I've seen so many times someone saying 'Heroes of Might and Magic 5 are a crappy game' or 'it's not a real Heroes game' and stuff like that... What I don't get is why? It has pretty much returned to what series used to be (compared to HoMM 4, anyway) and introduced new mechanics, like skills and abilities (or whatever it'S called) or introduced initiative-based combat - both changes I really love and think they actually improve the gameplay. So why the hate?
Edit: Oh, I should add: This is NOT a flame-war topic, I sincerely want to understand it.

Personally I have problems with the WoW'ish asian/anime like graphics.

I don't have an issue with HoMMV but your user pic frightens me... I can still hear her in my head.
"Look at you, hacker. A pathetic creature of meat and bone, panting and sweating as you run through my corridors. How can you challenge a perfect, immortal machine?"
*shiver*

I like the game, and I also liked the small changes in playability (and the fact it was largely based on HoMM3 instead of HoMM4). The campaigns are not as good as in HoMM3, but the gameplay kind of compensates that.
So, no hate from me.

For people like me who dug countless hours into HoMM3, it just doesn't feel like a proper HoMM game.

I DID dig countless hours into HoMM 2 and 3, and yet it feels right

I don't see anything bad in HOMMV either, though I haven't played it much, just couple first maps in first campaign. Just recently bought the heroes collection so I haven't got the time yet. HOMM3 is better still I think, at least HOMM3 and 2 has the nostalgia factor giving bonus points since I've played them a lot past years, but 5 is definitely in the same ballpark in my limited experience. Definitely feels more like HOMM game than 4.

I only played HoMM 1, which I never particularly liked. I decided to get Heroes V anyway, though, since I got a decent deal on the epic collection. I'm not overly impressed with the campaign. Focusing the game entirely on a single hero was fine for King's Bounty, because the game was designed with a persistent hero in mind. Heroes V was clearly not, and I didn't think the series was supposed to be about that anyway, and so the campaign suffers for it.
No, I will never play multiplayer.

I played HOMAM 1+2 years ago, and then more recently heard they'd made newer ones.
So, a couple of years ago, I decided I may as well go for 5, rather than get 3 or 4.
The campaign was very poor imho, and I hated it switching between the different factions (so they didn't need to make seperate campaigns for each faction, you just play through them all in the order they decided) - this may be how the other games do the campaign (except I know that HOMAM1 allows you to choose.) but this is an annoying "feature" for me, because there are certain factions I don't like to use at all. The same applies with Age of Empires 3, afaik...
I much prefer the 2nd one (and have it again now that GOG are selling it) and I expect I'll check out 3+4 once GOG sell them.

Because in HoMM 2, 3 and 4 it feels like you're in a pretty open world. HoMM 5 in the other hand is full of f*cking corridors. =(

When the game first came out it was notoriously buggy and had only a few maps to play on, which was kind of mind blowing for this kind of game. The replayability factor was extremely narrow compared with something like HOMM2.
No idea what the patches may have fixed.

That's a problem of leveldesigners, not the game itself. But you're right - I've never had that satisfying 'exploration' feeling I got from HoMM 3 and never could quite put a finger on why - this is the reason I think :D

I never bothered due to feelings of 2D games/series going 3D :)
So I don't have any real opinion on it.

Sounds about right. All in all, 3 is still my favorite in the series.

I actually -like- Heroes V. Even with that whole "corridor" aspect. But then again, I always hated having to chase down enemy heroes who kept poking around behind my lines and doing annoying things like flagging my mines while I was trying to build up a big enough force to go grab one of their castles. So... yeah. :)