Never played any of these and got the full pack. I'm overwhelmed. What game should I play first/ is the best?

I think you shouldn't play the best game first, because then the chances are that you'll never play the worse games. Starting from the first one is always a good bet.

+1 to this.

That's what I'm doing! I'm actually having a really fun time.

I only had access to 1, and only ever got to watch someone else play 2 when I was a kid, and even though I know the series can and does improve on the first game, it's actually still pretty solid, and totally worth playing first.

I think play either 2 or 3 first-They are what I would call the "baseline" for the series. I mean baseline not in terms of quality, but in terms of what the game is.
Heroes 4 is the "different" one of the series, and my favourite for it. I still need to try out the Equilibris mod for it, to see if it makes more of a variety for playing and winning-Towns force you to make choices in HoMM 4, but *most* towns will only be effective with one set of choices, although there are some towns, or at least some levels in a town which can go either way depending on your style and the particular strengths of your character. I think I might set a thread up on this whole subject because it interests me to know what other people think.
However, because it is such a different game from the rest of the series, I definitely suggest playing 3 before 4, to see how it changed.
I ALSO suggest playing Chronicles before 4, but after 3-they use 3's mechanics, but storywise lead into the cinematic intro of 4, as well as being some of the best storywriting I've seen in games.

But really? Knock yourself out, you can't go wrong. (Although, if you ever want to play it, probably play 1 first, otherwise you'll get frustrated at how clunky it seems, at least according to what I've heard)

Well keep in mind a good rule of thumb for ANY series is pretty much play them as they came or else you get used to improvements that were made after and get mad that there no longer there in earlier versions. Also a lot of times story or plot lines are spoiled when you start to far into the series although this is not really such a problem with this series.

I mean knowing that the world ends sometimes between 3 and 4 really has no effect on the way you play.

As for the BEST of the series that title has togo to Heroes 3. Not that the others don't have their appeal but 3 was the best overall in all aspects. Sure some may specifically outdo it in one area, like H2 has the best music, but overall none are better. Plus some of the later ones like H6 just try todo to much and start to deviate from TURN BASED and try and try to keep going Real Time.

IMHO this is one of the major mistakes game developers make for any game in the TBS genre. The other problems come from trying to go overboard with 3d graphics. If they avoided these everything would be a lot smoother.

In my opinion, HOMM3 is the best game to start out on. HOMM2 is another good option, but I think many will agree with me when I say to start with 3. I will leave out #5 and #6, as those are games you should only play if you've played previous installments. They are DEFINITELY not good starting points, as true appreciation for the series will come from paying homage to the games that came before it.

Here's my breakdown of the series:

#1 (The Original) - Unless you played this game when it first came out, thereby introducing you to the series, I would not recommend starting with this one. As is to be expected, it has become outdated, and the gameplay is slow and tiring comparatively speaking.

#2 (The Middle Child) - This is still a solid piece to the series. It has a great art style and it's easy to pick up. The character models improved significantly from its predecessor. Gameplay is solid and it's a game I often find myself coming back to. It is often overlooked, due to the incessant love for #3, and the bad-taste-in-your-mouth vibes for #4. I often see it as the child that gets the least attention.

#3 (The Fan Favorite) - This game is often the fan favorite, and for good reason! Graphics are great and easy on the eyes (which is a good thing since this game is so addicting), gameplay is fantastic, music is memorable, and the story (campaign) is great. I have every installment in the HOMM series, and this is by far my favorite and the game I find myself playing most often. If you are looking to get into the series, this is a great game to learn from, since it is the measuring stick that many fans use to grade sequels.

#4 (The Black Sheep) - This game gets a lot of hate for deviating too much from #3. However, if you include the expansions, this is a pretty solid game. It introduces a lot more strategy than its predecessor, which is evident by the way it handles builds (no creature upgrades). Don't write this one off, though. If you like #3, #4 will grow on you.

All in all, I would start with either #2 or #3. Those are the games I was introduced into the series with, and I believe that they will give you a really good taste of what the series has to offer.

Huh.

