Rating: 
Summary: Unbelieveable
Review: After all the innovations over the past 15 years, Might and Magic still looks the SAME! If you like the game play of Might and Magic, you will enjoy this game, however, I can't seem to get past the fact that the graphics look as though they were created on a Commadore 64. The graphics and type are blocky, like first gen games.. for those at 3D0, PLEASE PLEASE invest in a new engine that isn't 10 years behind your compitition!!
Rating:
Summary: Huge disappointment
Review: After playing MM from the beginning (still have MM1 on sega gensis), MMIX was a huge disappointment from the start. If you love the previous intro's, dont get your hopes up with MMIX...they pan down a banner with stick figures scribbled on it. Also, the character selection was sad with only two options....fighter or magic user. Once started, you will see that inventory screens and equiping items leave a lot to be desired. I will admit that the 3d can be interesting at first but it gets old real quick. As for this new dialogue, it's a pain in the behind and the only thing I can think of to describe it is....cheesy!
After eagerly awaiting this newest version, I would of preferred to save my money and re-play a previous version. Call me old fashion but I hope that they return to the old version style and quit trying to fix something that was not broken. I gave it 2 stars just because I am a die-hard M&M fan and couldn't pull myself to give it only 1 star.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply Awful
Review: As a long time fan of Might and Magic all I can say is what a disappointment! Bad graphics, terrible game introduction, weak character class choices, poor fighting system, weak NPC interaction, blurry fonts that hurt the eyes, can't see hits against monsters, out-dated paper doll style character inventory, poor monster animation particularly during fighting, too few sound cues...The game plays like an early beta or alpha version. It feels clunky and unfinished, even the introduction to the game is uninspiring making you want to uninstall rather then play! One star is too many.
Rating:
Summary: This was quite a disappointment.
Review: As an avid Might & Magic fan I looked forward to this one. It certainly did not live up to my expectations. One of the previews said there was no teacher system. Well there is, and you have to chase down everyone in every town to find them. The music was good, but I couldn't understand why everyone thought the graphics were so great. I played on a laptop and they were terrible. A lot of areas were so dark I couldn't tell where I was. The map helped, but in a few places it was screwed up and north was west, the arrow pointed the wrong way and the map hurt more than helped. This was only one of the MANY bugs. The game hung up almost every time I played it. Some of the quests I completed were not recognized. Thankfully they were not part of the mainline quest.
Most of the townspeople did not respond to your actions. They all had a set conversation. If you completed your quest they acknowledged it and gave your reward, but the next time you talked to them they asked you to do something for them, as if you were meeting them for the first time. You did not get the quest to complete again, just the dialog for it. Nothing seemed to react to my heroics. I never got the feeling that I was in the game. A role playing game should make you feel like your playing the part. A good example was the frost giant. The townspeople are freezing and starving because of him. You go and kill him and guess what? They are still freezing and starving. What did I kill him for? Character development was never very clear. The manual was seriously lacking. I knew from previous games what numbers I needed to advance, but a lot of times the teacher told me a character couldn't advance a certain skill. I never knew why and wasted a lot of time planning my character development for nothing. None of that mattered because of the bugs. Once my characters were promoted it seemed I could do anything I wanted. I never had a chest blow up in my face, I could see all the traps and secret doors. Each character could carry practically everything in the world. I never had to leave anything behind because I didn't have room to carry it.
Your 3 NPCs are worthless. They cannot be controlled and you cannot even look at their stats. When in a battle they either cast a spell or attack. If they use magic they cast a low level spell, if not they attack and almost always miss! They have no ranged weapons and if you are not next to the enemy they are totally worthless. If you click on them you get the original conversation or a choice to fire them - nothing else.
I wasted a lot of time trying to decide which spells I wanted. There were two or three spells that were so powerful I didn't need any others. My healer could cast a spell that restored all health and magic points and cured any problems, over and over again - every turn. That made every battle a joke.
I hope the developers take notice and do a better job. I really liked this series and hate to see it ruined.
