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Acquire (and Zero Div) seem to be becoming a more prominent game developer of recent years in the US. Some of their more recent titles such as Sorcery Saga and Mind-Zero have only just released in the States through various publishers. Their latest US release, Class of Heroes 2G, arrives by way of Working Designs-veteran Vic Ireland and his new company Gaijinworks.
This new dungeon crawler takes the original Class of Heroes 2 and expands upon it with new content as well as a console release on the PlayStation 3. Is Class of Heroes 2G worth enrolling in, or is Crostini Academy in need of more than just a fresh coat of paint?Class of Heroes 2G‘s story opens with a freshly enrolled band of adventurers in the Crostini Academy, a school rife with all of the common tropes you’d come to expect from a Japanese high school setting in this day and age. Bitter rivalries, student/teacher “romance”, plans and hijinx that quickly backfire in dramatic fashion, et cetera. The translation harks back to the days of Working Designs and the PlayStation 1-era of JRPGs, as seems to be Ireland’s signature style. Who knew that one of a samurai’s most effective moves in battle was a pimp slap? All of the dialogue, item descriptions, and flavor text seem to share a sort of whimsical and easy going attitude that fits in line with the school setting.Parties in Class of Heroes 2G consist of six party members, split evenly between front and back rows. You’re free to use any of the ten races to compromise the core of your party although some races are better suited for roles than others.
It will launch on April 26 in Japan for 2,759 yen, presumably via the Nintendo eShop given that the release date is so soon. Class of Heroes:.
Six basic classes are available from the onset, but in total there are 19 jobs to work with. These advanced classes not only have particular requirements such as race, stats, or alignment but also may only be available at the other two schools in the game, requiring the player to advance far enough in the story to unlock these two.An interesting thing to note is that character creation will assign that character a pool of bonus stat points, ranging anywhere from a measly couple upwards of thirty-plus. Rerolling takes no time at all and it’s quite easy to start out the game with a team of bruisers with maximum strength and vitality to make the early game more manageable. Class of Heroes 2G balances this out by giving characters with lower BP better stat boosts more often upon leveling up, and characters with much higher BP the opposite. This is probably one of the only games I’ve played where a character has actually LOST stats just for leveling up.Changing classes is as simple as talking with the headmaster of each academy and selecting a new curriculum and offer benefits such as keeping ones stats and learned spells, although HP/MP and skills are reduced.
This can be quite handy if you wish to have some back row members learn the various types of magics in the game or advance a character from being a ranger to perhaps a gunner or idol.Buffing magics are required in Class of Heroes 2G perhaps more than other games in the genre. Trapped floors exist in nearly every dungeon, so having some method to float is a necessity. For floors that have both a pitfall and anti-magic field, having some means of manual flotation is needed.
I found myself having to wear a pair of low-level shoes called Stilts for the entirety of the game those characters that didn’t have an inherent penchant for floating just to navigate through these areas and complete every map in the game.Magic users by far seem to be the most effective members to have in a pinch, especially in higher levels. An Elf summoner could summon a Seraphim, acting as a seventh party member and far outranking those I frequently used.
Combat frequently became trivial as this Seraphim could hit for two or three times what my strongest melee combatant could in addition to having nearly double their life points. These summons stay out for the entirety of an expedition, only expiring upon reaching a town or finally running out of health (a feat that’s harder than it seems outside of boss fights thanks to a passive HP regeneration). Without Seraphim or other magic spells in combat, I’d say that Class of Heroes 2G would have some of the harder combat in the genre, but with these powerful spells, sometimes that difficulty becomes nearly arbitrary. There exists a higher difficulty mode in the options mode for those that prefer an added challenge.Items and equipment are an unusual case in Class of Heroes 2G.
Many items that are party staples are seemingly in very short supply. For much of the early game, a wyvern call ticket that allows for travel to any previously-visited place on the world map cost a hefty 10,000G and are frequently limited to one per town, if they even stock it at all. It’s a similar case for some of the better equipment for your party members. For new and better equipment, there are typically three options to work with: post-battle spoils, chests in dungeons, and alchemy. The first two are completely random, as even the treasure chests you come across in dungeons can be of random rarity (walking away and approaching the chest once more can easily turn ones luck around).Alchemy, however, seems to be more of a hassle than it’s worth.
