Game Reviews Overview

for the Might and Magic Series

• Eurogamer: Score 7/10
• GameSpot: Score 6/10
• PC Gamer: Score 73%
• GameStar.de: Score 79%
• Stern.de: Score 4/5
• Jeuxvideo: Score 15/20
• Celestial Heavens: "As the most important part of the game, the gameplay aspect delivers, making it a true classic RPG experience. And while the endgame is a bit long, with somewhat disappointing plot twists (reminding me of M&M 9 in both), it truly is a good RPG experience for anyone who wants to play a modernized classic RPG." Score 8/10
• CRPGaddict: "I trust my readers know me well enough to know that getting the game for free has no way influenced my opinion of it. I'd tell you if it sucked. But I'm happy to say that, at least so far, it's a worthy entry in the series, reaching both backwards and forwards." No score
• Eurogamer: "Might & Magic 10: Legacy feels like a pleasant throwback to dungeon crawls of decades past, but its limited scope and combat-heavy focus might put off those pining for the freedom afforded by the more recent Elder Scrolls games, or the wordy character interaction of a Dragon Age. Nonetheless, for those keen on poring over stats and comparing colour-coded loot, it serves as a modern introduction to those games' precursors, delivers a heady blast of nostalgia, and preserves a little slice of history." Score 7/10
• Game Informer: "Might & Magic X: Legacy lives up to the quality of its long-lost predecessors. Despite streamlining and accessibility upgrades, it’s not a game for everyone. Turn-based grid walks are a rarity today and the title may feel a bit bizarre to those that never had a chance to experience 90’s era Might & Magic fare, but for those that have always wanted a legitimate heir to the classic series, Might & Magic X: Legacy provides." Score 8.25/10
• GameSpot: " Might & Magic X: Legacy is a somewhat successful trip back in time to an era when RPGs were both simpler and more complicated than they are today, and a lot more demanding of players when it came to combat. If nostalgia drives you to visit this particular kingdom, you'll not likely regret the time spend there. If your good old days weren't brimming with games of this nature, it's more difficult to appreciate the take-no-prisoners challenge and overlook the limitations." Score 6/10
• IncGamers: "I really quite like Might & Magic X. It's a throwback to the big old RPGs of yore – the games which weren't afraid to smash your face in if you wandered into a high-level area ill-prepared, and required you to take notes of NPC locations and quest hints (which is something that is genuinely important here). But it's a throwback which offers a bit more help, an intuitive interface, and some graphics that generally look rather lovely. If Might & Magic X sounds at all appealing, or if you went “Oh, I remember doing that twenty years ago” at any point in this review, then I imagine you'll really quite like it too." Score 7/10
• Joystiq: "Might and Magic 10 plays so smoothly, with an elegant simplicity and almost effortless depth, that I can forgive its lack of story and indifferent graphical presentation. There's a common argument that pits the more complex/confusing conventions of older games against the accessible/"dumbed down" conventions of more recent fare, with one always good and the other always bad, depending on your point of view. Might and Magic 10: Legacy reveals just how irrelevant those arguments are. It's my new favorite installment in the series, and it offers a great example of how to update old-fashioned RPG mechanics for the present day." Score 4/5
• Lazygamer: "Might and Magic X: Legacy is an uncompromisingly old school trip into forgotten territories. It's a risky move, but it's one that should attract plenty of gamers who want less new school action and a more cerebral roll of the dice in their RPGs." Score 7.5/10
• PC Gamer: "What gives Legacy its old school charm though is that as much as it's weighed down by an obviously low budget and the mechanical sacrifices of jumping back a decade, there's a love for its style underpinning the action. The result isn't likely to do much for anyone raised on a diet of The Elder Scrolls, and even at its best is a nostalgia trip rather than call for revolution. Even so, for old-school RPG fans as sad as its creators seem to be that nobody makes games like this any more, it’s a solid way to relive the good old days." Score 73%
• Rock, paper, shotgun: "I did not, I must admit, expect to now be singing the praises of this curious, cheap-feeling roleplaying game. (...) It's a dense and broad game, opening up enormously after its miserably ringfenced beginning, and while its total landmass has nothing on your average Elder Dragon Craft, the combo of step-by-step movement and careful placing of high-threat enemies as beatable but extremely fearsome gatekeepers makes it feel much larger than it is. " No score
• RPG Codex: "MMXL is a must-buy and a must-play. Limbic did a superlative job in bringing together many beloved elements from the series, improving where they could and not dumbing down where it matters. The flaws are immaterial in the grand scheme of things; Limbic have proven they can make a real (and good!) M&M game, and they have certainly proven that they can make an excellent turn-based tile-based blobber with all the joyful gameplay elements that entails." No score