Rating: 
Summary: Bottom Line: The game is fun
Review: As someone who has been a hobbyist/gamer for 20 years now - you don't have to tell me what graphics are, or how games have advanced from the days of the Commodore Vic 20/64 or the Apple IIe machines until today. To this day I still insist no finer RPG series to date (and this includes 2002 releases thus far) rivals the series called "The Bard's Tale". Anyway, if you rate a game by graphics so critically - then hey, you are a casual gamer and no more than that. The graphics in M&M IX aren't stellar by far, but beyond saying "man the graphics are disappointing" that's it. They have little impact on your gaming experience if you are truly into RPG games and engross yourself in the actual game's content. Some things I think are (to be blunt) "stupid" - 1) There is far too much idle walking time in the wilderness areas. You'll spend literally 2-5 minutes of actual time just walking to your destination. That's in a word: boring. 2) The interface is a bit more clumsy than I'd normally prefer. For example, the auto map has nothing labeled. So even after you visit, say the armor shop, its not like their's an icon on the map indicating it. So you have to wander around the town remembering where it is. I think that was silly how they did that. (What's the point of an auto map if it only gives you an "idea" of where to go, even after you been there?) also this is a petty thing, but it irks me...the game's save feature should be improved. It should save files and label them in real world time (in the game it will label the files with the date and time in the game world) AND when you die and it autostarts you back - it should reload the LATEST save file NOT just your latest autosave (which it currently does). But the game other than that, is fun to play. The missions range vastly from simple...to VERY VERY challenging. I've died several times trying to complete some. Its a good game. Not the best RPG, not the best graphics. But TRUE rpg fans can and will appreciate it.
Rating:
Summary: M&M9 - Don't Bother
Review: DO NOT waste your money on this title. Very dated graphics and load times absolutely cripple this game. This is 2002? Well this title looks as if it is right out of 1992! I have been playing for about 4 hours, totally bored. I swear half that time was waiting for load times. Mind you I am playing on a P4 with 64MB Nvidia card. Utter [junk]! Wait and buy Dungeon Seige and Warcraft3. My rating of one star is being kind.
Rating:
Summary: RPG-ing back in the 90s
Review: Don't bother with this game. The games looks like it came strait from the 90s: only 800x600! To make things even worse: The story is very, very bad. There is no atmosphere whatsoever. And tehre are some nasty bugs in it too.
So with great games like Morrowind, DungeonSiege, Arx Fatalis and Neverwinter Nights being released in the next two or three months, MMIX won't survive...
Rating:
Summary: Might & Magic IX. . .
Review: Facing the facts, 3DO should have switched to a full 3-D engine long ago where its 'Might & Magic' RPG franchise is concerned, but, for some reason, that didn't happen until 2002's 'Might & Magic IX.' The game's new facelift, though, is anything but pretty, and you'll immediately feel like you just entered the magical world of Polygon. That's not to say the graphics don't have their moments (certain environments look better than others, and certain NPCs or enemies do likewise), but it all looks very much like something you could have been playing in 1998. But, of course, graphics don't make the game, and for those who can look past the graphical problems of IX, there's some decent adventuring to be done ' primarily if you're a fan of the past few 'Might & Magic' games (which all have a distinctive style of gameplay, for better or worse).
The storyline in IX is a bit on the soft and ridiculous side, but it works, and at least it's not as cut-and-dry as 'kill the Dark Lord, save the universe.' It is your job to unite the six clans of the realm in order to face the looming threat imposed by an Attila-like figure who seeks to conquer the land. Odd twists of fate abound, uniting you with your enemies, and ultimately pit you against the gods themselves. To win the day, you must assemble a party of four adventurers (picking from only two initial classes ' warrior or magician), and venture into the fantasy landscape. Customizing your party isn't half as fun as it was in earlier incarnations of 'Might & Magic,' and gives you far fewer options than the last installment in the series ' which poses the obvious question: shouldn't a sequel outdo its forebears? Only four races are available to you (human, elf, dwarf, or half-orc), and the portrait selection is limited to two generic faces per race, and two more per sex. You can customize your