Crafting requires returning to the academy (unless you have a gnome alchemist in the party), the proper piece of junk that corresponds to whatever item you’re crafting, and various synthesis items. Having the proper alchemy recipe helps to see what is necessary in game, but Gaijinworks has provided a compilation of most of the alchemy recipes. I often found myself swimming in junk that was often too low level to be of any use of my party and I was better off just gathering up the dosh to afford new gear from the next town I visited.Getting around the dungeons can sometimes be a hassle. Without the proper map in your inventory, you’ll be going around blindly without an auto-map and even then, trying to get around all of the traps without Float can also be a hindrance. One of the bigger annoyances to getting around are some of the map tools that feel lacking. Treasure chests are not tracked on the map, so missing one will require navigating around blindly until you find it. Entrances and exits are marked on the map but are only labeled if they lead to another zone or town, making navigating around inside the dungeon sometimes a pain especially for the maps with five plus exits on a given map.To alleviate the navigation woes, Gaijinworks coded in a very novel remote play feature for Class of Heroes 2G.
With the usage of a PSP/Vita, you can enable second screen support in a way not previously seen in any other game before. Through remote play (not requiring owning a PSP copy of Class of Heroes 2), players can use their handheld not only as a controller for the game but also a handy menu for combat. On a given character’s turn, it will bring up a menu of their stats and other vitals as well as a basic menu giving the player a total of their statistics and kill count, handy for those that want to know how close they are to that 50,000 kill trophy (it’s quite a grind, as I finished the game with just under 10k kills under my belt).
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This dual screen support is something that I would love to see other companies utilize in future RPG releases on PlayStation.Class of Heroes 2G in a nutshell is a classic send back, a compromise between the earlier gridders of yore such as Wizardry with the modern style of an Etrian Odyssey title. While easier than its contemporaries, instead that should mark as an entry point for those interested in trying out the genre but don’t wish to get bogged down with complexities and intricacies of more recent titles.
Class of Heroes 2G is a welcome addition to any RPG fan’s library and in the words of Victor Ireland, is “nothing without you!” Class of Heroes 2G (PS3) Review, 8.8 out of 10 based on 4 ratings. Tags.
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes | |
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Developer(s) | Capybara Games Tag Games(iOS/Android) |
Publisher(s) | Ubisoft Capybara Games (iOS) |
Writer(s) | Jeff Spock[1] Dan Vader |
Series | Might and Magic |
Platform(s) | Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android |
Release | Nintendo DS
April 13, 2011[2] PlayStation 3
September 22, 2011[3] iOS January 24, 2013[4] Android June 27, 2013 |
Genre(s) | Puzzle, adventure, role-playing |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes is a puzzlerole-playingadventurevideo game in the Might and Magic franchise, developed for the Nintendo DS by Capybara Games and published by Ubisoft. It was first announced in May 2009, and released on December 1, 2009. In 2011, a downloadable high definition version was developed for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. Android and iOSports were developed in 2013.
Gameplay[edit]
Previews of the title likened its gameplay model to those of Puzzle Quest and Critter Crunch.[5] Borrowing elements from the Heroes of Might and Magic franchise, it combines elements of the role-playing, turn-based strategy and puzzle video game genres, allowing players to embark on story-based and optional quests while employing army recruitment and resource management.[6][7] Five of the eight playable factions featured in Heroes of Might and Magic V – the Haven, Inferno, Sylvan, Academy and Necropolis – comprise the game's forces, though their troop lineups are not replicated from Heroes V.[8] Instead, armies are made up of an unlimited number of faction-specific basic troops, as well as a finite number of larger 'elite' units. Each faction has three types of basic troops, and five types of more advanced troops, with players selecting from these to form their individual army compositions.
The player controls individual heroes representative of each faction, each of whom act as avatars in alternating exploration and battle phases, growing in experience and obtaining new abilities as the game progresses.[5] The game's producers described battles as the center of the game, and these battles are turn-based.[9] Battles take place using two separate grids of troops, with enemy troops being shown on the top screen, while friendly troops are shown on the bottom screen. Each turn, players have a number of moves (generally three) with which to move individual units around on the grid (battlefield) in an effort to stack similarly colored units vertically. When the correct number of units of the same color are stacked, the units begin charging for an attack which will execute some number of turns later. If the charging units are not destroyed prior to the beginning of their attack, the attack launches vertically towards the opponent's army, interacting with any enemy units which are in the way, and possibly striking the enemy leader or hero as well.
