Stronghold 2

Stronghold 2 is a real time strategy computer game released in April 2005 in which the player develops a stronghold in the middle ages. It is the sequel to Stronghold, released in 2001, also by Firefly Studios.

Stronghold 2
Developer(s)Firefly Studios
Publisher(s)2K Games
Designer(s)Simon Bradbury
Programmer(s)Andrew Prime
Will Wilson
Warrick Buchanan
Andrew McNab
Bob Kang
Artist(s)Darren White
Robert Thornley
Jorge Cameo
Jason Juta
Writer(s)Simon Bradbury
Casimir C. Windsor
Composer(s)Robert L. Euvino
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: April 18, 2005
  • EU: April 22, 2005
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer

The game engine was enhanced over the original Stronghold to provide full 3-dimensional graphics. Other changes include new military and peace campaigns and the addition of crime and punishment, allowing players to torture unruly peasants. A number of new characters were also introduced.

Gameplay

In the game, the player takes on the role of a lord who rules over a medieval castle. With his available resources, the player places buildings or features, including many different kinds of food production, industry, civil, or military buildings and defences. Available peasants automatically choose jobs whenever a building requires one, so player micromanagement is minimal, he mostly needs to set up the various buildings in an efficient way while providing safety for his peasants. Military units are directly controlled individually or in groups, sometimes quite large with sieges or battles involving many hundreds on each side. One new addition to the original stronghold is the inclusion of estates, that a player can "buy" with his accumulated honor (gained by popularity, holding feasts, dances, jousting, etc.). Estates are semi-independent villages (without castle fortifications) that produce their own goods that the owner can send through carts to his castle or his allies. The inclusion of fully 3D-rendered graphics allowed Stronghold 2 to include tower interiors as battlegrounds for units, and the ability to go observe castle inhabitants very closely, which is useful considering the new features of waste & rat management. As in the original Stronghold, players can choose very different styles of play modes: Kingmaker, Siege, War Campaign, Peace Campaign, Freeplay, Custom scenario, and in Multiplayer (Originally hosted by GameSpy). An extensive map editor allows for endless replayability. From 2014, multiplayer is not supported by the service GameSpy.

Reception
Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic63/100[1]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comC[2]
CGM[3]
CGW[4]
Eurogamer7/10[5]
Game Informer6.75/10[6]
GameSpot5.9/10[7]
GameSpy[8]
GameZone8/10[9]
IGN6.7/10[10]
PC Gamer (US)84%[11]
The Sydney Morning Herald[12]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1]

According to Edge, Stronghold 2 sold at least 100,000 copies in the United States, but was beaten by its predecessor's 220,000 sales in the region. Total US sales of Stronghold games released during the 2000s reached 590,000 copies by August 2006.[13]

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References
  1. "Stronghold 2 for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  2. 1UP staff (June 6, 2005). "Stronghold 2". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  3. "Stronghold 2". Computer Games Magazine. theGlobe.com. August 2005. p. 68.
  4. Neigher, Eric (September 2005). "Stronghold 2" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 254. Ziff Davis. pp. 64–65. Archived from the original on November 5, 2005. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  5. Gillen, Kieron (May 3, 2005). "Stronghold 2". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  6. "Stronghold 2". Game Informer. No. 146. GameStop. June 2005. p. 135.
  7. Beers, Craig (April 28, 2005). "Stronghold 2 Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  8. Abner, William (May 3, 2005). "GameSpy: Stronghold 2". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  9. Giacobbi, Kevin "BIFF" (May 4, 2005). "Stronghold 2 - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  10. Adams, Dan (April 30, 2005). "Stronghold 2". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  11. "Stronghold 2". PC Gamer. Vol. 12 no. 7. Future US. July 2005. p. 64.
  12. Wilcox, Mike (June 4, 2005). "Burning rubber". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  13. Edge staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top 100 PC Games of the 21st Century". Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012.
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