Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer

"It's just far too easy...."

The scene opens with a man striding through the capital of a new continent, far from Erathia and Enroth (but not a new planet, unlike it hopped to from the fifth game) but still in the same general area. Some try to stop him, as it is supposedly a rather lawless place, but nevertheless, it doesn't work, and he soon stands in the town square.
Raising his arms, a huge crystal is formed, and the man promptly dissapears.
You start on the Island of the Lizard men, part of...some troupe, methinks. Creating your character out of a myriad of races, and a few classes (that is, Dark elves, vampires are just races, but Humans get to be Clerics and the like) you step out into this brave new world. Unlike the previous games, you only get the opportunity to create a single character. All others are recruited as you progress.

GRAPHICS
The graphics in Might and Magic 8 are much what you'd expect, and similar, if not identical to 7. That's a good thing however, because they really are quite good, and it's smooth sailing from start to finish. Enemy models are done the same way as each of the others, with 3 different colours and sizes of each type of enemy, and a host of different actual models. This is certainly NOT the reason i give the game a low score. Onto:

SOUNDS
Rather basic, i felt. Water makes splashing sounds, people grunt and the like, all up to par...but nothing NEW, nothing to set it apart from the others. Still, it is rather atmospheric.

GAMEPLAY
Obviously, this is the most important part of the game, and this too is where it falls by the wayside. First, i must tell you that it took me only 4 days to do EVERYTHING POSSIBLE in the game. That, to me, is totally and utterly stupid. Although there are some nice touches, and they've had some rather interesting ideas (such as choosing sides in certain places, changing how they work, and the Planes Of Elementals) it's really not enough to make it stand out. The card game from the previous one has made a return, with a few more cards, but the same ruleset, which too, is good, but nothing special. All in all, Might and Magic 7 far surpasses it's red headed stepchild of a sequel.
Certainly, it's pretty.
Yes, they've had some good ideas.
No to the party system.
This, my friends, is why the game is so increadibly easy. For, you see, you fill in the slots that are empty with characters you pick up around the game. So what, you may ask. Well, once you reach level 40 (an easy feat) you can pick up an amazing level 50 party, with no difficulty. The dragon here makes the game so easy to complete, it's pathetic. Instant flying, firebreath and a set of other abilities makes this idea possibly the worst ever concieved.

Please, i beg of you, if you want a Might and Magic game, go for 6 or 7!

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 01/29/02, Updated 01/29/02