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Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (DS) previews

A

Apoc29

Member
http://kotaku.com/5308977/might--magic-clash-of-heroes-preview-the-might-of-mana-and-puzzles

kotaku said:
I really liked this game both because the puzzle combat was solid and because the 2D sprite and anime cut scenes were so cute. It reminded me of Secret of Mana, Puzzle Quest and the anime /Record of Lodoss War/ all at once – and at the same time, Clash of Heroes felt like a totally unique experience. Very impressive.
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http://www.*******.com/2009/07/07/hands-on-might-and-magic-clash-of-heroes

joyous stick said:
The most pleasant surprise -- and quite possibly our most favorite game -- from Ubisoft's "UbiNintendo" event was for Nintendo DS. /Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes <http://www.*******.com/tag/might-and-magic-clash-of-heroes> /is a fresh new direction for the classic RPG franchise, and, from what we played, it's a good direction to be heading in on the handheld.
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http://nds.gamezone.com/gzreviews/p38149.htm

GameZone said:
Clash of Heroes is an interesting take on the strategy-RPG genre, offering addicting combat and a lush storyline that fans of the series will undoubtedly enjoy.
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http://www.destructoid.com/preview-might-and-magic-clash-of-heroes-138775.phtml

http://www.wiinintendo.net/2009/07/07/might-magic-clash-of-heroes-preview-hands-on/

Gamespot preview + trailer:
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/mightandmagicclashofheroes/news.html?sid=6213087&mode=previews

Gamespot said:
The world of Ashan is well realised on the DS, and Capybara has put plenty of detail into the heroes, villains, and environments. The main characters all have their own unique personalities and expressions, while the colour palette is vibrant and the graphics are crisp. Heroes of Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes is due out on August 25
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http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/might-and-magic-clash-of-heroes-review

Eurogamer said:
In practice I found that the hardwired 'put things in lines' part of my gaming brain quickly engaged, giving the turn-based system a smooth ebb and flow - strategies can be planned with surprising depth and foresight, and enemy tactics must be countered before they are unleashed. In many ways it's actually more complex and satisfying than the traditional M&M model. A balance between attack and defence is key to victory, and protecting and using elite or champion units properly can turn a lost battle hugely in your favour.
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http://www.totalvideogames.com/Might--Magic-Clash-of-Heroes/preview-14359.html

Total Video Games said:
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes is shaping up to be a thoroughly rewarding DS title. The combat is once again an example that puzzle and strategy elements can combine to create an enthralling experience - particularly on the handhelds.
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2 gameplay vids + preview
http://ds.ign.com/articles/100/1004030p1.html

IGN said:
Clash of Heroes is honestly far more of an original intellectual property than a Might & Magic game at all. In fact, the further I play the game the more convinced I am that this was not only the right way to go on DS (a new direction, that is) but one hell of a reimagining of what could now be a full-on series. It's good. It's very good.
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C

Cromulent_Word

Member
Kotaku referencing Secret of Mana, PQ and Lodoss really made my day.

Glad to see these sites digging our game, esp. considering how hard we worked to make it something special.
 
J

JJN

Member
It looks so... different from every Might & Magic game I've seen

2zjc32v.jpg
4zxg6t.jpg



not necessarily a bad thing as the previews were pretty positive, although this 'lining up units' mechanic for attacks and defense wasn't explained too well. I'm digging the concept though
 
C

Cromulent_Word

Member
JJN said:
not necessarily a bad thing as the previews were pretty positive, although this 'lining up units' mechanic for attacks and defense wasn't explained too well. I'm digging the concept though
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if you have questions, let me know... I'm one of the devs so i can explain the game pretty well haha.
 
T

Tellaerin

Member
Love the art style, gameplay sounds intriguing in the previews, and I'm a sucker for 'lush storylines'. Never really got into the M&M games on PC, but I'll be buying this.
 
A

antispin

Member
Cromulent_Word said:
if you have questions, let me know... I'm one of the devs so i can explain the game pretty well haha.
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Please do. What exactly is going on here in these screens and what's the play mechanic like? Thanks.
 
C

Cromulent_Word

Member
Pureauthor said:
Would you say this leans closer to the SRPG or Puzzle game genre?
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In my opinion, it falls smack-dab between puzzle and strategy in battles, with light RPG during the adventuring. It sounds like we're mashing a ton of genre's, but trust me (and the previews) it actually works.

antispin said:
Please do. What exactly is going on here in these screens and what's the play mechanic like? Thanks.
Click to expand...
I'll give you the short version:

battle gameplay is a mix of color-matching puzzle and turn-based strategy. The goal is to send attacks from your screen (the touch screen) through your enemies units to hit their hero (at the top of the top screen).

Matching same-colored units vertically forms attacks, and horizontally forms defensive walls. Each attack formation takes a number of turns to charge, and the player has a limited number of moves per turn.

