CRPG Addict - Review Roundup (Part Ten)

Kicking off the tenth batch of reviews by CRPG Addict with one of the meatier CRPGs from 1988:

Might & Magic II: Gates to Another World (1988)

Quests. The Might & Magic series continues to shine here. It remains the only series in this era with a strong selection of side quests as well as a compelling, multi-stage main quest. The main quest was slow to reveal itself, just like in the first game, but it was one of the more interesting main quests of the CRPGs I've played, and it fit well with the game's back story. (..)

The final score is 58. That's two points lower than I ranked Might & Magic I. If you want to howl in protest, believe me, I understand. From a purely objective standpoint, it seems like II should be better than I--if only for the graphics alone! But, to be perfectly honest, I enjoyed the first game a little bit more. I think the quests had a little more depth, the game was better balanced, and the plot was more original back then. It's still the second-highest ranked game in my blog, though, and I did have a lot of fun playing it.

1. Game 53: Might & Magic II: Gates to Another World (1988)
2. Packed with Stuff
3. An Urban Tour
4. Anatomy of Combat
5. Touring the Countryside
6. Castles and Quests
7. Castles and Quests, Part II
8. The Land Explored
9. Mazes and Monsters
10. On the Main Quest
11. Stuck in a Bog
12. Magic
13. Won!
14. Final Rating

Moraff's Revenge (1988)

In short, Moraff's Revenge is a single-character, permanent-death dungeon crawl with limited tactics and almost no story, but with some decent programming innovations.

1. Game 54: Moraff's Revenge (1988)

Omega (1988)

Omega allows a fascinating type of character creation in which you can "play yourself," answering questions about your own lifestyle and attributes to generate your character. Naturally, there is a temptation to lie during this process (warning: the game notes the most outrageous ones), but it's still exceedingly clever, and the most original system this side of Ultima IV. (..)

The final score of 53 ties it with Starflight and Ultima IV in third place of all the games I've reviewed so far. Only the time factor keeps me from launching into a new game with different guild choices. (..) I'm sure I haven't even scratched the surface of what's possible in this game, especially as regards the religious system.

1. Game 55: Omega (1988)
2. Rich Game World
3. Succumbed to Cheating
4. Everything is a Reference
5. Low Expectations, High Satisfaction
6. Sort-of Won!
7. Final Rating

Paladin (1988)

The game would be more interesting if the quest were unified under some kind of general theme. Fractured as they are, playable in just about any order, some of them not particularly chivalrous, the game doesn't have a very good overall game world (..)

The final score of 21 puts it on the lower tier of games, but of course I'm rating it as a CRPG, not as a strategy game, which is closer to its correct category.

1. Game 56: Paladin (1988)
2. Two Quests Down (with Final Rating)

Explanation of the the final rating: The GIMLET.

More Information.

Ahh Might and Magic 2 is my favorite game ever. This is most likely because I played it when I was in high school and had my first girlfriend. Having sex for the first time clouded my memory on this game. Still, played it years later and still loved it. Fantastic game.