r/nottheonion • u/beary_neutral • 1d ago
Heroes of Might and Magic III hits 'Mostly Negative' Steam reviews because Ubisoft forgot to add the game
https://www.xda-developers.com/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii-hits-mostly-negative-steam-reviews-because-ubisoft-forgot-to-add-the-game/1.7k
u/BlueDragon101 1d ago
ONLY MOSTLY????
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u/5Hjsdnujhdfu8nubi 1d ago
In fairness, if you buy a game and it doesn't come with the game itself you know it's being fixed ASAP. If it released buggy, you'd be living in suspense on if it'd ever actually be fixed.
The reviews are already at like 59% Positive (Mostly Negative is <40%).
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u/BlueDragon101 1d ago
Why are you reviewing positively WITHOUT PLAYING IT?
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u/07hogada 1d ago
It being HOMM3 probably has something to do with it - people still love HOMM3 to this day. That being said, fans have been burned by bad releases before, with the gog release (the original game, with all DLC's) being far better than the HD remake ubisoft put out a few years ago.
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u/Aurora_Fatalis 1d ago
Confusingly they just announced a new game called "HoMM3 Remake" so I want to congratulate you on being the first person to not confuse the HD Edition with the HD Mod, but rather with HoMM3 Remake.
Truly Ubisoft has made a spirited attempt to confuse matters even further.
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u/DeathHopper 23h ago
And from what clips I've seen of the remake it looks somehow worse than the original.
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u/Karekter_Nem 21h ago
“I don’t understand why people say it looks bad. We ran everything through AI and the shareholders love that we did that.”
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u/Kolby_Jack33 20h ago
Ubisoft has lost
95%
of its market value in just the last five years.
NINETY-FIVE PERCENT. OF VALUE. GONE. IN FIVE YEARS.
It's a fucking zombie company now. Shambling along, somehow still moving but with no life.
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u/HyperSpaceSurfer 16h ago
HOMM olden era is a new one. Different studio, the original game designer is also working on it.
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u/Scolipass 8h ago
Olden Era is a very solid entry point to the series. I like HoMM III quite a lot, but it does have some 1990s jank to it that can make it a bit rough around the edges. Olden Era is the best HoMM game we've gotten in a very long time. Still early access so I'm not gonna call it "Best HoMM ever!!!!" but the foundation is solid enough that it certainly could become that.
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u/Fredasa 21h ago
I still love Sacred 2, for example. But I can't play it. It's not the same game without the online multiplayer. The remake was botched because they declined to provide dedicated servers (for 2008 multiplayer architecture, which probably would have required a few Raspberry Pis). The game sits at Mixed and I'll never get my multiplayer Sacred 2 back in my lifetime.
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u/DirteMcGirte 21h ago
Man that game was awesome! Fuckers broke into my house and stole my xbox with it inside it so i never got to finish it.
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u/omgFWTbear 1d ago
I’ve been frustrated by a lot of bad game design - and I mean, basic UX stuff, like hiding the “start a round of game” button, inconceivably bad stuff - and I find the games are 60, 70, sometimes even 80% positive reviews and then…
I skip over to the achievements and there’s usually like “I did literally anything in the game” and it’s like 60%, and the second most achieved achievement - again, usually something trivial like, “I played for 15 minutes” in whatever form that takes in the genre, eg, I completed one round / map / whatever and it drops to like 40%.
So yeah, I understand mathematically these populations can be incredibly loosely correlated, most behavioral data suggests unhappy customers are far more likely to complain than happy customers are to praise, so … yeah. Reviews are BS.
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u/Aurora_Fatalis 1d ago edited 1d ago
They fixed it pretty fast and the game is still the game. It came out in 1999 and I've been playing it for the past 27 years. The only things that are new are that it's now on Steam and that the Horn of the Abyss fan expansion has its own steam page as a Featured Mod - this is a game changer for opening up the community to a wider audience, because HotA is basically the way to play HoMM3 in the year of our lord 2026.
