The Heroes of Might and Magic (HoMM) series has become one of
most successful fantasy turn-based strategy franchises to date.
Based on the Might and Magic role-playing universe, Heroes of
Might and Magic has just the right formula of spells, creatures,
adventuring and combat. We've seen three installments in the
HoMM series to date, and each new title brings an assortment of
new creatures, spells, hero types, campaigns and storylines. The
latest installment in the HoMM series is Heroes of Might & Magic III:
Armageddon's Blade. It features a handful of new veteran Heroes,
a dozen new creatures, a slew of new fearsome dragons, and
much more. So why not name it Heroes of Might & Magic IV? I
guess 3DO has finally caught on that these really aren't sequels
after all, but simply expansion packs. That little rant aside,
Armageddon's Blade is an excellent single-player expansion pack.
Armageddon's Blade offers one new full-size campaign along with
five smaller campaigns. The larger campaign tells the story of the
Armageddon's Blade. It goes a little something... (lights dim,
camera fades out) like this:
In the demon kingdom of Eeofol, Lucifer Kreegan has a vision to
set the world on fire by constructing
the "Armageddon's Blade". Seeking to dethrone this insane king,
Catherine invades. However, her generals
report the appearance of the fiery Phoenix and mysterious
elemental Confluxes. As Catherine contemplates her next move,
she wonders... do these omens foretell of Erathia's victory... or the
world's destruction?
The new campaign does an excellent job of furthering the
storyline and features a number of cut-scene animations that are
by far the best in the series. Overall, there are 6 new campaigns
and over 35 stand-alone missions that are sure to add hours of
gameplay for those who are itching for more HoMM.
There are also two new hero types, the Plainswalkers and the
Elementalists, 16 heroes in total; 23 new creatures to hire and deal
with (including the Phoenix, three kinds of Dragons, Elfin
Sharpshooters, and much more). Armageddon's Blade also adds a
new town type, the elemental Conflux (which features the
all-powerful Phoenix). Also included in Armageddon's Blade is a
new random map generator that lets you create unlimibed battle
scenarios. The map generator also does an excellent job of
creating unique maps each and every time. You'll rarely come
across maps that look similar. A game editor is included as well,
allowing you to create your own unique battles. A fully functional
campaign and improved map editor ensures infinite replayability
for those with creative juices.
As mentioned above, this is probably best described as a
single-player expansion pack. The amount of gameplay offered
rivals any of the three 'prequels'. In terms of multiplayer, there are
only ten new maps created specifically for multiplayer mayhem. In
my opinion, HoMM has never had strong multiplayer features and
Armageddon's Blade does nothing to improve on that aspect.
In terms of graphics and sound, there really is no improvement in
either respect as well. Clearly Armageddon's Blade focused on
expanding on the gameplay and does a great job at that.
So let's see here: 12 new creatures, 2 new Conflux hero classes, a
new town type, over 35 stand-alone missions and 6 new
campaigns. They didn't call this Heroes of Might & Magic IV?
Thank you 3DO for avoiding that faux-pas. As a single-player
expansion pack, it doesn't get much better than this. If you've
played out Heroes of Might & Magic III, Armageddon's Blade is just
cure while you await the next in the Magic and Magic series of
titles.
Ratings:
[ 21/25 ] Volume of Enhancements
[ 21/25 ] Quality of Enhancements
[ 08/10 ] Wothiness
[ 15/20 ] Increased Fun Factor
[ 04/10 ] Improved Multiplayer
[ 08/10 ] Overall Impression
By: 