There are 3 types of units - core (1x1), elite (1x2) and champion (2x2), and the player chooses what army makeup they want to bring into battle.

Each unit has special abilities/attacks/spells... and each faction has different units as well as different walls abilities.

Equiping artifacts will act as buffs to either your hero, their units themselves or their attacks/spells.

I could keep going, but its way tougher to talk about then it is to learn while playing. Its simple, but theres a lot of depth and a lot to master....
 
C

Chris Remo

Member
It seems odd to put this in the Might & Magic franchise. It really doesn't seem to bear anything in common with that series stylistically, and I don't know how much capital that name holds on consoles anyway. Weird choice.
 
C

Cromulent_Word

Member
Chris Remo said:
It seems odd to put this in the Might & Magic franchise. It really doesn't seem to bear anything in common with that series stylistically, and I don't know how much capital that name holds on consoles anyway. Weird choice.
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Unfortunately i can't speak to Ubisoft's intent, but our studio looks at it in the same way Tactics sprang from FF - the world, units, lore, heroes and so on are common, and the overarching motivation for the gameplay share similarities, but Tactics is it's own piece of the FF "world". Don't quote me on that though.

Hobbun said:
So what is the release date of this game?
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The exact date is still being sorted - late summer-ish 09 give or take.
 
P

Peronthious

Member
Cromulent_Word said:
Unfortunately i can't speak to Ubisoft's intent, but our studio looks at it in the same way Tactics sprang from FF - the world, units, lore, heroes and so on are common, and the overarching motivation for the gameplay share similarities, but Tactics is it's own piece of the FF "world". Don't quote me on that though.
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Yea, but Final Fantasy is...Final Fantasy. With tactics releasing on the heels of 7 at least the brand had some power behind it, to say the least. Might and Magic, not so much.
 
A

acidviper

Banned
JJN said:
It looks so... different from every Might & Magic game I've seen

2zjc32v.jpg
4zxg6t.jpg



not necessarily a bad thing as the previews were pretty positive, although this 'lining up units' mechanic for attacks and defense wasn't explained too well. I'm digging the concept though
Click to expand...
I'm confused are teddy bears stronger than angels? We need some FAQ or strategy guide descriptions STAT
 
C

Cromulent_Word

Member
Peronthious said:
Yea, but Final Fantasy is...Final Fantasy. With tactics releasing on the heels of 7 at least the brand had some power behind it, to say the least. Might and Magic, not so much.
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like i said, we just did our best to make the best game we possibly could. Ubisoft gave us an opportunity to make something really unique on DS. I am just giving my opinion of how we looked at it at Capy... not saying "the game is like tactics", just that it is a new style of play in the M&M world.

acidviper said:
I'm confused are teddy bears stronger than angels? We need some FAQ or strategy guide descriptions STAT
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the larger the unit, the more powerful it is by far. So core (1x1) units like the bear are the weakest, elite (1x2) units like the priest are stronger, and the champion (2x2) units like the angel are BY FAR the strongest. Champion units plow through the enemy.
 
V

vesp

Member
Jesus people, it looks like a unique, well realized game with attention given to production values. Assuming its as quality as is being implied by these sites, you should be happy that it got some branding so it isnt buried on the shovelware shelf at bestbuy as "Imagine: Puzzle Knightz".

I'd also like to point out that Super Puzzle Fighter is one of the best games ever.

The only 2 ways the branding could be bad would be:
1. The game is terrible and sullies the M&M name
2. The box tries to trick people into thinking its a "standard" M&M game.
 
D

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
Graphics look absolutely STUNNING, totally my style (lush 2D background and spritework reminiscent of late-gen SNES RPGs) and the gameplay style sounds unique and interesting. My interest is definitely piqued.
 
Z

Zachack

Member
Cromulent_Word said:
like i said, we just did our best to make the best game we possibly could. Ubisoft gave us an opportunity to make something really unique on DS. I am just giving my opinion of how we looked at it at Capy... not saying "the game is like tactics", just that it is a new style of play in the M&M world.
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But what is the M&M world? I'm pretty sure the first three games weren't shared worlds, 4&5 were, 6-8 were (and crossed with... HOMM3 and maybe 4?), and 9 was just ignored. Then there's the random stuff like Dark Messiah and Crusaders which barely have any aspect of the M&M world left (not like the HOMMs ever did).

Basically what I'm getting at is that at this point, I think the only defining characteristics of M&M is that there's zero anime influence and there may be spaceships at some point. Your game obviously misses the first (which I find pretty disappointing, I find that kind of art tired and played out, mostly catering to children), but what about spaceships?
1. The game is terrible and sullies the M&M name
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I don't think that's really possible any more.
 
