Another wonderful member of the family, but like your weird uncle, it's fun but a little disturbing at times.
Although graphics are not the end-all for a strategy boardgame, I admit that once I started playing and fawning over the slendor of the 3D v 2D world, I feel that it does add a lot to the game play and overall experience. The magic effects of the meteor showers could be trasposed into some WWII games. The music and sounds are also wonderful to listen to and are very well done.
The gameplay seems to be the same - which is not to say bad - as the rest of the series as a whole. I like the way the Heroes themselves are used this time around and the initiative bar has been more useful that I had originally thought it would be. The camera during the battles is difficult to use though.
Many reviews focus on a few glaring ommissions that I hope that Ubisoft finally pays attention to and that I will put my stamp on.
First, the documentation is near criminal. HOMM III and IV had such wonderful manuals and fold-out creature and structure sheets that I sometimes go back and look at them for fun (sad, I know). They had descriptions of spells I would never use and practically each creatures maiden names. HOMMV tells you nothing - nothing - about the creatures, their skills, the spells, effects. In a game of checks and balances such as the HOMM-series, this is a glaring omission.
Second, can we please get a random map generator back? That was and will always remain one of my favorite features of the series that added unlimited replay value that kept me playing for years. I still play Diablo II much for the same reason.
Third, there is a lot of graphics slowdown, especially when rotating at far-away angles. Considering my system plays Oblivion at near top graphic quality, this is pretty questionable.
Other than these quibbles (although the documentation is going to haunt my gameplay experience forever), HOMMV is going to be a major drain on my waking hours to be sure. My wife is going to be very sorry she got this for me over Memorial Day weekend when I am supposed to be staining the deck. Some people never learn...