M&M: Heroes VI - Review @ RPS, WhatCulture

Alec Meer has reviewed M&M: Heroes VI for Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Oddly, Alec hasn't played a previous HoMM so his closest point of reference is King's Bounty. He seems to be impressed with the quantity of gameplay on offer but I'm not sure exactly how much he enjoyed the core game:

Quite often, I’d find I didn’t really have anything to do of a turn (map exploration too is turn-based, with each hero having a limited number of movement points and each city only allowing one new construction before you must progress to the next day) beyond hero movementbecause I was short on something or other and had no way to get more of it without waiting. That’s part and parcel of the game, and perhaps speaks to my ever-shortening attention span, but I did feel like I was dragging my heels more often than I’d have liked.

This is despite, incidentally, the game having reduced its number of resources to four – I can’t speak for how this compares in practice to earlier games, but generally it was the case that I was doing just dandy for three resources and short on one. One that was necessary for making new buildings, usually. Deliberate limitations in this regard are one way in which the game enforces careful, efficient planning on you, as opposed to megalomaniacal ‘I’ll have EVERYthing, and RIGHT NOW!’ It’s a far more serious affair than the King’s Bounties, with the roleplaying stuff a definite second-fiddle to furrow-browed strategising.

...and WhatCulture has a more transparent review with a score of 3.5 stars:

The problem for games like Might & Magic Heroes VI is that mainstream gamers will invariably look down on its players as somehow inferior because they chose to spend so much time in the fantasy realms, and I’m afraid VI goes no way to resisting the stereotypes thanks to an uneven story and some of the most ridiculous voice work I’ve ever encountered. Remember the role playing bits in Role Models starring Paul Rudd? Well, all of that pomposity and ridiculousness actually looks tame next to the silliness of the script for VI’s various cut scenes. But if you can ignore them, the game is immersive and rewarding for those who put the time in to develop their character and unlock different aspects of the gameplay.