C

Cromulent_Word

Member
I am not going to try to convince you to love the game, because you obviously want to hate it. And that's totally cool.

My only pitch is that Capy is a small, independent studio that put a ton of effort into making a unique DS game that we are proud of.

If that's up your alley, give it a shot. If you hate our art, or think that because it is called Might & Magic but doesnt have spaceships its terrible, don't pick it up.

djtiesto said:
Graphics look absolutely STUNNING, totally my style (lush 2D background and spritework reminiscent of late-gen SNES RPGs) and the gameplay style sounds unique and interesting. My interest is definitely piqued.
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Thanks for the kind words - i fwd'd this quote on the the artists :D
 
R

Ravidrath

Member
I played this at E3 and really enjoyed it, and will definitely be picking it up despite my fondness for old M&M games.

Is it M&M? No. But then again, I would argue neither is HoMM.

I think people need to get over the whole M&M thing, or at least stop taking it out on Capybara - they pitched a good game concept, Ubi liked it, and asked them to do this in their current imagining of the license they own. If this bothers you so much, complain to Ubi, and maybe Capybara will get to do a sequel to the gameplay that isn't based on M&M.

But, really... The idea of choosing to cling to nostalgia instead of playing a potentially good game is just baffling to me, but its your money and you are free to baffle.
 
E

ElectricThunder

Member
Cromulent_Word said:
if you have questions, let me know... I'm one of the devs so i can explain the game pretty well haha.
Click to expand...

Right then, how're things situated in terms of game length, linearity, replay value, all fixed encounters or not, choices in character development paths, differing endings based on xyz, "grinding" presence...and so on?

That trailer did help me wrap my head around it a bit better versus screens...but the above is the meaty bits that really need some illumination from my vantage point. I'm leaning towards a buy if the answers to the above are good enough, as I gotta be selective nowadays with dwindling cash...
 
P

Phthisis

Member
Ravidrath said:
But, really... The idea of choosing to cling to nostalgia instead of playing a potentially good game is just baffling to me, but its your money and you are free to baffle.
Click to expand...

Prepare to welcome the LTTP: OH MY M&MCoH IS THE BEST GAME ON THE DS threads in October.
 
C

Cromulent_Word

Member
ElectricThunder said:
Right then, how're things situated in terms of game length, linearity, replay value, all fixed encounters or not, choices in character development paths, differing endings based on xyz, "grinding" presence...and so on?

That trailer did help me wrap my head around it a bit better versus screens...but the above is the meaty bits that really need some illumination from my vantage point. I'm leaning towards a buy if the answers to the above are good enough, as I gotta be selective nowadays with dwindling cash...
Click to expand...
game length depends on if you do only main quests, or take all the side quests and do all the bounty hunting.... but there are 5 campaigns each with a lot to do. Internally if we play everything its well over 20 hours, and we dont lose many battles :)

It's a fairly linear game in the same vein as puzzle quest, but there's a ton to do beyond the main quest as mentioned above. Theres even sidequests with a new gametype WINK WINK. There are areas that have random battles (that you can avoid if you want), and this is where you can choose to grind to level up your hero/units, or make $$$ to buy units. You dont choose how you develop your hero (there are 5 of them you embody), instead you choose how you develop your armies by choosing who you bring into battle and thus who levels up, and what artifacts you equip.
 
M

Musashi Wins!

FLAWLESS VICTOLY!
It is a weird IP mash (M&M is why I clicked the thread) but I have to say the game sounds like a lot of fun. Just the sort of romp I like on DS actually. I look forward to it's release.
 
E

ElectricThunder

Member
Cromulent_Word said:
game length depends on if you do only main quests, or take all the side quests and do all the bounty hunting.... but there are 5 campaigns each with a lot to do. Internally if we play everything its well over 20 hours, and we dont lose many battles :)

It's a fairly linear game in the same vein as puzzle quest, but there's a ton to do beyond the main quest as mentioned above. Theres even sidequests with a new gametype WINK WINK. There are areas that have random battles (that you can avoid if you want), and this is where you can choose to grind to level up your hero/units, or make $$$ to buy units. You dont choose how you develop your hero (there are 5 of them you embody), instead you choose how you develop your armies by choosing who you bring into battle and thus who levels up, and what artifacts you equip.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the informative bits....I've yet to jump into the Puzzle Quest side of things but this just might be my first foray. We'll see how things roll out.
 
Z

Zachack

Member
Cromulent_Word said:
I am not going to try to convince you to love the game, because you obviously want to hate it. And that's totally cool.

My only pitch is that Capy is a small, independent studio that put a ton of effort into making a unique DS game that we are proud of.

