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Hey guys, I always wanted to play the Might and Magic games but never was able to get a hold of them, until now. Thanks to the Winter Sale I now own all the M and M games on GOG, but i'm not sure which one is the most accessable for new commers to the series. I never was a hard core PC games, I'm a retro gamer at heart (retro as in NES, to Genesis) so bad graphics really is not an issue I just want to know which one is the easiest to jump into. I heard that 6 or 7 is are good titles for newbs but I wanted your input. last question, would it be complecated to apply a mod to any of the later games in the series (6,7,8, or 9)?
Well, I like 6 quite a lot, but have been told a bit about 7 that makes it seem very good. You may enjoy 3 and the Xeen games quite a lot as well. Getting to learn the controls is very simple as well, just check the reference cards in the 'bonus' stuff that came with the games.

If you want the 'retro-esque' feel, give the earlier games a spin, the Xeen games are very fun, and entering the Red Dwarf Mines for the first time will give you a chuckle.
6-8 are the good ones as far as I'm concerned. I started playing the series with 7 and I think that's the best starting point for new players. 7 has a straight forward beginning with a tutorial level and a tour guide NPC that will explain a lot of the game mechanics. In addition to the beginner friendly intro, 7 has; a large diverse game world, a huge number of spells and skills, a lot of race and class combinations, a clear focused plot line, superb music, a fun card based mini game, and a difficulty level that isn't too easy or too hard.
6 is awesome, but it doesn't allow the player to choose their character's race, features a less extensive skill and spell system than 7, and has a pretty vague plot line. It also has very little hand holding at the start of the game and is generally considered the most challenging of the 3d era Might and Magic games.
8 is a lot of fun, but it's definitely not as well rounded as 6 or 7. It brings in a new race system where some character types are vastly more powerful than others, dark elves and dragons in particular. It also has as a party recruitment system that, while cool, can make the game heavily unbalanced in the player's favor. It's possible to get 2 level 50 characters in your party early in the game and that kind of takes the fun out of lower level quests. Aside from those flaws 8 is a solid entry to the series and has interesting setting which is darker than the ones in 6 or 7.

A lot of people are really into the Xeen games, but I'd advise against them. I find them really hard to get into. Their game world is mazelike and can be pretty confusing and easy to get lost in. The gridbased movement can also make traveling to healers and stuff rather slow.
There are three "eras" of the MM games:

MM1 and 2:
Very old, hard to get into. Require careful reading of the manual, and have lots of old design limitations. But they are surprisingly fun given these drawbacks. I enjoyed playing them for the first time a few years ago. MM1 requires drawing your own maps, which actually makes navigation an interesting challenge, but could be considered annoying.

MM3-5 (I've only played 4 and 5):
Still oldschool but a lot easier to get into. I personally like these a lot, but as Punkoinyc says, they can still be a little confusing at first and there's no tutorial or anything. But the basic controls are simple and the manual gives all the details.

MM6-8 (I've only played 6):
The most modern, but they play differently from the earlier games. There's no more grid-based movement, and the game is real time but can be switched to turn-based mode for fighting. MM6 tends to have huge hordes of enemies which got a little tiresome for me. But it has a lot of fans and it sounds like MM7 is even better.

So I'd say try either MM3-5 or MM6-7, depending on your personal preference. The 6-pack lets you try both the earlier games and MM6, but won't net you MM7, so that choice is up to you. I'm partial to the second era games myself.
Post edited December 11, 2014 by Waltorious
World of Xeen (MM4-5) is both the easiest of the games and have the easiest UI, and the 2D cartoony graphics have held up very well, so may be a good start.
If you like Xeen, but though it was too easy and combat too simplistic, then try MM1 or MM2.
I'm going to give 5 and 7 a try and see which one resonates more with me, thanks a lot guys I realy apreciate it!
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hiddencastle: I'm going to give 5 and 7 a try and see which one resonates more with me, thanks a lot guys I realy apreciate it!
4 and 5 actually combine into one huge game. You should start with 4 though, it's designed for lower-level characters whereas 5 is designed for higher-level characters. When combined, the two games have extra end-game quests that span the two worlds.

I think the GOG version treats them as a single game, actually, so it won't be a problem. Just wanted to clarify.
Since you like NES and Genesis, I'd recommend playing MM1+2 on those systems. It's better there (IMHO). Typing in every spell level and number sucks on the PC.

P.S. That's not to say to try those first. I'm just saying that I found them more enjoyable on the consoles than PC.

MM6-8 are quite good.

Might and Magic is about exploration, open-worldness, "breaking" the game to make your characters powerful and a little bit of story. The game was more important than the story, but the story in all of the games really isn't too bad at all.

You'll want to read the background stories in the manuals. Lots of the story information is not present in the early games. It's all in the manual.
Post edited December 11, 2014 by Tallima