy piece of shit.

 

[Scroo]

Uh so for the nostalgia's sake I reinstalled Crusaders of Might and Magic and this game is so strange. It's obviously completely shitty, cheap and fucking corridors all around. The areas are all the same and with zero view distance, zero distinguishing features in the environment and no map I have no idea where I'm going half the time. On the other hand.. the combat is good, kinda hardish and really fun. Surely better than anything in TES ever. So I'm sticking with it. I just wish there were some item descriptions, it's totally ridiculous that I have to equip an item and check my stats to see what's changed. Or am I missing something again? Anyway, the game is quite fun despite being an obvious cash-grab and lazy piece of shit.

Ohhh, right, I completely forgot about that game! I believe I've been playing it on PS1 and liked it. I need to check this out again now

 

[Tytus]

Uh so for the nostalgia's sake I reinstalled Crusaders of Might and Magic and this game is so strange. It's obviously completely shitty, cheap and fucking corridors all around. The areas are all the same and with zero view distance, zero distinguishing features in the environment and no map I have no idea where I'm going half the time. On the other hand.. the combat is good, kinda hardish and really fun. Surely better than anything in TES ever. So I'm sticking with it. I just wish there were some item descriptions, it's totally ridiculous that I have to equip an item and check my stats to see what's changed. Or am I missing something again? Anyway, the game is quite fun despite being an obvious cash-grab and lazy piece of shit.

Ohhh, right, I completely forgot about that game! I believe I've been playing it on PS1 and liked it. I need to check this out again now

Also if I remember correctly Kevin Conroy plays the main role. So it's not all bad.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Crusaders is one good shitty little game, got it on a magazine for cheap. One interesting thing about it is that different difficulty levels will change the level layout, instead of just (de)buffing the enemies as usual - one section has you jumping on platforms/towers in the middle of a dark abyss...unless you set the game to easy, which will put a wooden plank walkway over the towers allowing you to skip the Super Avatar Bros Vietnam flashback. The combat felt satisfying, if primitive. There were some coolio magic items, like a vampiric shield that let you absorb health when blocking, a crossbow that you get late on the game making you feel a lot more powerful all of a sudden, etc. I'll play it again eventually. I dunno if there were item descriptions but it's an action game, it's relatively easy to tell what is an upgrade over your current stuff and what it does.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I dunno if there were item descriptions

Nope, you had to either guess/test the special features or equip them and compare differences on the charsheet.

 

[Cadmus]

I dunno if there were item descriptions

Nope, you had to either guess/test the special features or equip them and compare differences on the charsheet.

Very useful, especially when thinking whether or not to buy a new weapon/jewelry. No really the game is a complete piece of shit, I can't understand why I like it.

I dunno if there were item descriptions but it's an action game, it's relatively easy to tell what is an upgrade over your current stuff and what it does.

Would you buy an Obsidian Hammer for 100 GP in Corantha where you spent 2 hours getting to instead of your Thunderous Hammer you've had since the 1st catacomb?
I mean, no it's not relatively easy to tell, it's relatively impossible to tell before you check your stats with the new gear. Obviously, I just have to open a guide every time I see a new item with a weird name and read the description but come on, it's not that hard to write 2 fucking sentences describing each item. This is the laziest game I've seen in a long time.

 

[groke]

I dunno if there were item descriptions

Nope, you had to either guess/test the special features or equip them and compare differences on the charsheet.

Very useful, especially when thinking whether or not to buy a new weapon/jewelry. No really the game is a complete piece of shit, I can't understand why I like it.

I dunno if there were item descriptions but it's an action game, it's relatively easy to tell what is an upgrade over your current stuff and what it does.

Would you buy an Obsidian Hammer for 100 GP in Corantha where you spent 2 hours getting to instead of your Thunderous Hammer you've had since the 1st catacomb?
I mean, no it's not relatively easy to tell, it's relatively impossible to tell before you check your stats with the new gear. Obviously, I just have to open a guide every time I see a new item with a weird name and read the description but come on, it's not that hard to write 2 fucking sentences describing each item. This is the laziest game I've seen in a long time.

Decoding whether a Diamond Flamberge of Fuming is better than a Ruby Rod of Ramming is a central mechanic to the M&M series.

 

[DaveO]

I checked out the YouTube link, just to hear somebody else's opinion on Might & Magic. As a review(MM8), it is unfortunately incomplete at best. I do realize that YouTube does have limits on the video length, but there is the option to have multiple parts to a review or overview.

 

[Dorateen]

I beat Might & Magic X over the weekend, kind of was expecting to get a certificate.

This is a solid RPG, and probably most appreciated by players who have experienced the series from the earliest titles down to the worst of the entries. Lots of acknowledgement of past characters and events, while weaving into the new Ashan mythology and lore, which was interesting. I personally had some great role-playing moments, which I won't give away because of spoilers. But I thought the developers hit the right note with regard to exploration and discovery. They really got the whole aspect of allowing the player to get into trouble by wandering too far, and then returning later with a more powerful party. Once the world opens up, there was plenty of side content to indulge in, bringing back the more sandbox style that is traditionally associated with Might & Magic.