If that's up your alley, give it a shot. If you hate our art, or think that because it is called Might & Magic but doesnt have spaceships its terrible, don't pick it up.
Click to expand...
I'm not saying I want to hate it (I have no personal attachment to the M&M games, I've just played all of them to some extent - and beaten very few), but you said that it's "a new style of play in the M&M world". I'm just trying to get an explanation as to what that means. If you really mean "the game could have been called Donkey Quest: Pack Them Mules, there's no actual tie to M&M", that's fine, but you're the one making the claim.

For the record, I loved Puzzle Quest but thought the art was tired/poor and, much like your game, a strange use of an IP (in that case, Warlords I believe). Maybe I'll get this, I don't know; I'll probably wait for reviews. But it's obvious that the use of the M&M IP is an odd choice on the part of Ubisoft.

But that said the lack of spaceships is deeply offensive. I am an expert on M&M and...
 
C

Cromulent_Word

Member
Zachack said:
I'm not saying I want to hate it (I have no personal attachment to the M&M games, I've just played all of them to some extent - and beaten very few), but you said that it's "a new style of play in the M&M world". I'm just trying to get an explanation as to what that means. If you really mean "the game could have been called Donkey Quest: Pack Them Mules, there's no actual tie to M&M", that's fine, but you're the one making the claim.
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Gotcha - what i meant was that the game takes place in Ashan 40 years before HoMM5 takes place, stars some of the main chars from HoMM5 (such as Godric, Markal, etc) as youths, uses many of the familiar units from the M&M and HoMM series, follows the (non-spaceship) lore, and so on.

That being said Donkey Quest: Pack them Mules is one of the best game names i have heard in a while :D

Also, if we coulda got spaceships in, we woulda... just ran out of time...
 
C

CTLance

Member
Cromulent_Word said:
there is quicksave, you just cant save mid-battle.
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Hmmm.
I do not know how long the battles are going to be, but keep in mind that the DS is a mobile platform and that as such a quicksave-anywhere-and-anytime function would have been nice. While you can just close your DS and stash it away, it's not really the same.

But oh well. This is definitely on my watchlist. Will there be a Nintendo channel or in-store DS download station thing game demo?
 
R

Ravidrath

Member
CTLance said:
Hmmm.
I do not know how long the battles are going to be, but keep in mind that the DS is a mobile platform and that as such a quicksave-anywhere-and-anytime function would have been nice. While you can just close your DS and stash it away, it's not really the same.

But oh well. This is definitely on my watchlist. Will there be a Nintendo channel or in-store DS download station thing game demo?
Click to expand...

From what I played at E3, the battles are pretty quick... like a few minutes at most, each?
 
C

Cromulent_Word

Member
Ravidrath said:
From what I played at E3, the battles are pretty quick... like a few minutes at most, each?
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Yah - they range from only a couple minutes for basic battles to some longer ones against bosses (did I mention there are boss battles?). The longest battles are the multiplayer ones... They can easily go half an hr with good players.
 
V

vesp

Member
im pretty much sold to be honest.

And i still think the branding is a nuetral at worst, good at best, idea.
 
D

djtiesto

is beloved, despite what anyone might say
yukonrye said:
Oh boy anime. How original.
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Game needed more normal-mapped bald space marines or murky wannabe-realism with no other colors than brown and grey, right?

Personally, I think it looks great, and you can tell the art team put an awful lot of work into it. Colors are rich, the individual tiles and sprites are detailed but still retain a classic-era SNES look. And yeah... Family Guy avatar.
 
C

Cromulent_Word

Member
Apoc29 said:
Preview from Eurogamer:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/might-and-magic-clash-of-heroes-review
Click to expand...
I like this:

"In many ways it's actually more complex and satisfying than the traditional M&M model."

and this:

"At the end of my short campaign section I was definitely hungry for more - and there are another four factions, each with their own campaign, still to see. How much cross-pollination will occur from the main canon is uncertain, but there's really no wisdom in hating Clash of Heroes because it dares to ring the changes."

They make me happy, so i am quoting them.
 
C

Chichikov

Member
What does it has to do with Family Guy?
The guy didn’t advocate the eradication of anime from the fact of the earth (I advocate it through my “fuck this Bambi shit” terrorist organization, but that’s a different story) nor did he call for introducing Family Guy style art to this game.
It’s just a weird and extremely unoriginal choice (and yes, this is way more derivative than "hurr hurr blad space marines").
But it doesn’t mean the game won't be great, it certainly looks interesting to me.
 
M

Metal Gear?!

Member
Zachack said:
Basically what I'm getting at is that at this point, I think the only defining characteristics of M&M is that there's zero anime influence and there may be spaceships at some point. Your game obviously misses the first (which I find pretty disappointing, I find that kind of art tired and played out, mostly catering to children)
Click to expand...
yukonrye said:
Oh boy anime. How original.
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It's a tiny sprite-based game. A cutesy anime style is entirely appropriate.

And yes, it caters to children. It's on the DS. It wants to sell.
 
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