[June] What are you playing

[MoogleEmpMog]

It seems like everyone is playing this one. I picked up HoM&M 5 for cheap, but haven't really been able to get into it. Is 3 the Might & Magic game to play?

It's the Heroes of Might and Magic game to play. Heroes 5 is essentially a graphical update but with considerably inferior gameplay, Heroes 1 and 2 are really building up to the concept rather than fully expressing it, and Heroes 4... you know how people claim to have seen an alleged 'Highlander 2,' but the internet denies its existence? Heroes 4 is like that.

However, the Heroes series is different from the mainline Might and Magic series (which are somewhat old school PC RPGs rather than strategy games). Of those, Might and Magic VI and World of Xeen (the combined Might and Magic IV and V) seem to be regarded most highly; I would give the nod to World of Xeen, myself.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

It's the Heroes of Might and Magic game to play. Heroes 5 is essentially a graphical update but with considerably inferior gameplay, Heroes 1 and 2 are really building up to the concept rather than fully expressing it, and Heroes 4... you know how people claim to have seen an alleged 'Highlander 2,' but the internet denies its existence? Heroes 4 is like that.

Inferior gameplay? Wow, how does that happen? All they had to do was use the same basic model.

Anyway, now I'm curious about III. I'll try and do some reading, see what I can find.

 

[MoogleEmpMog]

Inferior gameplay? Wow, how does that happen? All they had to do was use the same basic model.

Anyway, now I'm curious about III. I'll try and do some reading, see what I can find.

Mostly changing the races and factions (and the balance thereof), reducing the size of the tactical map somewhat, and changing the skill trees.

 

[Felon]

Playing Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Saint's Row on the Xbox. Just finished Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

 

[Vigilance]

Playing Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and Saint's Row on the Xbox. Just finished Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.

Those two games might be what get me to buy a 360. How sad is it that Ive already bought and beaten Ultimate Alliance on two systems (PS2 and Wii) and I am considering plopping down 500 bucks to play it again, only prettier and with more heroes.

I am a weak weak man.

 

[Felon]

Oblivion I just started, but it's pretty mind-blowing. Lots of races, control over your character's appearance at a very fine level, design your own class, and a vast sandbox of a world to explore, and you can explore it quickly (through fast travel methods like horses) or slowly. Mobs are auto-leveled to match you, so you are not confined to the "lowbie" areas.

Saint's Row is a GTA-style game, but once you get over the thuggish theme, it's basically an urban RPG. Mini-games galore, missions that are diverse and challenging, and again you have the free-roaming sandbox with lots of easter eggs. There's a multi-player mode tacked on, but I avoid it.

Marvel was a blast, but it was over before I knew it. I had already bought the eight new characters from the get-go, and played Hulk most of the time. About the only thing I missed out on was unlocking Daredevil and Black Panther. It was somewhat limited by a clear-cut strategy of hotkeying one extreme powe, one boost power, one single-target power, and one crowd-control power. Still, I'd grab a sequel in a heartbeat.

 

[ohGr]

Saint's Row is a GTA-style game, but once you get over the thuggish theme, it's basically an urban RPG. Mini-games galore, missions that are diverse and challenging, and again you have the free-roaming sandbox with lots of easter eggs. There's a multi-player mode tacked on, but I avoid it.

I wasn't a huge fan of Saint's Row (it made quite a few improvements to the GTA formula, but remained frustratingly stagnant in the large part), but i had an absolute blast with the Insurance Fraud minigame. Ridiculously simple, but endlessly fun.