The TBS genre grew immensley since 1996 and there are so many more complex and varied games than HOMM2 (I highly recommend Endless Legend), so forget about strategy - the main reason why H2 is such a great game is, that it has a soul. The story-book like graphics, the tiny details (elaborate portraits of each hero, the hand-drawn animation of each unit on the battlefield, etc.), the unique town themes, the amazing soundtrack - they all make it such a memorable game. I've been playing it since I was a 12 year old kid in 1996, and it's still my favorite game ever. ----------------- Technical comparison to H3 for veteran players: Yes, Heroes 3 is bigger and has more of everything. But upon closer examination, there are things which H2 does better than H3: Towns are less self-sufficient (lower income, lower marketplace ratios) - encouraging the player to explore more and to take chances. Low tier units are not as disposable as in H3, making you to appreciate them more instead of treating them like cannon fodder. Ultimate artifacts effecting heroes instead of towns, again encouraging player to take action against stronger opponents instead of camping for longer periods of time. Factions are less balanced - encouraging the player to take different approaches instead of sticking to the same game plan in each playthrough. All in all, H2 is less formulaic, making it a better game in the long run imo. But all of that is just "nice to have" - again, as subjective as it sounds, H2 has a soul unlike any other.
It's not that I was expecting the second coming when trying this game out, but this game fails to deliver the very fundamentals which were introduced into the genre by the likes of Baldur's Gate 15 years earlier. So, from what to begin? I knew beforehand that this game is linear (and was ok with that), but this turned out to be a major understatement, Exploration is simply non-existent, you ALWAYS go from point A to point B as dictated by the main story. If you want to explore the world and go to a different location, or even to an other area in your current location, you'll be either physically unable to (even if you've already been there) or you'll just encounter vast emptiness (i.e. 0 npcs to interact with or things to do). Alright, so it's super linear, but the world which you encounter during your linear quest is interesting, right? Wrong. Interaction with objects is almost non existent, lore to read - non-existent, interacting with npcs who are not merchants or part of the main quest is also almost non-existent. Most of your party members are mercenaries without dialog options, so forget about learning about them or their relationships with other party members either. The story is a generic uninspired murder mystery, not as primitive as the other aspects but nothing memorable either. Battles are X-COM-like only at first glance: They always take place on a single height level, against simliar enemies who pose very little surprises - you'll learn very quickly whats the 1-2 best actions for each party member, and just spam these. The visuals and the skill system are ok (no more than that), and the game is bug free - those are the only reasons I don't give it 1/5 stars. Huge disappointment.
In times when fast and reflex-based platformers rule the market like Celeste and Hollow Knight, it's fun to encounter a platformer which lets you lay back a little and simply enjoy the great atmosphere it offers. And this is the main reason I enjoyed this game - atmosphere. Like a children's quality storybook which both kids and adults can enjoy, helping pure-hearted heroes to overcome obstacles and battle classic monsters in a beautiful, classic fantasy setting just gives you these "feel good" vibes. The game is fun, the puzzles are challenging yet rarely frustrating (unless you intend to collect every gem), and it feels more varied and alive than Trine 1 (which was good as well). I did run into some technical issues, despite having a very powerful PC (no sound at all and freezing screen upon exit, unless verifying game's files multiple times before each launch), and that's why I give it "only" 4/5. Recommended!
A fantastic Action-RPG with Bioware's trademark strong storyline and great NPCs. It beautifully captures the mythic far-eastern atmosphere and has that cool vibe of a classic Kung-Fu movie. Though gameplay-wise, there is some discord between areas designed for exploring/fighting/adventure and areas containing many pure dialog-driven quests - It's still a fun and rewarding RPG which at times rises to epicness and leaved good memories after it's completion.