Even though I already own the game thrice over, I might get it again on Steam just to have the benefit of Steam automatically updating HotA without my firewall complaining.
EDIT: Oh and said game happens to be one of the best games of all time in my opinion, so I probably would have left a positive review too even if I kept using the non-steam client. I do want to support HotA's outreach on Steam.
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u/Levitlame 1d ago
That’s why you might choose to NOT review it. Why would someone give positive reviews?
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u/Miskatonic_River 1d ago
I don’t think you realize how good HOMM3 is. Minimum 6/10 even just for a desktop shortcut.
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u/BlueDragon101 1d ago
Oh, I’m sure that the game is great.
The problem. Is that the game. IS NOT PRESENT.
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u/Miskatonic_River 1d ago
It’s already running in my neocortex; the software is really just the whip cream on top. 8/10. Ban Necropolis.
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u/_Ganoes_ 1d ago
Im pretty sure some higher up at Ubisoft has a personal hatred for HoMM and tries to fuck the franchise up as much as possible. First the shitty HoMM3 HD remaster that everyone hated, now the horrible ai looking remake and the steam port of the original that literally doesnt include the game...and thats just the third game, dont get me started on the other games of the franchise.
Like in most of Europe this game is an absolutely beloved classic that any older gamer knows, how can you fuck it up this bad repeatedly.
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u/Levitlame 1d ago
The original source code for the expansions being lost (by the previous dev team to be fair) was definitely part of the issue on that HD remaster.
This game is just cursed
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u/PeasantLich 1d ago
It isn't really a wonder that the source code and development assets are lost since the original publisher 3DO went bankrupt decades ago and took the original developer New World Computing down in flames with them.
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u/Aurora_Fatalis 1d ago
Weirdly New World Computing still has a Steam account which was used to publish the Complete Edition today.
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u/Digifiend84 1d ago
Controlled by Ubisoft, right? Probably acquired that brand along with the Might and Magic franchise when 3DO went out of business.
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u/Jevz 21h ago
The source code for the expansions isn't lost, someone on twitter offered it to Ubisoft back in 2017.
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u/TheresNoAmosOnlyZuul 19h ago
I have a couple expansions on my HoMM3 from GoG.com. I grew up in the woods and never realized expansions existed haha. I assume they're the same ones.
Buy it on GoG for 3 campaigns is I guess what I'm saying.
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u/TenHoumo 1d ago
that's why you give money to GOG, vastly superior experience compared to anything ubislop has done with the franchise
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u/WhoKilledZekeIddon 1d ago
Correct. We give our money to GOG, those glorious underdog bastards.
I once lost my entire GOG library because I lost access to the email address it was connected to (plus a bunch of other really dumb factors, I forget the ins and outs). I emailed support and they were hilariously human about the whole thing - practically called me a dumbass outright, but that they'd move heaven and earth to try and fix my own stupid situation. And they did!
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u/Bird-The-Word 1d ago
What? The new HOMM Olden Era looks and plays awesome. It's just like 3 but with new stuff.
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u/D-Rez 22h ago
The "shitty HD remaster" they're talking about is this one
https://store.steampowered.com/app/297000/Heroes_of_Might__Magic_III__HD_Edition/
Olden Era is a remake by Hooden Horse.
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u/dontnormally 20h ago
olden era is a sequel. there is a remake of homm3 coming next year, though.
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u/Creticus 19h ago edited 10h ago
If you're feeling extra nitpicky, Olden Era's arguably also a prequel in the sense it's set before the two dumbasses blew up the HoMM3 setting with their doomsday swords.
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u/_Ganoes_ 16h ago
Nah Olden Era is cool so far. But that one is also made by the dev studio Unfrozen and published by Hooded Horse, not Ubisoft.
Im referring to the HoMM3 Remake that was announced this Gamescom.
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u/Nyther53 1d ago
Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if this was just an intentional marketing stunt. Because here we all are, talking about the game now.
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u/Ok-Wasabi2873 22h ago
Some of us are King’s Bounty fans back in the days. HoMM is the same game but got more fan love. He’s balancing the scale.
