A wretched excuse for a Might and Magic game and the most expensive coaster I have ever purchased.
Fans of the series were excited to hear that the LithTech engine by Monolith was being used, as it worked very well with No One Lives Forever.
The main problem with the series after VI, moderately noticeable in VII and a little more apparent in VIII, was that the games showed signs of being rushed. IX looks like it was released halfway through development. Really. There are not many signs of polish or refinement to be found anywhere.
The same models are recycled for humans over and over again. While that was true in previous games for humanoids, the NPCs you dealt with weren't actually part of the game world, and humanoid opponents at least had decent and distinctive artwork. A lot of models look okay but many textures are just horrible.
In some areas the game seems to have regressed. Gone are many character development options. The inventory display has gotten worse... even MM6 showed how your new items looked on your person.
There are some improvements, though. The AI isn't quite as mindless as it used to be, and in some respects the interface is a little better. They attempted making a more seamless world, where shops and houses are part of the map proper, but they didn't seem to have enough time to flesh everything out or actually make them feel alive.
However, it is very hard for me to find a silver lining on this particular cloud. MMIX is a wonderful example of what not to do in designing a game. It is a sad testament to the eventual decline of both 3DO and New World Computing, where they ran pretty much all of their franchises into the ground in a desperate grab for any financial gain that could delay their inevitable end.
It is, however, decent at keeping rings from forming on a wooden desk or coffee table, though there are cheaper alternatives when looking for coasters.