Might and Magic Heroes VI Beta Review

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[easyazon_image asin=”B004M8FUMO” alt=”Might & Magic Heroes VI” src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LX1eXaoEL._SL160_.jpg” align=”right” width=”114″ height=”160″]After great demand by the fans, Might and Magic Heroes IV is set to release October 13, 2011 for North America. In the mean time you can try out the closed public beta of the game if you pre-order the download version from the Ubisoft store (I strongly recommend you sign up for an Ubi account beforehand). If you rather wait for the finished product and would prefer a CD – you can pre-order it from [easyazon-link asin=”B004M8FUMO”]Amazon.com[/easyazon-link] right now. I took a chance and rolled my dice on the beta. Was it worth it? Hmmm…I’d answer that with a HECK YEAH!

[youtube width=”550″ height=”343″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vhw05DsCcGM[/youtube]

Feel free to watch the video review or read my written thoughts below.

I am a total novice to the Might and Magic series but was really enchanted to try this game. At first glance it may seem like your typical turn based strategy game but there is much more delicious detail than that. What is offered by this iteration of Might and Magic is a brilliant mashup of [easyazon-link asin=”B000E2D3LC”]Rome: Total War[/easyazon-link], [easyazon-link asin=”B0001A86DW”]Romance of the Three Kingdoms[/easyazon-link], and other highly praised games from this genre. Naturally longtime fans will point to its close affinity to [easyazon-link asin=”B003WUSDMW”]King’s Bounty[/easyazon-link].

Gameplay and Graphics

The beta has a solid bit of polish to it after the rampage of updates released over the summer. There are currently only 3 campaigns open but all factions are open to be played under a custom game. Not only is there a great amount of detail in the graphics – the entire world seems to have life to it! I am also quite impressed with the beautiful cutscenes and love the battle animations. Speaking of battles…

Battles and Warfare

Warfare in Might and Magic 6 is best compared to a living chess set. While that may sound dull to some trust me, it really grows on you. Placing your soldiers couldn’t be easier and there are all sorts of units you can take advantage of. Your generals can help out every now and then too if you use some of your hero’s abilities or faction’s abilities. It is really satisfying to see when you have a well-rounded army how much each unit harmonizes with one another. My only complaint would be the emphasis on sheer numbers to claim victory.

Civilization Building

City building is your typical micromanagement affair that you come to expect from these kinds of games. Upgrading is worthwhile but it saddens me that I cannot see the differences substantially enough. I want to view my city grow and be able to chill in the midst of its grandeur. At the moment, I believe the only real change that is obvious is when you build fortification and defenses. A real saving grace is the fact that you can still keep building even when your main hero is away as well as recruit more heroes to act as generals.

DRM Overdrive

If there is one real negative aspect of Might and Magic 6 presented by the beta are the god awful DRM measures in place. Up above, you will notice that I strongly recommended you sign up for an Ubi account beforehand. I was naïve of how the pre-order process worked and signed up for an account during it. When you do so this way you will be branded with a generic name such as “shopXXXXXXXXX.” You may be able to change the name of such an account by contacting customer service but it might end up shutting you out of the beta by accident. On top of that you are required to sign in with this account every time you wish to play. If choose not to sign into it you will be locked out of several features.

The beta truly shows that a great game is on the way despite the nagging anti-piracy measures. Perhaps Ubisoft will fine tune the DRM issues upon release but even with them the game is still insanely addicting. With all the bugs I mentioned above I have had unimpeded and enjoyable gameplay. Therefore I gladly give [easyazon-link asin=”B004M8FUMO”]Might and Magic Heroes VI[/easyazon-link] four out of five stars. Not everyone may have the same experience and it is up to Ubisoft to correct this if they truly want this to be another hit in the franchise.

[xrr label=”Might and Magic Heroes VI is rated” rating=4/5]
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We are influencers and brand affiliates.  This post contains affiliate links, most which go to Amazon and are Geo-Affiliate links to nearest Amazon store.