character's voice, but that ultimately boils down to choosing the voiceover that least annoys you. And, of course, you tweak a few stats and traits, but they too are few. Don't expect the kind of roleplaying you'd get from 'Icewind Dale' or 'Morrowind' here. When you have assembled your party, the story begins. The game plays essentially the same as previous entries in the series: combat is an optional real-time or turn-based affair, and you visit various provinces and cities seeking quests that can transform your humble fighter into a crusader, or your magician into a lich. Wandering the countryside is somewhat gratifying despite the blocky landscapes, because you often run into things you weren't expecting, or bump into quests that boost your experience. Unfortunately, monster encounters aren't very intense, primarily because only two or three different breeds of monsters seem capable of stalking any one given province, and most of them look pretty ridiculous. Combat isn't very exciting either, since you can't really even tell when your blows are connecting against your opponent unless you read the scrolling text at the bottom of the screen. Only archery reveals sound cues and splashes of blood (even from skeletons and the like who should obviously not bleed when hit). The more time you spend with the game, the more it will grow on you, and the more addicted you may even become, but it still feels like you're playing an early beta of what could have been a far superior game. Outdoor and indoor environments all suffer from a lack of detail that makes them feel mostly generic. This pervading lack of polish makes it very hard to suspend disbelief, since you rarely (if ever) feel like you're in a living, breathing world. There are graphical glitches to further hamper your adventures, and you can sometimes clip into hills or embankments and become stuck in them. Scenery pop-in often raises its ugly head, and you'll marvel at how an outdoor fog can follow you indoors as well, graying up whatever castle or keep you have entered. The game's scripting can also be broken. For example: in a dwarven mine, you are supposed to break through a wall that, for some reason, the dwarves couldn't penetrate. Behind the wall is a demoness that is freed by your incursion ' unless of course you don't break down every piece of the wall. Break only a section of it, walk into the room, and find that nothing happens until you go back and shatter the rest. Then, and only then, you find yourself in a cut-scene, since you've only now triggered it. This is why games are playtested rigorously before release, 3DO! The list of complaints that can be leveled against IX is pretty lengthy indeed. Many of the game's quests are tepid and tedious and require too much walking across open country that you've already cleared of foes; the inventory and outfitting screen is unintuitive and not half as interesting as that seen in the previous games (why does my female elven warrior have a male dwarf representing her?); the game's sound effects are sparse and generally grating' All of these flaws make IX a hard game to recommend wholeheartedly, even to fans of the franchise, especially in a year that brought with it great RPGs like 'Icewind Dale II,' 'Morrowind,' and 'Arx Fatalis.' But to those who absolutely adore the unique style of adventure that only 'Might & Magic' offers, this should do, provided you brace for some disappointment. I can only hope that 3DO licenses a new engine next time around, and makes sure to take it time polishing up the game before its release. Despite all of the new additions made to IX, it is inferior to its predecessors in almost every respect. This one has all the signs of a game rushed out the door to meet some dreaded deadline ' but if you're a CRPG addict, and have already run through the year's best, then it's worth a look (despite the horror stories you may have heard). Final Score: C
Rating:
Summary: Might & Magic IX. . .
Review: Facing the facts, 3DO should have switched to a full 3-D engine long ago where its �Might & Magic� RPG franchise is concerned, but, for some reason, that didn�t happen until 2002�s �Might & Magic IX.� The game�s new facelift, though, is anything but pretty, and you�ll immediately feel like you just entered the magical world of Polygon. That�s not to say the graphics don�t have their moments (certain environments look better than others, and certain NPCs or enemies do likewise), but it all looks very much like something you could have been playing in 1998. But, of course, graphics don�t make the game, and for those who can look past the graphical problems of IX, there�s some decent adventuring to be done � primarily if you�re a fan of the past few �Might & Magic� games (which all have a distinctive style of gameplay, for better or worse).
