The Digital Antiquarian looks back at Might & Magic VI:

The CRPG Renaissance, Part 2: Might and Magic VI

From the 1980s until well into the 1990s, the CRPG genre was typically dumped into the same broad bucket as the adventure game by the gaming press. Indeed, as late as the turn of the millennium, Computer Gaming World magazine had an “Adventure/RPG” department, complete with regular columnists whose beat encompassed both genres. Looking back, this lack of distinction might strike us as odd: CRPGs, which are to a greater or lesser extent simulations of an imaginary world with a considerable degree of emergent behavior, are far more procedurally intensive than traditional adventure games and provide a very different experience.

Back in the day, however, no one blinked an eye. For the one thing the genres did plainly have in common was sufficient to set them apart from all other sorts of games: their engagement with narrative. Whatever else they might happen to be, both an adventure game and a CRPG were a story that you engaged with much as you might a book — that is to say, you played through it once to completion, then set it aside. Contrast this with other kinds of games, which provided shorter-form experiences that you could repeat again and again.

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If we’re looking for a poster child for the trend, it would be hard to find a better one than New World Computing, a studio and publisher that was located not that far from Interplay in Southern California. New World’s equivalent of Brian Fargo was one Jon Van Caneghem, who built his company on the back of a CRPG franchise known as Might and Magic, producing five installments of same between 1986 and 1993. Might and Magic’s commercial fortunes paralleled those of the genre writ large. Plotted on a grid, they would yield an almost perfectly symmetrical bell curve, rising to a peak with Might and Magic III in 1991 and then declining markedly again with the next two games.

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Eurogamer looks back at Might & Magic VI:

After 25 years, Might and Magic 6 reminds us what it's like to have fun

"Wish we kept all the outtakes..."

1998 was arguably one of the best years for video games. Ocarina of Time, Half-life, and Resident Evil 2 all released in the space of twelve months - to name only a few. While we celebrate the 25th anniversaries of our most foundational games, however, one shouldn't be forgotten. Sometimes, it seems like anyone with a PC at the end of the 90s had a copy, and while not all of us will remember it fully, most will remember it fondly. Released on the 30th April 1998, Might and Magic 6: The Mandate of Heaven is now 25 years old.

I don't remember if I played Might and Magic 6 in 1998 or in the next two years, but then I don't recall much of yesterday. What I do remember is getting our first Gateway PC - which came in the same dirty beige all PCs of the time seem to use - and Might and Magic 6 appearing soon after. I also remember sinking so many hours into the game that I spent weeks seeing it when I closed my eyes.

Might and Magic 6 plants you on the world of Enroth, as a party of four whose hometown of Sweet Water is destroyed by "devils." The path to revenge, however, is blocked by the Medieval equivalent of the United Nations, whom you must appease to access the mysterious Oracle. The secret to defeating the "devils" it turns out? Lasers. Big lasers.

It's a blend of fantasy and science fiction that's emblematic of the series' menagerie of inspirations.

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Thanks Couchpotato!

Matt looks back at Might & Magic VI - The Mandate of Heaven:

Matt Chat 123: Might & Magic VI, The Mandate of Heaven

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SsethTzeentach checked out a modded version of Might & Magic 6:

Might and Magic VI (Re)Review | Dementia™ Edition™

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Grayface released new versions of his Might&Magic 6-8 unofficial patches:

GrayFace MM6 Patch v2.0 [Sep 21, 2015]

GrayFace MM7 Patch v2.0 [Sep 21, 2015]

GrayFace MM8 Patch v2.0 [Sep 21, 2015]

It's nice to see something on M&M, with GamersInfo kicking up a review of Might & Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven.

It can be overwhelming to have destroyed a few dozen monsters, have no magic power left, be close to the reaper’s door and then have a few stragglers left at full health. Thus, Might and Magic VI is not an easy game to get into. But what makes it a joy is to take that party and see how far you can go. Exploration expeditions abound! There is this massive sandbox waiting for you. Every nook and cranny is open. Sure, the quests are not as diverse as some games are today. But it is fun. And Might and Magic VI is one of the few games that I can and will play happily for hours.