Heroes of Might and Magic
Heroes of Might and Magic is a series of turn-based computer games by New World Computing, a division of 3DO. 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.
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 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 V
In August of 2003, Ubisoft acquired the rights to the Might and Magic franchise for $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. The game will not be released before 2005.
See also
