Might&magic series: worth playing from the beginning?

larpingdude18

larpingdude18

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are these games still worth playing now? im not a very experienced rpg player.
 
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There are several Might&Magic theads to find here.

MM 3,4,5,6,7 are very good games and still fun to play.

MM 1 is a bit old and MM 2 for hardcore rpg players, only.
MM 8 is unbalanced. MM 9 is an unfinished and rushed product.
 
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larpingdude18 said:
are these games still worth playing now? im not a very experienced rpg player.
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First of all, avoid M&M9 like plague. It's one of the worst RPGs - actually, one of the worst *games* - I've ever played. Yes, it's THAT bad.

Aside from this, I'd suggest to start from either M&M3 or M&M4/5, as the previous poster said: the first two chapters are very well worth playing (unlike earlier chapters of other RPG series, such as the first two Ultimas and the first Wizardries), however the interface is far from being intuitive and they're *much* more unforgiving than later chapters.

Should you choose to play M&M4/5, be sure to get the World of Xeen package (it's 4 and 5 joined together with some extra quests, you can easily switch between the two chapters by using some teleporters in-game). All in all, I liked them a lot as oldschool dungeon crawlers, in spite of some shortcomings (the little variety among quests is probably what bothered me the most, even if there are some unique concepts thrown into the mix: for instance, in World of Xeen you get to build your own castle).
 
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I think your major issue in playing the older M&M games will be finding a computer to run them on. As others have said, 3,4, and 5 are all worth playing, should you be able to get them to run on a current machine. My vista has a tissy fit anytime I try to run anything ancient on it.


-Carn
 
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cacaro said:
unlike earlier chapters of other RPG series, such as the first two Ultimas and the first Wizardries
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So, care to enlighten me why the first Wizardries aren't worth playing? You prick.
 
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Yes, you can (and you should), but there's NOTHING wrong with the early Wizardries. They're still a perfect dungeon-crawling experience, with deadly dungeons that aren't ashamed to troll you, varied enemies and spells, cool loot to find, and tough encounters that leave you begging for more.

EDIT. Oh, and the level design is excellent, a masterpiece in itself.
 
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HiddenX said:
Wizardry 1,2,3 are cool to play with a SNES emulator.
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Yeah, the SNES version is good. Just bear in mind the damn Japs changed the level design, with floors 6-9 in Wiz1, and other floors in the other two titles, having been completely re-designed and "re-imagined" — for the worse, I must add. (I was just going to cover that in my LP when the Codex went down. :() So you MUST play the originals first if you're aiming for the original experience (which you should).

The NES/SNES versions are ideal for a second playthrough, though.
 
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My advice: Play MM6-8, forget the rest. They're either too old or too rubbish to dig up at this point.

You could also combine it with Heroes 2-4, as the story actually goes something like this:
1. Heroes 2
2. MM6
3. Heroes 3
4. MM7
5. Heroes 3: Armageddon's Blade
6. MM8
7. Heroes 4

There's also an additional expansion pack for Heroes 3, but that's something of a prequel. The story never felt as much a part of the series as the rest does.
 
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HiddenX said:
thx, for this info - I didn't know that.
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Almost nobody knows that, true. Not a single review of the (S)NES version I've read mentions it. Those shitheads don't play the classics. :(

Well, the worse for them. They don't even know what they're missing.
 
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I have the Wizardry Collectors Edition (1 to 7 + 7 Gold) and Wizardry 8. I played 4 to 8 on the PC (6,7,8 with one party) and 1-3 on SNES. If I find the time I start a replay of 1,2,3 on the PC.
 
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You should also play Dark Heart of Uukrul while you're at it. ;) It's the best game.

(Sorry, I'm a Dark Heart of Uukrul advertising plant.)

Anyway, ahem, yeah, Might & Magic. I played M&M1-2 recently and had great fun, but they probably aren't the best choice for a "not a very experienced rpg player", larpingdude. Starting with 3 is a safe bet.
 
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Maylander said:
My advice: Play MM6-8, forget the rest. They're either too old or too rubbish to dig up at this point.

You could also combine it with Heroes 2-4, as the story actually goes something like this:
1. Heroes 2
2. MM6
3. Heroes 3
4. MM7
5. Heroes 3: Armageddon's Blade
6. MM8
7. Heroes 4

There's also an additional expansion pack for Heroes 3, but that's something of a prequel. The story never felt as much a part of the series as the rest does.
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MM6-8 are good games, but they are eclipsed by 1-5. Visual design is abandoned and the RTwP combat is terrible . Post-Xeen, Might and Magic starts to appeal to the sort of people that recommend you play the games alongside Heroes 2-4 for the stellar plot (and, really).
 
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HiddenX said:
I'm an advertisor for Albion.
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Did you happen to play Ambermoon (the prequel for amiga)? I've always heard wonders of it, but never had the chance to play it myself (well, actually, I've never had the patience to setup WinUAE). I liked Albion, by the way, maybe too linear but certainly a good game.
 
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I played Ambermoon and Amberstar on the Amiga back in 1992/1993.
Great games - but there are not prequels to Albion.
 
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