Might-and-Magic
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Clash of Heroes free on Xbox Live for Gold members starting Oct. 1
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes is the next free offering in the "Games with Gold" promotion. Starting October 1, Xbox Live Gold members can grab Capybara Games' excellent match-three RPG without the $15 entrance fee. Rainbow Six: Vegas is the current deal in the program, and that will expire next Monday. Those still waiting on Halo 3, which was announced as part of the program at E3, will have to hold out a bit longer.
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes lays siege upon Android
Clash of Heroes, Capybara's excellent match-three adaptation of Might and Magic strategy, is available now on Android. After coming out on DS in 2009 and moving onto consoles and PC in 2011, Clash of Heroes marched onto iOS earlier this year. It's taken a little while, but Clash of Heroes continued its journey onto Android, and like the iOS version is priced at $4.99. However, unlike on iOS, the Android version doesn't feature online battling, although local multiplayer is supported.
Watch Might and Magic: Duel of Champions' producer destroy Massively
Might and Magic: Duel of Champions is a new collectible card game brought to us by Ubisoft Quebec. Some folks might say that trading card games are a dime a dozen and that once you've played one, you've played them all. But I think the genre is always moving forward and expanding, introducing new designs and interesting ways to play, which is true of Might and Magic's latest go at the TCG market. During my tour, I found myself up against producer Stephane Jankowski. Unfortunately for me, he is no stranger to the game. He takes it quite seriously, going so far as to "go easy" on me so that I was not embarrassed. Little did he know that I am a noob at every game out there, so no harm was done. Might and Magic: Duel of Champions is a great game for those who want not only more strategy but also a faster pace. The tutorial walked me through some of the basics, but I learned more in the hour I played with Stephane than I had playing during the previous week. Click past the cut to watch the livestream and read up on what makes this one stand out.
Might and Magic X Legacy to be shown at PAX East
Might and Magic is coming back. Not Heroes of Might and Magic or Clash of Heroes, but straight up vanilla Might and Magic. Three days after teasing an announcement, Ubisoft has announced Might and Magic X Legacy (we're claiming dibs on the abbreviation "Might and Magic XL" right now), developed by Limbic Entertainment.In the classic tradition, Legacy is a single-player, first-person RPG with turn-based battles. The story puts you and your party of four characters in the city of Karthal, which "on the verge of secession, is prey to competing factions vying for its control," presumably vying through the placement of monsters everywhere.Brave adventurers who dare to enter PAX East will be able to see Legacy at the event this weekend.
Might and Magic X reveal at PAX East teased by Ubisoft
The main Might and Magic line looks set to return after a decade in the wilderness. Ubisoft is teasing a Might and Magic website with the above image, with the words "Meet us at PAX East!" beneath it.While the Might and Magic name has seen continued releases through the Heroes of Might and Magic strategy line and Clash of Heroes, the main role-playing series hasn't seen a release since 2002's M&M IX. After consulting our Roman Numerals handbook, we reckon the image heavily points towards M&M X and a reveal at this weekend's PAX East. After original M&M publisher 3DO went bankrupt in 2003, new license holder Ubisoft said M&M X was unlikely to ever happen because of branding choices. However, an unofficial open-source M&M X project emerged last year, and is still in development.While it's never 100 percent safe to assume anything, the most damning evidence of all for M&M X's upcoming announcement is Ubisoft's own tweet, which includes an unfortunately failed attempt to hashtag the game - gotta watch out for those ampersands.
