Crusaders of Might and Magic

Gameguru Mania (5 out of 5) (100%)

For me CMM looks like the successor of brave Fantasy RPG game saga - Might & Magic. The main difference is that you see your character similarly like in TombRaider or Drakan, and the gaming view is from flying camera behind your back. You're Drake, a loner, who must join the High Guard as they try to rid the lands of the Legion of the Fallen. You must fight the way through 5 realms full of monsters, mages, dead army enemies.

Hacker (89 out of 100) (89%)

Igrajući igru, još ćete jednom potvrditi namjere autora koji su bacili pijesak u lice sličnim pripadnicima istog žanra i sve obavili kako se i treba obaviti. Starim M&M vjernicima poput mene i ne treba nikakva preporuka, njima neće smetati ni neki bugovi poput povremenog trganja tekstura i nemale zahtjevnosti igre. No bez obzira na sve, ovo je definitivno proizvod koji ne smijete propustiti, a to što glavni junak nije žena koja jaše na zmaju ne bi trebalo nikoga previše opterećivati.

Computer Games Magazine ( ) (70%)

Although it's not a game for everyone, Crusaders is a fun little title. The game is all too short however, so it will be quickly forgotten. Throw in some better level design, monsters, a user level editor and some randomness, and Crusaders could have been an excellent game with a long life. As it stands now, this is a purely average game.

PC Joker (69 out of 100) (69%)

Leider schmälern noch andere Mängel den Spaß am Entdeckerspiel: Die prinzipiell ordentliche 3D-Optik weist unschöne Schnitzer auf, die deutsche Sprachausgabe klingt lustlos und in den ausgedehnten Dungeons vermisst man eine automatisch mitgezeichnete Karte. Schade, mit etwas mehr Liebe zum (technischen) Detail und einer einfallsreicheren Story hätte Crusaders als unterhaltsames Action-RPG das „Missing Link“ zwischen den Rollis und Strategiespielen des M&M-Szenarios werden können - so reicht es nur zu einer Fantasy-Prügelei für Fans.

GameSpy (67 out of 100) (67%)

Crusaders of Might and Magic is not as magical as the other titles in the series. It does have some nice graphics, and the vortex lighting techniques are very cool. Unfortunately, the negatives far outweigh the good.

PC Player (Germany) (66 out of 100) (66%)

Fazit: Mit weniger Leerlauf und einer vernünftigen Automap wär es ein echter Hack'n'Slay-Spaß - so ist's aber leider nur ein halber.

Joystick (French) (65 out of 100) (65%)

Malgré une réalisation correcte et quelques bons points, comme l'animation du perso, ce jeu donne envie de bailler. C'est plat, c'est linéaire, monotone et artificiellement long.

Power Play (64 out of 100) (64%)

„Crusaders“ ist alles in allem ein solides Abenteuer, das durch die langwierigen Fußmärsche von einem Ort zum anderen auf Dauer allerdings mehr langweilt als motiviert. Wer durch Fantasy-Welten toben möchte, der wird bei „The Wheel Of Time“ oder dem schon etwas älteren „Heretic II“ eindeutig besser bedient.

Power Unlimited (6 out of 10) (60%)

Crusaders Of Might & Magic is een matige game die veel leuker had kunnen zijn als het verhaal beter was uitgewerkt en er meer te doen was geweest.

incite PC Gaming ( ) (60%)

A black mark on the Might & Magic name, this game belongs in the bargain bin. Let the buyer beware. There are better games for your money.

Old PC Gaming ( ) (60%)

Crusaders is seriously lacking in the area of monsters. You start off the game fighting skeletons, and you finish the game fighting skeletons. There really aren't enough other things to kill, which is again surprising considering the huge number of monsters found in the Heroes / Might and Magic universe. It's a bit of a disappointment overall, and in the end one could find more rewarding a gaming experience from re-playing the older but meatier Might and Magic games.

Jeuxvideo.com (12 out of 20) (60%)

Pourtant, Crusaders of Might & Magic bénéficie vraiment d'une technique solide. Les animations, la taille des personnages ainsi que les effets des sorts ou même simplement la qualité et finesse des décors sont tous au point. Le jeu tourne à la perfection du début jusqu'à la fin. Malgré cela, ce titre reste vide pour le joueur cherchant autre chose qu'à faire tourner sa machine pour le plaisir des yeux.

GameStar (Germany) (59 out of 100) (59%)

Halbe Minute durch eintönige Landschaft laufen, drei Monster killen. Halbe Minute durch eintönige Landschaft laufen, drei Monster killen. Halbe Minute durch... hoppla, spinnt meine Textverarbeitung? Oder ist Crusaders wirklich so eintönig? Es ist: Streckenweise macht das Spiel durchaus Spaß, es enthält aber leider mehr Wiederholungen als das sommerliche Fernsehprogramm. Auch Actionfans werden von langen Wegen und Szenario-Recycling nicht begeistert sein. Zauber-Upgrades und magische Waffen sind gelungen, aber die leichte Unterhaltung läßt mich zu oft tief durchgähnen. Lieber zu Legends Wheel of Time greifen!