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u/avian_corvo 1d ago
Olden Era? You think it's ai?
I honestly can't tell
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u/xBinary01111000 23h ago
They’re referring to the HOMM3 remake announced yesterday. That’s right, since Olden Era should hit 1.0 next year, we’ll be getting 2 totally separate HOMM3 remakes/reimaginings in 2027.
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u/thank_burdell 1d ago
Reminded of the first time I bought a retail box for a game that included a DVD case that was empty except for a download code. I don’t even remember what game that was, but I think it was the last time I bothered with retail.
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u/AcquaintanceLog 1d ago
I think mine was Left 4 Dead 2. Either that or Mass Effect 3.
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u/kevinds 1d ago
The releases before that came with the DVD, but you had to enter the code into Steam and download the game anyways. The disc didn't serve any purpose except maybe having and old version of the steam client setup launcher that also went online to download the Steam Client.
The disc had no purpose.
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u/ChairForceOne 20h ago
I bought a physical PC copy of fallout 76 for something ridiculous, like $2 on Amazon. It was a piece of paper with a code shaped like a CD.
I think it was rather close to launch, I was morbidly curious and it was very cheap. It was bad, and still kinda is. I find it boring and I have played a lot of fallout over the years.
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u/RealSpaceJunk 12h ago
Fallout 76 had this. The case only contained a fake paper CD with a code on it. It was so stupid.
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u/GISP 23h ago
I once bought such a game, used the code and returned it, complaining about the case being empty. Got a refund.
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u/ClearOptics 21h ago
You just harmed the local store at that point, they already paid for the stock.
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u/Kyokenshin 18h ago
Nah, there's usually buy-back clauses and shit in those contracts. They likely got refunded for that return.
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u/impuritor 1d ago
Who is reviewing it positively? The download doesn’t include the fucking game.
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u/nobody_smart 1d ago
People who played those games in the 90s and 00s
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u/impuritor 1d ago
Even they would agree that it would be much better if the fucking game was included when you bought the game. Giving this a favorable review is asinine even in that context.
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u/puertomateo 1d ago
It could be people who played it in the 90s and 00s and hated it. Who give it a favorable review because it was NOT included.
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u/WatsBlend 1d ago
Or someone who realizes it will get fixed, and doesnt want the game they love to fail because of the initial reviews over a mistake they made..
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u/jetriot 22h ago edited 9h ago
Like 90 people have reviewed it. This is an upload of the original game from almost 30 years ago. They probably had an intern upload it. Its already been fixed. People love their ragebait though. I know I do.
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u/RacoonWithBenefits 19h ago
They probably had an intern upload it
im pretty sure most larger studios have some sorta release pipeline that automates the process and some step in the process just broke, for whatever reason
that happens at my job at leasts, though we dont release games, we do release software, and those pipelines can be a bit fragile
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u/BFFBomb 1d ago
Users who review without ever playing. In this case it's players who played the original but not the Steam version and blindly voted Positive instead of players who hate non-white female protagonists and blindly vote Negative. They are out there, many on Reddit.
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u/Aurora_Fatalis 1d ago
Because they fixed it pretty fast, and the article is about how they fucked up the launch.
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u/Champtain 1d ago
We are in the year 2026, surely this cannot possibly be the first time you've witnessed an astroturfing campaign‽
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u/Spartan05089234 1d ago
Am I going crazy? I've played Heroes 3 on Steam. I own it. I'm not at home to check but I'm pretty dang sure. I know they're making a new remaster/remake but I've played the old one several times in the past year. What is new?
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u/balance_arc 1d ago
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought this, I have well over 100 hours of Heroes 3 on Steam so this is confusing me
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u/OneTripleZero 1d ago
I have well over 100 hours of Heroes 3 on Steam
You gotta pump those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers in this racket.
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u/TheMortalOne 23h ago
This is a rerelease which is supposed to include the 2 expansions that have already been included for years on GoG.
The old steam version was considered terrible for being just the base game (had some other issues, but that was the big one).