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes out now on iOS
Capybara Games' Might and Magic Clash of Heroes is available now on iOS for $4.99. As noted in our mini review from earlier this month, an Android version should arrive sometime after nowish.Clash of Heroes, a DS game that was HD-ified and ported to several other platforms, is a match-three puzzle game with fantasy armies. It's pretty... and pretty wonderful. If you've somehow missed it on every other platform up to now, don't miss out on it in its re-portableized version.%Gallery-175269%
Clash of Heroes coming to mobile Jan. 24
Capybara Games' delightful Might and Magic Clash of Heroes began its life on DS, then was adapted into an HD release for consoles and PC. Now, that HD version has been re-downsized for release on iPhone and Android. Clash of Heroes will bring its match-three-to-fight strategy puzzle combat to iOS on January 24 for $4.99, with an Android version to follow.If you haven't played it, Clash of Heroes is a puzzle game in which you control an army with match-three puzzle mechanics. Line up three of the same type of fighter vertically, and you launch an attack. Line them up horizontally, and you defend. There's a lot of complexity beyond that, but that's the basic, endlessly addictive idea.%Gallery-175269%
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes coming to iOS and Android
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes, Capy's role-playing-slash-puzzle game, is moving to iOS and Android. Capy, who created both the DS original and the HD console version, is not responsible for the mobile game, instead handing over porting duties to Tag Games.The new mobile version retains the HD art from the XBLA/PSN game, and (of course) adds touch-based controls for lining up units. And as long as Tag Games doesn't make any horrible mistakes in the porting process, there's no reason to think Clash of Heroes won't be as excellent on phones and tablets as it is everywhere else.%Gallery-159410%
The surprising accessibility of older RPGs
This is a weekly column focusing on "Western" role-playing games: their stories, their histories, their mechanics, their insanity, and their inanity. One major problem with loving role-playing games is that old titles can be hard to accept due to difficulty. RPGs are particularly vulnerable to this because their focus on plot and core mechanics over technology mean that they age well. Fans and critics view games in the genre over a historical continuum of relative equality, instead of simply making the assumption that better technology makes for better games.While mechanics and storylines may be roughly comparable, interfaces have definitely improved, and this is the problem. It's one thing to say that Wizardry VI has the best and most complex class system in gaming, but quite another to try to play it without knowing that you need to draw or find maps of its dungeon. Alternately, I can't count the number of people who I convince to try the original Fallout, only to see them getting frustrated at its difficulty spikes, lack of effective auto-save, and occasionally obtuse item manipulations. It happens to me to sometimes, especially with games that I didn't play when I was younger, which is why I was surprised recently to fall in love with Might & Magic III: Isles Of Terra.
Clash of Heroes free-to-play this weekend on Steam
Capy, which has been making ripples in our continuum with Super TIME Force, will host an earlier effort, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, for half off and free to play this weekend on Steam.Regularly priced at $14.99, the color-matching puzzle RPG will be $7.49, with the ability to try it out for free until Sunday at 1PM Pacific. Our review suggests you take Capy up on the offer.%Gallery-96062%
New Might & Magic Heroes VI trailer: 'Tears or blood?'
While we understand our bodies' natural inclination to produce both tears and blood during times of emotional duress and physical injury, we'd hate to have to be forced to choose between the two. If the question is more metaphorical however, as is the case in this new Might & Magic Heroes VI trailer, we think we'd have to go with blood, since they appear to be the side with glowing magma creatures. You know, now that we think about it, we'd always take blood over tears, especially in literal situations.
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes lines up on Steam
Developer Capybara Games has confirmed that Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes will be available for download on Steam today -- wait, scratch that. It's available for download right now! The Steam version of the game will set you back $14.99, only supports Windows (sorry, Mac users) and boasts full Steamworks integration, including achievements, leaderboards and cloud saves. If you've yet to hear about Capy's wonderful title, might we point you toward our review? In addition to the launch of the actual game on Steam, you can also snag the I Am the Boss DLC for $2.99. Great, now we've got that damn song stuck in our head again.
Dragons gone wild: Might and Magic: Heroes Kingdom's third season reveals all
The browser-based strategy MMO Might and Magic: Heroes Kingdom (winner of the "We want to write that title in a completely different order" award) has cracked a peek into its third season, and soon the doors will be flung wide open for all to see. Season three launches on Thursday, September 15th, and will introduce a host of new challenges for both PvE and PvP players. It appears that the air dragon Ylath has aroused from his slumber looking for a good meal while those nasty Dark Elves are on the prowl for an unprepared hero or two. Runic fortresses also have appeared out of thin air, begging players to battle over these swanky summer homes. Finally, fans of the title should enjoy the enhanced character customization coming with the update. The free-to-play title will add an in-game store with this update to help monetize the game. You can check out what we thought of the title with our First Impressions series.