PC Games (Germany) (57 out of 100) (57%)

Stechende Kaufargumente vermag das Spiel jedoch keine vorzubringen: Die Grafik ist schlechter, die Kämpfe sowie die Levels eintöniger und die Rätsel weit stupider als bei allen großen Mitbewerbern. Immerhin: Die auftretenden Gegner entsprechen dem Fantasy-Schema perfekt. Da klappern Gerippe, da huschen Schattenkrieger und Gespenster heulen sich die Lunge aus dem Leib. Resümee: Nett!

PC Action (Germany) (56 out of 100) (56%)

Nach der Strategie-Serie Heroes of Might & Magic jetzt auch noch ein Action-Adventure im gleichen Universum? Crusaders of Might & Magic entpuppt sich als Kreuzzug ins Ungewisse. Dem Spiel gelingt es in keiner Phase, eine passende Atmosphäre zu generieren. Dadurch bleibt die nötige Motivation, die Klickorgien zu überstehen, aus.

GameSpot (5.5 out of 10) (55%)

If the game were any longer, you'd start getting really tired of its numerous shortcomings and even more frustrated that its good ingredients are only half-baked.

ActionTrip (53 out of 100) (53%)

The atmosphere during game play is satisfactory, apart from its striking resemblance to console action games (3DO developed the Playstation version of the game at the same time). The control system is very good, especially the mouse navigation system, an oddity in third person shooters. The camera is swift, mouse driven, and covers the complete field of view, giving perfect oversight. The graphics and sound are fairly done, yet still they cannot make up for the overall bad impression.

Game Vortex (50 out of 100) (50%)

The only thing that Crusaders of Might and Magic has going for it is its relatively smooth graphics engine. It supports real-time lighting, and the shadows that fall from your character are pretty neat. However, there are some serious issues with said shadows -- like them “floating” above textures if you look close enough. Eh? The various character models in Crusaders are actually quite good, but I’ve clipped inside almost all of them while I was looking around with the camera. This is a pretty big problem. Despite this, they move very smoothly, which is a big plus. It’s rather cool to see some undead twits shambling across the screen towards you. Some of the lighting and levels look like they were engineered to cause epilepsy and it hurts just to play them.

PC Player (Denmark) (5 out of 10) (50%)

Det er tydeligt, at New World Computing ikke har haft en eneste finger med i spillet på denne tynde, action-inspirerede Might & Magic titel...

Absolute Games (AG.ru) (45 out of 100) (45%)

Если вам НУ СОВСЕМ не во что играть, а хочется до невозможности, да и еще к тому же вы большой любитель игр от третьего лица, то пойдите и... сыграйте еще раз в старый добрый MDK. По крайней мере, ваши эстетические чувства не пострадают. А мы все будем молиться, чтобы никакого продолжения к Crusaders не последовало.

GamesFirst! ( ) (40%)

Crusaders of Might and Magic probably sounded like a good idea at one time. Why not use the incredibly rich background of the ultra-successful Might and Magic franchise to create a 3rd-person RPG/Action game? Just imagine a Lara Croft type-heroine leveling up while fighting her way through the perils of Erathia. Sound good? Sounds damn good. Unfortunately, Crusaders of Might and Magic is not that game. Unbelievably, 3DO has squandered the good name of its most popular franchise on a game that is utterly devoid of excitement, charm, or wit. Though it tries to be an action game and an RPG, it fails at both. Even worse, it avails itself not at all of the Might and Magic mythos—if 3DO had left out the Might and Magic in the title, you’d never make the connection between the series and this game.

IGN (4 out of 10) (40%)

It's not as bad as being rolled in tacks, but it's close.

Computer Gaming World (CGW) ( ) (40%)

The game is utterly devoid — and I mean devoid — of puzzles, conversation, and any real decision making. And though they make a show of incorporating RPG elements such as stats and levels, which theoretically would deepen the gameplay, you’ll be hard-pressed to notice what difference any of it makes. You can play this entire game without checking your stats once. Ironically, CRUSADERS OF MIGHT AND MAGIC is really the polar opposite of a New World Computing game. The RPGs and strategy games are triumphs of addictive gameplay over cool technology. This game is all technology and no game. Before they wreck the franchise further, 3DO should just give this engine back to Now World Computing and let those guys come up with a real game.

PC Accelerator (3 out of 10) (30%)

You would think combining an RPG with action-packed gameplay would be good thing. Think about it - developing a character while slaying enemies with your various weapons and utilizing an arsenal of spells - it sounds promising. However, after playing Crusaders of Might and Magic, that concept has been bludgeoned in a pit of weak-ass gameplay and predictable storyline, spat on by awkward controls, and mocked by pathetic voiceovers. And that's just for starters.

Adrenaline Vault, The (AVault) ( ) (30%)

Some companies have a real knack for maximizing the potential of their licenses. "Star Wars" is one of the best examples of doing this. The original movie has spawned at least two very profitable companies, several sequels, tons of action figures, a series of novels and, of course, a plethora of video and computer games. But too much of a good thing is exactly that-- too much--and walking the line between magnifying potential and saturating it is a fine art. An example of the latter is 3DO's Crusaders of Might and Magic, an action title spawned from a long line of successful role-playing and strategy games that exhibits good qualities, but ultimately fails due to lack of depth and poor execution.