Heroes of Might and Magic
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Heroes of Might and Magic is a series of turn-based computer games by New World Computing, a division of The 3DO Company. The games are fantasy-themed strategy conflicts that have characters called heroes in pivotal roles, as leaders of armies of mythical creatures. There are four games in the series.
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The series
King's Bounty was the first of this type. After its success, the Heroes series was formed. The story of each installment in the series is different and they take place one after another chronologically.
Only heroes can cast spells and gather armies. Through conquest, visitation to special areas or gathering magical artifacts, heroes gain experience and, in turn, become more powerful and useful to the controlling player.
Fans of the series cite the games as some of the finest strategy games ever developed. They note the game's carefully balanced units and combat system as some of the game's strongest points. Additionally, fans specify the game's spell system as one of the strongest of any fantasy genre game.
Each successive game featured improved graphics in higher resolutions than the previous version. The series seemed to lose focus after Heroes of Might and Magic III, however, and the fourth installment in the series showed a lack of coherency and garnered poor reviews and weak sales.
Platforms
All games in the series are available for Windows, version 4 for Mac OS X and one version, Heroes of Might and Magic III, for Linux. The first installment of the series was for DOS but later ported to Windows.
Heroes of Might and Magic V
In August of 2003, Ubisoft acquired the rights to the Might and Magic franchise for USD$1.3 million after 3DO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. UbiSoft announced their plan on developing the fifth game in the series under the direction of producer Fabrice Cambounet. This news bred controversy as New World Computing under 3DO had already started making the fifth Heroes game.
On March 30 2005, Ubisoft launched a new Heroes of Might and Magic V website [1] (http://www.mightandmagicgame.com), stating that an early 2006 release for Windows is scheduled. More information was revealed on the 2005 E3 expo. Heroes V will feature new 3D graphics, and its gameplay will most likely be a return to the more successful Heroes III style.
Heroes of Might and Magic V is being developed by Nival Interactive.
Heroes Chronicles
A spinoff series, Heroes Chronicles, was released for Microsoft Windows, featuring the same world and gameplay as Heroes of Might and Magic III. The story centers around a hero named Tarnum. Games in the Heroes Chronicles include:
- Heroes Chronicles: Clash of the Dragons (2000)
- Heroes Chronicles: Masters of the Elements (2000)
- Heroes Chronicles: Conquest of the Underworld (2000)
- Heroes Chronicles: Warlords of the Wastelands (2000)
- Heroes Chronicles: The World Tree (free download when you buy any two chronicles)
- Heroes Chronicles: The Fiery Moon (free download when you buy any three chronicles)
- Heroes Chronicles: Revolt of the Beastmasters
- Heroes Chronicles: The Sword of Frost
Note: The last two were released in the USA together in one bundle called Heroes Chronicles, the Final Chapters (2001).
See also
- Heroes of Might and Magic I
- Heroes of Might and Magic II
- Heroes of Might and Magic III
- Heroes of Might and Magic IV
- Heroes of Might and Magic V
- Might and Magic
External links
- Official Heroes of Might and Magic V website (http://www.mightandmagicgame.com)
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- Nival Interactive (http://www.nival.com), the developer of Heroes Ves:Heroes of Might and Magic
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