Master of Magic
Added 06/04/07
Ah, here we go back to my youth. The very first game I learned to play, and play well, was Master of Magic. Now, before anyone asks, the likelihood of a Master of Magic 2 is SLIM. Still, the original is always best... The most a sequel will do is either complicate matters or just be a giant bug fix. Not like that wouldn't be welcome, though; there's enough bugs!
Master of Magic pits you and up to four other wizards, no multiplayer, against each other for global domination or the completion of the Spell of Mastery. That first part sound a bit like Civilization? Well, good. This was done by the same company, Microprose. In conjuntion with SimTex. Master of Orion sound familiar? Good, 'cause this uses almost the same engine.
First off, the variety availible is incredible. There's no shortage of combinations with the spell picks. You can either go deep into books, or pick all the skills you can. The races that are availible each have their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. Yes, even High Men. Also, there are fourteen or so different wizards to pick. You pick one portrait, and then the game randomly picks until the set of computer opponents is set. Thus, you never know who you'll face.
As far as "favorite to face?" Ariel. She's pure white magic, and she's not that difficult to get along with. You can keep her around for longer than others and not get hit with a curveball. Least favorite? Sharee. She's a pain in the neck, as she's a practitioner of black and red magic. Red flags going up? Good. Add to the many creatures she can summon that she gets a discount on them, and she'll have Hydras around faster than you can.
Who's my favorite to play as? Sss'ra. I normally play on Easy or Normal, and with me as him, I don't have to worry about breaking into Myrror to eliminate a last foe.
The many units in MoM have their own strengths and weaknesses. A battle between Magicians and Hammerhands can look ugly for the slow-moving Hammerhands, while Magicians and Paladins end with the Magicians getting creamed. Conversely, those Paladins might not fare so well against those brutal Hammerhands. Particularly Adamantium-ized Champion Hammerhands.
The heroes, too, have their strengths and weaknesses. Aerie the Illusionist, for instance, won't last very long in melee combat. However, her illusionary magic attack is DEVESTATING, ignoring all armor, even that allowed by Magic Immunity. Of course, said attack costs some of her personal supply of mana, but you can always get around that, can't you? Meanwhile, Roland the Paladin is an exceptional melee warrior, and can dish out a ton of damage before he bites the dust. Add to it that he's got Magic Immunity, and he's almost unstoppable. Almost. An army of Slingers can take him down faster than you can blink an eye.
Magic plays a big role in the game. Obviously, with a name like "Master of Magic." There are six different realms, each with strengths and weaknesses. From the utilitarian Arcane, to the building magic of Nature, to the destructive power of Chaos, each magic realm will aid you in its own way.
As one poster on GFAQs put it, each magic realm have their uber-spells. Nature, for instance, has Basilisk and Gorgon. Sorcery, meanwhile, has Invisibility and Flight. Black has Wraiths and Dark Rituals. White has Stream of Life and Incarnation... I could go on and on, but you can win with each realm, and you can do it easily, provided that you don't get clobbered in the meantime.
So, that's the magic part. But there's more to it! You have the economic part. If you, like me, prefer to slaughter your way to victory by capturing every city in the world... You need one heck of an economy. Each race has its own strengths and weaknesses, much like the magic realms. The weaknesses and strengths are more related to the limitations on buildings, the high-end units, and how much unrest each race stirs up.
What I'd like to bring into attention here is the unbalenced portion of the game. You see... Lizardmen are weak in productivity and food, they don't have a strong end-game unit, and they stir up the third-most unrest out of all the races you normally pick at the start of the game. Compare to one of my favorite races, the High Men. Their end-game unit is ridiculously overpowered, they are excellent in productivity and food production, and inspire the third-least amount of unrest. Some extra attention here would've been nice, but for what it's worth, it doesn't matter THAT much if you have the right spell. Just one tip: Don't pick Klackons. That's about the worst race in the whole darn game...
Overall, I highly recommend Master of Magic, if you can spare the change. I think Amazon has some great deals, considering the prices on eBay. Which would you rather have, about $60 for a complete MoM, or about $80 for a complete MoM? We got lucky; we got a complete for $50. Next cheapest happened to be just the CDs for $50. Not a cheapie, but it won't let you down, if you happen to like Civilization clones with a good twist.
If you REALLY want to, I guess you could download it, but I won't condone it... Even though the price is a little ridiculous.
GRAPHICS: 9.2/10
GAMEPLAY: 10/10
SOUND AND MUSIC: 9.8/10
ORIGINALITY: 8.6/10
REPLAYABILITY: 10/10
FINAL SCORE: 47.6/50, 95.2%
VERDICT: A