Rating: 
Summary: More of the same only better
Review: I have played M&MVI,M&MVII and now M&MVIII. While most of the game layout was familiar there were a few differences where I had to read the manual to figure them out. I liked the idea of using the same engine for all three games. There wasn't the learning curve and bugs of a new engine and more time could be spent on a plot rather than better graphics. I also liked the idea of playing one character and adding or dismissing others as the game went along, kind of like Baulders Gate. They have also eliminated the annoying problem of bumping into NPC's and not being able to get past them, you just walk right through them. There was one change to the game where they didn't have a place to get food at the beginning islands so you couldn't just stay there and beef up your characters you were forced to do some exploring before your initial supply ran out. All in all I liked the improvements as well as revisiting an old friend. If you liked the other two this game is for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Depressing and not much fun!
Review: I qualify as a Might & Magic Junky, having played all of the series since #1. The best aspect of these games is the development of the team. In my family, each person becomes a "named" character with a personality to suit the mood of the game. You always had your choice to be a good or bad. MM8 has lost all this. You now can only create/name one character on your team, and it's tough to be a good character. Only two of the eight allowed classes have possitive sounding attributes. The entire game has a dark and gloomy presentation, such as if you want a top knotch wizard, you need to be a Lich. Ugh! A Lich is to be killed, not personified. No longer can my family enjoy being their own chacters. You now "higher" your remaining (computer named) team characters. But, just when you spend all those spell points/money to become a master/grandmaster, you have to drop this body from the team to make room for a someone else in order to complete a specific quest. Too much comming and going. Too depressing. Not fun at all.
Rating:
Summary: Depressing and not much fun!
Review: I qualify as a Might & Magic Junky, having played all of the series since #1. The best aspect of these games is the development of the team. In my family, each person becomes a "named" character with a personality to suit the mood of the game. You always had your choice to be a good or bad. MM8 has lost all this. You now can only create/name one character on your team, and it's tough to be a good character. Only two of the eight allowed classes have possitive sounding attributes. The entire game has a dark and gloomy presentation, such as if you want a top knotch wizard, you need to be a Lich. Ugh! A Lich is to be killed, not personified. No longer can my family enjoy being their own chacters. You now "higher" your remaining (computer named) team characters. But, just when you spend all those spell points/money to become a master/grandmaster, you have to drop this body from the team to make room for a someone else in order to complete a specific quest. Too much comming and going. Too depressing. Not fun at all.
Rating: 
Summary: Might and Seen it Before 8
Review: I was a big fan of M&M 6 and 7 (and all the previous ones), but it became painfully obvious after 2 minutes game time that New World made zero effort to make a new game. Simply put, this is M7M7 with a few new, and frankly annoying, new changes.The first change involves the idea of the entire party sprouting from one central character (but not done as well as Baldur's Gate). This is marginally interesting. The second difference is the new character classes. The Vampire, Dragon, Dark Elf, and Troll are added. Now whoever though that the Vampire should replace the Paladin (the fighter/cleric motif) must have been high. The one tolerable part of this idea is the new spells specific to each race. Frankly, though, its less than wonderful. The AI seems to have improved slightly, though its weird that walking on a certain point guarantees that Pirates will appear from nowhere and attack. Also, the storyline seems a bit more cohesive. All and all its a decent game (purely due to its having used such a good base design (aka MM6). Frankly, the designers should look at the original Might and Magic (still the best of the series), and try developing a game with a bit more thinking and a bit less formula. It's worth buying, but don't expect anything new or wonderful.
Rating: 
Summary: Not so great
Review: I was a Might and Magic Junkie for the first five episodes. I haven't played any of the others, but I was pretty excited when I saw this game on sale (...now I know why). I too can't believe that you have the opportunity to create only one of your characters. Also, I never felt that the game had much of a point--every time I got near one of the pirate hordes--I was massacred. Most of my time was spent playing the Tower game on the island, which, to me, was more exciting than the actual game. Inevitably, I quit playing the game and never made it off that island. It is now collecting dust on my shelf. I now turn my interest to Baldur's gate that has proved to be as great of a RPG as all the reviews say! I definitely would reccommend Baldur's Gate over this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Still One of the Finest Games of its Genre
Review: Look, take it from someone who spent hours playing the first King's Quest on a PCjr, the Might and Magic series is still going strong! I hadn't played the series since the Xeen days, and picked up VII at a store one day for kicks. I was blown away with where they had taken the game. It didn't take me long to track down a copy of VIII. The engine may "seem a little dated" but I feel it's the best tool for the job, and the graphics are still very nice and clean. The "movies" in the game are well done and many other little details like change-of-day and light sources makes it all the better. Everything you want from a RPG and more; little inside jokes for past MM players and great story lines. If you're looking for hours (perhaps weeks depending on your devotion) of non-stop slashing and casting and stealing and adventuring, look no further.
Rating:
Summary: Good gameplay, old engine.
Review: Might and Magic VIII is a solid addition to this series. Yes, the engine is very dated, but fans of this series will not be too put off by this. The new playable races in this installment are a nice touch, although I would say that with a dragon in your party you have a big advantage. This is because it's basic flame attack uses no spell points and does a lot of damage. The dungeons in this game are not as huge as MM6, which in my opinion is just fine. While MM6 was a superior game, the dungeons did grow tiresome. Overall, this was an enjoyable game, worth the money it costs and I would recommend it to any fan of this series, as long as they can look past the dated graphics.