Equippable artifacts, some returning from Heroes V, are also involved in gameplay; these modify troop or hero abilities during combat.[10] Lastly, a multiplayer mode is also included, featuring two playable heroes in DS Download Play mode, and all ten heroes in DS Wireless Play mode.[11] The game has some different features from other clash games [12]
Plot[edit]
The game is the third title set in the series' Ubisoft continuity, and acts as a prequel to Heroes of Might and Magic V, taking place in the fictional world of Ashan prior to the events of the game (producers Erwan Le Breton and Romain de Waubert have noted it as 40 years before the cycle of Heroes V and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic,[11][13] averaging at 946 YSD in the timeline).
The game's story mode centers on its five main protagonists: Godric, Aidan, Anwen, Nadia and Fiona, who command knights, demons, elves, wizards and necromancers respectively.[10] Godric and Anwen previously appeared as playable characters in Heroes V, while further returning characters shown in screenshots include Cyrus, Findan and Markal. The protagonists have been described as five lost children whose lives are shattered by 'a mysterious Demon Lord with very sinister motives'.[13] This demon lord turns out to be Azh Rafir, Nadia's father, who had devised a mad scheme to use a powerful artifact known as the Blade of Binding to open the gates to the demon world of Sheogh and drown Ashan in chaos. He is shown to worship Urgash, the dragon of chaos, in Fiona's story. It is also shown, in Aidan's story, that Aidan had unknowingly taken the Blade of Binding. After the revelation that her own father had broken her life and those of her friends, a heartbroken Nadia decides to fight Azh Rafir in his demon lord form in the story's climax. After vanquishing him, she destroys the Blade of Binding and finally derails his scheme, bringing peace to Ashan.
Reception[edit]
Reception | ||||||||||||
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Reviews have been generally positive,[20] with IGN awarding the game a Best of E3 2009 nomination for Best DS Strategy Game.[21] They would later go on to give it an 8.9 out of 10. It was also ranked as the fifth-best Nintendo DS game released in 2009 by Metacritic.[14]Official Nintendo Magazine gave the game a score of 90% praising its tactical play and reward system however, criticizing it for being too generic.[22]
HD remake[edit]
A high definition remake was developed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It features several changes to help better balance gameplay and was released via PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade on April 12–13, 2011.[2] The PC version, which notably uses Steamworks rather than U-Play, was released on September 22, 2011.
References[edit]
- ^'Jeffrey Spock's Website'. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
- ^ abc'Electronic Theatre'. Electronic Theatre.
- ^http://store.steampowered.com/app/61700/
- ^'Might and Magic: Clash Of Heroes release date confirmed'. computerandvideogames.com.
- ^ abBozon, Mark (2009-07-15). 'Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes Hands-on'. IGN. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^Anderson, Luke (8 July 2009). 'Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes preview'. GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^Amer, N (2009-07-04). 'Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes preview'. GameZone. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^Magrino, Tom (2009-05-13). 'Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes Announcement'. GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^'Clash of Heroes – Dev Diary 2'. Ubisoft. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ ab'Clash of Heroes Trailer'. Ubisoft. 7 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ abHatfield, Daemon (2009-05-22). 'Pre-E3 2009: Might and Magic preview'. IGN. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^Alrazziq, Abdul (2019-05-25). 'Magic preview'. clash lights.
- ^ ab'Clash of Heroes – Dev Diary 3'. Ubisoft. 6 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^ ab'Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes for DS Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^'Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes for PlayStation 3 Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^'Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes for Xbox 360 Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^'Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^'Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes for iPhone/iPad Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^Campbell, Nissa (2013-01-30). ''Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes' Review – A Buggy Port of a Fantastic Strategy Game'. TouchArcade. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
- ^'Gamertell Review: Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes for DS'. Gamertell. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
- ^'Nintendo DS Best of E3 2009'. IGN. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^'Nintendo of Europe'. Nintendo of Europe GmbH.
External links[edit]
- Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes at MobyGames
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Might_%26_Magic:_Clash_of_Heroes&oldid=927366707'
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