While HoMM1 doesn't have as many features as later installments, I'd hardly call it "slow and tiring." In my opinion it has a rather timeless charm.

To each their own, though.

When I tried to replay HoMM1 some years ago that thing that put me most off was the computer AI. Didn't notice it when I played it in 1995, but 15 years later it was notieceable.
The graphics and sound was still great, I think.

If you've never played a game like HoMM before I would suggest starting out with game #1 because it doesn't have as many units/gameplay mechanics as the later ones so it's easier to learn. Just don't choose the Knight faction for your first playthrough because the closer you get to the end of the game the harder it will be for the Knight faction. I got stuck in the last mission and will probably start anew with the Warlock faction just to complete the game.

It can be a bit boring at times because there isn't much of a story ingame (there's a bit of background story in the manual, though) and the missions can take quite a lot of time if you're more of a defensive player like me (rushers are at an advantage but that's the case with almost any strategy game). But the "just one more turn" effect is certainly there - I wouldn't have played that long if it wouldn't be fun for the most part :)

This it the problem of being too young at the time these early games were released.

Now, people of my ilk are overwhelmed by olde games that are too good for us. We just don't know what to do half the time :(.

Seriously, it's a problem.


Errr, to the main topic. I'd suggest starting with the first one like another user suggested. It's actually a good game to play to ease yourself into the series, as the gameplay stays the same for the most part all throughout. Play a few maps in the 1st one, then play a few maps in the 2nd one, and so on. The games are really easy to learn to play, just to have to figure out what all the buildings and units do. Then i'd suggest find one you like the most, and play the campaigns for it. If you like it, you'll want to play the campaigns for all the others too :).

As seriously and objectively as I can be, I would suggest starting with Heroes 2 or 3 first. My personal preference would be to start with Heroes II because it has great graphics and the best music of the series while also having enough of the integral 'HoMM' features to be a good jumping on point and you will be in a good position to appreciate the improvements AND (the few) drawbacks Heroes III has compared to Heroes 2. Heroes II's main drawbacks are the lack of a wait command in combat (and yes, despite what you may hear from some here, there is no real 'wait' command introduced in Heroes 2 as it was never completed or properly implemented and requires hex editing just to get the half-assed version working).

Heroes 4 was not very good overall but it is not as bad as when it was first released, especially if you use the Equilibrius mod. IMO you can skip Heroes 4 and not miss out on anything Heroes-wise. Heroes V: Tribes of the East is decent enough only because it adds a lot of very good features (branching unit upgrades, more robust skills system) to compensate for the bad (enormous graphic card and processor requirements to run well, bland graphics and maps seeming very boring and lacking the allure/charm of Heroes 2 and 3).

Why not start with theh first game? Well if you can handle it's 'old schoolery' then go right ahead and enjoy. But it is a bit like starting with Might and Magic (the first one) or Ultima (1). If the graphics, lack of features (automap, races & classes etc.) don't act as a barbed hurdle for you then great...but for me, and I grew up playing the 'old school' games on an Apple ][ e & a Radio Shack Tandi comp. and later a Commodore 64, I cannot go back to these sorts of games. I also started with ascii graphc 'Roguelikes' and still play rogue4likes but cannot do ascii anymore (I have to have at least tiled 2D graphics).

I'll say 3 was my absolute favorite and many others. 2 was the first one I played, and I liked it, but when 3 came out i virtually never played it again. So you may want to start with the first or 2nd one and get your fill of them before moving onto 3, because once you bite into it, nothing else will quite do it like 3 does.

I think the 4th one is great. You have heroes on the field of combat, can have more than one, and they add a lot to the tactics of the battles. Unit choices add to tactics, that's all very different from the other Heroes of Might and Magic games.

Heroes get taken to prison, so they have a sense of loyalty in the 4th one. And prison? That's a great concept, add a bit of Lords of Magic gameplay elements to it, and it would be even better.

I wouldn't say that others could skip Heroes of Might and Magic 4 and not miss out on anything, it has so much good stuff none of the other ones have.

All in my opinion of course! I don't use any mods for it, all regular good olde Heroes of Might and Magic 4.