Some folks have talked about Legacy playing a bit more like Wizardry 8. In retrospect, I think that's fairly accurate, especially in terms of long drawn-out battles, and how positioning is so important. One thing the developers should have remembered, if that was an inspiration for them, Wizardry 8 had 6 party members plus 2 additional recruitable NPCs who fought in combat. I think Legacy would have been better served with a larger party, a couple of additional characters who could take on more dedicated roles, whether it be defensive or offensive. That might have helped a speedier combat resolution. Although playing on Warrior mode, I didn't mind the hitpoint bloat, slow and ponderous turn-based combat suits me fine. I also never had a problem with Waizardry 8 more lengthy encounters.

Not everything was perfect of course. The more modern, streamlined conventions that appeared now and then were annoying, but didn't ruin the game. It's just, I think quest completion could be more enjoyable without those tokens in the lower corner of the screen, or the journal telegraphing where to go in certain circumstances.

Still a memorable experience, and worthy installment to the series.

In parting, I would just remind the Empress, the only reason she sits her fat ass on the throne is because we Raiders allow it!

 

[SausageInYourFace]

Is there any information how much of a success M&MX was? Will we get XI?

 

[Dorateen]

There have been hints of plans for a MMXI. The feeback survey Ubisoft sent out was slightly encouraging, and the game's epilogue suggests there might be more story to tell. Whether Legacy clears enough margin to cover the costs of production, marketing and distribution, Limbic deserves to get the greenlight should that happen.

 

[treborSux]

What's up with my characters aging so fast in World of Xeen? They start at 18, I'm only at level 6 and I only played for a few hours. I cleared out Vertigo and the mines, and they're already all 19 now. I haven't even consumed more than a few days of food.

 

[treborSux]

Ok some things I learned about Xeen.

-There's only 100 days in a year in Xeen.
-Every time you talk to any character in a town (tavern, blacksmith, bank, temple. guild etc.) Time automatically advances one full day.
-Characters start losing abilities at age 35. At age 50 it becomes really noticeable.

Everyone seems to say natural aging isn't really an issue in World of Xeen, but it seems like time is moving way too fast for a supposedly pretty long game. Whose dumb idea was it to advance time a full day just by talking to someone?

 

[Scroo]

Do they really age that fast? I never really payed attention to the natural aging because it is true what everyone says - natural aging really won't be an issue, even if you take your time.

 

[Cadmus]

Ok some things I learned about Xeen.

-There's only 100 days in a year in Xeen.
-Every time you talk to any character in a town (tavern, blacksmith, bank, temple. guild etc.) Time automatically advances one full day.
-Characters start losing abilities at age 35. At age 50 it becomes really noticeable.

Everyone seems to say natural aging isn't really an issue in World of Xeen, but it seems like time is moving way too fast for a supposedly pretty long game. Whose dumb idea was it to advance time a full day just by talking to someone?

Do they really age that fast? I never really payed attention to the natural aging because it is true what everyone says - natural aging really won't be an issue, even if you take your time.

But shit, this sounds scarier than Fallout 1 time limit...and at the same time, I gotta say that even a retard like me had no trouble with it in F1. So I wonder...

 

[Scroo]

Time limit in Fallout or even Realms of Arkania 1 is serious pressure compared to the natural aging process in World of Xeen. Really, it's harmless, I have played through the game several times, always exploring pretty much every square of the two worlds and never had an issue.

 

[DragoFireheart]

Time limit in Fallout or even Realms of Arkania 1 is serious pressure compared to the natural aging process in World of Xeen. Really, it's harmless, I have played through the game several times, always exploring pretty much every square of the two worlds and never had an issue.

Slightly off topic, but I do not enjoy time limits like in games such as Fallout. I feel that it removes from the basic cRPG core design. Don't most cRPGs encourage exploration of places and people?

 

[TigerKnee]

It encourages you to explore efficiently.

 

[Scroo]

Time limit in Fallout or even Realms of Arkania 1 is serious pressure compared to the natural aging process in World of Xeen. Really, it's harmless, I have played through the game several times, always exploring pretty much every square of the two worlds and never had an issue.

Slightly off topic, but I do not enjoy time limits like in games such as Fallout. I feel that it removes from the basic cRPG core design. Don't most cRPGs encourage exploration of places and people?

I don't like time limits either. I also think that it kinda hinders your exploration since you always have that thought in your head that you should push on with the main quest. Although I only had this feeling when I played Fallout for the first time, in Realms of Arkania you have to be incredibly slow to fail on the time limit and in World of Xeen it's next to impossible to die of old age

 

[DragoFireheart]

Although I only had this feeling when I played Fallout for the first time, in Realms of Arkania you have to be incredibly slow to fail on the time limit and in World of Xeen it's next to impossible to die of old age

For one such as myself that has played New Vegas and restarted it over 30 times, this could be a problem.

 

[Broseph]

In MM1 I apparently spent 2 years just getting to level 3.

Not sure if that's normal but most M&M games took me ~3 years in-game to beat. The reason I don't like time limits is because I'm a pretty slow RPG player and I prefer it that way.

 

[Scroo]

Although I only had this feeling when I played Fallout for the first time, in Realms of Arkania you have to be incredibly slow to fail on the time limit and in World of Xeen it's next to impossible to die of old age

For one such as myself that has played New Vegas and restarted it over 30 times, this could be a problem.

Why? I don't really see the connection between restarting a game dozens of times and a time limit in a game.

But if you mean that you really tend to take your time - as I said, only Fallout 1 is kinda harsh on the time limit. There it might prove a problem though, true.