![[PC] DRM-free - Heroes of Might and Magic V Bundle 75% off, $7.59 AUD @ GOG](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/17/478817.jpg?h=3b8ca942)
I was feeling nostalgic after reminiscing about Heroes 3 at this deal - so looked up Heroes 5 - and surprise - it's on sale too! I didn't actually play it that much but reddit seems to suggest this and 3 are the stand outs.
[PC] DRM-free - Heroes of Might and Magic V Bundle 75% off, $7.59 AUD @ GOG
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beyondparadigms on 22/08/2019 - 19:50 gog.com (272 clicks)
Last edited 22/08/2019 - 20:03 by 2 other users
Last edited 22/08/2019 - 20:03 by 2 other users
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IV was the standout of the series in terms of story. Its intro and the Gauldoth the half-dead campaign are both incredible, and keep me coming back even though the mechanics are a bit different like you said. I just wish they made some books or graphic novels to go along with it
V, I couldn't get into. The change to 3D was too jaring, and the making every battle into some big cinematic number was time consuming. They made the same mistake with Megaman.
Its presentation left a lot to be desired though. It was told through walls of text that pops up when you visit signs and or step on a certain spot on the map. Hard to expect more in that engine I guess.
HOMM5 had cutscenes which they were able to do because of the 3D engine.
Don't get me wrong, I still think the 2D games with hex grid in battle were still the best.
But story is not the strong point of this series, despite Ubisoft's efforts to tell one.
The change to 3D in HOMM5 made seeing things on the adventure map difficult. Things would be hidden behind other objects and you had to spin the camera around to see it. This was less of an issue in later games.
In combat, the 3D did not affect gameplay. It's still the same but with squares instead of hexes.
HOMM4 is the black sheep of the series. It tried to be different for the sake of being different when no one asked it to. Later games understood this was a mistake and did not try to innovate. They just took the formula that worked and kept it in tact. The sensible thing to do.
I personally never got all the hate around 4. I think people just disliked it because it wasn't 3.
For me story is everything. I like to feel like I'm part of a narative.
Second to story is music, and the music in 4 was of very high class.
I also happen to quite like black sheep, so there's three good reasons for HOMM4 right thereDid you ever play Dark Messiah? That wasn't a bad game. I've been thinking about replaying it lately
Did you ever play Dark Messiah?
No. It was a first person game similar to M&M series but you're only one guy. It's more like a first person shooter without guns. So I wasn't interested. I do like M&M and Heroes, but had no interest in this.
I personally never got all the hate around 4. I think people just disliked it because it wasn't 3.
It made a lot of changes that were not for the better. Units being available day by day as opposed to a new batch all ready day 1 of a week. This meant that you couldn't wait a few days and recruit a whole week of new units.
The second gripe is simultaneous retaliation. This guarantees casualties no matter how powerful your army is. This is very annoying and gives no advantage to being the attacker. It makes infinite retaliation units like the griffin or no retaliation units like the vampire really strong though.
The hero as a unit in combat I didn't like. Same with armies without heroes leading them.
The animations in combat were laughable for some units.
Town screens that reflect real terrain, robbing the town of its identity (dungeon = underground, academy = snow, stronghold = desert, necro = wasteland, sylvan = grass, inferno = lava, etc). You can have an inferno town on snow… Or an Academy on lava. In other games you could instantly identify a town just from its terrain. Also, necro and inferno being combined into one town, I really dislike. They aren't meant to be allies. It seemed like they didn't have enough time to make an extra town, or couldn't think of enough alternative units for both so they just combined them into one.
There's like 40 different hero types with grand sounding names like Bard, Beastmaster, Archmage, etc but the differences between specialist classes are extremely minor and don't justify their distinguished title.
There's a reason why Ubisoft undid everything unconventional about HOMM4 for every game after it. No one missed HOMM4's changes. What they wanted was more of HOMM3 because it was as perfect as you can ask for from the series.
The dragon tank rubbed me the wrong way. HOMM units had always been anti-technology and this one was the antithesis to that principle.
For me story is everything. I like to feel like I'm part of a narative.
I am the same as you. At least for particular genres of gaming.
But did you really think HOMM4 had a good story? It tried to tell one, but I never thought any game in the series had a serious story. The story was there because there needed to be one.
Second to story is music, and the music in 4 was of very high class.
I 100% agree with you there. It ranks among the best in the series along with HOMM2.
I don't like the new universe Ubisoft created after they took over the series. I don't like the units, characters or story. But it's still a better game than IV.
The towns looked gorgeous with the cinematic camera panning, though it is less than practical.
The game is over 10 years old. More like 14 or 15. Not sure how well the graphics hold up, but I suspect the towns still look great.
How I would rank the series:
3>2>5>7>6>4.
I did not play much of HOMM1 so it's hard to place it. Even though I rank 3 ahead of 2, I actually enjoyed 2 more and it is my personal favorite in the series, albeit not the best.
6 is good but it's frustratingly difficult and lead to a lot of wasted time restarting maps that I spent a dozen or more hours on getting to the end and being unable to win the final battle. You need a lot of patience to play this kind of game, but 6 especially.
The two music composers who worked on the series are among the best in the business. They make me wish I could play instruments. I normally just appreciate art for what it is. But on rare occasions an artist does make me wish I had their talent and ability. I never find myself wishing I was an actor or film director. But these guys make music that made me regret my career trajectory from childhood.
HOMM II -> V are all great games (yes, including IV which worked on different mechanics).