Posted September 09, 2009
I bought this because I figured that, at a price of under $2 per game for some of the finest classics in RPG history, how could I go wrong?
I have to tell you that I'm amazed at how well these games work on my iMac which runs Vista in Boot Camp. There was only one very minor tweak I had to make in the DosBox.conf file for M&M 1 (and may need to make for 2 and 3 as well but haven't tried yet). If you set that file to be openable in Notepad so that you can read it, there are lines of settings with included explanations as to what they do. You may need to go to the one called "cycles", which defaults to a value of 2000/second, and drop it down a lot otherwise the game runs so quickly that text messages and pictures flash by quicker than the eye can make them out. I settled on a value of 200, saved the file, and when the game ran it was just like on an old 80286-based PC from 1988. Perfect!
As for the games themselves, they're all HUGE, and have turn-based combat systems which are pretty simple but still effective even by today's standards. The mazes are daunting, and for those who want the challenge of mapping them out on graph paper one can certainly do that in purist fashion. Luckily, there are maps and hint guides available as additional free downloads, and these will be of great help for those who want to be able to get around in a bit less time. Might & Magic VI is one of the last generation of games in the series, and the action there is in a free-roaming pseudo 3-D world without the restrictions of a square grid. Again, the graphics are dated, but the sense of suspense over what lies beyond the next door, and the plethora of character customization options, will be very rewarding to those who forego the instant gratification of modern "eye candy" for a fun and highly challenging older game.
If you're a Gen X-er like me, who saw and drooled over these games in a store such as Electronics Boutique way back when, but who lacked the computer needed to play them, now is your chance. If you're a younger gamer who is seriously into RPGs, and wonders how it was done "way back in the day", there is much here to entertain you if you can get past the simple graphics and 80s arcade style sound. Just about anyone will find themselves glad they spent the $10 to pick this up.
I have to tell you that I'm amazed at how well these games work on my iMac which runs Vista in Boot Camp. There was only one very minor tweak I had to make in the DosBox.conf file for M&M 1 (and may need to make for 2 and 3 as well but haven't tried yet). If you set that file to be openable in Notepad so that you can read it, there are lines of settings with included explanations as to what they do. You may need to go to the one called "cycles", which defaults to a value of 2000/second, and drop it down a lot otherwise the game runs so quickly that text messages and pictures flash by quicker than the eye can make them out. I settled on a value of 200, saved the file, and when the game ran it was just like on an old 80286-based PC from 1988. Perfect!
As for the games themselves, they're all HUGE, and have turn-based combat systems which are pretty simple but still effective even by today's standards. The mazes are daunting, and for those who want the challenge of mapping them out on graph paper one can certainly do that in purist fashion. Luckily, there are maps and hint guides available as additional free downloads, and these will be of great help for those who want to be able to get around in a bit less time. Might & Magic VI is one of the last generation of games in the series, and the action there is in a free-roaming pseudo 3-D world without the restrictions of a square grid. Again, the graphics are dated, but the sense of suspense over what lies beyond the next door, and the plethora of character customization options, will be very rewarding to those who forego the instant gratification of modern "eye candy" for a fun and highly challenging older game.
If you're a Gen X-er like me, who saw and drooled over these games in a store such as Electronics Boutique way back when, but who lacked the computer needed to play them, now is your chance. If you're a younger gamer who is seriously into RPGs, and wonders how it was done "way back in the day", there is much here to entertain you if you can get past the simple graphics and 80s arcade style sound. Just about anyone will find themselves glad they spent the $10 to pick this up.