Heroes of Might and Magic V: Hammers of Fate review (PC)

Poor artificial intelligence is another annoyance. As in the original Heroes V, rival factions in Hammers of Fate aren't very hard on you. The computer fights pretty good battles when you get to the tactical screen, but they often barely even recognize that you're there on the main map. In many scenarios, you can wipe out neutral factions without much of a fight. Enemies will occasionally sally forth to retake captured mines, mills, and the like if you leave them without garrisons, but they're usually more concerned about the ownership of these resource-producing facilities than about the huge army marching down the road to besiege their town. As the campaign progresses, foes seem to become more situationally aware and will finally flat-out attack if you pose an immediate threat. But even then enemies often don't behave rationally, and they frequently look the other way as you devastate the countryside.

Yet despite all of the above, it's easy to get caught up in the repetitive action and play the game for hours at a time. Maps are so crammed with goodies that you get into sort of a Diablo-like flow and stop paying attention to how everything is so predictable and straightforward. And there is an interesting retro feel that evokes Heroes III even more effectively than the original Heroes V. So if you want an old-school approach, you'll get it here.

Little else about the expansion is all that memorable, save for a few interface changes that make the game more playable. The most noteworthy tweak is the ability to hire creatures on one menu from all your towns and buildings. Instead of time-consuming switching from one location to another when building an army, now you just order from one town menu and your troops are shipped to you automatically via caravan. No muss, no fuss...unless an enemy attacks a caravan en route. Another nice addition is the simultaneous turns option that lets players make moves at the same time until they come into conflict with one another. This greatly speeds up the beginning of multiplayer matches. And a random map generator has finally been included for one-off battles and multiplayer. It is a bit clunky at present, though, and it forces you to do some editing after the fact to set up allied maps for team play.

Hammers of Fate is really only a good option for those with a fetish for predictability or nostalgia. Even though the core Heroes V game mechanics remain superb and possess the ability to hook players for hours if not days at a time, this fantastic design needs more-interesting campaign scenarios and better AI than are on offer here.