This is the game that finally got me to move away from the traditional MM games and on to the 3-D MM games. I enjoy Might and Magic and have since MM2 as a kid, but my feelings there are probably clouded with some nostalgia (though I still enjoy firing up MM2). As an adult though with real life considerations that limit my gameplay time, I find the more focused, yet still open-ended, system of MM7 more to my liking than the expansive, overloaded-with-monsters MM6 slugfest. I also find the system in MM7 more of a class-based system than MM6, which has skills but not classes. Don't get me wrong, MM6 is also a gem, but it is a gem because of how much you can exploit the system to wreak havoc on large groups of enemies. MM7 is more focused in character development where you have more real choices to make, yet at the same time all classes are still fun and playable (or play-without-able...no class is necessary). While MM6 had some absurdities in a playthrough like building up to Saintly reputation to be a master "good guy" (Light Magic), and then "nuke" a town, becoming the worst reputation, and become a master "bad guy" (Dark Magic), MM7 makes you pick one direction or the other and not exploit the system like that. MM7 has more unique replayability for this reason, in addition to classes. MM7 also limits spellcasting tiers, so spells like "Walk on Water" are useful for a longer period of time. In MM6, if you got Fly early on, you hardly ever needed Walk on Water. In MM7, you may get Walk on Water in the early game but need to become a promoted spellcaster to get to cast Fly because it is a higher tier spell. This extends to several other spells as well. MM7 is shorter, but still good length. In my opinion, it is tighter. With more variability in classes, it leaves you experiencing more variety on a later playthrough. That said, MM6 is also 5-star quality, and it really depends on whether you want to exploit a system and have large amounts of time for vast spaces, or whether you want a more refined system that puts reasonable limits on what you do, with distinctions between classes. The choice is yours...but choose, already--stop reading and get playing!
I had read the reviews for Icewind Dale, and it was the last Infinity Engine game I picked up from GoG (along with IWD2). I thought I preferred story and choice, and thus wouldn't like the linear IWD nearly as much. I was wrong. IWD started off somewhat slow...not that the combat pace was slow, but just that I didn't feel too engaged. However, once I got to Chapter 2, my characters had leveled up high enough to begin to hone tactics. Combat is a lot more tactical here than in BG/BG2; if one enemy sees you, it may trigger his friends attacking as well. Gone are the days of one monster seeing you, then wandering off alone from the group! (Well, largely gone...still can do that in some spots, but not as viable as in BG). Also, another thing that this game does well -- leveling up moves a lot faster. You are fighting a lot more, so you gain a lot more XP, and thus you aren't a low-level wimp for as long. I was casting 5th level spells before I was halfway through the game. To compare, in the original BG, you can cast 5th level spells by the end, barely...so character progression is about 2x as fast. IWD also lets you replay the game on harder difficulties for more XP, and get your characters up to level 30! IWD does have negatives -- linear, no recruitable NPC -- but it does some things better than BG: pace, spell selection, and combat tactics. If you can make it through the first chapter or so and deal with the negatives, you will find a quite enjoyable game!
Tex is back! This game is in the spirit of all of the Tex Murphy games, especially the final 3, but updated with 21st Century technology. It's amazing what you get for $20. There are over 5 hours of cinematography (green screen, real actors), packed full of punch lines while still telling a serious, complex story. For the puzzle-lovers, there is plenty of that in here as well. If you hate puzzles, you can go on Casual mode which allows you to skip them for a lower score. This game also has replayability. Periodically, you are prompted to choose one of 3 dialog options. Over time, your dialog options have an effect on the game and cinematics. There are 3 different game paths, and 5 different endings. The cinematography with the actors is the highest quality I have ever seen--movie or game. You can clearly see someone as it would look if they were looking at you face-to-face, it is that detailed. They used double HD resolution. If you get stuck (on Casual mode), an in-game help system is available, again at the cost of a lower score. If you don't want to be tempted by hints and wish to go hard-core, you can choose to play on Gamer mode, though! The only mildly disappointing thing is that some of the rendered environments (when not in the cinematography) are a bit worse than typical games these days. This is to be expected for a kickstarter game with a budget of well under $1 million and only a few people to devote to graphics. Highly recommend!
