Take one part Warcraft 3 and one part chess, mix until it forms a nice paste, and serve with some awesome graphics and you might get something that resembles Might and Magic VI. Taking place in a fantasy based time period, the game does many things well as is expected from any long running franchise. It is hard to complain about much in Might and Magic as it is as addicting as ever.
The game plays similarly to an RTS as the player explores large areas, gathers resources and recruits new troops with the goal of building a rich an economy to stamp out the enemies like an annoying bug. Where it differs is during battles, as the player units are placed on a gird and given orders. This section plays out more like a RPG/Strategy hybrid, except that the leader of the group is the only one that gains experience and the other troops only become more powerful when the amount of units one piece represents becomes higher.
The Might and Magic series has ultimately been about time and resource management. Do you explore a new territory with your current army, or wait a few turns to grow stronger? Should you spend your money and resources to build a city upgrade or buy more troops? Do you press forward after a battle, or go back to your town to resupply? These things might seem tedious, but choices like these bring the risk-reward balance system to the Heroes games. The only problem with turn based battle comes when playing multiplayer against human opponents as you have to wait for everyone to take their turn which can create potential wait times.
Probably one of the only other annoyances is that the game doesn't unlock the entire town building mechanics until later, which can hide the stronger allies and the town upgrading system is different from previous games. This can be a little annoying when fighting a boss with peons as opposed to filling your army with more powerful units. But these minor annoyances are excusable as combat is always interesting and requires a certain amount of strategy. New comers might feel overwhelmed at first given all the game's options and units available, but the learning curve is entertaining and will keep the mouse and keyboard in your hands.
Minor complaints aside, Might and Magic VI is easily worth the price of admission and everything you would expect is here: addictive gameplay, a lengthy single player quest, hotseat and online multiplayer options, great graphics and even an ear pleasing musical score. From the rather neat in game achievement system to the always rewarding experience of looting and troop gathering, the addictive nature of the game will create late gaming sessions. While it probably won't stand the test of time that StarCraft has, it makes for a welcoming experience that even the most passing fans of the genre will find something to latch onto.
Better Than: many other strategy games
Also Try: the other 5 games and expansion paks of the series
Ask for It: Heroes of the Might and Magic I and II on GBC for 3DS Virtual Console release
