Any fans of the Might & Magic games still alive?

[Flash_Plasma]

I feel like the only one. The games aren't perfect but the M&M style of play (open ended everything, skills/quests/characters) always made me happy.

MM6: tough as hell but fun as hell. Still stuck at level 4, it gets tough when you don't have time for the "kill 20 enemies, go back to town, rest, kill 20 more enemies" routine

MM7: this game is HARD. probably harder than MM6. I keep getting picked off by gargoyles on the bridge to the dwarf city in barrow downs, or getting killed by jellies in the bracada mines, but the class system rocks. I run a Human Monk, Goblin Thief, Dwarven Cleric and Elf Sorcerer, pretty well balanced.

MM8: More fun than the others, and you can choose your style of play. Want to cruise through the game on easy? Pick Troll as your main character and pick up a dragon in Garrote Gorge. Want a harder game? make your main a Necromancer or Vampire and play without dragons.

 

[Croesus]

I feel like the only one. The games aren't perfect but the M&M style of play (open ended everything, skills/quests/characters) always made me happy.

Nope - you're not the only fan of these. I'm still irritated that NWC never released a sandbox game for fans to design their own adventures.

MM6: tough as hell but fun as hell. Still stuck at level 4, it gets tough when you don't have time for the "kill 20 enemies, go back to town, rest, kill 20 more enemies" routine

For me, this one is the hardest. I've never completed MM6. As you say, you can build up until you're powerful enough to beat most everything, but if you follow the plot, it's far too easy to get in over your head. My last attempt came to an end in the town with the werewolves - man those guys are tough (IIRC, the most powerful can autokill with one hit). Lot's of neat stuff to find in this game, if you poke around.

MM7: this game is HARD. probably harder than MM6. I keep getting picked off by gargoyles on the bridge to the dwarf city in barrow downs, or getting killed by jellies in the bracada mines, but the class system rocks. I run a Human Monk, Goblin Thief, Dwarven Cleric and Elf Sorcerer, pretty well balanced.

Personally, I prefer a Knight to the Monk. The ability to max out Plate, Shield, Body Building and Armsmaster skills is simply unbelievable.

This is my favorite MM game. I've completed it three or four times since it first came out (1999 ?). The final area is unusual, fun, and very challenging...

MM8: More fun than the others, and you can choose your style of play. Want to cruise through the game on easy? Pick Troll as your main character and pick up a dragon in Garrote Gorge. Want a harder game? make your main a Necromancer or Vampire and play without dragons.

Yeah, Dragon's are fun, though mostly because of flight and their unlimited breath weapon. In hand to hand, the Human (knight) is hard to beat, and Dark Elves are great all-around characters. Never finished this one, but mostly because I get bored half way through. Not sure why - just seems to bog in the middle.

BTW, I noticed you didn't mention MM9. It was so incredibly bad (I think it's the only Might and Magic game van Carnegham had no part in designing). There was potential, but it was clearly pushed out the door just to make a few bucks before NWC sold the franchise. Terrible way to end a great series that began with the amazing Might and Magic I.

 

[Rl'Halsinor]

I really tried getting into M&M V in the past three weeks but turn base is not my style of play. I'm probably not "getting it" but I became bored rather quickly.

I also didn't like the fact that I needed 6 patches at a whopping 385+ mbs to bring balance.

 

[Grog]

BTW, I noticed you didn't mention MM9. It was so incredibly bad (I think it's the only Might and Magic game van Carnegham had no part in designing). There was potential, but it was clearly pushed out the door just to make a few bucks before NWC sold the franchise. Terrible way to end a great series that began with the amazing Might and Magic I.

As I recall, one of the lead designers for MM9 admitted that the game needed about two more months of work, but they were forced to release it early because 3DO went out of business. I'm glad I avoided buying that one. Though I think there's a fan patch out for it now that gets it to run reasonably well.

But I loved all the other MM games, back in the day. I replayed 6-8 a few years ago; they're still good games, but they have not aged well graphically. I think MM7 was the best of that trilogy; it had the best class balance, the most interesting locations, and I liked that the storyline tied in with Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (which was the best of the HOMM games in my opinion).

But my favorite Might & Magic games were 4 and 5. Old-school turn-based CRPGs for the win. And the Xeen games were some of the best in that genre. I must have played through those games four or five times. Highly enjoyable.

 

[Flash_Plasma]

Nope - you're not the only fan of these. I'm still irritated that NWC never released a sandbox game for fans to design their own adventures.



