Might and Magic IX Review Options

[falkinblues]

Might and Magic IX
Review

Recently I went to the Wal-Mart to buy a CD (AC/DC – ’74 Jailbreak, which is awesome). However I still had 5 dollars left over, and I saw that there were two five dollar games – Dungeon Siege, and Might and Magic IX. I looked at both games for at least ten minutes. I remembered that Might and Magic had received [censored] reviews, but I had played the Dungeon Siege demo and had found it to be lacking gameplay-wise. So I decided on Might and Magic IX, despite the [censored] reviews.
Now I before I start I want to just mention the insanely bad jewel-case presentation on Might and Magic IX (and Dungeon Siege). The first thing you are going to notice is that there is a gross yellow border around the cover art for the CD slip – and it makes note of the “Low Price” in the top left corner. Also the back cover slip makes mention of the same feature (Create a party of 4 main characters and hire non-player characters who will fight along side you) twice.
That said I’d like to start my experience with the game. The first thing I did was copy the PDF manual off the second CD onto my hard-drive so that I could read it during the install. I have to say I wish I had the real manual because it was very well put together with a great “History” section that detailed the history of the land I was about to explore. The game installed with no problems, and I installed both the official patch, and the TELP-MM9 1.3 fan patch.
Starting off I did have one problem where I was unable to change the keys in the keyboard setup, but a quick reboot fixed that problem.
The presentation is amazing from the excellent opening cutscene that sets the atmosphere for the game, to the stylized menu system. The ability to create your part was excellent and I was able to choose everything from the voice of my character to their portrait. However I wish there were a few more portraits.
Actually getting into the game is where I began to be happy with my purchase, the game starts with a basic tutorial and where you get to explore a small town and learn the basics of gameplay. Soon after you set off on your boat, and a cutscene is displayed. At the end of the cutscene you crash at the Isle of Ashes where you get your first taste of the quests in the game. The quest system is pleasing, however the journal is worse than Morrowind without Tribunal or Bloodmoon. It records what you have to do, however it leaves out the details (like names, directions, or places). One cool feature of the journal system is that it writes a story as you progress through the main story, and that is cool.
The dialog is a little one-sided at times, and it leaves you wishing that the people would say more. Lots of the time all the people say is “Adventuring is hazardous to your health”, or stuff like that. In fact most of the people who walk around outside are just trainers, and this came as a surprise to me as I am used to Morrowind where the trainers are usually inside faction buildings. The annoying thing about the NPCs is that you have no idea who is who, because when you move the cursor over them their names don’t show up (which is what happens in most RPG games that I have played).
However these are all minor gripes about the game, and they really don’t affect how much fun you have.
One of the greatest and weakest parts of the game comes in the form of the graphics. The animated textures (such as the water) are amazing, as they loop perfectly and they really give off that classic game-water look. The style of the graphics and the landscapes are all very interesting, and the skies are amazing. The dungeon graphics are where the game shines, as they feature the best models and textures. The weakest part of the graphics are the character models, the NPCs in this game look like they were made back in 1996 for Quake 1 and so do some of the monster models. This does not really affect the game however, and I find myself forgiving it because this was the first true 3d Might and Magic game. The graphics style of the game actually reminds me of Daggerfall, especially in the towns. This is because the game features a very medieval inspired setting, and I really enjoy this. The graphics are really amazing at points, and the scale is amazing especially when you are looking down from the high cliffs. The really amazing part of the graphics are the particle effects, as they are all very clear and they all animate very well, they really are a sight to see.
The sound is what really amazes me in the game, and although it is all very standard – it is all done very well. The monsters all have their own screams, and the weapon and spell sounds all sound pleasing to the ear. What will strike you first about the sound is the music. This game features some of the best fantasy music ever, and I mean ever. Fans of Daggerfall’s music will love this music. I can’t say much more about the music other than that it is almost as recognizable as Zelda’s or Morrowind’s for me now.
The last thing I’d like to touch on is the bugs in this game – there are none! No matter what you have read, I have yet to experience any bugs in the game. However this is due to the excellent patches that were put out. If you plan on buying this you will want to download the official 1.2 patch, and you will want to download the TELP 1.3 Fan patch.
Overall I have to say that Might and Magic IX is one of the most surprising purchases I have ever made. I purchased it with no expectations, and as soon I started playing it I was sucked into the world presented in the game.

Good Points – great graphics (in certain areas), an amazing soundtrack, very good sound, an amazing storyline, great manual presentation (PDF), the dungeons, and the general gameplay.

Bad Points – weak graphics (in certain areas), terrible journal system, no name selection on the NPCs, and weak dialog.

Technically – 7.5/10
Opinion Based – 9/10

Final Comment - this is one of the best bargain bin finds you could hope for.

[Sinder Velvin]

Thanks for the review.

[Fuzzy Knight]

Thanks for the review Falkin... :goodjob: But think I'm to busy with NWN now, darn that Desther I knew he was a traitor and now I went off and have no chance getting potions, die every time... :paperbag:

[Chumbaniya]

[quote=Fuzzy Knight]Thanks for the review Falkin... :goodjob: But think I'm to busy with NWN now, darn that Desther I knew he was a traitor and now I went off and have no chance getting potions, die every time... :paperbag:[/quote]

I hated that damned Desther encounter for ages too. I really should never have stopped playing NWN, it was a good game...

[Fuzzy Knight]

I've killed him now.. Was quite hard thought, but he surrendered and all that - Been some days since I've played now, runned all up to CS: Source now played that 10 hours the last 3 days.. :lickinglips: Really good at it.. but still a n00bie