Bosses clash in Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes DLC
Prepare to begin lining up soldiers and mythical creatures once again. Ubisoft and Capy are preparing a downloadable expansion to the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC releases of Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes, called "I Am the Boss." In I Am the Boss, you are ... one of four boss characters, Azexes, Count Carlyle, Ludmilla or Azh-Rafir, now playable in Quick Battle and Multiplayer. Ubisoft didn't mention a release date for this expansion -- but it did provide Eurogamer with a release date for the PC version of the main game: September 22. We'd heard it was coming sometime before the end of September, previously. If you order the PC game from the Ubishop (currently in Europe only), you'll get the DLC for free.
Clash of Heroes HD takes a turn on PC this quarter
We already related some news about Clash of Heroes HD from Ubisoft's sales report today; it turns out there was even more squirreled away in its pages. A PC version of Capy's puzzle game is listed for release in the company's fiscal Q2, which spans the period from July through September. So if you prefer to play strategy games on the PC -- even when they're only kind-of strategy games -- you'll have the option within the next couple of months.
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes HD review: Another round
For years I swore I didn't like drinking. Friends would try introducing me to various concoctions of juice and booze swearing I wouldn't be able to taste the alcohol, but never to any avail. It wasn't until recently I discovered the joy of "melon balls." Midori, pineapple juice, and vodka created the perfect mix of sweet delicious beverage that would still get me drunk (even if it can be embarrassing to order). Similarly, I've never been a fan of traditional turn-based RPGs. The slow pace, random encounters, and turn-based combat just bored me. So when the DS Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes was recommended to me by a number of friends in 2009, I was hesitant about the puzzle/strategy/RPG hybrid. Yes, even though they assured me "You'll never taste the RPG!" Now that I've played its HD upgrade I can safely say that they were dead on, for the most part. Clash of Heroes HD has some RPG trappings: towns, stores, leveling up, and a half-baked story about preventing a demon apocalypse, but all the guff that usually turns me off the genre has been eradicated or at the very least minimized. Random encounters? Completely avoidable. Grinding? Only a smidge. Losing an hour's progress due to not hitting a checkpoint? Never. Turn-based combat? Well, yes, but not in the traditional sense. %Gallery-96062%
PSN Tuesday: Clash of Heroes HD, Dungeon Hunter: Alliance
It's a fantasy land in this week's PSN update. First up is Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes from Capy (Critter Crunch, Sword & Sworcery), the HD port of its excellent puzzle RPG for DS. Instead of abstract jewels creating the gameplay, the game has actual units on the field that can be matched to create better units. Definitely try out the demo. Also available is Dungeon Hunter: Alliance, which being from Gameloft automatically means it's donning +2 hat of generic, but the title does feature four-player co-op dungeon crawling. Quest on past the break for all this week's DLC. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Clash of Heroes HD trailer teaches the tactics of puzzle-fighting
Missed out on Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes when it originally launched in 2009? You don't have to go into the HD remake, due out next week, completely uninformed -- check out the video after the jump to learn the basic mechanics of the game's rows-and-columns combat.
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes on PSN, XBLA mid-April
Capy's Nathan Vella tells us that the PSN and XBLA version of Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes will finally be available next month. The title has already had a couple of console release windows over the past year, but is now finalized for "mid-April." Vella says that the game shouldn't be considered a strict port of the DS version released in 2009. Beyond the art assets being redone, he also says that the dev rebalanced the game, taking the units that "sucked" and redesigned them to be functional.%Gallery-96062%
Video Games Live debuting theme from Might and Magic Heroes 6
Though Black Hole's upcoming strategy title Might and Magic Heroes 6 won't see the light of day until next March, a bit of its soundtrack will go public later this week: Video Games Live will play a selection from the game's score during its December 17 show in Paris, France.
