Heroes of Might and Magic® 4: Complete

HOMM 4 is bit different from HOMM 3. And since the vast majority of players started with 3, those differences are considered bad. I suggest not to listen too much to the fanboys. Both games are good. But 4 is much more balanced, has slightly better graphics, is much better documented (you can get most info right in the game, while 3 leaves you with much guesswork or internet-searches). I'd say it also plays better, but that might be because I'm used to its UI and mechanics and would be no more valid than the HOMM3-fanboys chant. Besides that, the differences are mostly a question of taste. You like your heroes transparently customizable? Play 4 You're afraid someone might hurt your heroes? Play 3 Like to send lot's of low lvl units around to scout? Play 4 Like surprises, because your cheapest scout party costs as much as a dragon? Play - your guessed it: 3 Prefer heroes that cast spells and/or improve army stats? Play wathever you want. Like heroes that, in addition to that, can sneak past enemy lines, take out small bands by themself? Only 4 has that kind of hero-versatility. I personally prefer HOMM4, it accomodates my playing style. It's more strategic, because scouting is cheaper. More tactic because you can decide wether to attack the hero first to take away the armies boni or neutralize the thread of disrupting spells, or go for the glass-cannons right away. You can combine a few very different heroes into one stack for specific tactics. If, however, you are a die-hard fan of HOMM 1 & 2 and want more of the same - go with 3

Back when this game was brand-new, people liked to criticize it for not being like 3. Nowadays it is much easier to judge it as its own game - slightly janky and without a good budget, especially for its expansions, simpler yet still with an incredible potential due to how the heroes themselves are designed as units rather than leaders. If you want something familiar yet different that offers a new experience and perspective to the other games in the series, give it a shot.

Awesome old school game still looks great and it has a good soundtrack

I know that fanboys and fangirls may frown upon a title like this but yeah it's my favlorite and I played them all. I loved the possibilities and flexibility brought by the new game mechanics and how the hero was made more important. My cousin and I used to beat entire armies with just our heroes. It gave me a sense of adventure such as no HOMM did before. And the music.. So beautiful. I loved HOMM3 which remains a masterpiece but HOMM4 holds a special place in my heart.

Let's start by stating a fact: If HoMaM is the most liked sibling in the Heroes franchise, then HoMaM 4 is the less liked. With many innovations and gameplay changes (notably diminishing castle types), almost all of the loyal fans met the game with dislike. But is HoMaM 4 really a 'bad' game? Does it really fail? The answer for me is a big, very very big 'no'. The main point of the 4th installment is all about atmosphere. Wether the graphics, the soundtrack, or the story-telling, this game is a complete success. The graphics and the soundtrack fit perfectly well. The music, by the way, is one of the best soundtracks ever created in a game. The campaigns themselves are not super original or extremely interesting, but instead of adding cinematics, you only read them through texts. It's funny since this should have been a negative side, but on the contrary, it adds up to the atmosphere immensely. And the graphics themselves are like a fairy-tale: The whole package creates a time consuming game that will make you beg for another turn. The main problems rise from the innovative ideas: By merging the castles and reducing the creatures, you suddenly loose many strategic options. However, this also prevents scattering units, and this scarcity forces you to make choices. Putting the heroes on the battlefield seems quite realistic, but when a level 30 barbarian kills 3 black dragons in a single turn, you feel as the game was not polished enough. As for the expansions, we can really say that they show how 3DO was struggling. Especially the second expansion, Winds of War, could very well pass off as a DLC. To finish off, I can easily say that HoMaM 4 is one of the best turn-based strategy game with an added flavor of rpg out there. Plus, even if the game could have been more polished, the atmosphere is so good that you'll be spending hours on it. The game does deserve a chance. As for me, I was looking for the expansions for quite some time, and now that I've gotten them, I'll be wasting another 20-30 hours on it.