Might & Magic: Heroes VI - Shades of Darkness

 PC
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: May 2, 2013
User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 84 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 84
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 84
  3. Negative: 34 out of 84

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  1. Avadon
    May 11, 2013
    7
    Inexcusable authentication issues aside, which have been fixed at the time that I'm writing this, this is a solid expansion to H6. There is a lot of challenging content here, with huge, detailed maps and campaigns. The story and dialogues are also enjoyable, and finally we have the awesome town screens that we've always wanted. The expansion patch solved a ton of issues that were stillInexcusable authentication issues aside, which have been fixed at the time that I'm writing this, this is a solid expansion to H6. There is a lot of challenging content here, with huge, detailed maps and campaigns. The story and dialogues are also enjoyable, and finally we have the awesome town screens that we've always wanted. The expansion patch solved a ton of issues that were still there after so long, but it also introduced several new ones, worst of which is the occasional black screen freeze when entering a battle. They haven't clarified what's causing it and said they are working on a fix, so you can't really know if your PC will be affected by this, so until they fix it, it's hard to recommend taking a leap of faith on whether the game will work or not. Also, if you choose to play offline, every single unlock and account progression is unavailable. There is absolutely no reason for this requirement, you should be able to purchase your Altar unlocks and gain account XP even while offline, and only performing a synch to the cloud when and if you choose to. It just feels terrible going through unnecessary DRM and logging in services that offer nothing. There is no multiplayer element to the campaigns, so they shouldn't be making you jumping through hoops to play them with all their features on. The only thing it offers is "conflux bubbles" in every map, which you can click and see posts by other players, most of which complain about how terrible the DRM is. How ironic. Overall, solid expansion, has some bugs that may make it unplayable until they are fixed, shame about the unnecessary DRM. I suggest you are patient and buy it later during a sale if you're not in too much of a hurry.… Expand
  2. Woopya
    May 5, 2013
    6
    Many of the "0" ratings have people who have never reviewed any other game. Many of the Best reviews are from regular reviewers. That says something about who is trying to manipulate the score here. As to the game, if you liked M&M 6, this is pretty much more of the same. I did like it, so my review is somewhat positive. However, I would appreciate if after 2 years there were some newMany of the "0" ratings have people who have never reviewed any other game. Many of the Best reviews are from regular reviewers. That says something about who is trying to manipulate the score here. As to the game, if you liked M&M 6, this is pretty much more of the same. I did like it, so my review is somewhat positive. However, I would appreciate if after 2 years there were some new things too. Furthermore, Ubisoft does have some customer service issues(namely it doesn't exist) with regards to uplay.

    In fact, I would be inclined to give this game a 9 or 10 and recommend it to all my friends if Uplay didn't exist. I understand it is needed to help curb illegal distribution and all, but in their effort to keep the game out of the hands of illegal downloaders and freeloaders, they made the game less fun for their legit customers.

    Please Ubisoft, clean up Uplay and make it customer friendly. I will not buy anymore PC titles of yours until I see this happening. Do you realize I have had an open ticket in your tech forums for over 2 years now? Seriously...

    So while I can recommend the game, its fun enough, its score will suffer as it should for a company that is pushing product out the door then forgetting about their customers.    … Expand
  3. Grazgul
    May 29, 2013
    5
    On of the worst releases I've seen.

    The launch was as botched as botched gets. It took me two days after buying to be able to play (due to registration errors) and the game frequently crashes.

    It's only a 5 because it follows the might and magic formula, which is enjoyable on a new shiny update and the hero's are interesting.

    I would wait until fixes occur before bothering to purchase.
  4. Taciturntable
    Jan 31, 2014
    5
    It is incredibly annoying to have to be connected to UPlay. I am constantly having problems with it. I am updating my review though because the game itself is actually pretty fun. Pain to run, though...

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 15
  3. Negative: 1 out of 15
  1. CD-Action
    Jul 2, 2013
    75
    I did complain in this review but as a whole Shades of Darkness is the best thing Heroes VI has to offer. [CD-Action 08/2013, p.84]
  2. Games.cz
    Jun 25, 2013
    60
    If you are fans of Might and Magic: Heroes VI and you crave for some new content, the standalone expansion Shades of Darkness is a must-have. If you've never played the sixth installment, beware of a loads of unpleasant surprises originating in the game's strongly unbalanced AI.
    Read full review
  3. XGN
    Jun 19, 2013
    75
    The latest installment in the Might & Magic Heroes franchise might not be the best game ever in the series, but the complete edition filled with extra content will guaranteed keep you busy for hours. Whether you're new to the game or veteran.
    Read full review
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