For me, this one is the hardest. I've never completed MM6. As you say, you can build up until you're powerful enough to beat most everything, but if you follow the plot, it's far too easy to get in over your head. My last attempt came to an end in the town with the werewolves - man those guys are tough (IIRC, the most powerful can autokill with one hit). Lot's of neat stuff to find in this game, if you poke around.



Personally, I prefer a Knight to the Monk. The ability to max out Plate, Shield, Body Building and Armsmaster skills is simply unbelievable.

This is my favorite MM game. I've completed it three or four times since it first came out (1999 ?). The final area is unusual, fun, and very challenging...



Yeah, Dragon's are fun, though mostly because of flight and their unlimited breath weapon. In hand to hand, the Human (knight) is hard to beat, and Dark Elves are great all-around characters. Never finished this one, but mostly because I get bored half way through. Not sure why - just seems to bog in the middle.

BTW, I noticed you didn't mention MM9. It was so incredibly bad (I think it's the only Might and Magic game van Carnegham had no part in designing). There was potential, but it was clearly pushed out the door just to make a few bucks before NWC sold the franchise. Terrible way to end a great series that began with the amazing Might and Magic I.

I never mentioned MM9 because I never managed to pick it up, it's on my "old games to buy" list, along with the Icewind Dale series .

in MM6 there are quite a few secrets, several right in the beginning. the FAQ writers seem to think the dagger is a druid or sorcerer weapon, but my knight can deal just as much damage more often with daggers than my knight wielding an axe, plus the triple damage potential is amazing. I'm running a Nosferatu main character in MM8 right now, 18 points in dagger, dealing an average of 54 points at level 25, hitting two or three times a round in real time mode, with the 18% chance of triple damage, which seems to come up a lot more often than 18%

MM7 gets on my awesome list with Baldur's Gate 2, just because I can play a bare fist monk. Knights are great but in every game, I like a little variation. My dagger wielding rogue unfortunately doesn't really compete with the Nosferatu or even my MM6 daggerknight, who knows, maybe assassin will help out there. Thievery is next to useless, 8 points and Expert level and I can't steal in the higher up stores without getting caught. I always end up getting killed because I like to explore, and most of the places I explore in have too many higher level monsters. I save often, if you can't tell

 

[silvermane]

MM6 was the only one I completed. It's not as hard once you know how to do things in the right way (having master water magic is a must and can be gotten easily w/horseshoes and the gold from Ironfist).

MM7 and MM8 on the other hand were just too long. I got bored while doing the Temple of the Moon and the Crystal respectively. Monster killing takes forever and you can't use the most powerful spells safely in melee. And unlike in MM6, no blasters are available until at the very end of the game.

 

[Cat Moon]

The original for the NES was the bomb. Never played any of the sequels, but I've played the original to death. It's got to be the best NES game of all time.

 

[jeffh]

MM6 was the only one I completed. It's not as hard once you know how to do things in the right way (having master water magic is a must and can be gotten easily w/horseshoes and the gold from Ironfist).

MM7 and MM8 on the other hand were just too long. I got bored while doing the Temple of the Moon and the Crystal respectively. Monster killing takes forever and you can't use the most powerful spells safely in melee. And unlike in MM6, no blasters are available until at the very end of the game.

Huh? MM7 and MM8 combined weren't as long as MM6. It was 6 I always got bored with at some point. 7 and 8 move like a rocket by comparison, and have much stronger storylines into the bargain (though still weak compared to, say, most of the Final Fantasy games).

 

[jeffh]

M&M fan from way back here. I've played 3 through 8 and took a stab at 9 (which is almost tolerable with the fan patches that are available, but still nowhere near as good as its predecessors) and I like 'em all. Big, sprawling, fun games that don't take themselves too seriously FTW.

 

[Grog]

Huh? MM7 and MM8 combined weren't as long as MM6. It was 6 I always got bored with at some point.

MM6 is a lot more playable if you use the correct party - four pure spellcasters. Knights are basically worthless in MM6 (they were vastly improved for MM7 and 8, and kick ass in those games, but in MM6 they're just dead weight), and paladins and archers aren't much better. The best class in MM6 by far is the sorceror, so I always make a party with three sorcerors and either a cleric or a druid. Four sorcerors would probably be doable, but having no healing and status-fixing magic would make the beginning of the game a really tough slog, so I figure it's not worth the extra hassle.

With three sorcerors and another pure spellcaster, you can blast your way through the hordes of monsters in no time flat.