Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East Review

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(More customer reviews)Tribes of East is the final chapter of the Heroes of Might and Magic V trilogy.Even though this expansion was not highly anticipated as its predecessor, Hammers of Fate, it was generally better received by the HMM5 internet community for competency issues.Ubisoft definitely put their best foot forward to ensure that all of the glitches were ironed out before releasing a buggy product (contrary to the original HMM5).

The GOOD!

* TOE IS A STANDALONE PRODUCT - This is a very convenient installation feature that allows you to install the product without owning any of the previous HMM5 products.No annoying prerequisite installations to worry about.

* TOE DOES NOT REQUIRE THE DISC TO RUN - Another convenient installation feature that allows you to launch the game with the DVD absent in your disc drive (Be warned: This feature could be unintended by Ubisoft as it was not advertised on the packaging and could be removed in a future patch).

* A NEW FACTION AND HERO - A strong majority of HMM5 fans were anticipating and begging for the arrival of the nomadic and savage faction known as the Orcs.Their Stronghold hosts a diverse array of units consisting of Goblins, Centaur, Warriors, Shamans, Slayers, Wyverns and Cyclopes.Under the command of an Orcish Hero (The Barbarian) these units can utilize a Bloodrage ability.This ability is accumulated in correlation to the amount of damage that unit inflicts and as a result will give the Orc units access to additional abilities (ie. Cyclops obtains a Fear Aura when obtaining Bloodrage level 3).

* AN ALTERNATE UPGRADE TO EVERY UNIT - This is a highly celebrated feature of ToE that adds a whole new dimension to the HMM5 gameplay.Whenever a creature dwelling is upgraded in a town, the player can choose between two different upgrades for the creature stack.(For example, after the player upgrades the Lich Dwelling in the Necropolis, he/she now has the choice of upgrading a Lich into an Arch Lich or a Lich Master.)As a result there are essentially 50% more creature types availible vastly opening the strategic diversity in a battle.In addition, there is also a "regrading" system allowing the player to interchange his/her units from one upgrade to the other.(For example, the player can pay to "regrade" a stack of Arch Liches into a stack of Lich Masters and vise versa so that the player is not forced to dedicate themselves to one upgrade type).

* SOME NEW INTERFACE FEATURES - Ubisoft did a fine job attuning their eyes and ears to consumer feedback by implementing some very convenient modifications to the user interface.The first one is the Kingdom Overview screen.This allows you to view hero and town details all in one screen without having to tediously cycle through all of them in the town view(a nice feature available in HMM3).In fact you can even access the build menus from here greatly speeding the pace for multiple town management.The second is a "Wait" button in battle menu, something that was highly desired since the original since HMM5.There are a couple more minor features in ToE that smooth out the gameplay but I do not wish to go into them all in great detail.

* PLENTY OF NEW ARTIFACTS, AND ARTIFACT SETS - The new artifacts offered by ToE are well balanced and function specific bestowing a very strategic use for each one.Many of the original artifacts along with some new ones are components of artifact sets.For each set artifact that the hero equips, he/she receives additional bonuses.(For Example: if the hero equips 2 artifacts from the Dragon Set he/she receives +1 to all hero parameters in addition to the original artifact bonuses.If the hero equips 4 artifacts from the Dragon Set he/she also receives +5 attack and all tier 7 creatures in the army receive +20 HP).

* THE GRAPHICS - Despite the 18 month disparity between the release dates of HMM5 and ToE, this game is not a hair more graphic intensive.This means that the consumers of HMM5 who met bare minimum specs will not have to purchase a whole new PC or upgrade their hardware just to run this game.However, Ubisoft did include a couple new display settings to tailor to wide screen monitors and laptops.

* GOOD MAP EDITOR CONTENT - ToE has a batch new terrain types along with a slew of new interactive and decorative doodads.This greatly diversifies the amount of creativity involved when creating a new map with the map editor.