The storyline in IX is a bit on the soft and ridiculous side, but it works, and at least it�s not as cut-and-dry as �kill the Dark Lord, save the universe.� It is your job to unite the six clans of the realm in order to face the looming threat imposed by an Attila-like figure who seeks to conquer the land. Odd twists of fate abound, uniting you with your enemies, and ultimately pit you against the gods themselves. To win the day, you must assemble a party of four adventurers (picking from only two initial classes � warrior or magician), and venture into the fantasy landscape. Customizing your party isn�t half as fun as it was in earlier incarnations of �Might & Magic,� and gives you far fewer options than the last installment in the series � which poses the obvious question: shouldn�t a sequel outdo its forebears? Only four races are available to you (human, elf, dwarf, or half-orc), and the portrait selection is limited to two generic faces per race, and two more per sex. You can customize your character�s voice, but that ultimately boils down to choosing the voiceover that least annoys you. And, of course, you tweak a few stats and traits, but they too are few. Don�t expect the kind of roleplaying you�d get from �Icewind Dale� or �Morrowind� here. When you have assembled your party, the story begins. The game plays essentially the same as previous entries in the series: combat is an optional real-time or turn-based affair, and you visit various provinces and cities seeking quests that can transform your humble fighter into a crusader, or your magician into a lich. Wandering the countryside is somewhat gratifying despite the blocky landscapes, because you often run into things you weren�t expecting, or bump into quests that boost your experience. Unfortunately, monster encounters aren�t very intense, primarily because only two or three different breeds of monsters seem capable of stalking any one given province, and most of them look pretty ridiculous. Combat isn�t very exciting either, since you can�t really even tell when your blows are connecting against your opponent unless you read the scrolling text at the bottom of the screen. Only archery reveals sound cues and splashes of blood (even from skeletons and the like who should obviously not bleed when hit). The more time you spend with the game, the more it will grow on you, and the more addicted you may even become, but it still feels like you�re playing an early beta of what could have been a far superior game. Outdoor and indoor environments all suffer from a lack of detail that makes them feel mostly generic. This pervading lack of polish makes it very hard to suspend disbelief, since you rarely (if ever) feel like you�re in a living, breathing world. There are graphical glitches to further hamper your adventures, and you can sometimes clip into hills or embankments and become stuck in them. Scenery pop-in often raises its ugly head, and you�ll marvel at how an outdoor fog can follow you indoors as well, graying up whatever castle or keep you have entered. The game�s scripting can also be broken. For example: in a dwarven mine, you are supposed to break through a wall that, for some reason, the dwarves couldn�t penetrate. Behind the wall is a demoness that is freed by your incursion � unless of course you don�t break down every piece of the wall. Break only a section of it, walk into the room, and find that nothing happens until you go back and shatter the rest. Then, and only then, you find yourself in a cut-scene, since you�ve only now triggered it. This is why games are playtested rigorously before release, 3DO! The list of complaints that can be leveled against IX is pretty lengthy indeed. Many of the game�s quests are tepid and tedious and require too much walking across open country that you�ve already cleared of foes; the inventory and outfitting screen is unintuitive and not half as interesting as that seen in the previous games (why does my female elven warrior have a male dwarf representing her?); the game�s sound effects are sparse and generally grating� All of these flaws make IX a hard game to recommend wholeheartedly, even to fans of the franchise, especially in a year that brought with it great RPGs like �Icewind Dale II,� �Morrowind,� and �Arx Fatalis.� But to those who absolutely adore the unique style of adventure that only �Might & Magic� offers, this should do, provided you brace for some disappointment. I can only hope that 3DO licenses a new engine next time around, and makes sure to take it time polishing up the game before its release. Despite all of the new additions made to IX, it is inferior to its predecessors in almost every respect. This one has all the signs of a game rushed out the door to meet some dreaded deadline � but if you�re a CRPG addict, and have already run through the year�s best, then it�s worth a look (despite the horror stories you may have heard). Final Score: C
Rating: 
Summary: They gave complainers what they asked for
Review: First let me say that I am a fan of MM8, despite all the negative things that people said about it. MM9 was designed to "fix" all the things people said they didn't like about MM8:
1. Old, outdated game engine - well, now it's a new one, with pretty good first person graphics which don't make me nauseous (some games do).
2. Playing dragons/vampires, etc., made the game too easy - so they took those options, along with the "fly" spell - out.
3. Monsters which weren't smart enough to know others of their kind in the next room were being attacked - well, now they mostly know and come running. Unfortunately, these "fixes" didn't satisfy the complainers - they'd complain no matter what. What the "fixes" *did* do was take a perfectly good system (one you didn't have to buy a new computer for each time a new game came out, I might add) and make it less enjoyable (not that I don't like the new graphics) than the first. But complainers are always more loud than those who are satisfied, and they are the ones 3DO heard. Don't get me wrong - I'm still enjoying playing it -- and you should know that many of the quests, while they may not include "insider" jokes, are designed specifically so that the player has to overcome any habits he/she picked up in MM8 (for instance, getting into the water, just to name one). I also like that hack-and-slash is not always the answer. Oh, and btw, I've been playing it in WindowsXP and haven't had a problem with it - not even one crash, although I'm only about halfway through the game so far.
|
