Top 50 Video Games: Number 32

#32: Heroes of Might and Magic III
System: PC
Publisher: 3DO
Released: 1999
Players: 1-8


Turned-based strategy gaming at it's finest. (That zealot is shooting that dragon in the head with lightning. Woohoo!)


The Heroes of Might and Magic games were originally an offshoot of the long running Might and Magic RPG series. The Heroes games are turn-based strategy. It's sort of 'Civilization meets Final Fantasy Tactics' with a medeval fantasy setting. This game is ALL strategy baby, the way John Travolta is ALL man or Bob Saget is ALL funny.

This game is all about planning, keeping tabs on your resources and fuckslamming any hero foolish enough to enter into your territory and take what's yours. If I had things my way, I'd be putting dead babies on pikes around my borders as a warning to all who oppose my reign. Make the bastards SEE what will happen if they defy you. This however is not an option in the game, so you must have heroes and their armies patrolling your borders instead. You can mouse over enemy heroes to get some idea of what sort of troops they've got, which keeps combat from being a crap shoot.


All the skulls and rocks mean that bad people live there. In video games, it's usually safe to judge a book by its cover.


A delicate balance must be struck to keep everything safe, yet be powerful enough to overtake enemy towns. Do you put all of your best armies under the command of your best hero and destroy all in that hero's path, leaving your other heroes and your towns vulnerable? Do you divide your forces leaving no one completely vulnerable, yet having no powerhouse squad out there? Each strategy has its pros and cons, and a hybrid of the two generally works best. The economics are similar. You can spend all of your money on early army upgrades, but it may leave you short of cash. On the other hand, if you concentrate on economics, your army may be understaffed if the enemy pays you a visit too soon. Moderation is key.

To put it in it's simplest terms, Heroes of Might and Magic is all about banking, killing, and control. A single game takes a couple of hours or more to complete, so it's not for the faint of heart. Having said that, every human should get a copy or two. I mean, for the love of god I saw it at EB for $3 (three) dollars! Three! There are four games and several expansions in the series; I can't couch for the quality of any of them except the third game. In fact, Heroes III has briefly drawn me away from the majesty that is World of Warcraft...