MMX Legacy expansion or MMXI?

[Variol]

Dear Limbic Entertainment ,
You really created a fun here here. I would very much like to see another one. Even some type of expansion would be nice. The world looks excellent and I think that if the monsters and chests were more random, replayablity would be greatly enhanced.
I would also recommend removing the need for any type of "light" spell. I like to play 4 of the same Class and I have to edit them in order to be able to see in some places. Even if I could change this in the coding, it would be wonderful.

Again, though, it's a great, fun game, please don't stop!

[Sslaxx]

Limbic no longer have any involvement with M&M - if Showdown is any indication Ubisoft have taken development of it entirely in-house.

[Variol]

Is there any discussion about a new game?

[Sslaxx]

Not at the moment, except for Showdown.

[Troller]

I haven't tried MMX yet - I'm still waiting for a GOG release - but I don't think there will be a new installment in the MM series, the budget for MMX was already very small and the game didn't become a huge success. So UBI won't risk it especially with Vivendi breathing down their necks...
My hope is that JVC get the rights back - especially after watching Matt's interview with JVC - and with Vivendi in play UBI might be more forthcoming. I could even live with a mobile version after trying Creature Quest.

[Sslaxx]

The problem with a GOG release would be the need to untangle Uplay from the game - and it's embedded fairly deep (needing Ubi points for certain dungeons or other content, for example).

[Troller]

The problem with a GOG release would be the need to untangle Uplay from the game - and it's embedded fairly deep (needing Ubi points for certain dungeons or other content, for example).

Yeah I know but I keep hoping - UPlay is the reason for only wanting a GOG version - I don't trust UBI even though I have nothing pirated as a principle. And I don't have any spare windows keys for booting up a VM at the moment.

[Anubis]

@Troller

I enjoyed MMX, but the replayability just isn't there. Most of your end-game gear is found via shops instead of actual dungeon-crawling which was a huge let-down. Enemies never respawned at all whatsoever, so once you cleared an area, that was it. Puzzles were great. Combat was fun. Quests were fun. It's worth playing all classes at least once, as well as different class combinations.

All in all, I'd recommend MMX. I didn't really mind uPlay either.

[Variol]

I just got an "Arcane Tribal Staff of the Spearman"!

Try to figure that out!

[Troller]

@Anubis

Thanks for the review - it falls in line with much of what I've heard :-)
I have Legend of Grimrock waiting on my Steam library so I'm not in a hurry to get my next fix. I might even hope for a mobile version of MMX - I thought about playing the old Might and Magic II gates to another world on an emulator (I still have the Sega Mega Drive cartridge so it would be legal in my country).

@Variol
The best I could come up with was a rather lewd reference and I think the moderators will chase me away if I elaborate ;-)

[Variol]

I think a few tweets can make the game much more replayable. If they get rid of all the areas which are too dark and get rid of the need for light spells, you can pick characters which don't need to case light spells. The chest could be more random as well and monsters could vary too.
Again though, the game really looks good. It's a shame not to make something new and use the same scenes.

[Avonu]

I am during another replay right now. Beginning is really, really boring. You can't go wherever you want, because you need to follow main story to unlock "open" world. And it take a lot of time. I can understand Sorpigal lock out but after that, you still need to go in straight path to Bandit's Hideout, Lighthouse, Castle Portmeyron and Elemental Forge. This take too much time and isn't funny. And even after that you can't reach most of world locations, because you need to unlock them during progression of main quest.
MM always has been about free roaming (Remember New Sorpigal to Dragonsand Desert travel in MM6? Or speed run to Nighon for Water Magic mastery in MM7?) and MMX doesn't allow you that.

Lack of respawning monster/monster lairs is also a problem. Not only this mean no more loot and XPs but also makes game world boring after you clear paths between areas. Not adding one feature known from MM1-5 - Retreat from fight - also makes combat "win or die" situation, which not allow you to make any mistakes during adventures. You can't even teleport back to temple in emergency situations, because this common tactics bugged game. It was later disabled via one of patches.

There is also matter of balance... or rather lack of it. Only one class know Dark Magic, which is needed to find hidden rooms in dungeons. I have a feeling there are just too many classes, some of which are not needed in party after all (Mercenary, Defender), while others are obligatory or too good to past (Free Mage, Sword Dancer/Ranger).
I don't know why we get so many classes and only available for certain races (OK, I know exactly why - Ashan lore ) but this wasn't a good idea from the beginning. While adding race perks and Warfare skill was a good move, class restrictions wasn't.

Also skill system, while itself is not bad, has many drawbacks. Finite number of available XPs means, that you must plan very carefully your team progress. Removing novice skill teachers means, you must add 1 very precious skill point to learn a new skill. This is a bane for hybrid classes, which have many very useful skills and you can't master them all. Warriors and mages don't have such problems (if they focus on one or two weapon/school of magic).