Rating:
Summary: Not so good
Review: Might and Magic VIII was really a dissapointment when I first played it. It has the same game engine as its most recent prequil, but with some downsides. First you only get to create one character, your main character, and the rest of your party is filled up with characters you meet. Second, and lastly, the characters are ugly expecially the male knights. If your a diehard Might and Magic fan (like me) you should definitely buy it (to add to your collection) if not stay away from it. I don't like to dis Might and Magic, but when a product stinks, it stinks.
Rating:
Summary: Not so good
Review: Might and Magic VIII was really a dissapointment when I first played it. It has the same game engine as its most recent prequil, but with some downsides. First you only get to create one character, your main character, and the rest of your party is filled up with characters you meet. Second, and lastly, the characters are ugly expecially the male knights. If your a diehard Might and Magic fan (like me) you should definitely buy it (to add to your collection) if not stay away from it. I don't like to dis Might and Magic, but when a product stinks, it stinks.
Rating:
Summary: Might and Magic returns...
Review: Over a six-year period, SSI released nine successive Advanced Dungeons & Dragons games using substantially the same engine. That series of games became affectionately known as the "gold box" series of games, and role-playing game fans widely regard the series as a high point for the genre. But the recycling of technology has received a considerably colder reception recently. Although Fallout 2 was regarded by many gamers as having gameplay as good as its predecessor's, many reviewers were disappointed that the game's engine was virtually unchanged. Even that experience doesn't compare to the hostile reception that Might and Magic VII - For Blood and Honor received last year because it was released with the same, graphically dated, engine used by Might and Magic VI. Even though gamers will usually declare gameplay to be the most important feature of a game, I suspect gamers' expectations have risen to the point where it would be impossible to have another "gold box" series that constantly recycled technology. In spite of the criticism that Might and Magic VII received for recycling the engine of its predecessor, New World is going to use that same engine one last time for Might and Magic VIII. Objects and characters in the game are still depicted using flat 2D sprites, and for some reason the characters seen early in the game seem a little less sharp than those in the past few games in the series. Might and Magic VIII supports 3D video acceleration, but the software mode looks substantially similar with the exception of certain spell effects. At least you can now turn off the different monotone colored tints that enveloped monsters in the 3D-accelerated mode of Might and Magic VII. There are a few minor engine tweaks this time around. There's a new panoramic view that lets you see more of the gaming world (although there's still no full-screen option), and you're now able to move the first-person perspective up and down using the mouse, although not quite in the mouse-look fashion to which action gamers are accustomed. There's a new character screen, and the automap screens now conveniently let you add your own notations. Your party can now pass right through peasants and other ordinary townpersons, so you won't have to worry about getting stuck in congested areas like the dwarven caverns in Might and Magic VII. In spite of these minor improvements, Might and Magic VIII's dated engine will likely be the most common complaint players have of the game, especially given the true 3D polygonal gaming worlds used by recent RPGs such as EverQuest, Asheron's Call, Ultima IX: Ascension, and System Shock 2. While Might and Magic VIII's older engine may limit its appeal to new gamers, series veterans should appreciate the continuation of the storyline initiated by Might and Magic VI and the new gameplay elements. In Might and Magic VI, the continent of Enroth was under siege by an invasion of devils who turned out to be alien beings known to the Ancients who dominate Might and Magic lore as the Kreegans. Heroes of Might and Magic III and Might and Magic VII extended the conflict between the Kreegans and various human factions onto the neighboring continent of Erathia. Might and Magic VIII introduces the third and final continent of the gaming world, Jadame, and conclusively resolves several of the loose ends of the series. Havoc commences when a mysterious figure unleashes a four-pronged attack on the continent. Gates to each of the four core elemental planes are opened, letting in energies that threaten to destroy the entire world. Surprisingly, the destructive plan was hatched by the Ancients themselves, as a fail-safe strategy in the event the world was overrun by Kreegans. In spite of the role of the Ancients in the game, the science fiction elements that traditionally appear toward the end of games in the series will be somewhat downplayed. For once, your party won't be tossing aside their halberds at the end of the game in favor of blasters. Those incongruous elements are probably better left apart. Jadame is also the home base of the Regna pirates who have pestered players in recent games but have never been a significant threat. That all changes in Might and Magic VIII, as the pirates use the chaos caused by the elemental destruction to launch concentrated attacks against Jadame's settlements and to blockade all shipping routes. Since the entire world is threatened by the opening of the gates to the elemental planes, you can expect to see some of the key characters from Enroth and Erathia make the trip to the new continent to help the efforts of the player characters. Of course, the pirate blockade must be eluded first. You start the game offshore, on the Dagger Wound Islands, an area populated by relatively benign lizardmen. Your new scaly friends are immediately assaulted by waves of pirate intruders. One of the best features introduced by Might and Magic VII was combat between creatures. Instead of each creature being dedicated solely to eradicating the player characters, as in most RPGs, creatures now interact with each other. Monsters that wander into town will attempt to devour the populace, who will be dutifully defended by guards. That feature is prominently displayed early in Might and Magic VIII, as pirate hordes openly battle lizardman defenders and stationary cannons are fired at the pirate ships anchored nearby. Those sorts of interactions make the gaming world feel alive instead of being stagnant and completely dependent upon the actions of the player characters.
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