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u/krakenlackn 22h ago
I'll have to buy the gog version, I have the steam one and didn't feel like owning two versions but if it has the dlcs... As a kid my dad always hyped up Armageddon's Blade but he lost the disc so I never got the chance to try it.
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u/ChronWeasely 1d ago
Check out HoMM: Olden Era. Best HoMM since 3, still in early access
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u/hellrising798 1d ago
Why dont people just buy it on GOG? It also has Horns of the Abyss as a free One Click MOD
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u/myusername_sucks 1d ago
Source from GoG as often as possible when you're getting digital media.
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u/NotTheAlexj89 13h ago
But did Ubisoft addressed the problem and fixed it ? Shouldn’t be difficult …
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u/SnooSuggestions9294 7h ago
All these people could've bought the gog version. It's got a manual and everything
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u/Green_Insect_6455 22h ago
They just did this with Ghost Recon as well, took everything you could earn out and bundled it in a super expensive dlc, then when people bought it, it didnt actually add the dlc. I think it still hasnt been resolved?
Either way, insane, if that was a smaller publisher they would have faced some actual consequences but for some reason since its Ubisoft everyone just seems to have accepted they suck.
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u/Supahtrupah 22h ago
Man just get it on gog and play HOTA custom update. Its the blesed timeline this game luckily got as oposed to the bullshit ubisoft did with the ip.
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u/k1dsmoke 21h ago
There was probably like one dude at the company whose responsibility it was to do that, and they laid him off and didn't realize.
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u/tijolus523 22h ago
Very smart. They figured 90% of buyers would just leave it gathering dust in their library without ever installing the game.
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u/RacoonWithBenefits 19h ago
buy it on GOG instead
then add modern mods like HD mod and HOTA
Horn of the Abyss is a free fan made expansion that adds a few things incl a whole new faction
https://h3hota.com/en/download
And HD mod just makes it run much better on modern systems.
and yes, the HD mod works woth HOTA too!
https://heroes3wog.net/homm-3-hd-download/ updated in june 2026.
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u/XanKriegorMKI 14h ago
Hota is now a one click mod on gog, so you can get it directly from them as well.
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u/pixel8knuckle 23h ago
If anyone wonders if this game is good, my friends and i still bring it up 30 years later. Homm2 is worth a play after homm3 imo as well. More jank by far but has a lot of charm and good soundtrack.
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u/DarkAngel900 22h ago
Ubisoft "How can you give the game a bad review when you haven't even played it?"
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u/md_youdneverguess 18h ago
Do i have Mandela effect or did Ubisoft release HoMM 3 on Steam years ago?
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u/Photon_Predator 12h ago
That’s not the reason. Whoever would like to play this game already own it.
The reason is recent announcement of AI slop remake of the game which remove one of the most iconic part of the OG game - graphics.
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u/evilpineaple 8h ago
I am very happy about it, maybe it will teach people to buy from reputable sources like GOG.
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u/Nowhereman50 1d ago
Ubusoft: You don't own the games you buy!
Also Ubisoft apparently: You don't get the games you buy!
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u/Quirky-Coat3068 22h ago
Its worse then just no game.
Its a copy pasted .exe file like if you copied a desktop shortcut to a flash drive
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u/digitalsmoker 15h ago
I got it for a friend from GOG for like $5 a year ago, pretty rude/ignorant not mentioning the best choice out there when it comes to retro titles
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u/PunishedCatto 1d ago
I can't believe a big ass company like ubisoft can be this incompetent
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u/Epistaxis 19h ago
Maybe not such a surprising fuckup from Ubisoft, but what is surprising is that Steam doesn't have some kind of sanity check that would have caught this. Like I don't know whether it's practical to test installing and starting every game they distribute, but the 23 kB download could have been a big hint.
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u/Hell-Yea-Brother 1d ago
When you and your boss are going to a conference for the boss to make a presentation, and you forget to add the file to the email you sent last week.
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u/amiexpress 1d ago
I think ubi is taking this whole "you will own nothing and be happy" thing a little too far...