Summary
The best of all HoMM...
The Good
It's pretty simple : I liked almost everything in this game. But clearly, there are three things that makes HoMM IV a so incredible game : the gameplay, the graphics, and the music.
The gameplay : Some changes have been made since Heroes III, and some fans will probably be disappointed, but in my opinion, it changed for the best. It's nice to have heroes fighting on battlefields (even if it can transform the game into some kind of turn-based Diablo-like in some cases), and there are many little improvements that makes the gameplay more and more enjoyable.
The graphics : even if it is not "true" 3d, the isometric view is really beautiful, with many details and nice design. The only flaw is the animation of some creatures during combat (mainly the "human-shaped" ones), especially their "walking" animation.
The music : I can only say a thing : the music in HoMM IV is one of the best I ever heard in a video game. It is simply wonderful.
The Bad
Well, there ARE actually a few things...
First, many creatures from Heroes III disappeared. It is partly explained by the story (because, you know, they blow Enroth up in the intro movie), but... And it is no more possible to upgrade the creatures. And when you build your castle you must choose between two creatures for each level (for instance, Nagas or Genies). It is not really important, but when you played Heroes III for hours like me, you feel... restrained.
Then, the AI. It's not exactly bad, but the computer players are, well, a bit stupid. It is more easy to play in "hard" mode because the computer will kill himself attacking the most powerful monsters from the start.
Finally, there is one last thing. The campaigns. Six campaigns, each telling a different story. Some of them are actually pretty interesting, but it lacks of a global storyline like in Heroes III. You will play two or three of the campaigns, and no more, because there is no story to catch you. It's really sad. Oh yes, there's one more thing : the story-telling texts. They're just too long. You end having the feeling to be reading a book on your computer screen.
The Bottom Line
If you liked the other Heroes, just give a try to this fourth episode. And if you didn't like them... well give it a try anyway ! You won't regret it !