"Open" world is not very open at all. I don't mean MM6-8, where you could explore each pixel of map and even fly above it. I mean MM1-5, where game world maps could be explore by each its square (so for example on 16x16 map you could visit each of its tile). In MMX you can only move via "corridors". There are (black) areas not availble to pass, even if you learn "blesses" to unlock forest/mountain/sea tiles. Previous MM games have lock ups with Forester or Mountaineer skill, which you needed to learn, to visit forest or mountain areas. In MMX you can't do that, if area is not design to visit in first place. So while MMX world maybe bigger then previous ones, on closer look it's much restriced.

There are pros too, like puzzles and dungeons design but overall, after few replays, cons are what make this game not so enjoyable. I think that there is just not enough randomess to make MMX fun after you finished it once. You will know quests, puzzles, secrets, dungeons design and where you find the best treasures. You will also know, how to level your team and you just can't allow yourself to experiment with this, because there isn't enough XPs for that.

[Variol]

Yes, I agree with everything. I am not a game developer at all, but I think a few changes to the game play can be made, to make the game much better. They already did it in MM6-8, so it cannot be too hard. It's a shame not to expand on what they already have.

[Troller]

I never played the game but I followed the development and one thing stayed with me.

The ranger don't know how to handle a bow:



With the string over the left hand and the way she grips the bow - she would never be able to draw and release an arrow. She needs to reverse the grip or have the string under the arm...

Always thought that was funny...

[Variol]

Yeah, the graphic is funny.Hopefully, she turns the bow vertically before shooting.

[Troller]

That would either put the string on the wrong side of her arm or require her to twist the arm in an unnatural way and then the string would probably snatch on her bracer ;-)

[Avonu]

Actually she can do quickshot in this position: quick string draw, without full force or aiming, and against foes which are close to her (IIRC Ranger has such ability in-game). However, she doesn't look like she is trying to quickshot anyone to me at all. And her "fist" grab of bow string also looks strange.

[Troller]

Actually she can do quickshot in this position: quick string draw, without full force or aiming, and against foes which are close to her (IIRC Ranger has such ability in-game). However, she doesn't look like she is trying to quickshot anyone to me at all. And her "fist" grab of bow string also looks strange.

Only if she shoots down othervise the string will snag in the ornaments on the bracer...

[Panda Tar]

I only played the game once, as far as reaching the post-main story ending, going to the DLC.

I couldn't feel anything that motivated me to a second playthrough, as already stated above by other opinions. I had some fun, though, mostly because the game has an exotic vibe about it, its proposal being rather delivered, as it wasn't an attempt to follow the previous title's formula.

However, as also pointed out, you are locked into scripts and storyline here and there, and you are basically unable to try being bold (in MM7, for example, you could try taking down much stronger foes, diving, and ducking freely around the map). If you engage battle with something too strong, you're doomed. Of course, most of the time you can steer clear from trouble, but you are not allowed to try you luck. You'll eventually die because you cannot flee from battle.

Also, artifacts are always the same, at the same places. I liked the fact they evolved too, but that's all about it.

Balance is an issue. And some features could do much better if had given proper attention. Alas, too late now. When you get dragons' blessing, some of your spells get completely useless. Some classes also seem much more useful than others. And the DLC almost spats on your face you need mages in your team: the first boss is a spell casting inquisitor, who has a mass-damaging spell, a strong melee attack and a healing spell, and your team must face him without any gear. I tried all tactics I could think of for over three hours. When I noticed that my victory depended on luck (which meant the times the boss wouldn't cure himself that much or cast fewer mass-damaging spells; because it all seemed random), I quit. I had 1 healer and 1 spell caster. The other 2 were melee fighters who could barely inflict damage, because they missed so much. The previous boss was another pain. He retaliated physical attacks with another one that hit all your team, again, you had no gear and again, if you had a team of might heroes only, you were pretty much in trouble.

Bosses were ok, overall. I don't remember the last boss. The boss I had most problems with was a Rakshasa. I think it's related to another portion of a DLC, I'm not really sure anymore. Something about a "Meow" island, land or whatever. It took me some attempts to beat him. Again, it might have been sheer luck he chose not to be fierce one time.

All in all, I enjoyed the game because I got used to its flaws and I wasn't expecting anything better in particular. It was an exotic approach I sympathized with, but I won't play it ever again.

[Xfing]

Welp, I hope the next M&M game is real-time and not locked to a grid, 's all I'm saying. I've also said that this franchise has the potential to compete with Elder Scrolls if enough money and time was invested into it, but guess Ubi won't go that route.

Anyway, M&M games have magic to them that even Elder Scrolls games don't, I'd love for another one to come out someday in any shape or form.