• 3djuegos: Score 88%
• 9lives: Score 83%
• Gameblog.fr: Score 4/5
• Gamespot: Score 8/10
• Gamestar.de: Score 85%
• Gamer.no: Score 70%
• Gry-online.pl: Score 85%
• Onlinewelten: 84%
• Celestial Heavens: "Heroes VI was a game that could have been, but never made it because of poor design decisions, a lack of support and a refusal to involve the fans in anything important. The games's broken features, the lack of a functioning online system and lack of a good editor and random map generator are simply too much to ignore." Score 3/6
• Game Informer: "Heroes VI isn’t better than my memory of Heroes III – which is, to be fair, one of my top handful of games of all time. The nature of the franchise itself makes Heroes VI an excellent title for gamers who don’t typically spend much time in the strategy genre, and if Black Hole and Ubisoft can entice an old hand like me to stick around as well, I consider it a success." Score 8.25/10
• Gamepro: "While Heroes VI does make some interesting changes to the 16-year-old turn-based strategy-RPG series, and the game remains fun, I found some of my usual complaints with Heroes' gameplay more annoying than usual - and that the horrible online system Ubisoft insists on using has sucked away too much of the series' charm." Score 3/5
• GameSpy: "Despite numerous improvements to the formula and graphical updates, Heroes VI has its fair share of issues – and some are more catastrophic than others. The presentation is riddled with visual bugs and minor glitches that impact the gameplay to varying degrees. The real killjoy (...) is the horrendous UPlay system's draconian requirement that you be connected to the internet at all times to play. Let me be clear: Heroes VI is an absolute nightmare if you have a spotty internet connection." Score 3/5
• IGN: "Might and Magic Heroes VI may have some issues with battlefield tactics in the late game and its story, but the strategy remains a blast nonetheless. Near infinite hours of gameplay await, and anyone looking for a well-made and addictive turn-based strategy game need go no further than this." Score 8/10
• MashThoseButtons: "Ultimately, Might & Magic Heroes VI is a good game, but one buried underneath its own bugs and DRM. It's a game that is worth buying eventually, but proves the idea that some games just shouldn’t be bought at launch. Perhaps, when the bugs are fixed, the AI is improved, and the inevitable expansions for the game are released, we'll be able to safely place MMHVI among the games worthy of the Might & Magic moniker." Score 4/5

• Game Informer: Score 74.0%
• PC Format UK: Score 88.0%
• PC Gamer UK: Score 88.0%
• PC Zone UK: Score 84.0%
• PC Zone UK: Score 84.0%
• gamesTM: 8/10
• 1UP: "The visuals are as uninspired as the story. The Source engine has never looked worse than it does in these dimly lit, rotely drawn dungeons infested with technical glitches like stuttering sound and disappearing polygons." Score 4/10
• ActionTrip: "It's painfully obvious that the Half-Life 2 engine caused many problems, which weren't ironed out in time by the programming team. Consequently, players with modest rigs won't be able to experience the game in its true visual potential. A patch is forthcoming. Supposedly, it's meant to fix numerous crash issues and other technical mishaps that have been plaguing the game." Score 68.0%
• Detroit Free Press: "Ubisoft may have somewhat overpromised early on -- boss fights aren't all they're cracked up to be, and more complex interactions like manipulating different enemy factions to fight their own battles are barely present -- but "Dark Messiah" is nonetheless a truly great game." Score 3/4
• Eurogamer: "If you give it, it'll pay you back. You won't remember Dark Messiah's busty-woman character guide, but you will remember the sheer joy of mutilating the orcish, undead and assorted monstrous hordes in a variety of imaginative ways. When mass slaughter is as imaginative as this, it can't help but be memorable." Score 8/10
• GamingExcellence: "What’s left is a game that’s pretty enjoyable, and a strong attempt to put some strong action and visceral combat into the first-person-slasher. The addition of the physics adds some depth to the combat, and the multiplayer gives a reason to play after the story has been played. A flawed game, but a very decent one nonetheless." Score 75.0%
• GameSpot: "Aside from its technical issues, there's nothing extremely wrong with Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. But beyond it being a fantasy-themed first-person action game (which is something of a rarity these days), the game doesn't really do much to make its campaign stand out. You could certainly do worse than Dark Messiah, but you could probably do a lot better, also." Score 67.0%
• GameSpy: "It's easy to be disappointed with Dark Messiah, given that it had so much potential. There is absolutely some compelling content in here (...). Right now, though, Dark Messiah's multiplayer is little more that a novelty. Still, it's hard to deny that the game has some immensely enjoyable moments. It's just too bad that they're too often surrounded by so much clutter." Score 3/5
• IGN: "The multiplayer is the better half of the game, letting players battle it out with five diverse classes and plenty of interlocking and complementary abilities. Though the first-person combat isn't as precise as it could be, this one's still a good choice for some online magic blasting fun. Just don't expect a memorable story or characters if you're more interested in the single player content." Score 7/10
• Pro-G: "Had the story been stronger and the numerous bugs been ironed out prior to release, Dark Messiah would have been very easy to recommend. As it stands, it's not quite polished enough to be anything more than an enjoyable diversion." Score 7/10
• Voodoo Extreme: "In the end, Dark Messiah is a really good first-person shooter that suffers from a serious pest infestation. Another month of polish and who knows? We could've had a serious Game of the Year contender." Score 8 out of 10
• Worth Playing: "Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, though unfortunately titled, is not a run-of-the-mill RPG, if it is an RPG at all! It is a graphically glorious, murderously marvelous first-person fantasy action game that no self-respecting FPS fan should overlook." Score 8.6 out of 10

