Overall, I liked and found the game interesting. I remained neutral about the completely broken magic and skill system from previous installments.
However, there are very serious drawbacks to the game. Firstly, there are bugs. The Campaign walkthrough gets stuck – either the first mission has a black screen, or the second mission freezes and doesn't start. Secondly, the AI is very uninspired. During battles, the AI sometimes makes incredibly stupid decisions, unnecessarily entering wait modes. Thirdly, the Skirmish mode is completely wasted; the AI spends the entire game hiding in the city and, unfairly, manages to build up a legionary army and a high-level hero without capturing anything or fighting anyone. Fourthly, again, the Skirmish mode is wasted – but this time, it's not about the AI, but about the chaos with the heroes. The complete uselessness of heroes hired in taverns (the lack of the ability to increase their reputation through tears and blood), as well as the inability to choose other heroes at the beginning of the game, is the most frustrating and disappointing point for me. And there are some minor annoyances, like the lack of decent maps and the inability to form alliances with more than two factions. Although, does any of that matter if the last two points completely kill the desire to play in Skirmish mode? I haven't had a chance to play online yet; I don't know if it works or not – perhaps all the best features of the game are revealed there.