KcFoxy Second Anniversary Re-Write-Off Celebration: Re-write of a game that's been re-done
Written: Sep 20 '01 (Updated Sep 20 '01)
Product Rating:
Pros: Great gameplay, huge area to explore, overall fun to play, good sound effects
Cons: Not much different from parts 6 and 7, graphics are outdated
The Bottom Line: A wonderful game, but not much different from its predecessors. If you don't mind this, or the outdated graphics, you'll thoroughly enjoy it though.
lorinsilver's Full Review: Might and Magic 8: Day of the Destroyer for Window...
I remember when I wrote this review, I thought I’d praise everything about it and everybody would like my opinion. Now I’ve matured a little, and one of the things I’ve learned over the months is that a good opinion tries to point out all the good sides and the bad sides. Here’s my re-write of a game I really loved… that isn’t without its flaws.
What would a Role-Playing Game be without elements?
The eighth part in the Might And Magic series takes you to familiar territory: the world of Enroth. Many things have changed though: Enroth is no longer the friendly place you remember. The world is out of balance, and the four elements (Earth, Wind, Fire and Water) are destroying the world and its occupants. A mysterious crystal tower has appeared in the middle of the town square. Does it have anything to do with the destruction? Undoubtedly, and it’s up to you to figure out exactly what happened, and bring equilibrium to the world again…
Déjà-vu
From the very start, Might And Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer gives you the since that you’ve seen and heard it all before. Part VII was a carbon copy of part VI, and this eighth part is nothing more than a polished number seven. It still has a good story, and plays like a dream, but it might be too much of the same if you’ve played the previous parts.
Of course this has its advantages. The fans of the series will feel right at home when using the interface, while creating a character, and when choosing skills.
The same good stuff
Just like in Might And Magic VII, you can acquire new skills at different shops, and develop these skills by practicing with teachers (who sometimes charge a hefty price). With your enough experience points, you can become an Expert, Master, or Grandmaster, making your general skills, weapon skills, or spells doubly effective.
As in the other games in the Might And Magic series, this game uses a first-person perspective and the fights can be played either in real-time or in turn-based mode. You have (sometimes limited) movement during fights too, so you can stay out of the enemy’s reach if you prefer shooting arrows or casting spells.
Good new stuff too!
Of course not everything is the same. There are new characters and races you can play… from the dark side! Some of your options are a Necromancer (who can be promoted to Lich), a Vampire, a Dark Elf, and a Dragon.
Contrary to the previous parts, you start with a single character, and you can enlist other members of your team later on. It’s a shame you can’t tailor them to your needs anymore, but they do come with a couple of skill points that you can divide over their skills.
Graphically impaired
The graphics of part 6 were somewhat dated when the game was published, compared to the quality of 3D shooters, but they got quite a lot of admiration in the Role-Playing Game genre. In part seven the graphics got quite some criticism because they were trailing behind many other games.
As I said before, part eight is a polished version of part seven, and that goes for the graphics as well. The only resolution you can choose is still 640X480, it’s still a 3D landscape with 2D objects, monsters and characters. A couple of things have improved, but most everything is pretty outdated now. The major improvements are in light effects in the sky, and spell effects. These are pretty nice, but the total picture is ruined by the flat trees, plants, monsters and people. It really is a shame that the cities - especially the buildings – look very much alike. Sometimes the only way to tell which city you’re in is by looking at the map. Luckily they did add some variation to the dungeon designs, and it didn’t make me feel as if I was walking through the same caverns over and over.
Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?
The Non-Player Characters are also quite repetitive; many characters are simply copies of others. Give a pirate a different hat, and he’s a merchant with the same voice and the same face.
The previous instalments had crude images when you looked at them in close-up. Now they made all images a little more blurry, so we can’t really see the pixels up close. Nice, but this has the disadvantages that all graphics are rather indistinct, even in the distance.
I have nothing but praise for the images and animations at special events though! When you walk into a magic shop, you see a gorgeous animation of a wizard testing his newest spells. Too bad there aren’t all that many of these…
Sounds good!
Speech is perfect, just like in part seven. There are tons of remarks, depending on what happens, spiced up with a touch of humour – especially when somebody does something stupid.
The sound effects are spot on too. 3D sound is supported, so a creaking door on the left is audible on the left side. Explosions and magical effects are excellent and sound much better than in the previous parts.
There’s music, but only during special events or specific actions. Which suits me just fine, because in a game that’s this extensive and that takes this long to complete, there comes a time when it starts to get on your nerves and you’d rather shut it off. No need for that in Might And Magic VIII!
Easy to control
The controls haven’t changed a bit; they’re very user-friendly and there are tons of options.. You can choose between walking and running, choose to turn around when you exit a building,…
The other controls are simple and good. The buttons on the screen are clear, and there aren’t too many of them. Your characters’ portraits tell a lot about their condition, so it’s easy to see when somebody is tired, sick, weak, poisoned or cursed. A diary is kept automatically, so there’s no need to take a heap of notes – all information is recorded for you. There’s also an automap-function with blue dots depicting all the trainers.
It’s both good and bad
A computer Role-Playing Game needs a good story and a lot of quests, especially if it’s a single-player game. Might And Magic VIII has a decent story, and many quests, sub-quests, promotion-quests,… but it looks a little too much like the two previous M&M games, and it can’t compete with the current competition. The enemies’ Artificial Intelligence is clearly outdated; you don’t need any smart tricks or strategic feats to beat them. The bad guys are as dull as their 2D graphics.
I liked the fact that you could walk around at first, and enlist others, sometimes they’ll join you after you’ve done them a service. This makes the game a little trickier than the others, where you knew from the start what your team members were capable of.
Fighting is quite easy, with the option to switch from real-time to turn-based combat. Some areas are riddled with enemies, making real-time combat nearly impossible, and it’s a blessing to be able to switch to the other mode. Unfortunately most enemies look the same, and at a certain point fighting becomes a drag.
But the enemy’s strength greatly differs from area to area, and without certain skills you can’t solve certain quests. This means a lot of travelling and a lot of information gathering will have to be done, making sure the game stays fun and interesting.
In conclusion
Might And Magic VIII is still a quality Role-Playing Game with lost of monsters and quests, spanning a huge area. However it appears the makers were aiming at the existing Might And Magic fans who just can’t get enough (like me). While many Role-players are playing multiplayer games, the Might And Magic fans have to settle for a third copy of a successful recipe from a couple of years back.
If you haven’t played the previous parts and like Role-Playing games, you’ll like this game – if you don’t mind outdated graphics. If you’ve played the previous games, you should ask yourself first if you really want more of the same. Is the answer yes, then by all means buy part eight of the Might And Magic series.
This Re-Write is part of the KcFoxy Second Anniversary Re-Write-Off Celebration, where we re-write a review that... well, needed re-writing. Please check out the website at http://www.comfo.ca/us/kcfoxy/ with lots of information, and read the re-writes of the participants at the bottom.
The Eroyalties and Income Share earned from this Re-Write-Off review will be donated to Mark, Hard_To_Please, to help lighten the load brought on by his cancer treatment. Anyone wishing to make a contribution may do so at http://www.paypal.com. Mark's account is the same as his email address: dude4u@netzero.net
Info Line: 415-503-9089 Email: sales [at] tekgems.com MIGHT AND MAGIC 8 - DAY OF DESTROYER view larger image Description UPC: 5037999006701 Unit Weigh...More at eBay
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