Heroes of Might and Magic - best one?

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hardc0re

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Hi I'm looking to get into the Heroes of Might and Magic - there are several games in this series, which one is the best to get into first and why? Ideally, I'd like the most complete/best game play.
 
Kings Bounty.. Oh snap!

Ok, jokes aside... The fan favorite seems to be HoMM3. I have a fondness for HoMM V while many other folks don't. I tried to get into HoMM 6 but for some reason the atmosphere and game mechanics didn't grip me. Not to mention the shitty DRM and missing features when playing offline.

In all seriousness, I would definitely recommend you check out the Kings Bounty series regardless.
 
In my opinion, I think Might & Magic Heroes VI (Pirates of the Savage Sea Adventure) will be best.
 
Yes, I would start with HoMM 2 or 3 as both are top titles in the series and both should be available from GOG at reasonable cost ... I would also recommend KB as it was the best of the HoMM imitators ... but be warned that these are all hardcore turn based strategy games, similar to the original Civ titles ... Enjoy :)
 
I liked 3 in its day though I'm not 100% sure I would like it if i played today; I haven't played 4 (but have it so I should give it a shot); 5 i strongly disliked (too easy and just non-sensical). I've heard good things about 6 but haven't played due to the ubi-soft drm (which they have not removed).
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KB (legend and crosswords) were (to me) more enjoyable but they have no substantial fan made mods which was a strength of homm.
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Vaguely I thought there was a gpl version of homm but lost track of the current status.
 
I am still playing through the latest King's Bounty. Not as good as HOMM, but is still fun and very similar.
 
The battles work out differently but I really enjoyed the Disciples games as well. They have a nice dark Gothic art style.
 
I would go with HOMM3. It's the one I keep coming back to. I played a bit of 5, and it's an okay game in it's own right, but the duplicate items got annoying after a while. I would have 2 heroes with a full inventory of items and there would probably be 3 of one item, and 2 of another in there. Since they don't stack they are useless. Never had that happen in HOMM3. Played 1 game of 6 but the lack of resource variety kind of killed it for me.
 
Heroes of bugs and broken quests... :(

I was molested by HOMM as a child, and my fragile little mind may never recover... ;)

If they had had decent quality control, the HOMM series would have been super awesome, as it was i wasted many an hour playing them, but finally got on a 12 step program to stop wasting brain cells on such a broken game series.

But YMMV, some seem to be able to look past the glaring mistakes and broken game play and reap some enjoyment from the series. You may be able to do the same.
 
Never had any quest or bug issues myself.

Homm2 and 3 are both excellent and you can't go wrong with either. Homm3 gives you greater tactical and strategic depth. There's more of everything - more factions, units, heroes, spells, campaigns/gameplay hours - you name it.

Homm2 still has its charms, though. I think Homm2's graphical style has aged better than Homm3's. Plus I prefer Homm2's soundtrack (or at least, the old redbook cd audio version of it). Sometimes the more straightforward gameplay and lack of complexity isn't a bad thing, either.

Have fun.
 
HoMM3! Wasted so many hours playing this locally on the same computer with my brother and his friend in the basement when we were younger :D
 
KeithBraud said:
In my opinion, I think Might & Magic Heroes VI (Pirates of the Savage Sea Adventure) will be best.
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If it is based on the pile of crap bug filled turd version VI, not a chance. After IV, the whole series went downhill. Unfortunately there really is not another RPG turn based game/series :(
 
3 was amazing.

my brother and i used to play hotseat. game would take like 12 hours hahaha
 
Dashboard said:
HoMM3! Wasted so many hours playing this locally on the same computer with my brother and his friend in the basement when we were younger :D
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^ This! My dad and I would spend weeks on the same game, HoMM3 has been the best with 2 and 4 coming close.
 
Im enjoying HOMM3 so far. Is it more efficient to have the battles auto complete sometimes rather than manaully micro manage? I trust the computer finds the best movement combos but usually the winner is clearly the one who has the greater number and better troops.
 
hardc0re said:
Im enjoying HOMM3 so far. Is it more efficient to have the battles auto complete sometimes rather than manaully micro manage? I trust the computer finds the best movement combos but usually the winner is clearly the one who has the greater number and better troops.
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I usually like to manually handle every battle, as even though you may win by letting the computer manage it, you may lose a few units that you would not have had you directed your troops.

Over time the attrition of a few troops here and there can make a pretty big difference. and with good strategy/spell use you can also win battles that you would lose based on army strength alone.

HOMM3 is the best in the series, and the first two were pretty great too. I have no idea how many hours I have sunk into this series over the years, pretty disappointed that the last few aren't up to the standards of the earlier games.
 
402blownstroker said:
If it is based on the pile of crap bug filled turd version VI, not a chance. After IV, the whole series went downhill. Unfortunately there really is not another RPG turn based game/series :(
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6 would have been alright if they kept the same mechanics but they dumbed it it down instead. Didnt care for the factions in the game either. I suppose some difference is good but 6 didnt feel like a HOMM game. HOMM 4 was different but it still felt like a HOMM game and was pretty good.

If you want other turn based strategy / RPG games, I thought the Age of Wonders series was just as good or better.
 
This is not strictly true as AOW series returns this summer with AOW3 and I have to say imho it is a more enjoyable game than HOMM series but you all might disagree.

402blownstroker said:
Unfortunately there really is not another RPG turn based game/series :(
Click to expand...
 
you2 said:
This is not strictly true as AOW series returns this summer with AOW3 and I have to say imho it is a more enjoyable game than HOMM series but you all might disagree.
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Hmmmm...... I will have to keep an eye out for it. Thanks for the heads up.
 
HOMM 3 is my personal fav. HOMM 5 wasn't too bad but I'd say they pretty much peaked at # 3 as a series.
 
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