Stronghold: Crusader II Critic Reviews

Stronghold Crusader 2 was a rare game that I got lost in. I started playing and before I knew it, it was six hours later. Who can resist a game about castle building, economy raising, and taking on large castles full of troops and hazards?. Especially when you can soften up the numbers by launching diseased animals over castle walls.

Does a good job walking the thin line between economy-sim and RTS. Gives a good “build it and then knock it down” feeling with varied and colorful units.

A very good product. The difference between this game and Firefly's previous game is devastating. Crusader II is basically Crusader wearing Stronghold 3, and that's not a bad thing. To be honest, the campaign could have been better, the interface clearer and the graphics prettier, but all in all the end result is worthy of praise from the fans.

For old, war-tested Stronghold players Crusader 2 is a triumphant evolution of the game that they've held dear for the last twelve years. For the rest of us though, there is perhaps no better time to see what all the fuss is about.

Firefly Studios hasn't quite made a new classic RTS game here, but they were extremely close.

Stronghold Crusader II is a great RTS game with a solid combat system and robust micromanagement. We love the freedom that we have to create our dreamed bastion and its addictive multiplayer options.

After 7 years of waiting, the new Crusader game is released. Stronghold Crusader II contains all the cool features from the original Stronghold Crusader game with some new and fun gameplay.

I would not recommend it as a single-player game. It simply doesn’t have enough flesh on the bones to be played that way for more than a few days. Fortunately, Crusader was never meant to be played alone.

As long as you don’t mind that the game doesn’t really have a campaign and instead relies on skirmishes, then it can provide you with a worthwhile gaming experience. I’d just recommend that you wait for the price to drop down to well under the $50 mark where it is now.

Stronghold Crusaders II follows the lead of its (old) predecessor. It's a nice strategy game coming from an ancient golden age.

Stronghold Crusader 2 goes back to the roots of the series, taking us almost 15 years back in time. This can be good news for someone, but we expected something more and for the rebirth of the franchise we’ll have to wait for the next episode, hoping for a braver approach.

Combat is the traditional RTS “smash into each other experience” but it works well (despite the questionable unit AI), and building your castle is incredibly pleasing despite the dodgy interaction with terrain. Irritating moments such as the enemy Lord fights and generally high difficulty detract significantly from the game, but it’s still an enjoyable romp for any RTS fan.

There are some issues that prevent it from becoming a better game, but still it delivers a good feeling that fans of the original game will enjoy.

Stronghold Crusader 2 is a product made for those fans who, after twelve years, still want to play the original game without any really new addition to the formula.

Stronghold Crusader II can surely elicit nostalgia feelings in the most old-school fans, but it seems to lack the virtues to truly compete in the modern world.

The Stronghold series isn't like Total War, doing a hundred different things; it just needs to get the castles and combat right. On the evidence of Stronghold Crusader 2, Firefly is moving in the right direction, but it still has a way to go.

It isn't broken, and it has moments of mild glory, but lacks personality.

It's still fun as long as you don't care about a single player campaign and up to date visuals.

Stronghold Crusader 2 understands the art of the troop blob, but that alone doesn't make it a good game. Its lack of interesting units, underdeveloped castle-building options, and terrible tutorials hold the game back. Blob warfare is still fun, and directing an army never gets old. But man cannot live on blob alone.

Stronghold Crusader 2 is a good strategy game, effective and addictive. Still, pity he did not further revolutionizes the series, and we would like a true modern graphics engine have been developed for the occasion.