I Need a Hero!

Thanks to my new best friend Good Old Games, not only have I've been able to play games I've enjoyed in the past but have discovered some titles that I missed out on previously. One such title was Heroes of Might and Magic 3.

I've a soft spot in my cold jaded heart for Heroes of Might and Magic 2. I played it for hours during my college years and it never got dull once. I never got around to playing it's successor so to finally have it within easy reach is an open invitation to do some exploring of unfamiliar territory. So I handed over the dosh, downloaded the game and then....?

To be honest, I'm not sure.

To begin with, this game is up against some stiff competition: I wasted countless hours on it's predecessor and thus HoMM3 has got to pull off something incredible to grab my attention. Still i was willing to give it a chance and see whether or not it could step out of the shadow of it's older brother.
First there's the graphics: whereas everything previously looked bright and colorful, everything now looks unwelcome and drab. Sure the sprites look well designed and animated but definitely looks a world apart from HoMM2.
And then there's the cities themselves: No longer are there hero-centric castles - now, they're all based on regions. It makes for some variety true but somehow the change is rather puzzling and disarming to say the least - once soldiers in opposition are now working alongside each other which certainly brings up a great big WTF,
The resource system is also puzzling as I'm not entirely clear how much I'm getting and where it's coming from. Thus I have often been left drained and helpless as some git storms in and claims my castles.

Ultimately though, this is the first impressions - There is still the possibility that HoMM3 may win me over yet. And whilst I may have come with from HoMM2 with a 'If it ain't broke don't fix it' perception, that is not going to do me any good - HoMM3 needs to stand on it's own two feet and I really should give it a chance.

So where do we go from here? Stay tuned...