Um es gleich vorweg zu sagen: Heroes 3 wurde von Avault der Seal of Excellence verliehen und das sicherlich zu Recht.A couple months ago I wrote an article bemoaning the fate of my beloved turn-based strategy genre and the real lack of quality titles. Well...I'll shut up now. Of course SMAC has been a wonderful title that is a lot of fun to play, but I think HOMM3 is unmatched in its ability to completely capture my attention and keep it for unheard of periods of time. I know this is true of other gamers (fellow writer Chris Harding stayed up 'till 5 a.m. the other night playing HOMM3...on a weeknight, no less), and perhaps only those who have played this game, or its predecessors, truly understand the phenomenon. HOMM3 is in that upper class of titles from all genres that manages to keep me glued night after night.
While HOMM3 has only recently been released, understand that I've been playing beta versions of this game for several months. I am no more ready to stop playing than I was the first day I played the game. It is everything you could want in a turn-based strategy game and manages to mix challenge and entertainment flawlessly. While staying true to the series, it does so many new things that it can hardly be referred to as a "mere sequel." I think part of the reason it deserves five stars is its ability to go beyond the bounds of the turn-based gamers who will buy the game anyway and reach out to people who may not normally be into these kinds of games. It is so easy to pick up and start playing and understand that it is really a great title to recommend to anyone who is looking for quality, consistent fun. I highly recommend it to anyone still considering it and feel it easily earns our Reviewer's Choice Award.
