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Might
& Magic 7: For Blood and Honor ©
3DO
New
World Computing and 3DO's newest incarnation of the Might and Magic
series is certainly a mixed bag. It has some good points, some not so
good. What follows is my opinion which may differ from the opinion of
those loyal M&M fans that have been playing each new release that
is tossed their way. In fact, what you will find is that I have
written essentially two different reviews. One for those that haven't
played previous Might and Magic games, and one for those that have.
For those of you that haven't played a previous Might and Magic game,
feel free to skip the next three paragraphs to find a review written
specifically for you.
Ahh
now I can address the loyal M&M fans. It's just you and me now.
Lets talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. First of all, the
good is that you have a new version of M&M to play! How long did
you have to wait since M&M 6 was released? Only one year? One
thing I can say in favor of the publishers, they certainly know who
butters their bread and feeds their children. Why re-invent the wheel
with a completely different M&M when you can just tweak a bit
here and there and release a new copy to the adoring fans?
M&M
7 is essentially a mission pack for M&M 6. The gaming system is
virtually the same, the major differences being that you have more
puzzles and missions to solve. The graphics are showing some wear and
tear, their time is certainly passing. Don't get me wrong, the
graphics have improved a bit, but by 1999 standards, they are about
two years short. One new nicety is that when a monster attacks you in
town, the town guards won't stand idly by, instead they will do their
best to waste the baddies with you.
Should
you buy M&M 7? Only if you don't want the M&M 6 party to end.
Many more hours of adventuring lay before you. Enjoy them now before
the whole game undergoes a revamping for M&M 8, which may or may
not be to your liking. I doubt the publishers will be able to get
away with these graphics in 2000.
Here
is a riddle for you: What happens when you combine 21 artists from
one company, 18 artists from another, and 7 from yet another, and
bring them together to make a computer game? The answer is, of
course, Might and Magic 7. But does this mean that it is one huge
Michelangelo? Or more like Picasso? The old adage is true: too many
cooks do spoil the food. The graphics in this game will leave you
happy one moment and upset the next. For example, stop into the local
armory to buy some goods and you are treated to a wonderful rendering
of a man working away at his anvil. However, take a step outside that
shop for a moment and walk around town and you will wonder how this
game could be sold for money in the year 1999. In fact, the graphics
would seem decent only if the year were 1997. If you have ever played
Daggerfall, which did come out in 1997, you'll know what I am talking
about. The graphics are about equal to that. The people walking
around outside have only three different images to represent dozens
of different people: Woman, Man, and Guard. Walk up to a woman and
she might be called Julie. Walk up to an identical woman and he might
be called Fred! Ouch!
The AI
of some of the monsters and people also leaves a bit to be desired.
For example, I once watched a guard kill a giant dragonfly in the
town. The guard turned to walk back to his post, but unfortunately,
there was a steep hill in the way. Instead of walking around the
hill, the guard simply walked into the side of the hill over and
over, walking in place as if he were on a treadmill.
One
other thing that annoys me about M&M is fighting monsters. Have
you ever played a first person game (a la Doom), but you represent
four different people? And you have to fight representing each one?
It is awkward at best. This bothered me even while playing M&M 6.
Please
don't get me wrong, M&M 7 is really a decent game hiding under
nasty graphics. The manual is chock full of information, better than
most. The gaming system is not quite Dungeons and Dragons, but is
very similar. In fact, some of the things could be considered better
than D&D. Such as, the ability of different classes to use most
weapons and armor, as long as they go through the required training.
Technically, you could have a sorcerer who uses a bow. This seems
more realistic to me than D&D. I mean, why can't a magic user
wield a bow if he goes through some sort of training?
M&M
will give you at least 30 hours of playing time, probably more. The
puzzles are good and the quests are exciting. The deciding factor for
whether or not to spend your money on this is whether or not you can
accept dated graphics. If you can accept the graphics, you will have
an enjoyable game on your hands. If you cannot accept it, I highly
recommend you don't buy this game. Go get Baldur's Gate instead.
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GAME
TYPE
RPG
REQUIREMENTS
Computer
System: IBM PC and 100% Compatibles Operating System: Windows®
95/98 or NT 4.0 w/SP4 (NT 4.0 users must be using certified NT
DirectX drivers.*) CPU: Pentium® 133 (P200 recommended) Memory:
32MB RAM (64MB recommended) Free Hard Disk Space: 375MB (minimum)
Video Card: DirectX 6.1 Compatable (3D Accelerator recommended**)
Sound Card: All major sound cards, 100% compatible with DirectX
CD-ROM Drive: 4X speed
PRICE
$49.99
REVIEWER
Shane
INFORMATION
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Published |
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Demo? |
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Release
date |
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65% |
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Quick
Summary:
A
decent RPG, but very dated graphics |
SCREENSHOTS
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