* FAN CONTENT MATERIAL - This aspect alone illuminates the high level of appreciation that Ubisoft has for their online community.ToE comes included with a 300 plus page .pdf manual that breaks down the specifics for every creature statistic, spell formula, artifact bonus, and just about every concept involved with this game.This manual is pretty much the holy bible to the HMM5 series and is compiled by a very credible fan base known as the "Age of Heroes" community.

The BAD!

* NOT SO INTELLEGENT ARTIFICIAL "INTELLEGENCE" - This is the sole reason I gave ToE a 4-star rating in the "Fun" category. I feel that a competent A.I. is an imperative necessity for the turn-based strategy genre and throughout the whole HMM5 trilogy I have been pretty disappointed.I don't think this is the worst A.I. ever coded into a PC game but it is apparent that Ubisoft neglected to invest the proper amount of time in their A.I. so it can adapt, prioritize, and strategize in specific situations.I simply do not feel like the A.I. is a comparable opponent unless it is set on higher difficulties where it will flagrantly "cheat" (by receiving extra resources, experience, etc) making you lose that feeling of being in a battle of wits.

* NO NEW NEUTRAL CREATURES - With the release of every HMM expansion pack I always look forward to utilizing new mercenary creatures that are not affiliated with the 8 main factions.I was hoping that they'd bring back classics like the Medusas, Efreeti, Beholders, Basilisks, among many others.Don't hold your breath as there is not a single new neutral creature in ToE.

* TOO FEW NUMBER OF NEW MULTIPLAYER MAPS - With the creation of several new terrain types and the numerous addition of interactive doo-dads, I expected Ubisoft to work their creative team to the bone to pump out new maps and scenarios.Unfortunately that was not the case as there were only 4-6 new custom maps with this expansion.However, there are many 3rd party sites that provide multi-player maps and single player scenarios for download.

OVERALL: ToE has exceeded my expectations.If Ubisoft spends the proper time to revamp the A.I.(or maybe scrap it completely and start from square one) and release more multiplayer maps in a future patch then this will be a virtually flawless product.It is obvious that the numerous PROS of ToE outweigh the potentially rectifiable CONS.ToE's new features do a good job enhancing the gameplay mechanicsproviding a highly crafted but fluid turn-based strategy experience.For that reason, this game is worthy of the 5-star rating and is definitely worth buying for any casual or diehard fan of the Heroes of Might and Magic series.On the flipside, people new to the franchise might want to pick up a precursor title first.

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Product Description:
Expand your arsenal and gameplay with new spellsartifacts buildings and featuresProduct InformationFor the first time play as the Orc faction and recruit heroes build armies andmanage cities as you explore and conquer legendary lands. Use tactics skillsand magic to outsmart fantasy armies while developing your heroes and unveilingthe dark plot that threatens to tear the world of Ashan apart. Heroes ofMight and Magic V: Tribes of the East chronicles the final chapter in the epicstruggle that began with the interrupted wedding of Queen Isabel. Players willfollow the steps of the Necrolord Arantir as he uncovers the prophecy of theDark Messiah and exposes the Demon Sovereign's conspiracy. Following thisbrilliant conclusion to the Heroes of Might and Magic V story the world ofAshan will never be the same again.Meet the brutal and proud warriors of the Orc faction and follow in the stepsof the Necrolord Arantir as he uncovers the prophecy of the Dark Messiah andexposes the Demon Sovereign's conspiracy.Product FeaturesNew Orc Faction: First made famous in Dark Messiah Might and Magic thebrutal Orc faction now comes to the Heroes series. Savage fiercely proudand resolutely independent the Orcs put the "might" in Might andMagic. This faction's troops include Orcs Goblins Cyclops and the famedPao Kais.New Campaign: Experience the dramatic conclusion of the usurperBiara's reign. Discovering the demonic influence that corrupts the Havenknights the savage Orc clans will take up arms to eradicate the Infernothreat. Characters from Dark Messiah Might and Magic will also appear tobring an unexpected twist to this multi-layered plot. In addition Tribes ofthe East will also feature 10 multiplayer and five single-player maps.New Upgrade Level: Every creature in the Heroes V universe will get asecond upgrade level increasing the total number of creatures in the Heroesof Might and Magic V line to over 170! These

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