• Gamezone.de: Score 8.8/10
• 1UP: "Nival took Heroes V in a new, elaborately lush artistic direction, which remains as beautiful as ever -- and well connected to the Dark Messiah look -- in this expansion. General game performance is unfortunately unimproved, and things sometimes slow to a near-crawl on the tactical map. Ultimately, Tribes of the East manages to gobble time as effectively as any good Heroes installment; it's an impressive final outing for Heroes V -- and another strong showing from Nival." Score B-
• Eurogamer: "So this is pretty much the same game again, with a few new missions and multiplayer maps, a couple of new mechanics and a new faction. After a year and a half. If this is the best the world has to throw at me, I might just retire again." Score 5/10
• GameSpot: "This is pretty much the template for second expansion packs these days, so Tribes of the East is at least somewhat trendy. Nevertheless, you can't praise this mediocre add-on for fitting in with the cool kids. Nival should have finished the Heroes V series on a higher note than this." Score 5.5/10
• GamesRadar: "Tribes of the East is a solid follow-up to an already engaging franchise. Players with a lot of time invested in Heroes of Might and Magic V are going to appreciate the engine tweaks and thoroughly enjoy giving it a go with the Orcs. Those new to the series however would probably be better served by looking for a copy of the original game and playing through that before moving on." Score 7/10
• IGN: "Tribes of the East is easy to recommend to players who missed the core game and want to check out what Heroes of Might & Magic is all about. The stand alone nature of the pack and its thirty-dollar price tag makes it an easy buy. Those who enjoyed the original game can supplement their experience is they're willing to pay the price just for one extra faction and a new campaign." Score 7.9/10

• Gamezone.de: Score 8.8/10
• Level online.ro: Score 7/10
• CVG: "Considering the original game only came out a couple of months back, obviously when it comes to the fundamentals, the developers haven't had an awful lot of time to make many changes. Indeed, in many ways, it feels as if you're starting from scratch with a campaign that literally sends you back to base camp. In my case, having just reached HOMMV's end-game, I'd rather have waited a bit longer and received a bit more. Led Zep this isn't, but then thankfully, it's not Marillion either." Score 6.9/10
• Eurogamer: "Hammers of Fate adds a lot of material for HoMM5. But to warrant a better mark, it would have to actually deal with the basic weaknesses of the game. As it is, despite the Caravan's efforts to streamline one aspect, it just doesn't. In other words, would I buy it? Not on your nelly." Score 4/10
• EvilAvatar: "There are two kinds of expansion packs in this world. The first adds new and interesting gameplay elements while simultaneously massaging away some of the poor design decisions in the base game. The second kind slaps on a handful of indistinct new features, most of which were probably removed from the original game in an effort to churn out a quick, cheap expansion pack. Guess which one Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate is?" Score 2/5
• GameSpot: "Like the original game on launch day, this expansion pack balances good points with bad almost every step of the way, resulting in yet another turn-based fantasy adventure that isn't all that it could be." Score 6.4/10
• GameSpy: "Hammers of Fate isn't a revolutionary step for the series. The forgettable campaign and the Fortress hero bug are both huge annoyances -- but the Fortress town itself combined with the new scenarios, random maps, and other goodies make it a no-brainer for die-hards of the series; it makes the idea of going back to the original unthinkable, which is the mark of any good expansion." Score 3.5/5
• Games Radar: "Hammers of Fate is essentially a stew of can't-miss features and less appetizing filler material. You already own it if you’re a Heroes diehard. It's just too bad, for all Nival's hard work and lovely animations, that its legs couldn't be a little longer." Score 6/10
• IGN: "Serious fans of Heroes of Might & Magic aren't likely to be discouraged by the lack of new content or the thirty-dollar price tag. With only one new faction and a smattering of new gameplay options, Hammers of Fate feels more like a small-scale mission pack than a full-fledged expansion." Score 6.5/10